Review: Young Justice: Outsiders Episodes 10-13

I hate to see it leave, but I love to watch it go.

THE PLOT:

“Exceptional Human Beings”, like the last few episodes, is less focused on Nightwing’s slowly improving fledgling team and more on a section of Batman’s group infiltrating the island of Santa Prisca to determine the whereabouts of the metahuman trafficking ring’s victims. There, they observe Deathstroke, the newest member of The Light, and Lady Shiva discuss their plans, as well as a fight against Bane (who is voiced by Danny Trejo and therefore is the best Bane). Also, with the use of characters like Katana and Metamorpho, it almost feels like a reunion of the short-lived “Beware the Batman” cartoon from 2013. Though the biggest introduction of the episode goes to this show’s version of Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg, and the beginnings of his origins, as well as Khary Payton, who voiced/voices him in Teen Titans/Go!, joining the ranks of actors like John Wesley Shipp and Casey Kasem getting to play the dad of a character they used to voice.

“Another Freak” continues story threads from the previous episode, like Victor’s transformation and fractured relationship with his father, but mostly centers on Violet and Forager (under the alias Fred Bugg, with two Gs) facing their greatest adversary yet: The American School System. Though while they take a tour through the list of high school movie clichés, they make a friend in Harper Row before revealing the true source of Violet’s powers…which would be more surprising if DC Universe hadn’t spoiled it in a behind-the-scenes segment days before. I’ll get into my thoughts on this new Cyborg later, but this episode basically serves as his being brought into the main team while Violet and Forager learn a token self-acceptance moral. Still good stuff, but slower paced.

“Nightmare Monkeys”, meanwhile, slams it on the gas in a focus episode on Gar Logan, AKA Beast Boy. Given the time skip, it makes sense for Greg Cipes, also of the original Teen Titans cast, reprises this version of the character, but also is given a surprising amount of range in a psychological deep dive into Gar’s backstory that has roots in Young Justice’s first season, as well as reveals his major reveals since that is told in a stupefyingly comedic way that only underscores the darkness and pain. I’ve never heard “sorry your mom died!” said so cheerfully and yet hurt so much. And like the portray of Victor’s origins as a former football player, Gar’s time as an actor is also something taken from the comics, but is used here in a way that is clearly a warning sign away from showbiz. Plus the inclusion of the Doom Patrol in his flashbacks alongside all the allusions to Teen Titans almost feels like the DC Universe app nudging viewers about their upcoming programming.

Lastly, in the mid-season finale, “True Heroes”, Nightwing and his group finally make their move in finding Brion’s sister Tara, who is located in a metahuman fight club and auction, in addition to further development on the alien connection between Victor and Violet and the romantic connection between her and Brion. This also serves as Tara’s full introduction, and given what people who know these characters know about her in other appearances and…turns out Young Justice was way ahead of you and decided to reveal her as a secret traitor by the end of the episode. Honestly, I kind of appreciate that they’re getting that out of the way instead of drawing it out when everyone watching already knows where it’ll go.

CYBORG: BOOYAH BEGINNINGS

As mentioned, these episodes show how Cyborg, a Teen Titans main everyone expected to show up a lot earlier. His origin mainly takes from the “New 52” version from the comics, linking him to New Gods technology. This has been shown before in animated movies like “Justice League: War” in 2014 and the 2017 live action JL film, but I’m actually more interested to see it here because it’s part of a universe I like. This version of Victor is less fun than his TT-self, being more focused on how his life has been up-ended by his freak accident, so he’s a bit of a downer when he’s with the rest of the team, but maybe the second half of the season will show him warming up now that they’ve worked out his connection to Violet and how to control his tech.

SHOCK! THE MONKEY?:

Gar’s mental deconstruction is probably one of the best parts of this set, if not the season thus far, mostly for moments that poke fun at shows like Teen Titans Go to reveal how Gar’s foster family and first super team, the Doom Patrol, died on a mission right after adopting him. However, a smaller but possibly important twist is Gar facing the true source of his powers: A magical monkey god. See, his comic origins have him being bitten by a diseased green monkey (yeah, kinda like Spider-Man but with monkeys), but Young Justice linked him to Miss Martian by having her give him a blood transfusion, which explained his shapeshifting in this version. And now we have this magical monkey claiming to be the true source which is very confusing and I’m not sure I like it. Guess I’ll just throw it in the pile of things I hope they explain or expand on in June. Though I have a bad feeling about his return to the super life, especially if he meets Tara.

MID-SEASON FINALE TEAM CHECK-IN:

Since it’s the last time we’ll be seeing our soon-to-be Outsiders, let’s talk about their recent developments this week. There isn’t a ton, but it is significant. Brion has finally made peace with being patient and being part of a team instead of focusing on the past, but dark times are likely ahead when he realizes his recently rescued sister is an evil spy. Violet, who solidifies a romantic relationship with Brion by the end, also completes the rainbow of her powers, gaining a Boom Tube ability from an Indigo light, as well as forming a link to Victor as he adjusts to his new body. Forager’s development is kind of minor, finally growing his shell back and going to school for the first time, but I’m just glad he’s doing okay.

EASTER EGG HUNT:

And one last side note, I feel like this series understands how to properly utilize its references and little nudges to the audience about its link to the greater DC universe (the actual universe, not the app) in a way its other DCU Original sibling show, Titans, simply doesn’t. Take the inclusion of the Doom Patrol in Gar’s episode or Harper Row at the school. All of these characters do have a long and storied history behind them (even Harper, who’s a pretty recent creation for the Batfamily), but they are only introduced here to serve a purpose for Young Justice’s story, not try to distract a viewer with hints at things that may never be significant in the main plot. Easter eggs should be supplementary, not something that impedes your enjoyment if you don’t understand it without research. This is something that DC shows and movies have stumbled upon in the past, but it’s good to see Young Justice doesn’t fall in that trap.

OVERALL:

Just like the last few weeks, this is a fine collection of episodes on their own, but they’ve continued a sturdy first half to this much anticipated third season. Some things have been resolved while new threads have been formed, paving the way for more development and payoff once the show resumes. It’s almost kind of boring how good this show still is, leaving me with little left to do but gush over it. However, the fact that the hype has yet to wear off is truly a sign of how committed to their jobs this cast and crew are at making this second chance to tell their story worth it.

And…that’s it! Plenty to chew on for the next five months…and yet knowing won’t be getting any more episodes after getting so many in just this month is going to make me go into serious withdrawals in a week. Though last time we went five years without it, so hopefully this wait will feel like nothing.