← Back to show
DC Super Hero Girls - #AcceptNoSubstitute (S2E16)
Feeling smothered, Babs urges her retired dad, Commissioner Gordon, to get a hobby, but her advice backfires when the commissioner becomes a substitute teacher at her school.
| Runtime (min) | 11 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2021-08-01 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Kids, Comedy |
| TV Rating | TV-PG |
| Network(s) | Cartoon Network |
Storyline
In this episode, Babs Gordon feels overwhelmed by her retired father Commissioner Gordon's constant presence and well-meaning involvement in her life. Hoping to give him something productive to occupy his time, she encourages him to find a hobby or new interest now that he's no longer working at the police department. Commissioner Gordon takes her advice to heart and decides to become a substitute teacher, which seems like a perfect solution until Babs realizes he'll be teaching at her own school.
What begins as a plan to help her father find purpose quickly turns into an awkward situation for Babs when Commissioner Gordon shows up in her classroom. The episode explores the tension between wanting independence and appreciating parental support, as Babs must navigate having her dad in her school environment while he tries to find meaningful ways to stay active in retirement. The story balances humor with the relatable challenge of family boundaries and unintended consequences.
What kids learn
This episode teaches children about the importance of thinking through the consequences of their suggestions and actions. Babs means well when she encourages her father to find a hobby, but she doesn't anticipate that his choice might directly affect her own life. Kids learn that solving one problem can sometimes create another, and that communication with family members about expectations and boundaries is essential.
The story also explores themes of empathy and understanding across generations. Children see that retired adults, like Commissioner Gordon, need purpose and meaningful activities just as young people do. The episode encourages kids to appreciate that parents and guardians have their own needs for fulfillment and connection, even as children seek independence and personal space.
Additionally, the episode models how to navigate awkward family situations with grace. Rather than presenting a simple conflict with an easy resolution, it shows that family dynamics require ongoing negotiation, patience, and mutual respect. Kids learn that loving family members can sometimes embarrass or inconvenience each other without meaning to, and that working through these moments strengthens relationships.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How can I help my child understand why retired grandparents or parents might need new activities? | This episode provides a natural opening to discuss how work gives people structure and purpose, and when someone retires, they need to find new ways to feel useful and engaged. You can explain that just as kids need activities and friends, adults do too. Talk about how Babs recognized her dad needed something meaningful to do, even though her solution created an unexpected problem. This helps children develop empathy for older family members going through life transitions. |
| What if my child feels embarrassed when I'm involved in their school activities? | The episode validates that it's normal for children to want some separation between home and school life. Use Babs's situation to start a conversation about which school involvements feel comfortable and which feel intrusive. Explain that parents want to be supportive without causing embarrassment, and that talking openly about boundaries helps everyone. Reassure your child that wanting some independence doesn't mean they don't love or appreciate you, just as Babs still loves Commissioner Gordon. |
| How do I teach my child to anticipate consequences before offering advice? | Babs's well-intentioned suggestion backfires because she doesn't think through all the possibilities. Use this as a teaching moment about asking follow-up questions and considering different outcomes. Before making suggestions to family members, encourage your child to think: "How might this affect me? How might this affect others?" Role-play scenarios where they practice thinking ahead, and praise them when they demonstrate this kind of forward thinking in real situations. |
| Is it appropriate for my child to tell me they need more space? | Absolutely, and this episode shows a healthy example of a child recognizing and communicating that need. The key is helping your child express their feelings respectfully, as Babs does when she encourages her father to find a hobby. Create an environment where your child feels safe saying they need independence in certain areas, and respond without taking it personally. Explain that healthy families adjust their closeness as children grow, and that asking for space is a sign of maturity, not rejection. |
| What can families learn about unintended consequences from this episode? | The episode illustrates that even good intentions can lead to unexpected outcomes, which is an important life lesson. After watching, discuss with your child how Babs tried to help but created a new challenge for herself. Talk about times when your family's plans didn't work out as expected, and how you adapted. This teaches children that mistakes and miscalculations are normal, and that flexibility and problem-solving skills matter more than getting everything right the first time. |
Writing
—
Directing
—
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | When six ordinary girls meet and discover that they each have extraordinary powers, they decide to join forces to take on one of Metropolis's most sinister villains. |
| 1 | 2 | When six ordinary girls meet and discover that they each have extraordinary powers, they decide to join forces to take on one of Metropolis's most sinister villains. |
| 1 | 3 | When six ordinary girls meet and discover that they each have extraordinary powers, they decide to join forces to take on one of Metropolis's most sinister villains. |
| 1 | 4 | When six ordinary girls meet and discover that they each have extraordinary powers, they decide to join forces to take on one of Metropolis's most sinister villains. |
| 1 | 5 | Zee asks Kara to look after her two magical bunnies, which quickly start to multiply to unmanageable numbers, wreaking havoc all across Metropolis. |
| 1 | 6 | Hal's ex-girlfriend Star Sapphire shows up at a Metropolis High football game and attacks him. Jessica tries to control the situation with nonviolent tactics. The episode was released on cable Video On Demand on March 17, 2019. |
| 1 | 7 | Babs is at her job at the Burrito Bucket fast food restaurant. A bank robbery breaks out across the street, and Babs tries to thwart the bank robbery while following the instructions of her boss Shane O'Shaughnessy. The episode was released on cable Video On Demand on March 24, 2017. |
| 1 | 8 | Barbi is envious of Diana who keeps upstaging her. She uses a cheetah statuette from her dad's collection to place a curse on Diana. |
| 1 | 9 | Karen stumbles across a villainous plot led by Harley Quinn to blow up a bridge. |
| 1 | 10 | Kara deals with not getting her equal share of the credit for rescuing the people of Metropolis, while her cousin Superman gets all the credit. |
| 1 | 11 | Leslie Willis gains popularity on the website MetropoVids by posting mean-spirited videos, causing Wonder Woman to question the moral integrity of the people who live in the World of Man. |
| 1 | 12 | Karen tries to upgrade her Bumblebee suit so it makes her giant-sized instead of bug-sized. Giganta beats all the other Super Hero Girls and it's up to Bumblebee to stop her. The episode directly follows the first four according to a Twitter post by executive producer Lauren Faust. |
| 1 | 13 | Supergirl attempts to foil a burglary perpetrated by Catwoman. |
| 1 | 14 | Babs tells her friends how she wanted to be Batman's sidekick before moving from Gotham to Metropolis. Batman calls her father, Commissioner Gordon, alerting him about a Gotham villain coming to Metropolis. Babs sees this as her chance to impress Batman and join the Bat-team. The episode was released online on July 19, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 15 | Diana Prince is admired by her friends and schoolmates at Metropolis High, until Steve Trevor shows up and makes her love-struck. The episode was released online on July 19, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 16 | Jessica Cruz and Pam Isley bond over protecting an ancient tree from being cut down. When the workmen arrive to cut the tree, Pam attacks them as Poison Ivy while Jessica protects them as Green Lantern. The episode was released online on July 19, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 17 | Zee tries to win over crowds at the Metropolis pier with her magic. The episode was released online on July 26, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 18 | Babs and Kara enter their respective dogs Ace and Krypto into a dog show. The episode was released online on July 26, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 19 | Babs and Harley go to the GothamCon convention where Babs hopes to meet Batman but meets Robin instead. The episode premiered July 19, 2019 at the San Diego Comic Con. The episode was released online on July 26, 2019 on the Cartoon Network website. |
| 1 | 20 | The Super Hero Girls investigate what they believe to be spray-tag vandalism when they encounter a rival superhero team, the Super Hero Boys. Together, both teams fight off an invasion of three Kryptonians bent on world domination. The episode was released on September 2, 2019 on online streaming services. |
| 1 | 21 | The Super Hero Girls investigate what they believe to be spray-tag vandalism when they encounter a rival superhero team, the Super Hero Boys. Together, both teams fight off an invasion of three Kryptonians bent on world domination. |
| 1 | 22 | Harleen Quinzel, Babs's best friend, moves from Gotham to Metropolis. Harleen is disliked by Babs's new friends, and Babs doesn't get along with Harleen's new friends. |
| 1 | 23 | Harleen Quinzel, Babs's best friend, moves from Gotham to Metropolis. Harleen is disliked by Babs's new friends, and Babs doesn't get along with Harleen's new friends. |
| 1 | 24 | Diana meets Tatsu and faces off against the vigilante Katana who traps the souls of people in her sword. |
| 1 | 25 | Diana meets Tatsu and faces off against the vigilante Katana who traps the souls of people in her sword. |
| 1 | 26 | Zee recounts to Karen her embarassing transition into magichood and her relationship with her father at that time. The episode was released on November 25, 2019, on online streaming services. |
| 1 | 27 | Jessica tries to find an adoptive home for the cat Dexter, who turns into a member of the Red Lantern corps and attacks her. The episode was released on November 26, 2019, on online streaming services. |
| 1 | 28 | Everything is going well for Kara Danvers, both as a teen and a superhero, until she starts taking the blame for things she didn't do, and the emergence of a new supervillain threatens to destroy Supergirl's hard-earned reputation. |
| 1 | 29 | Babs tells Flash he can travel back in time, and she travels in time with him to change various events in her past. The episode was released on November 28, 2019, on online streaming services. |
| 1 | 30 | Supergirl is presumed dead by the media after a battle with Livewire. The episode was released on November 29, 2019, on online streaming services. |
| 1 | 31 | The student alter-egos of the Super Hero Girls, Super Hero Boys, and super villain girls are given a home economics assignment of caring for an egg. The episode was released on Video-On-Demand on December 18, 2019. |
| 1 | 32 | Oliver Queen sabotages the audition of Mortimer Drake for a play written and directed by Zee, and later finds that Mortimer is out for revenge on Zee for upstaging him in a play years ago. The episode was released on Video-On-Demand on December 18, 2019. |
| 1 | 33 | The girls recruit Catwoman to help them plan and execute a heist for the Book of Eternity which is in the posession of Lex Luthor. The episode parts are numbered 39 and 40 by Cartoon Network and released on video-on-demand on March 4, 2020. |
| 1 | 34 | The girls recruit Catwoman to help them plan and execute a heist for the Book of Eternity which is in the posession of Lex Luthor. The episode parts are numbered 39 and 40 by Cartoon Network and released on video-on-demand on March 4, 2020. |
| 1 | 35 | Jess takes Garth, Babs, Hal, Karen, and Pam to her parents' cabin retreat in the woods. The episode is numbered 31 in a Cartoon Network press release from March 4, 2020. The episode was released on video-on-demand services on March 4, 2020. |
| 1 | 36 | Babs meets Rose who moved to Metropolis to spend more time with her father. The episode is numbered 45 in a Cartoon Network press release from March 4, 2020. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on March 6, 2020. |
| 1 | 37 | When Zee's friends are held captive in their nightmares by a dream demon, she'll have to confront her own hidden insecurities, or risk the Super Hero Girls being trapped in a prison of their own fears forever. The episode is numbered 32 in a Cartoon Network press release from March 4, 2020. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on March 27, 2020. |
| 1 | 38 | Zee Zatara is flattered when she meets an overeager admirer Casey Krinsky, but soon realizes that "her biggest fan" wants much more than just an autograph. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on March 27, 2020. |
| 1 | 39 | Jessica Cruz is hired by billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne to chaperone young Dick Grayson's Metropolis birthday bash and brings Karen Beecher along to help, but the girls get more than they bargained for when the TWEEN party guests reveal their TITANic personalities. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on March 27, 2020. |
| 1 | 40 | When Barbara Gordon attempts to do something nice for a friend, she ends up in the clutches of The Penguin, a high school mob boss who blackmails her into an increasingly desperate situation from which only Batgirl can save her. The episode was released on streaming services on April 16, 2020. |
| 1 | 41 | Lois Lane's attempt to get an internship at the Daily Planet leads to her trying to unmask the Super Hero Girls, which forces the girls to a battle of wits with their greatest nemesis yet. The episode was released on streaming services on April 16, 2020. |
| 1 | 42 | When a high-speed chase breaks out during her driver’s test, Diana Prince’s desire to fight evil clashes with her desire to undergo a World of Man teenage rite of passage, getting her license. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on April 17, 2020. |
| 1 | 43 | Ra's Al Ghul uses red kryptonite to make Kara susceptible to mind control and use her on his mission to purify the world, starting with the music of Karen's favorite boy band, Up Past 8. The episodes are numbered 35 and 36 by Lauren Faust. |
| 1 | 44 | Ra's Al Ghul uses red kryptonite to make Kara susceptible to mind control and use her on his mission to purify the world, starting with the music of Karen's favorite boy band, Up Past 8. The episodes are numbered 35 and 36 by Lauren Faust. |
| 1 | 45 | When the Super Hero Girls discover that Diana doesn't actually have a home, they gladly open theirs up to her… until they discover that life with an Amazon is much more challenging than they expected. The episode was released on the Cartoon Network website on April 17, 2020. |
| 1 | 46 | Carol gets a new boyfriend, and Hal tries to win her back. The episode was released on streaming services on September 9, 2020. |
| 1 | 47 | Karen helps Carter reunite with his beloved. The episode was released on streaming services on September 18, 2020. |
| 1 | 48 | Diana Prince receives a care package from home, and her pet-raising skills are soon put to the test when a mysterious egg hatches. The episode was released on streaming services on September 18, 2020. |
| 1 | 49 | Tatsu contacts Babs and Kara to help her find and exorcise a ghost that is haunting a boarding school. The episode was released on streaming services on September 18, 2020. |
| 1 | 50 | Diana is visited by her aunt Antiope who arrives at Metropolis after being sent from Themyscira to change the locks on the cage of the Kraken. The episode is numbered 30 in a Twitter post by Lauren Faust. |
| 1 | 51 | Ember the dragon wants to eat Zee, mistaking her for a princess. The episodes were released on streaming services in New Zealand on September 21, 2020. |
| 1 | 52 | Ember the dragon wants to eat Zee, mistaking her for a princess. The episodes were released on streaming services in New Zealand on September 21, 2020. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Batgirl finally has the chance to live out her life's dream and be the sidekick to her hero and inspiration—the Batman! |
| 2 | 2 | Batgirl finally has the chance to live out her life's dream and be the sidekick to her hero and inspiration - the Batman! |
| 2 | 3 | When Kara realizes that she needs to be in two places on the same night, a dinner with an important investor in her parents startup and a concert for her favorite band, she calls for reinforcements in the form of Bizarro Kara. |
| 2 | 4 | Garth meets a friend who shares his obsession with a particular fandom, but when that friend takes his obsession too far, Garth must learn the difference between being a fan and being a fanatic, or risk driving his friends away. |
| 2 | 5 | The Super Hero Girls decide to go in together to buy their first car but quickly learned that splitting an automobile six ways may prove to be there deadliest foe yet. |
| 2 | 6 | Diana is asked to sing in a talent show, but when she uses a magical artifact to hide how bad she is at singing, she unleashes mayhem onto Metropolis. |
| 2 | 7 | When Jess coerces Kara into addressing her anger management issues, Supergirl's superhero abilities become seriously compromised. |
| 2 | 8 | Zatanna makes a Birthday wish that it forces her to confront the dark side of her magic. |
| 2 | 9 | When Jessica is faced with a Green Lantern Corps disciplinary hearing, Hal appoints himself to be her Peer Advocate. |
| 2 | 10 | Karen is given a mission to prevent the apocalypse by DeathSting, a super-cool future version of herself. |
| 2 | 11 | When public relations whiz Max Lord tells Batgirl and Supergirl he can improve their image by doing publicity stunts, the two friends forget what being a hero is really about. |
| 2 | 12 | After Babs hooks Karen up with a job at the Burrito Bucket the two heroes encounter a new villain, the scourge of the fast-food underworld, the Condiment King! |
| 2 | 13 | Zee magically duplicates herself so she can shirk work and watch TV; things get out of hand when her copies start to make copies of themselves. |
| 2 | 14 | Diana receives her first ever A minus and becomes convinced that she needs to work harder, however, in order to do so, she resorts to rather drastic measures. |
| 2 | 15 | Supergirl loses her powers and, with the help of BumbleBee, must rely on her street smarts to save Garth from vengeful Toyman. |
| 2 | 16 | Feeling smothered, Babs urges her retired dad, Commissioner Gordon, to get a hobby, but her advice backfires when the commissioner becomes a substitute teacher at her school. |
| 2 | 17 | After accidentally destroying one of Babs' beloved, one-of-a-kind Batman keepsakes, Diana Enlists the help of Harleen Quinzel in order to find a replacement in Gotham City. |
| 2 | 18 | Hippolyta visits town, and Diana is desperate to win her approval; when Hippolyta unexpectedly takes a shine to Kara, Diana must curb her envy before they all get hurt. |
| 2 | 19 | Five socially disparate teens, Hal, Pam, Kara, Zee and Garth, find they have more in common than they thought after spending a Saturday in detention. |
| 2 | 20 | A malfunctioning device shrinks Karen into the Microverse, leaving technophobic Diana as her only hope. |
| 2 | 21 | Working towards her dream of making her school a better place, Jessica runs for class president. |
| 2 | 22 | Supergirl must rein in a reckless new hero, the Blue Beetle. |
| 2 | 23 | Zee worries that Zatara is lonely and volunteers to play matchmaker for her dad; when her meddlesome matchmaking accidentally sets her dad up with an old enemy. |
| 2 | 24 | For months, Garth sends Aquaman letters that greatly exaggerate his accomplishments in Metropolis; when the King of Atlantis comes for a surprise visit, Garth begs the Super Hero Girls to help cover for his little white lies. |
| 2 | 25 | Babs and Harleen bring the Girls to Gotham City to celebrate Halloween! However, the fun is put on hold when the Super Hero Girls run into Gotham's most notorious Super Villain. |
| 2 | 26 | Babs and Harleen bring the Girls to Gotham City to celebrate Halloween! However, the fun is put on hold when the Super Hero Girls run into Gotham's most notorious Super Villain. |
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.