Young Justice season 3, episode 23 review: Terminus

As the team deals with the fallout of the previous episode of Young Justice: Outsiders, they must embark on a dangerous rescue mission.

Last week’s episode of Young Justice: Outsiders brought a number of secrets to light, and the heroes are still caught in the aftermath of the earth-shattering revelations. Despite this, the latest installment, “Terminus”, sees them make a daring effort to save Violet from Granny Goodness’ clutches.

The Power of the Anti-Life Equation

Granny Goodness finally has Violet, using her to great effect from the Orphanage, and the writers do an effective job of demonstrating her power right away. This is proven when she easily stops some of the Justice League’s strongest members. And this includes Superman, Wonder Woman, Icon and even three Green Lanterns.

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Back on Earth, the team is being attacked by the second Granny who has now waged war on metahumans after the team’s ransacking of her facilities. These problems are compounded by their wounds from last week’s big reveals. These scenes, particularly a discussion between Connor and M’gann about trust, are some of the episode’s best moments. All hope of finding Violet seems lost until they get an unexpected visitor — Vandal Savage.

In a stunning move, Savage offers them Violet’s location on one condition: they must tell Granny he sent them when they arrive. Reluctant but desperate, they accept the terms. Dick, Artemis, Kaldur, Connor, and M’gann, along with Tara, Brion and Forager then proceed to the base.

Vandal’s reaction to the involvement of the Anti-Life Equation and subsequent intervention shake things up in this story well, and both developments make sense. With Vandal Savage and Darkseid (arguably the most powerful and egotistical villains in the DC Universe) working together, it was inevitable that their goals would clash. This is going to make things even more interesting in the season’s final episodes

Quiet Reflection

As the team heads to the Orphanage, Jefferson is still out of sorts after learning of Batman’s secret alliance and Dr. Jace’s deception. In Dakota City, he spends time with his mentee, Static, as well as, his young daughters. Interestingly, all of Jeff’s scenes contain no dialogue, aside from laughter in the scene he shares with his kids.

This episode was moving for a few reasons (including one major scene that has yet to be discussed), and Jeff’s story was no exception. He’s been the soul of this season, and his depression exemplifies how people process betrayal. His moments with Static were also a beautiful representation of how close they’ve become.

The Way We Were

As the team arrives on the Orphanage, they’re quickly greeted by Parademons, which they are able to fend off. The group soon splits off, with Brion, Tara, and Forager moving ahead, and the remaining five serving as a diversion. Of course, it’s not long before another wave of bad guys heads their way.

But during the fight, Nightwing, who is still recovering from the X-Pit, has a fever dream in which he envisions Kid Flash helping them. He also sees the team as they appeared in the first season, including himself as Robin. The sequence is storyboarded well and instantly exudes the lighter tone of the first season. It’s sure to cause longtime fans of the series to feel nostalgic.

Following the vision, it’s revealed that all five heroes could experience it, and all are not upset or saddened by it. Dick, in particular, now has the closure he needed from Wally’s death. As Artemis mentions, he has been and always will be fighting alongside them.

A New Era

The others manage to reach Granny and Violet, but they are soon stopped by the Justice League members, who are now under her control. With this, they corner the three heroes, as Granny prepares to turn them. M’gann senses all of this, and Kaldur recommends she mind wipe everyone, as she did to him years prior. While Connor is against it, he agrees that there’s no other way to stop Granny from taking control.

Once they enter the control room, M’gann is able to hold off everyone, before Halo regains control, allowing Granny Goodness the opportunity to activate the equation. With this the heroes (and the universe) seemingly under her control, she declares the age of the Anti-Life Equation.

Ahead of the season’s final three episodes next week, things are looking grim. But there’s some still light at the end of the tunnel and several unanswered questions. Will Jeff be able to get himself back into the game to help? And where did the nodding Beast Boy and Vic head off to? What role will Vandal Savage play in this? All will be revealed in the season finale of Young Justice: Outsiders.