Last TV show you watched

[Ditchy McAbandonpants]

Mr M: I did pick up on Cyborg's line, yeah, but it didn't cover it for me, because as far as I could tell, the writers themselves WERE using Mad Mod as a representative of all things British, at least to an extent. The earlier "Mad Mod" episode worked for me because there Mod's Britishness was presented, as you said, as a gimmick or quirk designed to give the episode a particular visual flavour, but inconsequential in the long run; "Revolution", on the other hand, with its plot regarding Mod's attempt to reimpose autocratic monarchy on July 4th, incorporated political backwardness as a part of his Britishness, and something that in itself needed to be combatted. Of course, you're arguing that those are supposed to be Mod's politics, not Britain's, but my problem is that I don't feel the distinction was adequately made, and when you get to bits like Starfire's little speech about the need to remember the US's proud history that Mod is trying to take away, and how they need to use the spirit of democratic compromise that forged America in order to defeat him, it just started to feel like the whole thing was an exercise to big up America's cultural values at Britain's expense. And that's just not called for.

Still, I'm willing to write this one misguided script off as an isolated indiscretion, because the next few episodes I watched won me back over completely; some credit must go to "The Beast Within", which had some great character work and gave Beast Boy a bit of actual edge and depth, but most must go to "Can I Keep Him?", one of the most joyous twenty minutes I can remember spending in recent times. Starfire - bless her, bless her little purple boots, her childlike naivete, her relentless pride in her frankly hideous Tameranian culture, her stilted mutilation of English, her frequent (let's be honest) dumbness, and most of all, her ability to brighten up the screen simply by being on it. SHE. IS. SO. FRICKING. ADORABLE! Watching her crush her beloved pet mutant moth larva with a rolling pin before enthusiastically attempting to lick it clean was simultaneously the most repellent, hilarious and cutest thing I've ever seen; I would honestly want to marry her if not for the fear of having to endure some kind of grotesque backward ritual on her crummy homeworld.

Oh, and props also to Killer Moth, who is the man! Mr M, I thought you said his Teen Titans incarnation was a fairly serious villain? He's absolutely hilarious! It's a shame that Thomas Haden Church couldn't return to do his voice after his first appearance, but he's still come up with so many solid gold lines that I don't even notice...

"My demands are simple: the city will declare me ruler, the Teen Titans will surrender, and Robin...will take this lovely young lady to her junior prom."
"Hey, big fella! Did Killer Moth create you in a lab? Yes he did, yes he did!"
"Larva M319, I am your father! Join me, and together we shall, uh...go on a...picnic, or...some such."

Anyway, I think I've hijacked this topic enough for now.