->''"Always did want to die for my country."''
-->'''-- ComicBook/{{Deadshot}}'''

-> Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
-> Written by Dwayne [=McDuffie=] (Teleplay by Darwyn Cooke)

This is the tale of how a RagtagBunchOfMisfits manage to do TheInfiltration by DressingAsTheEnemy impersonating some Mooks at that EvilTowerOfOminousness KillSat, the Watchtower, headquarters of those Justice League wannabe {{Evil Overlord}}s...

Wait...what?

Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot, is being escorted to the electric chair when he receives a last-minute reprieve from a mysterious man in a business suit. Released into the man's custody, Lawton asks "What if I don't want to go with him?" and is informed that the alternative is to carry on with his execution.

As they drive away from the prison, the man identifies himself as Colonel Flagg, who informs Lawton that he is now a BoxedCrook. His mission: infiltrate the Watchtower. Lawton remarks that he always wanted to die for his country.

So begins Task Force X, an episode based on the comic "ComicBook/SuicideSquad" written by John Ostrander, which shows us a total inversion of tropes like TheCaper, Mooks and the TokenGoodTeammate, that also is full of {{Mythology Gag}}s.

This episode also marks the final time in the televised DCAU that any of Batman's RoguesGallery plays a major role.
----
!!This episode contains examples of:

* AbandonedWarehouse: Justified by Flagg, when Lawton worries that the Justice League might have the place under surveillance. Flagg answers that [[ComicBook/LexLuthor the previous tenant]] "was pretty good about security".
* AffablyEvil: Clock King and Captain Boomerang.
* BadassBoast: J'onn, making his presence known to Task Force X:
-->'''J'onn''': Ask yourselves: is being in here with me what you ''truly'' desire?
* BadassNormal:
** Everyone in the squad, even Clock King, who was capable enough to standstill the Batman. The CentralTheme is how a crew of {{Badass Normal}}s can defeat a bunch of [[BewareTheSuperman superhumans]]. They need an EvilPlan.
** A random Watchtower employee nearly thwarts the entire plan when he finds Deadshot and Plastique in the reactor room. He even gives Deadshot a bit of trouble in a one-on-one fight.
** Vigilante and Shining Knight manage to put up a solid fight against Flagg, Deadshot, and Boomerang.
* TheBadGuyWins: Cadmus gets a victory over the League. The showrunners note in the season 3 featurette on Cadmus that the point of this episode was to give Cadmus a win against the League to keep their threat level legitimate.
* BewareTheSuperman: One of the {{Central Theme}}s of this episode. Every one of the {{Badass Normal}}s is scared to death about going against superhumans. When Clock King is showing intel about Captain Atom, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter in the ChekhovsClassroom, you can hear [[ScareChord ominious music]]. Martian Manhunter in particular comes across as incredibly scary during the Squad’s attack on the transport room. He also threatens to mindwipe TheMole that facilitated the break-in, unnerving even Green Lantern.
* BigBrotherIsWatching: Justified because Task Force X is a Black Ops team authorized by the U.S. government, so they could have used [[SinisterSurveillance spies]] or simply accessed any existing footage about the super heroes for their PhotoMontage.
* BoxedCrook: Lampshaded by Lawton.
-->'''Lawton''': An expert with nothing to lose? This must be some nasty business.
* BringMyBrownPants: Plastique makes multiple references to needing to change her shorts, both before and during the mission.
* TheCaper: The entire plot is a heist aboard the Watchtower.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Lawton cracks jokes while being escorted to the electric chair.
* CallBack:
** Deadshot mentions that he's run into J'onn [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E6And7TheEnemyBelow before]] and isn't eager to do so again.
** The special ceramic gun that Deadshot assembles on the Watchtower is disguised as a bunch of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E13And14Eclipsed Light Speed chocolate bars]].
** It turns out the item Task Force X is stealing is the confiscated [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E4HawkAndDove Annihilator]]. When Flagg and Captain Boomerang are stumped at first how to activate it, Flagg remembers that it has to be powered by rage and [[ButtMonkey punches Boomer in the face without warning him]].
* CacophonyCoverUp: Boomerang blowing the lock is timed for the exact moment the charges set by Plastique go off.
* CallForward: WordOfGod confirms TheMole in the Justice League staff is the son of Robert Vance, the villain in "Lost Soul", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.
* ColonelBadass: Flagg not only has the rank, but the strength, skills, and force of personality to run the mission and rangle the members of Task Force X.
* CurbStompBattle: Atom Smasher fights his hardest, but the Annihilator makes short work of him.
* DeadManWalking: The episode begins with Lawton being escorted to the execution chamber.
* DispenseWithThePleasantries: After seeing Sans Souci doing TheTease to Lawton, Captain Boomerang and Clock King want to talk business:
-->'''Harkness:''' Enough of this, now. Let's get stuck into the business at hand, eh?
-->'''Fugate:''' Agreed. Time is of the essence.
* DirtyCoward: Captain Boomerang and Plastique aren't excited about being on a [[{{Pun}} suicide]] mission. Neither is [[TeamKiller Deadshot]].
* TheDreaded:
** During the briefing, the squad are told of three Leaguers to watch out for during the shift they chose: J'onn J'onnz, Green Lantern and Captain Atom.
** During the planning stage, Flagg asks Plastique about a hypothetical scenario where Superman has the drop on her. Plastique immediately gets flummoxed and yells that they told her Superman wouldn’t be there. When Flagg {{handwave}}s that he swapped shifts and asks what she'd do, she quips, "Before or after I [[BringMyBrownPants change my shorts?]]"
* TheEndOrIsIt: Though TheMole is in custody, Green Lantern doubts the League can truly trust any of the support staff after this. He and J'onn end the episode looking suspiciously at the various staffers walking by.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Averted. Plastique gets J'onn to stand down by threatening to set off a bomb in the unconscious Atom Smasher's mouth. She's certain that only giving him 30 seconds to disarm it would give Task Force X plenty of time to escape.
* EvilIsPetty:
** Captain Boomerang nearly blows the team's cover because he won't give up ''75 cents'' while passing a metal detector. What, he’s supposed to just throw away money?
** While still undercover, Deadshot asks John Stewart about Hawkgirl solely to get under his skin.
* EvilPlan: The plan is fueled by PragmaticVillainy, because the squad is formed entirely by [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] and a TokenGoodTeammate. The plan must be followed RightOnTheTick and it does not permit unnecessary killing. It works because it was planned by ClockKing, who is TheSociopath himself.
* ExplosiveLeash: Colonel Flagg asks Lawton how he liked his [[LastRequest Last Meal]], and then explains why:
-->'''Flagg''': It was loaded with exploding nanites. Any escape attempt, and...[[FauxAffablyEvil Well, you're gonna look kind of funny trying to run away with no head.]]
* ExpositionDiagram: The team is shown a schematic of the Watch Tower.
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: Throughout the episode, we see some seriously violent confrontations, including an explosion that leaves Plastique severely injured and probably dying.
* FauxAffablyEvil: All the squad except [[TheStoic Clock King]] and Captain Boomerang. Including [[TokenGoodTeammate Colonel Flagg]].
* GoodIsNotNice: Colonel Flagg is fine with treating his team like crap. Justified in that they’re all killers at worst and ''attempted'' killers at best.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Flagg is a ''hero'' who's also quite ruthless when it comes to dealing with his teammates.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: The Annihilator rips J'onn in half while fighting him. It's a temporary incovenience at most.
* ImpossibleHourglassFigure: Plastique's waist is so ridiculously narrow that she can wear a 1-to-2-inch-thick fake skin over it to hide her plastic explosives for the mission, ''and her waist still looks slim''.
* ImpossibleTask: Invoked by Captain Boomerang when he asks how a bunch of {{Badass Normal}}s can confront true superhumans at their own headquarters and steal something from them.
--> '''Harkness''': We may as well be storming Heaven's gate itself.
* IndyHatRoll: Played straight, then they miss the second door...until Captain Atom lifts it up for them, thinking they're trying to evacuate.
* TheInfiltration: Our protagonists must get inside a good-guy organization and pass as good guys to accomplish a goal. It's an inversion because this is a VillainEpisode, but we are seeing things from the [[PerspectiveFlip villains' perspective]], and the Justice League invokes BewareTheSuperman, so this trope is played straight.
-->'''Flagg:''' This tower is so big and has so much staff in it no ones is going to notice us...[[TemptingFate unless one of you does something stupid]].
* KickTheDog: Deadshot and Plastique flirt with each other the entire episode which makes it all the more jarring when Deadshot covers the team’s escape by shooting one of her explosive discs, causing an explosion that leaves her mortally wounded and in Justice League custody.
* MeaningfulName:
** Colonel Flagg. That could be one of those PropheticNames, because we discover Flagg's father also was a soldier. Lampshaded by Lawton:
-->''Colonel...Flagg? You're kidding, right?
** Played straight with Temple Fugate (a pun on Tempus Fugit, ''Time flies''), the Clock King.
* MetalDetectorCheckpoint: Deadshot has a ceramic gun to get through it, but then Boomerang sets it off because he's got 75 cents he refused to throw away.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: When the team argues they are only {{Badass Normal}}s fighting {{Smug Super}}s and they have no chance, Clock King declares they are going to infiltrate the Watchtower when its weakest supers are present. When Captain Boomerang ask him to define "weakest" Clock King plays a PhotoMontage of Captain Atom, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter with [[ScareChord ominious music]]. Nobody feels better about it.
* MexicanStandoff: Vigilante and Deadshot briefly have one going during their fight. Resolved by Flagg attacking Vigilante from behind.
* MissionControl: The Clock King remains behind to coordinate the rest of the team.
* TheMole: One of the League’s support staff was feeding Task Force X information on the Watchtower’s schedule and infrastructure. J’onn does ''not'' take this well.
* MookHorrorShow: The final battle turns into this as things go south during extraction, complete with looming music and the POV of the protagonists from their outmatched position.
-->'''J'onn:''' Ask yourselves: ''Is being in here with me what you truly desire?''
* MythologyGags:
** Task Force X is the official name for the ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad''. (You cannot use that term on children's TV.) Clock King, Plastique, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Colonel Flagg all were members, even if not all of them worked together at the same time.
** The Warden and the Guard of the prison are animated versions of Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara from [[Series/Batman1966 live action Batman]].
** Deadshot may be referencing Plastique's [[DefeatByModesty humiliating]] [[NakedPeopleAreFunny defeat]] in "Firestorm" when he says he's ''seen pictures'' of her.
--> '''Plastique''': And that's all you're gonna see, [[ShipTease killer]].
** Captain Atom's concern for Plastique's injuries alludes to their romantic involvement in the comics.
* MrExposition: Clock King and Colonel Flagg takes turns at this.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: After the mission, Lawton attempts to leave, thinking his service is over, only for Colonel Flagg drops him with two powerful punches, before telling him he has to go on missions for five years before he can go free.
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Despite the fact that Task Force X is meant to be expendable, Flagg tries to ensure minimal casualties and will try to save his squadmates when possible, out of a sense of duty. It's also why he was furious at Deadshot for leaving Plastique behind.
* OhCrap:
** Plastique when being asked what she will do facing Superman, seeing [[UncomfortableElevatorMoment Green Lantern use her elevator]], and [[RightBehindMe hearing Captain Atom chastise her unladylike manners]].
** When Atom Smasher shows up, Captain Boomerang freaks out because, according to their intel, he wasn’t supposed to be there.
* OnlySaneMan: Captain Boomerang is the only one on the team who isn't TheSociopath.
* OpenTheIris: Plastique’s iris narrows every time she has an OhCrap.
* OralFixation: Lawton is shown chewing a toothpick.
* PetTheDog: Waller goes out of her way to commend Flagg for the mission's success and tells him his father would be proud.
* PhotoMontage: Clock King shows the Task Force X team some videos with the heroic exploits of Captain Atom, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter with [[ScareChord ominious music]].
* PragmaticVillainy: Flagg warns the squad against "unnecessary" killing, not out of any moral qualms, but, as both Flagg and Clock King lay out, killing someone means a) the body being found, and the alarm being raised or b) wasting valuable time hiding the body.
* SoMuchForStealth: It's not just people with superpowers that catch on to a team of infiltrators - a Watchtower staffer catches Task Force X where they're not supposed to be and gets into a scuffle with Lawton - and it actually takes time for Lawton to put him down.
* SecretIdentity: Inverted because the members of the Suicide Squad are villains. However, all of them have secret identities. The point is that no one of them had a RedRightHand, so they can do TheInfiltration because [[EvilCostumeSwitch without their costumes]], TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse.
** Bette Sans Souci, a.k.a. Plastique.
** Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot.
** Temple Fugate, a.k.a. The Clock King.
** George Harkness, a.k.a. Captain Boomerang.
* ShipTease: Deadshot and Plastique flirt throughout the whole episode. Too bad he [[FauxAffablyEvil kills her]].
* TheSociopath: Deadshot; after spending the episode flirting with Plastique, he has no qualms about killing her with a flippant "''c'est la vie''".
* SpySatellites: Lawton reminds Flagg that the Justice League Satellite [[ProperlyParanoid could hear them]].
* TeamKiller: Deadshot.
* TheTease: After Colonel Flagg introduces Lawton to Sans Souci as the demolition expert:
-->'''Lawton:''' I know, I've seen the pictures.
-->'''Sans Souci:''' (''smiles'') And that's all you're gonna to see, killer.
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: The page quote is Deadshot's reaction after finding out he's been conscripted to break into the Justice League's watchtower.
* {{Troll}}: Lawton asking John Stewart for Hawkgirl's autograph just to annoy him.
* UncertainDoom: It's not clear whether Plastique is dead or alive when last seen -- most of her body is offscreen in what might be a GoryDiscretionShot and what we do see is twitching, but nobody confirms one way or the other.
* UncomfortableElevatorMoment: Deadshot shows his NervesOfSteel by starting a conversation with Green Lantern in the elevator. Once she's overcome her shock, Plastique is impressed.
* {{Understatement}}: Flagg initially describes the mission to Deadshot as "a little B&E, a little grand larceny".
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Averted. Flagg and the Clock King discuss the details of the plan and the biggest obstacles. The group also discusses what to do in the event of potential variables, such as Superman showing up because of a last-minute shift switch.
* UseTheirOwnWeaponAgainstThem: Deadshot's ceramic gun is broken early during the fight against the Justice League heroes prompting him to steal Vigilante's revolvers for the remainder of the mission.
* VillainEpisode: The entire episode revolves around the P.O.V. of the villains, though Flagg himself is more of an InspectorJavert HeroAntagonist.
* VillainousUnderdog: A team of normals infiltrate the Watchtower, a base filled to the brim with extremely powerful supers to steal a powerful artifact from right under their noses. It's lampshaded multiple times just how impossible it is. They succeed, only losing Plastique along the way.
* WeAreEverywhere: The EvilPlan that Task Force X successfully pulled off wouldn't have even been possible if there wasn't TheMole that fed them information about the Watchtower. When he's caught, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern discuss what his fate should be. While J'onn wants to mindwipe a year from him due to his treason, John points out that a wedge has been forced between the supers and the normal staffers:
-->'''J'onn:''' Don't you understand, it means we can't trust him!
-->'''John:''' J'onn, we can't trust ''anyone''.
-->(''[[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse camera pans out to see multiple staffers walking around the Watchtower]]'')
* WorfHadTheFlu: Part of the reason Atom Smasher gets beaten by the Annihilator so badly was because the fight took place in the Watchtower which greatly limits [[SizeShifter how large and strong he could make himself]]. As a [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS1E10DarkHeart previous episode]] had shown, Atom Smasher can grow [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever very VERY big]] if he has the room for it.
* YouAllMeetInACell: Lawton and Flagg meet the rest of the Suicide Squad at the AbandonedWarehouse. Lawton can believe he could do the job and leave. He is so wrong...
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: When Plastique gets captured, Deadshot decides to kill her, so she won't prevent him from escaping.