With This Ring Episode 33 / Recap

Episode 33: Doppelgänger

Takes place 5 February 2011

Short version

The Young Offenders from Earth -14 visit, including Paul's alter-ego with a blue ring, and attempt to rob LexCorp, but are stalemated and Paul -14 negotiates a peaceful withdrawal.

Longer version

With Nabu supervising the Team for a week, Paul moves out of the Mountain into a hotel in protest. There, he comes across Dana Dearden, previously an intern at GBS News, who is angry about getting fired for putting him on a radio broadcast without (in her excitement) letting him know it was live. Paul is able to talk her down, and agrees to put her in contact with any Team members willing to be interviewed.

He and Zatanna then visit John Constantine to test whether Zatanna can safely draw power from the Star Sapphire instead of relying on her own reserves. The test is successful, but focusing on love causes her to become further attached to Paul, and she invites him to stay in a spare room at her home instead of a hotel.

While there, they receive a ring-call from Alan, but the wording doesn't sound like him and the transmission doesn't reflect the damaged state of his ring. They investigate and find their Earth -14 counterparts, Power Ring Blue and Zorina Zatara, in Alan's house. Blue wants to exchange information to help free Zorina's and Zatanna's fathers from Doctor Chaos and Doctor Fate respectively; Orange Paul provides him with designs for magic-draining ammunition, magic-binding chains, and Io's magic metals, while Blue Paul hands over the design for a unit that drains and stores magic energy.

After the visitors return to Earth -14, LexCorp is attacked by copies of several Team members. The Team enters the building and subdues most of their counterparts, but is in something of a Mexican Standoff until Blue Paul turns up and offers a truce. The Young Offenders are allowed to leave, in exchange for plane-shift-blocking technology so that Earth 16 can be protected against a repeat.

There are no Renegade chapters, but there are several chapters from Earth -14, showing how Power Ring Blue came into conflict with the Syndicate and was strong-armed into joining rather than getting into a full-scale fight with no personal lantern.

The title refers to Paul's copy visiting Earth 16. Note that in episode 85, when Paul returns the visit, the title is "Doppelgängered" ie Paul becomes a doppelgänger from the Earth -14 point of view.

Absent-Minded Professor: It's possible Constantine -14 doesn't know he works for a criminal organization.
Alternate History: On Earth 16, Fawcett City replaces Milwaukee.
Call-Back: When they first met, Paul asked why Zatanna didn't just use one word for her magic, like "erif". This saves them when Mistress Martian is mentally tortures them and the Team can barely move.
Chekhov's News: After the Young Offenders leave, there is a short news clip that contains a name The Sandman fans would recognize.
"…death today of the author Erasmus Fry in his home in…"
Cold-Blooded Torture: The Syndicate didn't really use it that much for a myriad of reasons.
Didn't Think This Through: The Syndicate had no idea of what their endgame would be.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": On Earth 16, it's considered very rude to refer to Aquaman as Arthur Curry, as it's taken to imply that he belongs on the surface and isn't a true Atlantean. On Earth -14, he uses it regularly and doesn't have a problem with it.
Doppelgangers: The episode title and theme. Most, but not all, of the Team meet their counterparts.
Enemy Mine: Happened among the warring city-states of Atlantis -14.
Even Evil Has Standards: The Syndicate, or at least Ultraman, believes in this.
Foreshadowing: Truggs is busy at the moment with a personal project.
I Choose to Stay: Mr Zoat notes that Blue Lantern could have chosen to remain on Earth 16 instead of going back to Earth -14.
Irony: Doctor Chaos uses an order aligned magician (Don Giovanni) as his host.
- The Justice Underground had a (invisible) flying fortress.
Leeroy Jenkins: Done by Cornwall Boy when fighting the OMACs. He even yells the trope name.
Neck Lift: After Cornwall Boy's Leeroy Jenkins, an OMAC stops him this way. Thankfully, Cornwall Boy is able to get out of this before the OMAC could capitalize on it.
Mirror Universe: The Earth -14 team is the Young Offenders, part of the criminal Syndicate. Most named characters have the opposite Character Alignment to universe 16.
Mutually Assured Destruction: This was the cause of Connecticut -14's destruction.
Oblivious to Love: Zatanna has to spell out to Paul that Dana Dearden was asking him out. Justified when Paul reveals that he has been using his ring to lower his testosterone, which has side effects he didn't foresee.
Politeness Judo: This is how Paul defuses the situation with Dana.
Principles Zealot: President Wilson is a more reasonable version of this.
Secret Art: Lamprey's magic is this due to there being few left who know it.
Word of God: OL has no idea who Dana Dearden is, having never read any comic featuring her.
- Dana Dearden has her magic coins thanks to Zeus, in retaliation for Paul convincing Hera to divorce him.
- Linda Park exists in this world.
- OL thinks Truggs is inconsequential.
- OL's Avarice Enlightenment allows him to see wants in their proper context.
- Mr Zoat assures there will be no age-inappropriate relationships.
- The real difficult part of the Nabu situation is removing him without harming Mister Zatara.
- Mr Zoat discusses Paul's improved ability to taste.
- Mr Zoat explains why Paul is okay with staying at Shadowcrest.
- Paul is planning on experimenting with the interaction between superspeed and magical materials.
- Orange light can make non-Orange rings.
- Green Lanterns aren't allowed to give Paul Guardian tech.
- Xombi's nanotechnology doesn't exist yet.
- The Court of Owls won't appear because Mr Zoat thinks they're stupid.
- Wonder Woman's invisible plane was built by Baroness von Gunther.
- The Ophidian likes listening to BBC Radio 4.
- This version of Zatanna won't be so quick to mind control people.
- Mr Zoat explains the Syndicate situation a bit.
- Luthor -14 became the VP after the Syndicate killed his predecessor.
- Mr Zoat talks a bit about the blue light.
- Mr Zoat explains some things about Earth -14.
- The surviving members of the original Management were implied to have been executed after surrendering.
- Baul didn't change the plot of the movie much.
- Baul has a soul thanks to Constantine -14.
- Baul almost captured Luthor's flying fortress.
- AGL Paul has it better than Baul.
- The Syndicate realized the old Management was dead when they went to rescue them.
- Mr Zoat explains Paul 12's and AGL Paul's charging methods.
- Zorina got involved early in the family business.
- Paul helps Baul because Doctor Chaos might set his sights on Earth 16.
- Professor Zoom will never make an appearance and is in prison in the future.
- Mr Zoat explains how the OLC would be set up.
- Mr Zoat explains what the Shields do.
- The League isn't helping because of the hostages.
- Mr Zoat says how the situation on Earth -14 might end.
- Paul's actions in the fight are explained.
- It's impossible to replicate a power ring with conventional technology.