Young Justice season 3, episode 4 review: Private Security

The third season of Young Justice is starting to find its footing after a solid fourth episode.

The next three episodes of Young Justice: Outsiders dropped on January 11, allowing fans to see, a little more clearly, how the season will unfold. The third episode featured more drama with the Markovian Royal Family; Gregor took the throne from Frederick and banished Brion, who had just received superpowers thanks to Dr. Jace. Dick Grayson’s team was unsure how to deal with the fallout of their mission in Markovia, which ended with another casualty.

Where in The World is Dick Grayson?

At the beginning of “Private Security,” the viewer sees Will and Artemis at home with the former’s daughter. The two don’t seem to be enjoying the fact that their daily lives have been altered by the presence of Halo. Will, who thinks that Dick Grayson should be held responsible for Halo, wants to know where Nightwing is.

Meanwhile, in Happy Harbor, M’gann M’orzz and Conner Kent are similarly allowing Brion to crash at their place. M’gann says Brion reminds her of a younger Conner and Superboy agrees. Like Will, M’gann doesn’t seem thrilled at the prospect of having a guest crash on the couch for a long period of time. She, too, wants to know where Dick Grayson is.

The camera cuts to Metropolis, where Jefferson Pierce is leaving a voicemail for Dick. Jeff doesn’t know what to do with Dr. Jace; he has booked a room for her at a hotel but is struggling to come up with a plan. In the message, Jeff asks Dick where he is before the show transitions to the opening credits.

Quick Takes

• At first, it may seem disorienting when the show quickly jumps from place to place. But here, the transitions work; everyone wants to know where Dick Grayson is, but no one seems to know. In the first few episodes, the show sometimes struggled to effectively feature all of these characters. But, using a common factor (the lack of Dick Grayson,) “Private Security” offered an improvement.
• The relationship between Brion and Conner seems promising; they have a lot in common and Conner seems like a good mentor to the new superhero.

Always on Point

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Finally, the episode reveals Dick Grayson’s location: he’s visiting Will in Star City. Will is running a private security firm, named Bowhunter Security, where they’re always on point. (Trademark pending.) Dick wants Will’s help because, apparently, there’s a metahuman trafficking ring right  in Star City. Will, frustrated about Dick’s management (or lack thereof) of the Markovian situation, reluctantly agrees to help him in return for a favor.

The favor turns out to be a private security job. Will, Roy and Jim have to protect a Goode VR warehouse and, as part of the deal, Dick has to help, too. The four are all wearing security outfits, which makes for a wonderful image. Dick is somewhat annoyed by the Harpers and, when he asks them “whose idea was it to put all three of you together on one mission,” they simultaneously respond, “yours.”

Quick Takes

• The exchange between Dick and the brothers, where they respond simultaneously, was a delightful moment. The episode has several genuinely funny moments, including this one.
• One of this show’s worst flaws is the expectations it places on the viewer. It’s fair to expect the audience to have watched the first two seasons of this show. But it’s been several years, so even hardcore fans have to be a little confused by the lack of explanation in these episodes, especially when it comes to Will and his situation The show throws a lot of characters, old and new, into the mix, and it can be hard to keep up. For the majority of this episode, it was impossible to figure out who Will and Jim were.
• In general, the idea of former heroes exploring careers in private security feels like an organic, albeit unexpected, progression. Kudos to the writers for focusing this episode on that career path.

A Rough Deal

Artemis and Halo go to the park in order to get out of the house. Halo still can’t remember anything but, seemingly out of the blue, Zantanna and Doctor Fate show up. Fate scans Halo’s spirit and concludes she’s an “old soul in a very young body. ”

The scene gradually reveals that Zatanna and Doctor Fate have a deal in which, every year, Zatara is freed from Nabu for one hour so that the magician can be with his daughter. When Zatanna sees her father, she tearfully hugs him.

Quick Takes

• Goode VR is important in this episode, both for the private security team and, to a lesser extent, Artemis, who briefly helps a guy playing a VR game. It’s possible that Goode VR will return later for more nefarious purposes. (The Anti-Life Equation, perhaps?)
• For better or worse, Doctor Fate arriving came out of left field.
• As mentioned earlier, it’s a little unfair to expect the viewer to entirely remember the situation with Zatara/Nabu. This episode didn’t recap why the magician is wearing the helmet; it just threw the character at the audience and expected them to figure it out.

Stealing In Broad Daylight

At the Goode VR warehouse, Will and Dick briefly discuss the fact that Halo is sleeping above, not on, Will’s couch. One of the security guys says “no one is taking this stuff in broad daylight.” The camera quickly cuts to a nearby gang of thugs and Brick, the leader, says, “we’re taking this stuff in broad daylight. The thugs steal some of the VR goggles and Bowhunter Security chases them.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Dr. Jace briefly bond while eating hot dogs, and Conner hopes to teach Brion life lessons through fixing a motorcycle.

Quick Takes

• The writing in this show can be great but, at times, it leaves a lot to be desired. For example, at the warehouse, Will says, “Goode pays good money for Bowhunter Security to secure [the goggles.]” Yikes.
• Another funny moment came when Will realized the thugs stole the goggles. He heroically yelled, “to the SUV!,” and the camera zoomed in on Will turning the key and hitting the gas. Due to the cheesy music in the background, the sequence felt like a nod to the ’60s Batman show, when the Caped Crusader would use the Batmobile to fight crime.
• The moments with Jeff/Jace and Conner/Brion were there, but they weren’t effective. They just scraped the surface of establishing bonds between the two pairs.

The Good Guys Win

The show cuts between the chase for the goggles and the scene at the park, where Artemis talks to Halo and Zatanna says goodbye to Zatara. Halo lies about remembering anything; she finally recalls a few flashes from her past. Zatara becomes Doctor Fate again, leaving his daughter sobbing on the ground.

Dick and Will argue while they fight Brick atop one of the trucks. Will calls Dick out for trying to make him a substitute for Wally. Nightwing reluctantly agrees that he’s been dropping the ball with the Markovian situation and says he’ll do better.

The security team stop the thugs and have them arrested. Then, Dick and the heroes break apart the metahuman trafficking ring mentioned earlier in the episode.

• The chase scene had several comedic moments and some heartfelt ones. Hopefully, the show will continue to balance the two tones. Dick’s grief over losing Wally is particularly captivating.
• This season hasn’t done justice to M’gann or Zatanna. Two important characters have been relegated to the background. Here, Zatanna said all of five words, which mostly consisted of her crying about her “daddy.”
• The best moment of the episode comes when the security team busts the bad guys and Brick asks who they are. Then, the show quickly cuts to the aftermath of the team’s triumph over the metahuman trafficking ring and it’s finally revealed that Jim and Will are heroes.

All in all, “Private Security” was a fun episode. It wasn’t perfect, but it featured a lot of effective comedy and some emotional moments. Young Justice: Outsiders keeps getting better and hopefully, the next episode will continue the trend.