Green Arrow is stopping a robbery when he is forcibly taken to the new Watchtower, as part of the Justice League's expansion. Arrow isn't too wild about the idea, as he thinks the League focuses on giant monsters while he would rather look out for the 'little guy'. However, while being dropped off home, he ends up tagging along on a mission to Chong-Mai with Green Lantern, Captain Atom, and Supergirl to deal with a giant monster- one that poses a serious threat to those 'little guys' as Batman points out...
Tropes in this episode include:
- Alliterative List: Green Arrow sardonically describes John Stewart as "the great and glorious Green Lantern".
- All There in the Manual: The robot is Brimstone, as confirmed by the behind-the-scenes featurettes on the Justice League Unlimited Season 1 DVD.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: Instead of centering around any of the main seven so to establish that Unlimited will include other heroes in main roles, the main perspective of the episode is from Green Arrow, accompanied by Captain Atom and Supergirl.
- Arson, Murder, and Admiration: At the end of the episode, Supergirl coyly asks whether Green Lantern is going to congratulate her on a job well done. Lantern instead chews her out on the ways that she jeopardized the mission and the lives of her teammates along with her own and warns her not to do that again if she wants to stay in the Justice League...but ends the speech saying she performed well.Supergirl: So, aren't you gonna do the "you did good" speech?
Green Lantern: You are headstrong, unprofessional, and reckless. If you ever jeopardize yourself or your teammates again by running half-cocked without a battle plan, I will personally see to it that you are kicked out of the League. I don't care who your cousin is.
(Green Lantern begins leaving, while Supergirl looks ashamed)
[Beat]
Green Lantern: And incidentally, you did good.
(Supergirl looks up and begins to smile) - Art Evolution: John Stewart's new character model debuts here, having shaved his head and grown a goatee in the interim since "Starcrossed".
- Bait-and-Switch: For both the audience and in-universe. The opening scene suggests that the League wants to recruit Green Arrow as a replacement for Hawkgirl following her departure in the previous episode. It's revealed upon reaching the Watchtower that the League has been on a massive recruiting drive and GA is just one of at least two dozen new recruits.
- Beware the Nice Ones: At the limits of her patience with the army giving them the runaround, Supergirl grabs an official by the shirt and threatens him with her heat vision to get some answers.
- Blatant Lies: General Kwan tries to ward off the League by claiming that the radioactive incident is fully under control. Later, while Kwan repeats this claim to Green Arrow, Brimstone shows up.
- The Bus Came Back: Supergirl shows up for the first time since STAS. Among other established characters who've become new League members include Steel, Metamorpho and Orion seen in the group shots.
- The Cameo: Several characters can be seen in the crowd of new heroes, including the Question (who is seen sulking and walking away from the cluster), Huntress (who is suffering Early Installment Character-Design Difference), and so on. Some of them become important later.
- A Day in the Limelight: Showcasing the new approach to the series, while the original League members are present only Green Lantern is a member of a strike team consisting of Supergirl, Captain Atom and a reluctant Green Arrow who had not appeared in the show before.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Travelling to Chong-Mai is punishable by execution to Americans.
- Eating the Eye Candy: Green Arrow ogles Black Canary as she's getting dressed in the Watchtower's locker room.Batman: [smirking] So, see you around?
Green Arrow: You just might. - Early-Installment Weirdness: The shots of the Javelin bay show it much busier than would ever be seen again. Several different types of spacecraft are seen constantly streaming in and out of the Watchtower, while later episodes usually just have Javelins and evacuation craft.
- Establishing Series Moment: The cold open sets the tone for the retooled series; the audience is introduced to new hero Green Arrow, who is brought aboard the rebuilt Watchtower (now equipped with a nifty, Star Trek-esque transporter), now occupied by a majorly expanded Justice League. The following scene has Superman give a speech about the League's new set-up to the assembled heroes, letting the audience know how things stand as well.
- Fanservice: A little something for everyone in the last scene: we see a towel-clad Green Arrow coming out of the shower and a lingering shot of Black Canary's long legs as she adjusts her boots. And of course there's always Supergirl with her miniskirt.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Initially, the only members of the squad who get along are Green Arrow and Supergirl, but during the mission, Arrow and Captain Atom earn each other's respect, and both Supergirl and Green Arrow prove their worth to Green Lantern.
- Freudian Slip: After being knocked out by the robot, John cries out "Shayera!" when he comes to while the other three heroes are arguing. They give him strange looks and he carries on as if nothing happened.
- The Heart: Invoked. The reason a Badass Normal is being included in a league of powerhouses is that he, as Batman says, "Keeps [them] honest."
- Headbutting Heroes: Green Arrow and Captain Atom. They get over it by the end of the episode.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Green Arrow manages to fire an arrow through the trigger guard of a thug's gun without taking said thug's finger off in the process.
- Modesty Towel: At the end of the episode, Green Arrow comes out of the Watchtower's shower room in a towel, but hilariously still has his mask on.
- Noodle Incident:
- John and J'onn imply they've worked with Kara before and have seen how inexperienced she is.
- Batman and Green Arrow's casualness with each other suggests that they've worked together before, which is why Batman can personally trust him to keep the League in line.
- Off with His Head!: After Green Arrow successfully neutralizes Brimstone, Supergirl goes the extra mile of punching the inert robot's head off.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: From Green Arrow, as he fires the carbon rod that shuts down Brimstone:Green Arrow: Say "ah", dirtbag.
- Relocating the Explosion: Captain Atom's suit gets breached during combat, forcing him to fly into space so that his subsequent detonation doesn't kill his fellow heroes. He gets better.
- Small Steps Hero: Green Arrow initially refuses to join the Justice League for this reason. He sees himself as a street level hero who is too busy looking out for the little guy to be bothered fighting giant monsters with the League. Though Batman promptly points out that said giant monsters usually step on little guys. By the end of the episode Arrow has changed his mind.
- Time Skip: Obviously some time has passed since the events of "Starcrossed" (between the rebuilt Watchtower and the League's recruitment drive).
