Line #30 Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E1TheCatAndTheCanary


1	-> Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
2	-> Story by Stan Berkowitz
3	-> Teleplay by Robert Goodman
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5	When Black Canary discovers that her old mentor, Wildcat, is participating in Roulette's Meta-Brawls, she enlists Green Arrow's help in getting the old fighter to stop.
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8	!!This episode contains examples of:
9	* TenMinuteRetirement: Discussed. Roulette is certain that Wildcat will return despite his posturing.
10	* AccidentalMurder: Subverted; at first, it appears as though Wildcat had accidentally killed Green Arrow in the ring, but shortly after, it's revealed that Green Arrow took a tranquilizer before the fight to feign death in order to convince Wildcat to quit.
11	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Being surrounded by those with powers or younger BadassNormal heroes has led Wildcat into thinking he has no place in the League.
12	* BatmanGambit: Green Arrow knows Wildcat will never stop with the brawls until he thinks he's killed someone. He ensures he'll be in the ring and then goads the older hero into not holding back.
13	-->"I don't have any powers, and you're still too old to knock me out."
14	* BerserkButton: During the fight, Green Arrow actively goads Wildcat by calling him a has-been who'd rather fight a woman half his size.
15	* BetweenMyLegs: Black Canary is subjected to camera shots that focus on her nice legs, as per usual. It happens at least three times in this episode.
16	* BloodKnight: Wildcat's enjoyment of a good fight and the adulation of the audience are clearly a major part of what keeps him coming back to Meta-Brawl.
17	* BrickJoke: Green Arrow had to pay a lot of money to get those scalped tickets. At the end of the episode, he invites her to coffee and tells her she's buying.
18	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Wildcat has no superpowers whatsoever, yet he's still the king of the cage at Meta-Brawl, strong enough to give Atomic Skull, typically a ''Superman'' villain, a brutal beatdown. It's also shown that he can heavily dent lockers and even punch holes in ''brick walls'' when angry. [[OldSuperhero And this is all while he's getting up there in age.]]
19	* ChekhovsGun: One of thieves has a laptop and is trying to watch a webcast of a fight. After Black Canary busts up their operation, she comes across the laptop and sees Wildcat being declared the winner of the latest Meta-Brawl.
20	* CurbStompBattle:
21	** Black Canary makes very short work of the thugs she fights in the cold open without needing to use her powers until the very end.
22	** None of Wildcat's fights in Meta-Brawl last very long; even younger, superpowered opponents like Atomic Skull go down without much trouble. His fight with Green Arrow is also painfully one-sided, although in that case, Green Arrow was fighting after taking a tranquilizer (though even then, both Wildcat and Black Canary believe that Arrow would be painfully outmatched).
23	* DudeWheresMyRespect: Wildcat bemoans that he trained a number of younger heroes, but he gets no credit for his work and is being pushed aside for those with powers.
24	* EatingTheEyeCandy: When Roulette announces Black Canary will be fighting Wildcat, the camera shows an audience member dropping his monocle and practically drooling over her with a slight blush, much to his date's displeasure.
25	* EveryoneHasStandards: Subverted with the crowd watching the fights. When it seems that Wildcat has accidentally killed Green Arrow in the ring, they all initially seem just as horrified as he is. However, after a short StunnedSilence they all immediately erupt into cheers again, with Roulette stating that now that Wildcat has turned their cage fights into potential death matches where "anything's possible" they will be more successful than ever.
26	* FakingTheDead: Green Arrow's plan, though he still suffers a number of injuries for his trouble.
27	* FightsLikeANormal: Black Canary relies on her fighting abilities rather than her sonic scream, due in large part to how it could possibly kill someone at close range. She also challenged Wildcat to the fight knowing she had to do this as, otherwise, he'd see her sonic scream as cheating and be an excuse to not give up brawling.
28	* FlawExploitation: When Wildcat says early on that he's quitting, Roulette has little trouble getting him to stay by preying on doubts about his usefulness to the League and how he feels slighted by younger heroes with powers. The worst part is, Wildcat knows exactly what she's doing, and he still can't walk away.
29	* HustlingTheMark: Black Canary intentionally loses her first spar against Green Arrow so he’ll agree to make a wager through a rematch.
30	* {{Irony}}: Black Canary implores Wildcat to give up these fights, but he refuses. Later, Roulette tells him that if he doesn't give it his all in the fight with Black Canary, she'll bar him from the brawls permanently.
31	* KnockoutGas: How Green Arrow incapacitates Black Canary before the fight.
32	* LoopholeAbuse: When confronted by Black Canary, Wildcat defends his new career by saying he's fighting villains who actually deserve a good pounding. Even Roulette calls him out.
33	* ManipulativeBitch: Roulette plays on Wildcat's feelings of inferiority and BloodKnight qualities to keep him coming back to Meta-Brawl.
34	* MentorArchetype: Wildcat was this to Black Canary and a number of others in the League.
35	* MistakenForRomance: Initially Green Arrow presumes Canary and Wildcat have a romantic relationship and is visibly disappointed. Canary explains to him that she sees Wildcat as a mentor and second father, not a romantic interest.
36	* MsFanservice: As the first episode to really focus on Black Canary it goes to great lengths to show off her figure, [[MaleGaze from multiple shots focused on her legs and rear]], to a scene where she removes her jacket to reveal her strapless leotard in a way that really draws attention to her chest.
37	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Wildcat after he thinks he's killed Green Arrow.
38	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: All of the Wildcat fights. He pounds Atomic Skull so hard that the latter's skull visibly cracks, and his beatdown of Green Arrow is so severe that everyone believes Wildcat killed him.
39	* OhCrap: Black Canary when she stumbles onto the video feed of the Meta-Brawls and learns what Wildcat has been doing.
40	* OldSuperhero: Deconstructed with Wildcat. He can still fight, but he believes the League is deliberately minimizing him due to his age and resents being more of a babysitter to newer heroes than anything else. He got involved with Roulette's Meta-Brawl to prove he still has what it takes.
41	* ParentalSubstitute: Black Canary wants to handle this quietly because Wildcat is like a father to her.
42	* ShipTease: Black Canary and Green Arrow. As the episode goes on, he accuses her of only expressing interest in him to get his help on this case. She says that's not entirely true.
43	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: None of the League's heavy-hitters take part this time since, as demonstrated by Black Canary's final sonic scream, they could easily dismantle Roulette's operation.
44	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. While Black Canary believes that Wildcat wants to change, she arranged for sessions with J'onn so he can work through his issues.
45	-->'''Wildcat:''' Believe me, fighting is nowhere near as tough as this is gonna be.
46	* UnstoppableRage: Deconstructed when Wildcat thinks he beat Green Arrow to death.
47	* WhatTheHellHero: When it looks like Green Arrow has been killed, Black Canary punches Wildcat and asks a similar type of question to him.
48	* WoundedGazelleGambit: As Black Canary gets ready for the fight, Green Arrow vents his frustration about the situation and says she exploited his interest in her just to get his help. When he demands she prove him wrong while looking him in the eye, he sprays her with KnockoutGas.
49	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre:
50	-->'''Wildcat:''' Fighting is what I do, all right? It's all I was ever good at and still good at. I'm Wildcat, the guy who fights. That's what I am.\
51	'''Black Canary:''' You're so much more than that.
52	* YouKeepTellingYourselfThat: After Black Canary makes her challenge, Wildcat balks and insists he's only ever fought people that deserved it. While he genuinely has no interest in fighting Black Canary, Roulette points out he's used this excuse before when fighting lesser opponents in the ring.

Context Recap / JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E1TheCatAndTheCanary