Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, Episode 3 - The Great Mole Hunt
Welcome, superheroes! We start off with the recap of last issue episode that introduced our wannabe heroes to Bee-Sting and ended with Mindset's ouster. Oh, and the gang got nifty Dick Tracy-style communicators and the evil Bee-Sting was shown talking to another villain. The heroes discuss Mindset's elimination, and Ms. Limelight, unsurprisingly, says she's glad that he's gone. The following morning, surveillance cameras at an undisclosed location pick up a sinister figure skulking through the area, and the heroes are awakened by loud sirens and flashing lights. Stan Lee then gives them the grim news: the malevolent Dr. Dark has been seen at... an amusement park. (Weird place for a supervillain to "terrorize", but then I'm not the one writing this show.)
The heroes jump into their environmentally-incorrect vehicles and speed off to the Six Flags Amusement Park, where Lee contacts them via an ubiquitous communication screen. He's about to give them the dirt on Dr. Dark, when the screen goes all static-y and then reforms to show the masked and cloaked Dr. Dark, who issues a challenge. The heroes have to split into pairs. One member of each pair has to ride the Tatsu rollercoaster and look for four colored tiles from that vantage point; the other will actually collect said tiles. The tiles match up to colored posts scattered throughout the park, and each post provides a number that is part of a combination. The heroes then have to go to a storage container that has four locks on it and undo the locks. When they do, they will presumably be able to capture Dr. Dark.
Stan Lee then reappears and tells the heroes to follow Dr. Dark's instructions. He also challenges them to prove that they are heroes and not mere sidekicks. The heroes pair off into the following teams: The Defuser and Whip-Snap, Hygena and Ms. Limelight, Hyperstrike and Mr. Mitzvah, and Basura and Parthenon. Several of the heroes chicken out dislike riding rollercoasters and stick their partners with that job. So, The Defuser, Hygena, Hyperstrike, and Basura ride the coaster, which is one of those jobs that flips one upside down and so forth. It's the sort of thing that will make one dizzy or nauseous in short order, especially if you have to ride it more than once. Basura and Parthenon quickly realize this, and agree to take turns riding the Tatsu. Hmm, I think this team could have a substantial edge over the others.
Hyperstrike sees a green tile, but Mr. Mitzvah, who had earlier boasted of his prowess as a runner, pulls a muscle early on running towards it. Ouch! Looks like there's another drawback to being in one's 50's and trying to play superhero. He still refuses to ride the rollercoaster, and Hyperstrike (who is young enough to be his son) doesn't force the issue. Basura, meantime, spots two tiles, and Parthenon goes for them. Given that people seem to spot only one or two tiles at a time during their passes, I definitely think these two have the right idea about switching jobs. Ms. Limelight proves Mindset wrong, in that her stupidity is not an act: she runs right by a post and gets lost. Whip-Snap has an asthma attack while running for a tile. Hygena gets motion sickness from riding the Tatsu, and switches off with Ms. Limelight, who has finally returned with two tiles.
Basura and Parthenon are the first to collect all their numbers-- and then run afoul of one of Lee's little traps, as they are beseiged by "tourists" who want to talk to them, take their pictures, and so forth. Basura and Parthenon are very obliging, perhaps a little too obliging. Whip-snap and The Defuser are the next to finish, and they run into the tourists, too. They aren't quite as obliging, and try to brush them off, as they are on a mission. Hyperstrike and Mr. Mitzvah are next, and Hygena and Ms. Limlight are last.
Despite the hold-up with the tourists, Basura and Parthenon are first to crack their lock, and Parthenon in fact helps out the other teams by telling them that all the locks have the same combination. The other teams find he's right. I think I have just found my favorites among this crop of heroes: Basura and Parthenon. They seem to work well together, and I would love it if they came in first and second places, and the winner persuaded Lee to give the runner-up a cameo in their comic.
After undoing the locks, the heroes find a video of Dr. Dark who taunts them and says that he left them a little something at the lair. The "something" turns out to be a note designed to look like a terrorist's note, with lettering apparently cut out from different sources. (It's obvious, though, that the prop guy had simply been playing around with different fonts and colors on his computer.) The note accuses somebody of not having the "right reasons" for becoming a superhero, and suggests that same somebody would make a better villain's henchman than hero. The Defuser falls for the note hook, line, and sinker, and speculates that Mr. Mitzvah may be the mole.
Lee then teleports some laptops to the contestants and asks them to type up "mission reports"-- including feedback about the other contestants. Lee asks them 1) which heroes felt let down by their partners, 2) who would make a better sidekick than hero, and 3) who is likely to be the mole. After they finish typing up the reports, Mr. Mitzvah wanders off, and the The Defuser airs his suspicions about him. He also asks the others about their motivations, and is apparently satisfied with their answers. He then goes back to saying that he doesn't trust Mr. Mitzvah, as he's a loner and not very forthcoming. Parthenon points out that it's not fair to discuss Mr. Mitzvah's trustworthiness or lack thereof when he isn't around to defend himself. Hygena reminds everybody that the real enemy Dr. Dark. Mr. Mitzvah eventually returns and the others grill him. He finally obliges them with some info about himself. Hyperstrike doesn't join in the grilling, and DR's that he likes Mr. Mitzvah.
Then Lee calls in with his results of the mission reports. Everybody said they thought they could do better, and most people said that Whip-Snap and Mr. Mitzvah would make better sidekicks than heroes. Two people felt let down by their partners, but Lee did not mention any names. Parthenon, Mr. Mitzvah, Hyperstrike, and Basura were all listed as suspected moles.
On the rooftop, Lee assures everybody that there was never a mole, and then chews out The Defuser for leading the witchhunt against Mr. Mitzvah, and for so readily taking Dr. Dark's bait. He praises Hygena for seeing through Dr. Dark's ruse, which was to (obviously) cause dissension among the heroes. He chides Basura for taking time to rest during the rollercoaster challenge and for getting too chummy with the tourists. A superhero shouldn't seek glory-- especially not when they're on a mission and danger is at hand. He also criticizes Parthenon for posing for the tourists, but praises him for defending Mr. Mitzvah. (Um, don't they get any credit for finishing first, despite the tourists?) Lee then chides Ms. Limelight for getting lost, even though she had a map. Lee then scolds Mr. Mitzvah for not facing up to his fears: he covered up his eyes in the bee tank and refused to ride the rollercoaster, even after hurting himself.
Lee then chides Hyperstrike for not being a leader, as he didn't try to persuade Mr. Mitzvah into taking a turn on the rollercoaster. (Hyperstrike is 21 years old, and Mr. Mitzvah is more than twice his age. Does Lee really expect Hyperstrike to order somebody his father's age to do something? Let's cut the kid some slack, here.) Whip-Snap also failed to face her fears on the coaster, and she was singled out as "side-kick" material.
After all that, Lee announces the candidates for elimination: Basura, Mr. Mitzvah, and Ms. Limelight. Basura?! What about The Defuser?! He'd screwed up somewhat in last week's carjacking challenge, and also led that witchhunt. I'd say those mistakes are at least as bad as letting tourists take your picture a few too many times. Not that it matters much, as one of the other two have surely used up all their second chances by now. And, I'm right. Lee does give Mr. Mitzvah credit for persevering despite a pulled muscle, but sends him home, as he just isn't brave enough.
But, before the glum heroes can leave, Lee orders them back to their boxes. Tonight there will be a double elimination. As Lee deems Hyperstrike as being partly responsible for Mr. Mitzvah's failure during the rollercoaster challenge, he has to join Basura and Ms. Limelight on the Red Boxes of Shame. Not surprisingly, though, it's Ms. Limelight who's sent home as she shows an unheroic tendency to crack under pressure. The heroes then return to their lair-- only to find it has been ransacked. Worse, information about their secret identities has been stolen. Hm, if that means Bee-Sting or Dr. Dark took everybody's driver licenses, how are they supposed to mount a search? Not surprisingly, the previews for next week show our heroes looking for the stolen goods.
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