Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion S1 E3

## Plot

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that this show is rated TV-G in the United States, which is a higher rating than TV-Y or Y7 shows, but lower than TV-PG, 14, and MA. Violet is practicing her punches with Cruz. They're both in costume in the gym, which is obviously empty. Lucha Royale is this weekend. It's the biggest lucha wrestling event of the year. The Rodriguez family is going to celebrate Nina's promotion from teacher to principal. Violet invites Cruz. Also, I'm guessing that he lives in his gym, since he eats there, and we never see him in an apartment or anything like that. He'd rather spend the night alone. Violet tells him that just because he's a superhero doesn't mean he has to be such a loner all the time. He thinks heroes don't get the luxury of friends and family. Violet points out that she's doing it. Besides, he deserves a night with family. It's revealed that he used to be a luchador wrestler called El Bravo. He reluctantly agrees to meet them there. The next day, the others are preparing everything they'll need, and I found out what a vuvuzela was. They plan on surprising Nina by having them all appear on the jumbotron and getting their picture taken. They're all huge fans of the técnico luchador wrestler El Gigante. Violet tells them that Cruz is coming, but Nina says he hasn't gone to lucha stuff in a long time. Tiago never understood why he quit right after winning a title. He probably got his magic mask and became Black Scorpion around that time. Cruz arrives at the venue before they let people in. It's clear that he misses being a luchador. He meets his old friend Gigante. It's weird being on the outside. Gigante says he doesn't have to be. Cruz points out that he's retired, and the ring is for luchadores only. Gigante tells him that lucha is a way of life, and a man who fights for honor is always welcome in the ring. They actually get away with referring to God, albeit in Spanish (Dios) instead of English like Secrets of Sulphur Springs, which is rated slightly higher at TV-PG. When the Rodriguezs enter, Violet notices that two luchadores, Fénix and Payaso, are signing autographs. They're not scheduled to be here, so it must've been a surprise. Anything goes at Lucha Royale. Cruz is talking to his old friends backstage. He tries to talk to his friend Francisco, a.k.a. Snow Leopard, but he doesn't respond. He's suddenly punched in the head by someone else and knocked out. Violet knows that he should be here by now. He doesn't answer his phone, so she checks his location. She sees that he's here and leaves to go get him. Tiago immediately develops a crush on a girl who sits next to him, which goes nowhere because she's a rudo fan. Violet sees that Cruz's phone is in a trash bin behind a no access door. She hears something and heads upstairs. I love the extreme Dutch tilt they do. It really ramps up the tension, suspense, and uncertainty. No one in or out of universe has any idea what's going on at this point, just that something is very wrong. She finds Cruz tied up and gagged and asks him what happened. She frees him, and he explains that he thought he saw Snow Leopard, but then he was ambushed. Francisco also isn't scheduled for tonight. Criminals are impersonating various luchadores for some reason. Violet lampshades the irony of her having to fight crime on the one night she doesn't want to. Cruz tells her that he was right, she can't have it all. However, he wants her to go enjoy herself and spend time with her family while he takes care of this, but she refuses. She just wants to make it fast so she doesn't miss the jumbotron. They enter the security room and look at the cameras. This is the part of the episode that I found weird. Violet's power is *super speed*. Why can't she just put on her mask, go to her family for the photo, and then go back to also help her uncle stop the criminals disguised as real luchadores? Instead, she and Cruz presumably spend several minutes just staring at the cameras, and no security guards enter the room or try to stop them at any point during the episode. Violet and Cruz see the fake luchadores take down at least one security guard. I guess that explains that. The announcer tells everyone to welcome their golden guest of honor, newly minted principal of Dolores Huerta middle school, Nina Rodriguez. Violet is upset that she missed it, and her dad yells at her for it. Her middle name is Bernarda, and her full first name is Violeta. He sends her and Cruz to their seats. Nina is glad to see that her brother made it after all and declares it a miracle. The last luchador standing in the royale match will have $100,000 donated in their name to the children's hospital. The money is being held in a briefcase suspended above the ring. The imposters are after the cash. Before Cruz can go behind a stage door and change into Black Scorpion, Violet tells him that she wants to help him stop these guys, but she also wants to be with her family. Cruz tells her that this isn't therapy. As a superhero, it isn't about where you want to be, but where you have to be. The Snow Leopard imposter jumps into the ring and cuts down the briefcase with a very real sword. Cruz remembers what Gigante said about honor and enters the ring. The announcer seems to think that it's someone dressed up as Black Scorpion in tribute to their city's hero, but the Rodriguezs technically correctly assume that they actually got Black Scorpion to show up. They say God again when the announcer says mother of god in Spanish. Violet returns to her seat, and Nina tells her to stop wandering off. Tiago tells her that Black Scorpion is in the ring. Even with super strength, the bad guys have numbers on their side. Violet remembers what Cruz told her… and asks herself out loud "What do I do?" instead of immediately helping her uncle, stopping bad guys, and saving the money meant to go to a children's hospital. Oh my god Violet, how is the choice not obvious at this point? Luckily, before the fake Snow Leopard can kill Black Scorpion with his sword, Ultra Violet *finally* shows up and takes it away. Then she ties their shoes together. Naturally, they untie them pretty quickly too. Cruz tells Violet that he's got this as he single-handedly defeats two of the criminals by himself. The imposter of Snow Leopard starts to leave with the briefcase, but Ultra Violet takes it. Black Scorpion explains to Gigante that the guy is stealing the money, and asks him to throw him, and he lands on top of the fake. Ultra Violet gives the briefcase to Black Scorpion, who gives it to Gigante. Violet watches the rest of her family raising the El Gigante sign without her or Cruz, meaning it just says Gigante, but I'd say the message still comes across. Gigante tells Black Scorpion that he reminds him of someone, and Cruz doesn't say anything as he leaves. Nina is worried about Violet because the event is over and she hasn't replied to their texts. She shows up and apologizes for bailing on them. She knows they're mad, but she can explain. She can't come up with a lie though. Cruz claims that she wanted to surprise Nina for her promotion, and he needed her help. He introduces them to Gigante, and they're all thrilled to actually meet him. Violet thanks Cruz for helping her and admits that he was right. Juggling life and crime fighting is more complicated than she thought. Cruz tells her that she wasn't entirely wrong either. How am I just now realizing, months later, that we finally have a superhero with the word "Black" in their name who isn't black? Personally, I'd prefer a black superhero that doesn't have the word black as part of their superhero moniker (Because it's redundant. DC, Marvel, we get it, you finally made black superheroes with their own comic book titles, you don't need to literally spell it out for us, we're not all that stupid, ignorant, bigoted, or implicitly or explicitly racist), like Sam Wilson as Captain America and Falcon, Storm from the X-Men, Rhodey as War Machine, John Stewart as my first childhood GL from *Justice League* (the 2000s cartoon), Luke Cage (a.k.a Power Man, which is generic), Aqualad, Bumblebee, Rocket, Cyborg, Steel, Static, Vixen, Blade, Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel, Tyrone Johnson as Cloak, Deathlok, Goliath, Ironheart, Misty Knight, Patriot, Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and many, many more. Most of these aren't as connected to the mainstream, general populace as the first *Black Panther* film though. I feel like the power the mask gives you depends on someone's personality. Violet is basically an excitable, exuberant child with lots of energy, so she gets super speed. Cruz used to be a wrestler, runs a gym, and has a strong (and rather inflexible) sense of justice, values, beliefs, ethics, morals, and code of honor, so he gets super strength. They meet other characters later on that can duplicate themselves, phase through things, and hypnotize people.