A horror movie date night inadvertently prompts the team to travel to 1990's Maine where reports say several kids died at the hands of a monster while attending summer camp.
Naturally, this leads to several members of the team posing as counselors. You'd think that the episode would draw humor by putting characters least suited for the job in the role. Instead, some of the highlights come from watching the two characters who take to it the most, Sara and Ray. The latter would obviously love it, but seeing Sara brighten up at the idea of going back to camp was a real treat.
John does accompany the group, and his magic does prove integral, but the episode doesn't really do much with him as counselor. He just sticks to himself. To his credit though, when he does interact with the kids, he's more impressive than his surly personality would suggest.
Ava as counselor is an interesting case Yeah, her "drill sergeant" persona isn't an act, but fraternities and sororities do similar schticks. On the other hand, her getting pranked was to be expected. You'll probably see that twist coming, but it was pretty funny and it did allow for a nice nod to the "Friday the 13th" movies.
This episode was actually not all that reliant on pop culture references. It's surprising, as given the premise, you'd think that it would be chock full of them. Instead, it puts more focus on character. That being said, "Swamp Thaaaang" is a pretty brlliant movie title. That joke alone would have been enough, but it prompts John to allude to the character actually existing in the Arrowverse proper.
The biggest beneficiaries from this are Sara and Ava. Their relationship has always been adorable, but it really shines here. Even when the two turn into kids, the chemistry remains. Props to the two child actors, as they did a great job capturing the characters' essences.
Charlie, the shapeshifter from the previous episode, also got some progression, as she is brought into the team. It was a little rushed, but theydid go through the trouble of bringing Sellers back. How long could they keep her in the cell throwing tantrums and screaming?
The fact that she knew specifically which shtriga the team is facing is a little convenient and might be a possible red flag, but they needed something to prompt her being brought into the fold. Even having her as the team's resident "Hannibal Lecter" might have gotten repetitive after a while.
The bigger disappointment is Zari who doesn't really do much besides fall for the most obvious prisoner trick in the book.
Even Mick gets more to work with. Not only does he quickly undo Zari's epic screw up, but he manages to forge a solid bond with the shape shifter in a pretty short amount of time. It's impressive, as it still feels completely natural despite only having a couple of minutes to be showcased.
All in all, this was a solid showing. The humor was there, but it wasn't too out there. The characters mostly had highlights and growth. There are even some plot threads for the next episode, as John is still on death's door, forcing the team to seek the aid of Nora Darhk. It did occur to me, that with all this magic, this could be a prime opportunity for Zatanna to be brought in. Might happen, might not. It would be cool though, as I'm a fan of the character. In any event, it'll be interesting to see how things play out as we move further into the season.
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