Y’all, I’m so excited that we get to start 2019 by recapping not one, not two, but three episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders. We get an hour of animated superhero espionage. What a wonderful way to start the year.
So why don’t we crash the mode?
***All of the spoilers below.***
Episode 1: Princes All
Immediately after the season 2 finale, Nightwing has decided to take a leave of absence and points to Batgirl as his successor. Aqualad doesn’t miss a beat and rallies the remaining members and reallocates the teams.
We get our patented seasonal time skip. Two years later and somewhere in Markovburg, a doctor informs a young child that his sister didn’t make it. We see that sister stirring on a medical gurney calling out for her brother. She wakes up in a weird mad scientist tube with a chip on her neck.
Little girl has now become a magma-esque monster and on an alien planet. The chip forces her to attack the Justice League indiscriminately. Black Lightning comes in for a takedown, but the magma monster doesn’t take to the electric shock too kindly.
Weeks later, Ms. Martian (sporting a new white palette) is commending the team on their latest endeavors as Superboy hovers off to the side. Steel and Black Lightning boom tube in, quickly followed by Aqualad, with the small exception that he is Aquaman and leader of the Justice League.
Aquaman invites Ms. Martian to sit in and begins the emergency conference. Wonder Woman via hologram informs the team that the metahuman Metahumans are the next big resource that every nation and planet seems to want to get a hold of and that Lex Luthor has hamstringed the League’s ability to do anything with his influence as United Nations Secretary General.
Batman finally speaks up and notes that maybe the League has outlived its usefulness and resigns, taking Green Arrow and a handful of other heroes. Black Lightning also resigns, not because he doesn’t believe in the League, but because he just can’t do it anymore.
Aquaman makes some notes about next steps for the League while Batman collects all of the Batfamily kids and Green Arrow collects Arrowette. Batman tries pitching Black Lightning on his version of superheroics, but he wants nothing to do with Batman Incorporated.
Meanwhile in Moscow, Nightwing is in full covert-ops with Oracle the comms as he dismantles a metahuman trafficking ring run by Bedlam who has been using “tar” to trigger evolution. Nightwing shows off his new Heads Up Display and Oracle does some science and identifies Markovia as the source of Tar’s base components.
A news reel catches us up on the current political state of Markovia. We get a glimpse of Princess Tara and Prince Brion Markov. Baron Frederick DeLamb introduces the King and Queen of Markovia and the two leaders solidify themselves as anti-metahuman trafficking.
Prince Brion discusses his metagene status with the royal doctor and realizes that his sister also had the metagene. Prince Brion wants to become Markovia’s metahuman hero, but the royal doctor is hesitant to lead him down this road.
At Star City, we see Nightwing and Oracle discuss mission parameters, and he’s gonna need recruits. The first of course being Artemis, living with her brother-in-law.
At the Markovian Royal palace, a waiter is greeted by metahumans and a chloroform rag. A speedster runs in, commits regicide, and almost gets away but gets stopped by a bullet.
Back at Happy Harbor, Oracle updates the mission parameter. Superboy and Ms. Martian are currently living that domestic life. Nightwing drops in just long enough to explain the situation to Superboy. Ms. Martian isn’t too happy with Superboy’s yes, but Superboy changes the conversation with a diamond ring.
Cut to G. Gordon Godfrey trying to rile the people up with his interview with Baron DeLamb who is using this incident to implement martial law and assume control of the throne.
One final stop in Metropolis, Black Lightning is putting his daughters to bed. He’s also trying to put the hero life behind him, but his ex-wife knows it’s never that simple. Cue Nightwing being like “what’s up?” Of course, Black Lightning wants to do good and joins up with the Outsiders on this ops.
With the team assembled, Nightwing leads the team through a boom tube…
Episode 2: Royal We
In a tonal shift, we see Garfield Logan / “Tork” of Space Trek 3016 doing a PSA on metahuman trafficking with the TSA inspired riff, “If you see something, scream something.”
When the commercial ends, Cat Grant is reporting live from New York City. The Justice League rep, Catherine Cobert, explains the roster change at the Justice League and all of the countries seem to have mixed feelings. Lex Luthor takes on the mic and fuels the fire. Garth has taken up as Atlantis’ UN rep. Bialya and Themyscira reps trade words, before Markovia’s rep lays down a hard declaration that vigilantes are not welcome. Cue Nightwing and Artemis making landfall, and Black Lightning and Superboy flying in.
At the coronation, Dick and Artemis scout out the high value targets, and Dick seems oddly reluctant to tell Artemis that Oracle is the real mission control.
Baron DeLamb takes on the mic and introduces Prince Gregor as King-In-Waiting. Prince Brion fears the damage DeLamb would be capable of doing in a year and shuffles off. Superboy and Black Lightning successfully drop off the goods before making their way to the Children’s Hospital.
Prince Brion goes back to the royal doctor and he is intent on triggering his metagene to become the hero he thinks Markovia needs. The royal doctor points to Dr. Simon Ecks, a.k.a. definitely evil scientist, but Prince Brion wants this bad. Nightwing goes to tail the two while Artemis goes to gear up.
At the Markovburg’s Children’s Hospital, Superboy and Black Lightning work their way into the basement with some fancy tech. Black Lightning is able to sense the massive influx of power but can’t use his powers optimally. The two plant camera bugs and when they try to reach their teammates, they find that their comms are useless.
Superboy gets flashbacks to Project Cadmus and sees a dissected Mother box. They find four tubes of tar’ed kids before Count Vertigo shows up with another Magma monster and Black Lightning is having a real bad day. Magma monster almost take Superboy, but the duo escapes.
Back at the palace, some goons are burying the bodies of four kids, including the waiter from last episode. Artemis is geared up when she sees a glowing beam of purple and cycles over. The waiter girl suddenly comes back to life and the goons are startled. Head goon tells his subordinates to shovel faster as waiter girl tries to climb out. Waiter manages to shield Artemis from an energy whip with some sort of energy projection. Artemis tries to get answers and calls Sphere in for extraction.
Prince Brion and Dr. Ecks are rushing to the hospital, and Prince Brion is not exactly happy with Dr. Ecks’ general demeanor. Dr. Ecks seems pretty confident that everything is going according to plan and that the coast is totally clear.
At the hospital, Nightwing tries to get in contact with Superboy and Black Lightning, and they struggle to communicate with each other due to a week signal. The two reach the end of the sewer, and Superboy makes an escape route. Black Lightning dives into the water, but it’s a bit shallower than expected. Magma monster ambushes Superboy before he can react and the full-on lava hug is enough to knock him out.
Nightwing gets a status update on his teammates and calls the audible to send Artemis to Black Lightning’s coordinate. He sends a tech bug in after Prince Brion and Dr. Ecks. Back with Sphere, Artemis tries to get some more information out of the girl but quickly has to focus on Black Lightning.
Back in the mad scientist lab, Count Vertigo expresses shock at Superboy’s survival and makes some geopolitical commentary. Outside of the lab, Dr. Ecks tries to spin the operation to Prince Brion, but he’s really off put by the whole “being in the morgue of a children’s hospital.” The evil doctor takes the prince inside and the tech bug follows, but quickly loses signal. Nightwing realizes that it’s his turn to make an entrance.
Dr. Ecks gladly shows off his “metamorphosis pods,” and Prince Brion realizes that Dr. Ecks is not just a scientist but a trafficker and he’s furious. Dr. Ecks tries to bring him back, but Prince Brion throws a fit. Count Vertigo sedates the prince and then chastises Dr. Ecks’ actions. Nightwing listens over comms and coordinates a two-prong assault on the Bedlam Lab run by Count Vertigo.
Dr. Ecks gets chewed out a little bit more by Count Vertigo before he’s startled by the royal doctor’s presence. She ignores him and begins the tarring process on Prince Brion because that seems like a good idea. Sure.
Count Vertigo meets the goons who update them on the new meta that Artemis met. Count Vertigo is just rolling his eyes at the circumstances. He goes to full lockdown and calls his partner.
Prince Brion wakes up to the tar slowly filling the metamorphosis pods as the royal doctor assures him, everything is just fine. Fine. Fine. Fine…
Episode 3: Eminent Threat
The last episode of the reintroduction of Young Justice opens with a “goode googles” heads up display and the latest episode off Star Girl. Courtney Whitmore is interviewing Garfield Logan. Gar’s catchphrase “if you see something, scream something” echoes as we cut to Prince Brion screaming as his cylinder fills with tar.
Somewhere in Markovburg, Black Lightning has come to his sense, and Artemis is gearing up to go back to the mad scientist’s lab. She tells her new friend to stay, and you gotta wonder if anyone has ever stayed put in the history of animated series.
Nightwing continues his casual infiltration of the hospital and makes it to the secret door without any trouble before getting startled by the tech bug. He reconnects with Artemis and Black Lightning, and the team sees the trafficked kids getting ready for shipment. Prince Brion is being de-tarred, Superboy is unconscious, and you know many things are about to go down.
Count Vertigo is angry now that “His Highness” didn’t order Prince Brion’s activations, and it appears that the royal doctor went rogue on this operation. Count Vertigo is pretty dead-set on helping his benefactor at all costs.
Artemis sneaks a peak and sees that Baron DeLamb is actually Baron Bedlam, and Nightwing chastises himself for not realizing all villains love anagrams. The Plasmus monster attacks Artemis, and Black Lightning still can’t control his electrical powers. Thankfully, Artemis’ new friend didn’t listen to direction and saves the hour with an energy projection and Sphere.
What follows is the hallmark fight scene of the hour. Superheroes doing what superheroes do best. Nightwing rescuing Superboy. The royal doctor helping Nightwing destroy the laboratory now that she has succeeded in her mission. The villain managing to get a minor victory boom tubing the metamorphosis pods away and Baron Bedlam rushing out in a vehicle.
Baron DeLamb then tries to set Prince Brion as a scapegoat while the team recoups. Nightwing reports a successful op, but Black Lightning is fixating on the loss of eight kids and you can’t blame him. Prince Brion comes to, and his earth melding powers kick in. Superboy gives a good prep, and the Prince is able to get his powers under control. Oracle gives Nightwing the heads up about the Baron’s dastardly plan, and the Prince does not respond well to the newscast. Superboy goes to take care Brion while the rest of the team heads into a skirmish with Count Vertigo.
Prince Brion makes an explosive entry and reveals that Baron DeLamb is also a metahuman. Superboy tries to convince Brion there’s a better way and when Baron DeLamb tries to spin his story, Prince Gregor points out the obvious elephant in the courtyard, DeLamb is not sin free. Brion and DeLamb trade blows and cause a fair bit of destruction.
Back on the beach, the teams fight under guise of smoke screen. All of the characters get a chance to shine, especially Artemis’ new friend a.k.a. Halo who shows off her ability to fly and self-resurrect from a Plasmus chokehold. However, before she could heal completely, Black Lightning does get a solid look at what appears to be a corpse which gives him the proverbial jumpstart to his electrical mastery.
The DeLamb vs. Prince Brion fight is going poorly, but thankfully Prince Gregor is a good king and commands the respect of his soldiers and has basic deduction skills and is able to stop DeLamb from doing more damage. Superboy tags in and ends the fight in short order and escorts Brion away since his new powers means he’s not exactly welcome in his home country anymore.
The fight on the beach front is still in full swing, but Black Lightning is able to break Plasmus’ control device. We get a series of flashbacks on Plasmus’ origin story, and it’s as tragic as you think it is. Dr. Ecks is removed from the table, and Count Vertigo makes a hasty retreat via boom tube. However, the victory quickly turns pyrrhic as a civilian bystander took it upon himself to shoot Plasmus through the brain and you can’t help but feel your stomach lurch. Halo senses no life within Plasmus and sadly states that she can’t heal the boy. The episode ends with Artemis asking Nightwing what happens next as the credits roll.
Who else is ready for next week?
Y’all, let’s welcome back the best animated TV series on the net. It’s gonna be a great season.
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