If this sounds a touch out of character for the little green tofu-eating machine, then you know your Beast Boy. In fact, the only reason our favorite little vegan would subvert his principles is if his beloved moped were a sure thing, and the Meaty Meat seems to be just the place to put him on the fast track to becoming a “bad motor scooter.”

As it were, should Beast Boy manage to earn the coveted “Employee of the Month” at the Mega Meaty Meat, he will be rewarded with a brand spankin’ new moped. Dream fulfilled and end of story, sounds easy right? Wrong. The life of a Titan is never that cut and dry. Things at the Mega Meaty Meat are odd enough as it is. The rest of the teens suspect something odd as well, but Beast Boy is determined to win that moped. Beast Boy is aware of things being a little off at the restaurant. His manager Bob is the only other person employed at the restaurant, and the reason for this and the source of the Mega Meaty Meat’s meat supply are both, according to Bob, “a trade secret.”

Would you be suspicious of a place that serves fries made of meat?

Unfortunately for Beast Boy, all of these odd circumstances add up to something far more sinister, and once he crosses the line into the “Employees Only” section of the restaurant he stumbles onto the truth. It turns out that space invaders known as Nofu (a clever play on tofu, get it?) are capturing bovine, turning them into nofu, and plotting to take over the world by cloning Beast Boy’s manager, Bob.

Freaky, right? Yup! Yet another over-the-top filler episode that doesn’t cut it, right? Nope, this one works, and a large amount of the credit goes to none other than the titan’s resident green guy, Beast Boy. He manages to hold the whole scenario together, keeping it from crossing the line into the “entirely too zany” territory that often ruins most episodes designed to bridge the gaps between season long plot points.

For instance, take a look at Beast Boy’s plea to Robin for a moped. His speech justifying why he should be allowed to purchase a moped is equal parts hilarious and heart. This is when Beast Boy works best, and this episode is one of those times where he is on full blast. You feel for him because isn’t it somewhat absurd to prevent him from getting a moped? The poor guy has been yearning for one since “Winner Take All,” if you recall what his plan was had he won the tournament.

After all, it is only a moped, right? As absurd a premise as this may be, it fits, and the rest of the episode plays right into the vibe all the way through. Nofu, as a villain, is ridiculous, but never fails to pay off in the laugh department. The fact that the Meaty Meat manager, Bob, continually calls Beast Boy by a different name whenever addressing him was priceless. I kept waiting for him to call him “Gar.”

Once the plot to invade Earth has been uncovered, Beast Boy does a decent enough job wrapping things up on his own. His interrogation of the Nofu leader was, in a word, brilliant. Just think about it logically and you can likely figure out how Beast Boy managed to torture the Nofu leader into spilling the beans. With a solid reference to Soylent Green, Beast Boy realizes that “The secret is…water?” and proceeds to battle an army of Bobs armed with his moped and a super soaker.

I dare you to suppress a chuckle as Beast Boy single-handedly dispatches Bobs left and right with a super soaker. It’s nearly impossible. Ultimately this episode is about as nourishing as a twinkie, but the cream filling was worth it in the end.

Next Week: We head into repeats for now with no announcement for all-new episodes…yet. Hang in there Titan fans, more goodness is in store soon enough.

Mario Anima