Various criminals continue their metahuman trafficking as the various teams try to figure out what's going on. But is there more to these stories than meets the eye...?
Tropes used in this episode:
- Aesop Amnesia: Clearly Nightwing and Aqua(lad)man have forgotten the dangers of keeping your closest teammates out of the loop, like last season.
- Apologetic Attacker: Mist apologizes to Nightwing when she attacks him.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Wonder Woman asks the group if they're "all willing to lie" to their teammates, they respond with silence.
- The Bus Came Back: Neutron and Ed make non-speaking appearances as counselors at the new Metahuman Youth Center, which is headed by the latter's father.
- Deadly Euphemism: Jeff delivers this little response as a response to Livewire's boast before knocking her out with his own powers.Livewire: Go ahead! Zap me! Absorbing lightning's totally my thing!
Black Lightning: You've never had Black Lightning before. - The Dog Bites Back: Cheshire releases Shade from her control. He shows up in Stagg's cell, implicitly for revenge.
- Framing Device: Each subplot is related to another character after the fact, before the reveal that these conversations are all happening in the same room — the League, Batman Inc., and the Outsiders are updating each other on what happened.
- Nightwing tells Oracle about Cheshire's attack on S.T.A.R. Labs.
- Robin tells Batman about his squad's attempt to stop the Mad Hatter.
- Aquaman tells Wonder Woman about Sportsmaster trying to bust Brick and Shade out of a van en route to Belle Reve.
- Harmless Freezing: Mist is frozen solid in her mist form, but they evidently have no trouble thawing her before dropping her off at the metahuman outreach center.
- Jerkass Has a Point: When Wonder Woman voices her dislike of keeping the three teams in the dark, Batman rightfully cites that they need plausible deniability if the worst comes to worst and points out Superman would be far too noble to lie under oath in a court of law. Wonder Woman asks if he expects her to do just that, but Batman simply shoots back that he would expect her to use her diplomatic immunity as Princess of Themyscira to avoid even taking the stand at all.
- Light 'em Up: Halo reveals yet another new aura, this one releasing blinding light which shatters Shade's shadows and forces him to release Brion.
- Made of Air: Mist, as the name suggests, can turn into mist to avoid attacks. Nightwing initially brags that this leaves them at a stalemate since she can't attack him either, she proves him wrong by selectively hardening her limbs.
- Mythology Gag: When Wonder Woman asks if everyone is willing to go with the lies, the camera focuses on the members, former or current, of the Team, who infamously faked a Face–Heel Turn and pulled a Faking the Dead last season.
- People Puppets: Mad Hatter uses new nanomachine devices to control people. The victims are self-aware, but utterly incapable of refusing orders.
- The Reveal: Despite Batman and other Leaguers resigning, the Justice League, the Team, "Batman Incorporated" and the Outsiders all still work together, sharing information. However, only Batman, Robin/Tim, Wonder Woman, Kaldur/Aquaman, Nightwing, Oracle and M'gann are privy to this secret, with the aim of giving the rest of their respective teams plausible deniability should they be exposed.
- Save the Villain:
- When Mad Hatter sets his hideout to self destruct, Robin's team makes a break for it. When they get clear, Tim calls for Clayface, who is still inside, to escape as well, but unfortunately the Hatter's mental control over him renders him unable to and he is blown up with the building. Luckily for Clayface, he's able to reform and Robin even releases him from Hatter's control, with Clayface expressing genuine gratitude.
- Batman also does this offscreen by releasing Mist and Livewire from Branchwater's control as well, and in a sense, the League preventing Brick from being 'rescued' by Sportsmaster also qualifies as this, which is even lampshaded when Brick complains.
- Teleport Spam: Shade uses his Casting a Shadow powers for teleportation in combat, redirecting an attacking Forager so he crashes into Halo instead.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Despite the fact that the groups are sharing information between each other, Wonder Woman hates the fact that they're lying to their teammates and calls out the others for seemingly being okay with it.
