Young Justice: Outsiders episode 23 review: Sad case of nostalgia

From cliffhangers, to tragedy, to nostalgia, and foreshadowing, Young Justice: Outsiders Episode 23 has it all. Seriously, there’s even a surprise cameo.

It wasn’t enough that a rift plagued the team last week on Young Justice: Outsiders. Granny Goode also kidnapped and manipulated a key member of the Outsiders. With Halo held hostage and the entire team bitter, tension doesn’t begin to describe the emotional turmoil “Terminus” put us through. Nonetheless, bittersweet bonding and cameos this week gave way to some pensive nostalgia.

In an episode following multiple layers of betrayal and interpersonal conflict, “Terminus” explores the human psyche and the bonds within the Outsiders. Though the team is still broken and bitter, this week’s episode makes strides toward mending the fallout from last week. In an episode that focuses on Dick Grayson and Halo’s rescue mission, “Terminus” gives us a sad case of nostalgia. Beyond the heartbreaking content, episode 23 is also an exercise in artful foreshadowing.

Choosing between protecting ideals vs. protecting people is a clever way to describe the Outsider’s canon principles. However, Kaldur’s plight exemplifies this tough decision. At the start of the episode, he becomes sympathetic and protects Dick’s wellbeing. However, Kaldur quickly adopts a new outlook when it comes to mind manipulation. Instead of preventing the League and the Outsiders from M’gann’s brain blast, he pushes principles aside and chooses to physically save the team as the cost of manipulating their minds.

M’gann’s dialogue during her psychic link with Kon-El at the beginning of the episode acted as a premonition before Kaldur actually acted out this philosophy. Although Kaldur eventually changed his opinion on the whole mind manipulation topic, his scenes with Dick were wholesome and offered us an unguarded version of Dick Grayson.

At the start of the episode, Kaldur doesn’t simply offer to protect Dick Grayson during his vulnerable state because he’s an innate leader. Kaldur volunteers to look after Dick because the Atlantean knows what it feels like to lose free will over his mind. Beyond the duo’s plight with Granny’s pit of despair a couple of episodes ago, Kaldur also lost autonomy over his mind when M’gann messed with his mind in seasons prior. This subtly recaps the prior two seasons, with amplifies the more obvious nostalgic callouts in the episode — in other words, when Kon-El reminds us of M’gann’s mind manipulation through his thought-induced-dialogue.

Aside from playing on these direct and indirect modes to make the collective fandom feel way too many emotions, Kaldur’s gesture to protect Dick is more than an expression of kindness. He sympathizes with Dick because he knows how he feels right now. After M’gann put him in that vulnerable position, Kaldur wants to make sure nobody goes through any version of mind manipulation again. Sure, Dick’s hallucinations this episode were courtesy of Granny, but that doesn’t change why Kaldur is so invested in Dick’s wellbeing right now.

Dick’s a headstrong character who’s hotheaded even when he doesn’t have a low-grade fever. So it’s nice to see his teammates caring about him, even if he acts like a caregiver most of the time. Allowing Dick to be vulnerable this episode just makes his hallucinations even more painful.

We’ve missed Wally, and we want him to return to Young Justice… just not like this. In nearly every comic media format, Dick and Wally are close friends. Seeing Dick imagine them as younger versions of themselves is an emotional appeal to the audience. And, it worked.

It also makes us worried for Dick’s sake. After all, open flames and a low-grade fever aren’t exactly a winning combo, and his mournful hallucinations are the proof.

Feverish daydreams are apparently beneficial in battle, but they unearthed Dick’s repressed feelings. Just like the entire team felt his old memories, we felt it too. Wally is still a part of the Young Justice, even though he’s no longer alive; however, this isn’t the first time Wally appeared in a team member’s hallucination. When Garfield was infected with the Goode VR Goggles, he also saw Wally in his game-based hallucinations. Kid Flash’s pseudo-resurgence is a tad suspicious. Perhaps we’re just hopeful, but this could be Young Justice’s way of signaling Wally’s physical return on the series.

Beyond the devastating tough decisions and sad moments, there are plenty of other interesting plot points in this episode:

• With the entire rescue mission compromised and under Granny’s control, the fate of the universe rests on Garfield, Vic, Jefferson, and the rest of the heroic stragglers.
• As we predicted, Vandal Savage is the key to overthrowing Darkseid. Though the B team didn’t get a chance to relay his message, that will only provoke his quest to square off against Darkseid again.
• Jefferson’s mournful arc has some precious moments. Seeing Anissa and Jennifer dressing up as their favorite heroes has us ready for their official Young Justice heroic debut.

While we love seeing Wally again, even if that means sobbing through an entire episode, we just want Wally back. Legitimately back and not in a sorrowful hallucination. Surely all this saddening nostalgia is just a distraction from the inevitable big fight during the season finale. With a cliffhanger like that, we’re even more whelmed for the season finale (even though we still have a few more episode before we get there).

What did you think of this week’s episode of Young Justice: Outsiders? Share your thoughts in the comments.