Season 4 Episode 9 – “Gar goes on a quest of self-discovery, attempting to find his true purpose and to save his friends.”
Please note, our reviews are based on likes and dislikes. These contain significant spoilers. If you haven’t already watched the episode, we recommend that you click off the article and come back once you have watched the episode. Enjoy!
What I Liked
1. Gar is in some kind of weird void named “The Red”, where he’s hearing voices say his name, sees himself as a kid, and tells Gar he is the protector of the realm. I’m glad we’re seeing hints of Gar before his accident before he is Beast Boy.
2. While this mysterious stranger is explaining to Gar about their connection because of the green plague, they are attacked by soldiers. This man is telling Gar now is the time to get revenge on their enemies.
3. The Freedom Beast gives Gar a drink, and we then see Gar get into a very trippy state. Seeing things that he hasn’t seen before, like driving the van and speaking to Rachel. He sees Jinx return and sees a young Gar. It’s a very trippy but interesting scene.
4. We finally get a scene where we see Gar turn into a gorilla and absolutely demolish a bunch of soldiers. He also transforms into a bird and his old favorite, a tiger. The CGI in this scene was actually really good, and the transitions into different animals were really good. The Freedom Beast uses his powers to send a doctor into the gorilla, and both dying.
What I Disliked
Honestly, I have nothing to dislike.
Favorite Moment
We see Gar use the Red to his advantage. We get to see him talk with his younger self. He tells himself that he’ll find friends, he’ll find family. He tells himself that he’ll never be alone again. Gar then gets a shock when he sees lightning around him, Gar sees the CW Flash, played by Grant Gustin. He also gets hit into Stargirl’s universe, with Brec Bassinger showing up.
Gar also sees Swamp Thing (even if it was a second, I still miss this show), he sees Zachary Levi’s Shazam, and he sees Grant Morrison. A DC Comics writer. This was such an amazing scene. Gar also sees Cyborg (Joivan Wade from Doom Patrol), and an incredible surprise, as he saw a cartoon version of himself.
Other notable cameos were Kaley Cuoco’s Harley Quinn who points out that the “party’s over”, and two maniacal laughs can be heard in the background, one of them is Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck from Joker 2019, while Jack Nicolson’s Joker from the 1989 Batman can also be heard.
Doctor Fate from the Smallville series can be heard speaking, telling Gar that his “fate is utterly binding”. Jonathan Kent of Earth-96 the Christopher Reeves’ Superman was also heard saying “One thing I do know, son, and that is you are here for a reason”. Lastly, Cesar Romero’s Joker can be heard.
Standout Character
Gar. A fantastic character who delivered some of his best scenes in this episode.
Verdict
Honestly, this episode was very much needed for a lot of reasons but the main reason having some major development for Gar. It feels like it’s been a long time since he has had any character development and this was the perfect episode. The cameos from every aspect of the DC Universe were also truly incredible.
Rating: 9/10
The Review
Story - 8
Action - 8
Characters - 10
Entertainment - 10
Quality - 9
9
Amazing
Honestly, this episode was very much needed for a lot of reasons but the main reason having some major development for Gar. It feels like it's been a long time since he has had any character development and this was the perfect episode. The cameos from every aspect of the DC Universe were also truly incredible.
