In Gotham City about a half-century into the future, scientist David Clinton argues with his wife Enid about the "junk" he collects in the garage. When she finds out that the objects are actual historical items David obtained via time travel, she gets even angrier, chewing him out for not using the device to make them rich. He tries to tell her that he had to be careful, taking only things that would not be missed and avoiding anything that would alter the course of history, but she won't listen. Finally, he can stand no more, and opens a time portal to get away from her.
On the Watchtower, Batman and Green Lantern talk over lunch. Batman asks GL about his feelings for Shayera; GL switches the subject to Batman's relationship with Diana (who walks up behind him in time to hear him insist that he simply regards her as a good friend and colleague). The awkward moment is cut short by an intruder alert. The three catch David trying to steal one of Batman's utility belts; when he opens a time portal to escape, they jump in after him.
The Leaguers find themselves in a desert, confronted by three bandits on horseback who demand "tribute". The bandits are easily defeated, but they then discover a bigger problem — a newspaper in one of the saddlebags dated June 12, 1879. The heroes dress in contemporary clothing and head to the nearby town of Elkhorn, Oklahoma, looking for leads to the time-traveling villain who holds their only way to get home.
The town is under the heel of Tobias Manning, who throws someone in jail for beating him at poker. The heroes break him out, and he introduces himself as Bartholomew Aloysius "Bat" Lash. David is also in jail, and explains that Manning stole his time-travel belt and used it to obtain future technology to cement his position as overlord.
Manning's goons attack as they leave the jail, but contemporary heroes Jonah Hex and El Diablo arrive along with former Elkhorn sheriff Ohiyesa Smith. The two teams join forces to assault Manning's stronghold. After a pitched battle, they defeat Manning's robotic forces and capture him. However, David regains his time travel belt and escapes. Once again, the Leaguers follow before the portal vanishes.
Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern find themselves in the future Gotham City confronted by a gang of Jokerz. The future Batman, Static, and Warhawk arrive, and the episode ends with Warhawk addressing Green Lantern..."Dad?"
This episode includes examples of:
- Adaptation Distillation:
- Tobias Manning's Terra-Man identity is not used, and his origin is changed from the dated Space Cowboy gimmick into his lucking into an encounter with a time traveler.
- In a nod to more modern sensibilities, the show's version of Ohiyesa Smith generally avoids the "Pow Wow" nickname from his original comics appearances (which were otherwise a case of
Fair for Its Day). The name is used once by Manning, who clearly intends it as an insult.
- Agony of the Feet: Wonder Woman comments that the boots she took from one of the bandits are killing her feet. When Batman comments that she fights crime in high heels, she replies that her high-heeled boots fit.
- Animal Mecha: Several of Manning's Mooks use robotic dinos as steeds.
- Art Evolution: Jonah Hex's character model from previous appearance on BTAS is completely overhauled for this episode. Among other things, he now appears much younger...despite there only being a 4 year gap in-story between the 1879 sequence of this episode and the events of "Showdown" in 1883.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Discussed. After Green Lantern gets rid of all the future technology that shouldn't be in 1879, Bat Lash admits that he wanted one of the "fancy ray guns". Jonah Hex immediately tells him they aren't dependable because they jam easily.
- Awful Wedded Life: Enid is unhappy with her marriage and wishes she hadn’t married David. It’s much worse for David, who’s treated like garbage by his wife.
- Bait-and-Switch Boss: Manning appears to be the sole villain, with Clinton saying he regrets his actions and just wants to go home. Once he gets his hands on his time belt again however he shows his true colours, attempting to abandon the League in the past while seeking to change the future.
- Disc-One Final Boss: The League are initially in pursuit of Chronos, but in the Old West Chronos is captured and his pursuers have to team up with him and some Western heroes in order to fight Tobias Manning. Once Manning is dealt with, however, Chronos betrays the group and the League has to chase him down again.
- Doesn't Like Guns: Bruce, who sticks to using batarangs in the Wild West, refusing to carry a gun even while posing as a cowboy.
- Dull Surprise: The reaction shot of the contemporary Western heroes watching David escape into a time portal and the League heroes pursuing him is capped off with an understated "Huh." from Bat Lash. Of course by that stage they've Seen It All, having battled androids and giant mechas with ray guns.
- Easily Forgiven: Averted; While Shayera is welcomed back to the League, Diana is shown giving her a cold shoulder in the Watchtower mess hall, thanks to the events of Starcrossed.
- Expy: Though Bat Lash is an existing DC character, his portrayal in this episode is an obvious tribute to Bret Maverick, a fellow roguish Old West gambler with a habit of quoting his “pappy”.
- Henpecked Husband: David Clinton is verbally abused by his wife, and can only deal with it by hiding from her or fleeing to the past.
- Kick the Dog: While Enid is giving David a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, David pleads with her to stop and tells her he loves her, and she just tells him that he’s a loser and she wishes she’d married another man.
- Killer Robot: Manning uses a few as Mecha-Mooks.
- Mugged for Disguise: The heroes take the bandits' outfits to blend in (except for Green Lantern, who gets one whiff of the unwashed clothes and decides to disguise himself with a ring construct instead).
- Mugging the Monster: Three gunslinging bandits try to rob Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. It doesn't go well for them.Wonder Woman: (easily deflecting shots) Those are the biggest, slowest bullets I've ever seen.
- Mythology Gag: Jonah Hex correctly guesses that the Leaguers are time travelers based on the experiences he's had in his "interesting life", apparently a reference to his time-traveling adventures in the comics.
- Newspaper Dating: The bandits conveniently leave behind a newspaper, revealing the exact date.
- One-Steve Limit: Downplayed with Bat Lash and Batman, who pointedly introduces himself to Lash as just Bruce.
- Opening Shout-Out: When the League, Western heroes, and Chronos confront Tobias, it briefly homages the original opening to the show with a shot of them walking down the street with the sun behind them.
- Right Behind Me: As Batman tells Green Lantern that there's nothing personal between him and Diana:Batman: I don't have time to pursue a relationship. My work is too important to allow any distractions. Diana's a remarkable woman, she's a valued friend, she's...standing right behind me, isn't she?
Wonder Woman: Don't let that stop you. Keep digging. - Right for the Wrong Reasons: When Ohiyesa Smith explains how Tobias Manning defeated him with “magic powers”, El Diablo tells him that there’s no such thing as magic and it’s all tricks. He is correct that Tobias isn’t using magic, but the present day heroes and the viewers know that magic does exist in the DCAU.
- Seen It All: Jonah Hex has had "an interesting life", and pegs the League for time travelers quickly.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Fed up with his wife berating him, David used his device to get away from her, kickstarting the plot.
- Ship Tease: Batman and Green Lantern have a conversation about the other's relationship with Diana and Shayera respectively. Both deny any romantic interest, which the other refuses to believe. The Wham Line shows that GL did get together with Shayera after all.
- Superhero Packing Heat: Most of the old west heroes, of course, but as mentioned above, Green Lantern at one point uses his six-gun instead of his ring.
- Tank Goodness: As the battle starts turning against him, Manning breaks out the tank he has hidden inside a building.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Enid gives a vicious one to Chronos in the beginning.Enid: Let me get this straight. You’ve got a suit that lets you travel in time, and you’ve been using it to steal historical trash? You stupid little man! You could go back to steal gold and jewels! You could get stock information from the future! We could be rich!
Chronos: No! We can’t use the suit to do anything that could change history. I’m careful to only take things that wouldn’t be missed.
Enid: Like your spine?
Chronos: Enid, please! Don’t talk to me like that! I love-
Enid: Mother was right. I should’ve married Jim Dwarman. He’s a very successful lawyer. And you are a loser. Always were, always will be.
Chronos: But-
Enid: You worthless, good-for-nothing, wretched waste of space! You invent a time machine and can’t think of anything useful to do with it?! - This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: As Tobias Manning tries to escape, Ohiyesa Smith chases after him. Green Lantern is about to join the pursuit, but Jonah Hex dissuades him, saying "A man needs to balance his own accounts."
- Time Is Dangerous: Chronos breaks into a storage locker on the Watchtower by rapidly aging a section of the door until it disintegrates.
- Time Travel for Fun and Profit:
- Fun: David has been using his time belt to collect items from the past, making sure that their absence doesn't affect the future.
- Profit: Enid is livid that her husband doesn't use his time travel technology to make them rich. Manning is all too willing to do so, stealing weapons from the future to make himself more powerful.
- Time-Traveling Jerkass: Chronos. Though he’s not really a jerk until the end of the episode.
- Ungrateful Bastard: While Enid is verbally assaulting David, David asks her to stop and tells her he loves her. She then continues insulting him.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Jonah Hex is unsurprised when he deduced that Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern are time travelers, reason being was because "he's led an interesting life".
- Weird West: Three of the modern-day Justice League find themselves stuck in the Old West and join forces with some contemporary heroes to face off against a Western villain with access to future technology like robots and ray guns.
- Wham Line: Warhawk revealing that John is his father.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Time-traveling heroes teaming up with the old West heroes to battle a tyrant using future technology to rule the 1800s is remarkably close to the plot of The Avengers #142-143. It also contains some elements of Justice League of America #159-160, wherein a variety of "historical" heroes travel forward in time to battle the League.
- You Will Not Evade Me: When the gunslingers realize what they've gotten themselves into, they sensibly try to flee. Wonder Woman catches them with her lasso.
