We’re a few days away from the beginning of San Diego Comic-Con, and while a TON of news has already dropped, I am definitely waiting on pins and needles for the first trailer for the upcoming Young Justice: Outsiders, the third season of the show premiering on the DC Universe streaming service either late this year or early next. Until then, I hope this recap suffices for you!
This week’s episode, “Satisfaction,” deals with Real Roy (that’s what I’m calling him) back, the grieving over the death of Artemis, and, somehow, a bridal shower? Let’s dive in!
1. Anger or satisfaction?
I gotta start paying more attention to these episode titles cause they really pack a lot into one word. We begin the episode with Real Roy finally awake, armless, and extremely pissed. Clone Roy and Ollie recap the last one and half seasons of show to him and inform him he’s been gone for 8 years. Real Roy traces his memory and realizes that Lex Luthor is the one that kidnapped him and cloned him, something we already knew, but was perhaps never explicitly stated. Real Roy then goes off on Ollie, blaming him for his predicament, cursing him for giving up on trying to find him, and accusing him of being the reason his arm is gone. To be fair, Ollie got clone Roy back and assumed that was Real Roy, then after 3 years when we realized Red Arrow was a clone, Ollie gave up way sooner than Clone Roy. But wow I think Real Roy blames Ollie way more than he should.
Real Roy, in that sense, is far more of a hothead and somewhat more insufferable than clone Roy. It makes sense that he would be, he has yet to have the character development that Red Arrow had all last season as he stepped out of his mentor’s shadow. Plus, the Roy has the trauma of losing an arm and being on ice for 8 years. The anger at Luthor seems justified. That directed at Ollie, maybe a little bit unjustified. Here though, instead of choosing the satisfaction of being alive, Roy goes straight to anger
2. Guilt and satisfaction
From the anger comes the guilt. There are many people experiencing guilt this episode: Ollie over his perceived failure as a mentor, Dick and Wally over keeping up the lie of Artemis’ death, and Cheshire over wishing she could’ve protected her sister. Ollie’s moment of guilt in the chapel in the hospital, blaming himself for the death of Artemis and the dilemmas of both Roys is really powerful. Poor guy has had worse luck with sidekicks in this show than Batman. Clone Roy telling him how much he means to him is really powerful. And that’s satisfying enough for him to march back into the hospital room to look for Real Roy.
When it comes to Nightwing and Wally, they’re having to fake their mourning in front of friends and family in order to convince themselves they did the right thing letting Artemis go undercover with Kaldur. There’s a tension between the guilt of everyone’s sadness and Lagoon Boy’s capture and trying to save the whole damn world. They’re choosing the satisfaction of thinking they did the right thing over everyone else’s emotions.
Cheshire and Sportsmaster vow to go after Aqualad and Black Manta for killing Artemis. Cheshire feels guilt, but Sportsmaster is simply embarrassed since it lessens his reputation. Still both side with revenge, needing revenge, wanting to get back at the father/son duo.
There’s a lot of guilt this episode, tension between having done the right thing or not, a theme that will only continue to be explored as the plot thickens and the betrayals ramp up.
3. Immortality and satisfaction
Impulse asks Blue Beetle a question down in the grotto below Mount Justice amidst statues of Jason Todd, Ted Kord (Blue Beetle), and Tula (Aquagirl), and now Artemis. Impulse asks Beetle something along the lines of why don’t these dead heroes have their monuments in the public at the Hall of Justice. Jaime responds that he thinks the Justice League, “Doesn’t want to acknowledge they aren’t immortal.” This is one of the most poignantly DC lines I think I’ve ever heard. The League needs to give the appearance of immortality, of godhood and they can’t be just like everyone else. It’s immortality over the satisfaction of being actually human.
Continued below4. Happiness and satisfaction
This episode isn’t all dark, in the midst of the guilt and revenge we do get a side plot with a bridal shower for Rocket attended by Miss M, Batgirl, Black Canary, Zatanna, Bumblebee, and Wonder Girl. We have no idea who Rocket is marrying or when the wedding is, and the party is cut short by (a very pudgy) Captain Cold trying to rob a bank next door. How unfortunate for him. This whole encounter seems really out of place, especially amidst an episode dealing with such heavy material as mourning Artemis, although the woman do take time to remember Artemis’ life.
The scene is contrasted with Superboy talking to a girl about it being his birthday and Miss Martian remembering this is the first year she’s not thrown him a party. It also seems odd she would think about this with her boyf Lagoon Boy missing, but I guess you are only required to be a little bit sad about the rebound guy. Still, the question of if there is happiness or satisfaction or contentment within mourning and loss is a good one. Can you carve out happiness in the midst of horrible things happening everywhere else? Here, the answer seems to be yes.
5. Revenge or satisfaction?
Finally, we get to Real Roy taking on Lex Luthor and Mercy, his bodyguard/assistant. The fight scene in the parking garage between Real Roy and Mercy is pretty intense and as impressive as the fight scene from last episode. If there is anything season two has definitely improved upon over season one it’s the choreography of the fight scenes. Real Roy ends up winning, and goes to kill Luthor who springs a squadron of armed guards on him and offers him a way out. “Revenge or satisfaction?” Luthor asks. Real Roy takes the weaponized arm, and decides to go by Arsenal from now on, claiming he chose satisfaction.
Instead of anger, resentment, Real Roy drops it all and chooses satisfaction, the baseline for getting his life back together. If he can’t get 8 years back, if he can’t get revenge, if he can’t get rid of his anger, well at least he can have his arm back. Maybe he chose wrong.
That’s it for this week folks. Sound off in the comments below and come back to Multiversity Friday for all that Young Justice: Outsiders news, along with more SDCC coverage!
