DC Superhero Girls: #CrushingIt

The Lauren Faust led DC Superhero Girls has been a huge hit for me, a sort of step up from the semi-bland prior incarnation. A mix of Looney Tune mayhem with some more subtle messaging has made this an unexpected 'must see' for me.

Last week, Cartoon Network showed a new episode every day at noon. Now while I am thrilled that so much new content came out and on a regular basis, noon is hardly prime time. And I don't know how well the time slot was trumpeted. I hope this wasn't Cartoon Network dumping all the material out at once as a harbinger of cancellation.

Welcome to the half full/half empty life I lead.

Anyways, all the episodes were fantastic. There is a Krypto/Ace the Bat Hound one that is fantastic. There is a Babs/Harleen going to a Batman convention that includes the most annoying Robin you will ever meet. That one also has a 'some days you can't get rid of a bomb' joke!

But for me the best one was #CrushingIt.

In that episode, the normally unflappable Diana is rendered into a giggling, ineffective, and inattentive mess because of a crush she has on Steve Trevor, the first boy she met when she landed in America.

Whether it is volleyball, science experiments, debates, or the class play, Diana can't get her stuff together around Steve.

Perhaps best of all, Steve is played as an average guy. This isn't the strong, fearless leader of the comics. He's just Steve.

All of that, especially Diana's clumsy blushing ineptitude, was enough to make this a winner. But there is a joke run through the episode that made this even better.

At one point Babs says that Steve is Diana's Kryptonite.

And that irks Kara to no end.

She is sick of people comparing other things to Kryptonite.

Kryptonite is extremely painful. It is rocks from Krypton.

Steve Trevor is not Kryptonite.

Later, Diana seems ill. But she is really just pining for Steve.

She can't sleep. She can't eat. Her stomach feels like it is filled with butterflies.

Again, Babs wonders if this condition is similar to when Kryptonians are repeatedly exposed to Kryptonite. Again, this ticks Kara off.

Kryptonite is Kryptonite. Nothing else is!

Then we go full Looney Tunes with some over the top cartoon violence.

In an attempt to snap Diana out of it, Kara gives her a few good super-slaps. The warped face of Wonder Woman while this is happening is hilarious.

But I love Kara's diatribe! This is Wonder Woman, literally a symbol of female empowerment! She can't be brought low by Trevor!

In the end, it seems hopeless. The only thing the girls can do to get their friend back to normal is to 'take out Steve Trevor'.

We see the whole team stalking him, preparing punches, blasts, and mystical bolts. I suppose these guys actually were going to take him out!

Luckily Babs had a simpler solution. She gets Steve transferred to the military academy he was hoping to get into. That is what she meant when she said 'take him out'. In fact, Batgirl seems a little worried about what her friends were thinking of doing.

With Steve gone, Diana is back to spiking big points for the volleyball team. But she keeps a picture of Steve in her locker. Awww ...

Anyways. I love this show. This episode was a complete hoot. Everyone should seek it out.