Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of the second episode of Aquaman: King of Atlantis, which debuts on HBO Max on Thursday, Oct. 21. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review of "Chapter One: Dead Sea."
There's no shortage of DC goodness on HBO Max these days, but up until now, the service has been a bit of a dead zone in terms of new DC content that isn't aimed squarely at adults. Aquaman: King of Atlantis continues to be a breath of fresh air (fresh seawater?) in that regard. The second episode is just as wacky and entertaining as the first, even if it's becoming clear the series isn't overly concerned with plot.
Following Chapter 1's cliffhanger ending, the middle act of this three-part series sees Aquaman fighting to win back both his stolen throne and the respect of his subjects from his dastardly brother Orm. One of this show's greatest strengths is the way it finds a happy medium between celebrating Aquaman's traditional underdog status in the pop culture realm and reflecting the boost he's gotten thanks to the DCEU version. He's cool and competent, but that doesn't necessarily mean the fish-people of Atlantis respect him. This episode gets a lot of mileage out of Aquaman's frustration early on.
What it doesn't do is use Ocean Master's latest takeover as foundation for a deeper conflict. Ocean Master really is more of a slapstick-oriented side character than an actual villain. He's pretty much exactly the sort of lovable yet pathetic sap you'd expect with the inimitable Dana Snyder voicing the character. He's a fun addition to the mix — especially given his slightly higher profile in this episode — but the show could be doing much more with that dysfunctional brotherly dynamic.
The same could be said for the conflict as a whole. The series shows little desire to mine the depths of DC lore, instead crafting another weird, ostentatious adventure for Aquaman and Mera that feels right at home alongside the likes of Adventure Time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but given that King of Atlantis is structured as a three-episode limited series, it would be nice to have a bit more of a story and meaningful connective tissue between episodes.
Luckily, that tends to be nothing more than a minor, nagging concern over the course of Chapter 2. The bombastic sense of humor and the fun character dynamics are more than enough to justify your 45 minutes here. The Adventure Time comparison feels even more apt this week, because there's a real sense of imagination and whimsy driving this episode. As Aquaman and Mera venture far from Atlantis once again, we see all manner of bizarre new sights and Jules Verne-style realms beneath the Earth's surface. The show has a sense of humor all its own, and the gorgeous animation never fails to bring these odd places and people to life.
There's also a lot to be said for the core Aquaman/Mera relationship in this series. Mera makes for a terrific foil to the well-meaning king, one whose thirst for battle tends to cause as many problems as it solves. There's something charming and wholesome about the way their romance is matter-of-factly treated as a minor subplot rather than a major story beat. Aquaman is very shy about public displays of affection, whereas Mera is always happy to drop comments about his "big butt." That's one of many reasons why the series doesn't just work as an all-ages DC epic, but actually thrives under those restrictions.
