Creature Commandos Episode 4
"Chasing Squirrels"
Writer: James Gunn
Director: Sam Liu
Cast: Frank Grillo, Viola Davis, Maria Bakalova, Steve Agee, Linda Cardellini, Sean Gunn, David Harbour, Anya Chalotra, Stephanie Beatriz, Zoë Chao, Indira Varma, Jason Konopisos
Whoooooole lotta cameos in this one, folks, both on the good side and the bad side. Hopefully I've caught most of them, but there were a few that weren't showing up too good and some I couldn't place (that Pied Piper-looking guy from last episode was back again, but once again I couldn't place him).
With Circe captured last episode by Task Force M, Rick Flagg Sr. (Frank Grillo) and team are heading out of the monarchy of Pokolistan and back to Belle Reve prison, under the supervision of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). The Princess of Pokolistan (Maria Bakalova) begs him not to go, but also wonders why he can't just kill Circe. "That's not how we do it in America," he says, but she wisely claims the Internet says otherwise.
The team is greeted at Belle Reve by staffer John Economos (Steve Agee, reprising his role from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker) and Weasel's attorney Elizabeth Bates (Linda Cardellini, Scooby-Doo, Hawkeye). She's been trying to see her client for three days and has been told he's "sick," but then watches Weasel (Sean Gunn) stroll out of an airplane. There's an argument over how many children he's killed, which triggers a flashback to policemen firing a gun at Weasel in the basement of a burning school, as he's wildly dragging a child across the floor.
From a nearby helicopter Frankenstein (David Harbour) obsesses over The Bride some more, and attacks the helicopter crew when he suspects they're also into her. They're not. It's all in his head. The copter goes down, but not until he overhears the crew mention The Bride is with Rick Flagg.
In Belle Reve, Circe (Anya Chalotra) demands to know what she's being held for, to which Waller replies, "First degree Witchypoo, and Maleficent in the second degree." John Economos tries to help by adding, "And Bette Midler in that one movie." Waller points out that Bette Midler is an actor and not a character, and Rick Flagg adds that the movie was Hocus Pocus. Again, not a character.
As Elizabeth Bates shows Weasel photos of the children he supposedly killed, trying to get some glimmer of recognition from him, there is another flashback to Weasel's previous life. He's hidden in the bushes outside of a school as children play in the playground. At first they think he's a groundhog, but he becomes a little more friendly when they offer him candy and then an apple. In the present day he reacts to Bates by eating one of the photos, that of a blonde girl.
Back in the interrogation room, Circe claims she can telepathically show Waller that she made a mistake: Circe was only stopping Princess Rostovic from destroying the world. Waller is skeptical but Circe makes it happen.
We see Rostovic leading an invasion of the United States, partnered with the Flash villain Gorilla Grodd. With her army, they mow down hundreds of people and take over the White House. Superheroes are either impaled (I counted Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Vigilante, and Batman), crucified (Superman), or straight up just thrown in a ditch (Peacemaker). The vision ends with Superman's torn cape wrapped like a flag around a pole, echoes of the Death of Superman comic.
Waller says it seems legit, but she wants to get a second opinion, that of the leading scholar on Circe and Themyscira, Aisla McPherson (Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Encanto). In the comics McPherson was a teacher at Gotham Academy, so it's cool to see her show up in other media. She confirms that Circe is an incredible precog: she predicted a tsunami that hit Themyscira and her warning saved most of the Amazons living there. To Waller, the mission has changed, but Flagg is unwilling to make a move on someone he's hooked up with. He leaves and Waller says she needs to "...find a leader who's less whiny little bitch, and more just bitch."
Now for the villain cameos! There's a scene in the Belle Reve prison cafeteria with a few of the low tier DC bad guys hanging out in the background. I picked out Cornelius Stirk (Batman baddie), Hyena serving food (Firestorm villain), Chemo (Metal Men and Superman foe), what might be Dr. Cyclops (Dial H for Hero, but I'm not 100% sure — he has the single eye and similar hairline, but also an incongruous duck bill), Khalis II (a mummy who is one of the Creature Commandos in the comics), and Bug-Eyed Bandit (Atom villain).
Fishwoman Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao) is being hassled by prison bullies Congorilla (voiced by Jason Konopisos, Transformers One) and Superboy villain Nosferata. The Bride (Indira Varma, Game of Thrones, Obi-Wan Kenobi) makes quick work of Congorilla, bashing him in the jaw multiple times with a meal tray. Is he dead? I hope not, but it's totally possible. The Bride tells Nina that they're even, since she almost got Nina killed in Pokolistan, but Nina disagrees.
Rick Flagg Sr. heads home, but Frankenstein is waiting there for him, assuming that he's also in love with The Bride and showing off that intense jealousy that makes him dangerous. The fight is smaller than the others this season, but most of Flagg's furniture gets smashed. Flagg ends it by pointing a gun into Frankenstein's eye, assuming that it's the one place that wouldn't be bulletproof. They make peace over tea, but since Frankenstein is looking for The Bride and Flagg is looking to get revenge on getting kicked out of Task Force M, they decide to team up. "BEST FRIENDS," Frankenstein says.
We end on the full flashback of what happened to Weasel, the thing that he is unable to communicate to his lawyer, or anybody. He's playing fetch with the kids at the school like before, when he bumps the school door open. Before the kids go in to play around in the empty school, an old passerby mushroom forager sees them playing and assumes the worst. He calls the cops and goes home to get his gun.
Inside the school the kids go through the teacher's desk and find a bottle of alcohol. They head to the basement where the game of catch continues, but this time with one of the students using the bottle to hit the ball around, and another finding a box of matches. The bottle smashes, the matches catch the liquor, and a small fire starts. Before the kids can get out, the mushroom forager arrives with his gun and takes a shot at Weasel, but hits the oil heater instead. The addition of the oil to the already started fire causes the building to explode.
As you can imagine, Weasel panics, but tries to get the kids out. The cops show up and instead of trying to get kids help, they start firing at Weasel, hitting him multiple times. Finally, he gets one child, the blonde girl from the photo before, up to the door, but the police are more focused on arresting him than saving the girl, who is crushed by falling debris.
The final scene is The Bride, Nina, and Dr. Phosphorus back on a plane to Pokolistan, with Weasel asleep and twitching, the flashback playing out in his dream. "I wonder what he's dreaming about," Nina says. "Probably just chasing squirrels," says The Bride.
