Friday brought us another excellent episode of Young Justice, and this one may have been my favorite of the season so far. The episode begins with a massive fail in a training simulation (Correction: this was a real altercation with Clayface, not a simulation. Props to Harry and c15- very observant robots who pointed out my error in the comments section below), after which Batman scolds Aqualad, “The team performed admirably. The problem was you. You’re the leader, and your head wasn’t in the game.”

He’s right, and Kaldur takes the opportunity to get his head straight with a brief respite to Atlantis to see the girl he left behind. And, of course, there’s trouble afoot as Black Manta tries to attack the city and steal a giant starfish creature.  Loads of action, and we get to see some of Aqualad’s undersea cohorts kicking butt under the ocean as well, as well as pushing the limits on Kaldur’s powers.

But what really impressed me here were all of the little character vignettes. While each team member is off, we get a glimpse into their personal lives. M’gann and Superboy share an awkward moment. Three generations of the Flash (Wally West, Barry Allen, Jay Garrick – here an old man) at one dinner table. Artemis discovers she’s received a prestigious Wayne Enterprises scholarship (but if she’s the ward of Oliver Queen, isn’t he not hurting for cash himself?  Hmmmm….) Robin is taking after his mentor, brooding about his training failure and nascent jealousy of Aqualad as team leader, and Bruce Wayne challenges him to a new form of training exercise (I won’t spoil it- it’s a nice moment).

All of this works to highlights the excellent supporting voice cast, which I’ve heaped praise on before. Again, Bruce Greenwood’s Batman/Bruce Wayne is top notch. George Eads as The Flash reminds me how wasted he is on CSI.

There’s also a great reveal at the end of the episode revealing Black Manta’ true motivations. For a cartoon whose target audience seems to be kids and teens, there is some tight storytelling going on.

My only complaints? 1- Doesn’t look like a lot of opportunity to drop in The Flaming C, which is fast becoming one of my favorite jokes. 2- Not sure how many more episodes we’re getting. This is too good. But we may have to wait for more.

3 1/2 stars.