Faltering Under Its Own Ambition: A Candid Talk About Part 2 of Young Justice: Outsiders

Through all of the twists and turns… I have loved Young Justice since the first episode. I loved the playfulness of Robin’s experimentation with language (whelmed/aster/etc.). I loved Aqualad’s calm demeanor leading the squad. I loved Kid Flash’s levity and Superboy’s brooding. I loved Artemis and from time to time, I enjoyed Ms. Martian when she wasn’t abusing her psychic powers. The show’s ever-evolving cast, the mature story arcs, the constant evolution and retooling of the familiar mythos to generate something familiar, but ultimately novel and unlike anything before it. I was devastated when it was first cancelled and overjoyed when it was resurrected. I signed up to DC Universe seconds within the announcement that Young Justice and the first half of the season lived up to that expectation.

And it’s because of this love I feel so conflicted about the last two months. For all of its ambition, Young Justice: Outsiders – Part 2 is a far cry from its preceding parts and season. It feels as though the series has reached a critical mass of heroes and villains and subplots that the individual components that make up the story have suffered immensely. While still visually stunning and crisp, the plot feels more meandering and disjointed. The dialog takes random dips in quality. For every notable achievement, there seem to be several critiques. Even with the knowledge of a season 4 in the pipeline, the ending of season 3 is satisfactory in its own right, largely because of the…