SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 11 Min.
Directed by Shaunt Nigoghossian, this episode first aired in the U.S. on September 2, 2017. Watching from afar, Firestorm observes a public university’s dedication event honoring Michael “Mr. Terrific” Holt’s technical brilliance. Holt’s former college roommate, Professor Martin Stein, wryly reveals his jealousy to Ronnie Raymond.
The villainous Calculator soon corrupts Mr. Terrific’s high-powered T-spheres and manages to abduct Ronnie. It’s up to Mr. Terrific and Professor Stein to finally settle their mutual differences to rescue Firestorm’s other half.
Professor Martin Stein: Stephen Tobolowsky
Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific: Hannibal Buress
Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm: P.J. Byrne
Calculator: Ely Henry
University Event’s Master of Ceremonies (male): Uncredited
Note: For whatever reason, data re: official episode numbers and original air dates for this series vary depending upon its source, so such info should really be taken as a best guess.
REVIEW:
A Mr. Terrific-and-Firestorm team-up sounds intriguing, but this contrived episode isn’t. Hannibal Buress, as a young, hip Michael “Mr. Terrific” Holt, makes a good first impression, as does pitting his character vs. the Calculator. Rather than implausibly linking Michael Holt and Martin Stein as college roommates/rivals (their age difference would make it highly unlikely), the episode would have been better off revealing Mr. Terrific’s origin in flashback — as Stein easily could have been one of this whiz kid’s jealous former professors.
As this episode’s co-lead, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Professor Stein, unfortunately, spends too much screen time on whiny grousing. Another minor annoyance is Ely Henry’s squeaky effort as the Calculator, which becomes quickly forgettable. More so, Buress gets too little help from P.J. Byrne performing Firestorm / Ronnie’s usual rapid-fire yapping.
Still, the episode redeems Stein with his unexpected physical efforts to restore Firestorm. The imagery of Terrific’s purple T-spheres and the Calculator’s stolen spheres whizzing around adds a cool visual upgrade to the otherwise chintzy animation. While there are a few neat elements about “The Cube Root,” they don’t add enough to make this episode better than average.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
Note: This episode is on the Justice League Action: Battles from Beyond! 2-disc DVD set (which collects the series’ second half).
