Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes FEAR FACTORY (Nov 18 ep) - spoilers

Hmmm...you might be right. Now I'm not sure.

Am I the only one that liked the fact that Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad's fears weren't big terrible things? O_o Not everyone has this deep seated personal issue. For a lot of people, the thing they're most scared of is usually mundane in comparison to everyone else.

Very true Razorsaw.

BTW, welcome to the boards. Glad to see you jumping in and taking part.

Ah, thank you for the greeting. ^^;

Cadet is right Vee. Spot (who I think was a fire breathing dragon but my memory may be playing tricks) lived under the stairs. They would lift up to show him shoot flames every once in awhile. I think he was meant to be Eddie's pet "dog".

After watching the episode again (and again), it struck me like lightning. Lightning Lad isn't afraid of clowns, he is afraid of storms.

Evidence:

- If he were truly phobic about clowns, he would have been very uncomfortable at last week's Olympics, where there were clowns everywhere (including Tharok in clown disguise).

- Garth's first line of dialogue in Fear Factory is: "Now THAT'S a monster", referring to the cosmic storm. He looks very perturbed as he says this.

- As he cringes before Captain Howdy, he cries: "it hid under my bed ... it only came out during storms". At that very moment, Howdy transforms into the "monster" that embodies his real fears, a lightning beast.

<Dr. Freud voice>Diagnosis: Astraphobia, Brontophobia or Keraunophobia. All meaning much the same thing: fear of storms, specifically thunder and lightning storms. A common childhood fear, compounded by the severe emotional trauma of later being stranded on Korbal and attacked by a huge lightning beast. </Dr. Freud voice>

Of course, there's even more to it than that, now that he's become the very thing that once terrified him. In fact, post-Zero Hour Garth *was* afraid of his own powers in the early stories, believing they'd turn him evil or loco like Mekt. The cartoon version may have even deeper-seated fears of his own nature, which he tries to mask with macho bravado.

Now I'm more curious than ever about the upcoming episode called "Lightning Storm".

Great post, Tromium!

I thought Imra's fear was a very appropriate one; being out of control, physically.

So, if Brainy is a robot, and the coluans are robots, does that make the "coluans" we saw in this episode Brainiac 4s?

lol no not really. Brainiac 5 is Brainiac 2's great grandson. and by the way, Brainy and Coluans are androids not robots. robots are all machine, androids are half machine half human. at least...he is until I make him all human. *giggles and blushes*

PS: Talk about transformers!

You're thinking of cyborgs, I believe. The difference separating androids from robots is technically a human *appearence* -- but in sci fi tradition, it's more common to mean that the android can think for itself.

why not Artifical Intelligence?

You know, the weird thought that came to me while watching this show is that maybe Brainy's cute lil' blond boy look is actually the disguise ... and his real form is the big honking 'bot one.

I really feel like Brainy has an agenda here ... and it's not just having a boy-crush on Superman.

*snickers* I'm distrustful of the term. Find me some real intelligence, first.

Wait, since when was it ever stated that Brainiac 5 was half human? And I don't count that commercial as a reliable source.

Considering that the animated!verse doesn't always take comic continuity in consideration, it looked more likely to me that Colu is a whole planet of machines (a la Robotica?), possibly founded by the original Brainiac (seeing many of the motifs established by the Timmverse are used in Coluan design - the Brainiac symbol, the dome-brain-heads, high-necked collars or whatever they are, etc.)

As far as I see it, the Coluans are more robots/androids/what have you with recognized sentience mixed with Gear's folks (I'll assume the term "organic machinery" refers to the metamorphic quality of their systems rather than relating to flesh and blood) than half-human cyborgs.

Edit: Actually, rewatching the destruction of Quavermass's chips, I may have to re-evaluate that concept of "organic machinery" wiki had as a definition for the Linsnarians. But it still doesn't speak to me as anything remotely like a cyborg - otherwise, Quavermass XII would also be considered half human(?!?)

</sorry, end nit-picking. Going back to lurking now.>

(PS. Oh, and Tromium, your post rocked.)

Let me echo the cry of, "Great Post!"; very astute, it rings very true. I hadn't noticed it on watching, but I think you're dead on.

Ah, rats.


*Scratches Lightning Clown off list of possible Xmas gifts for LL and tosses it on stack with stuffed Protys ...*

You could always get him one of those Zzok hats they were selling at the Olympics. They were pretty neat.

-wonders if Scottie likes clowns-


I watched it again last night and it's true! The pink bed is there in Garth's room.
Cool! There's hope that Ayla may show up eventually.
Lightning Lad's showing all the signs of being the classic "hard luck hero" that he was for so many years. Could his death and/or mutilation be too far away?

You know... I noted the storm connection when I first watched the episode, but didn't think it through and then forgot about it.

Now, I wonder if Imra's fear can be interpreted in a more subtle way? Lack of control, perhaps?

Alright, after watching this episode five times, and then once more frame-by-frame, I have a couple of Brainy-related things.

One: Brainy at the beginning of the episode gets up to leave in the middle of the monster movie. When he's caught he simply says that he "doesn't see the logic in watching ancient classics if they scare you so badly". His face says differently, though. Watch frame by frame when he gets up to leave. He's actually scared of the movie! He gets embarrassed though and just makes up an excuse.

Two: I have a working theory based on the hologram involving the Coluans. It's already been determined before the show even started that Brainiac 5 is an android, instead of being organic like in the comic series. When confronted by the holographic Coluans, they don't just say "You will join us" they say "You will join us AGAIN". From this entire scene, amoung other scenes from various episodes, I have worked up a theory that Brainiac 5 is a "budding" from a larger being on Colu.

Whoa, I wonder if they're even allowed to show that on a kid's show.

...

IT'D BE PRETTY AWESOME THOUGH.


No?

Anyways, here's really, really hoping that they actually do origin stories for the rest of the Legionnairs like they never did with Teen Titans. Since they're mentioning real names already, I have high hopes, 'cause I desperately want to see this Brainy's backstory. I'm ashamed I had any doubts about him before...

I really got a kick out of "Fear Factory", if just for the comedic, campy horror movie bits. But every episode so far has had some really nifty little character development moments, as well.

At this point, I'm thinking that the "battle bot" version of Brainiac 5 is probably what he's SUPPOSED to look like as a true Coluan, given what the others look like. But since one of his deepest desires is to be more human, it wouldn't surprise me if he created the more childlike body with the hair and all to try and fit in better among organics. (At the same time, that more human looking version represents what he is as sentient creature far more accurately than his original look, if my thoughts are on the money.)

I'm a real fan of the whole "search for my own humanity" thing in sentient robots, so I'm going to be watching that angle with Brainy very closely in upcoming episodes. (Because, you know, one can never have too many fan fic plot bunnies. Heh.)

Fan fic? Where? Where?!

There's a little bit on fanfiction.net in the regular Legion comics catagory. Don't get too excited though, as there's really not much (which is part of the reason I'm here, looking around and hoping for stuff). Heh. But I think I've just picked up another plot bunny, myself. Brainy's moved into my headspace and he's talkin'.