Happy Whelmed Wednesday, everyone! With a couple of serious pieces under my belt, I’m ready to dive back into something a little more fun. Before I start digging into the romance, I wanted to share that today’s article is our hundredth article on YJTV! I cannot believe we’ve reached a hundred articles already. Between Young Justice news and fun little pieces, each article has truly been a delight to create for our lovely readers. Thank you for all your support! To celebrate, I’ve decided that this post warrants something a little special. 

It’s no secret that we love the Whelmed: The Young Justice Files podcast and their amazing team at YJTV. They consistently post amazing, in-depth podcasts where they analyze episodes, share stories with the cast and crew and so much more that I could not even begin to cover in a single sentence. Today, it’s my absolute pleasure to partner with Emily Buza from the Whelmed podcast team to discuss our favorite romantic moments from Young Justice: Outsiders. In case you haven’t yet listened to this amazing podcast, Emily is their relationship guru and makes sure to cover every romantic moment in top detail. I knew she would be the perfect person to collaborate with for this list. 

With every season, Young Justice consistently delivers new characters, thrilling plotlines and a variety of creative storytelling twists. In addition to those, the show also strives to portray the full teenage experiences, often focusing on the teen heroes’ romantic aspirations in addition to the action. Every season we see couples get together and go through the ringer, providing a unique downtime to the characters and giving the audience a chance to explore the person behind the mask. While not every relationship lasts, each interpretation is unique to the show, despite previous comic history. Today, Emily and I break down our top five romantic moments from Young Justice: Outsiders and our thoughts behind them. In no particular order, let’s get started!

#5:Supermartian’s proposal and the arc that follows

As a couple, Supermartian has probably had the most development throughout the show and tie-in comics. We’ve witnessed their inception, several of their major-milestones, and even their path to reconciliation after a messy break-up. After everything Conner and M’gann had been through, the proposal in “Princes All” felt almost cathartic. Throughout the rest of the season, the two continue to be there for each other, while making clear where their priorities lie. Despite their dispute later in the season, the couple feels mature enough that we’re confident in their survival. Now, if only we can get to see the wedding!

Ariel’s thoughts: I’m not going to lie, the moment I saw this proposal, I grew concerned. It’s not like superheroes have a track record for happily ever afters. Worry aside, I loved seeing how much these two have grown. ‘You’re my anchor?’ ‘Always’: such a poignant and important moment that sums up their relationship. It’s sappy, but in a way that completely fits Supermartian and doesn’t feel overly cheesy. The moment feels sincere, which is exactly the type of love I think the two have for each other. Even though they faced some additional problems this season, they handled it in a very mature way that leaves me hopeful for their future. I hope the two divert traditional hero-tropes and end up getting married with little disaster, but only time will tell whether that will actually be the case. 

Emily’s thoughts: It’s no secret that SuperMartian has always been my YJ OTP, so I was overjoyed to see them back together this season. When that proposal happened in episode one, I shrieked so loud something actually fell off my bookcase and I had to pause and happy-cry before I could continue watching the episode. It’s a moment that just shows how far they’ve come and how much they’ve done to make this work after their season two breakup. And the rest of the season backs that proposal up in the best way possible. We get casual flirting and introspective conversations and I could honestly write pages about that “You’re my anchor.” / “Always.” moment. SuperMartian’s all grown up and I couldn’t be more excited to see what comes next!

#4:Garfield and Perdita’s budding relationship

One of the new couples introduced this season, Gardita quickly stole our hearts with their genuine respect and adoration for one another. While this couple came together under unfortunate circumstances (they met at Wally’s funeral), their relationship has been anything but. Throughout the season, they remain sweet on each other while still prioritizing other aspects of their life; an excellent example of a healthy relationship. It’ll be interesting to see how their relationship develops after Outsiders, and how the weight of their public personas may influence it. 

Ariel’s thoughts: At first, I wasn’t totally sold on these two, but only because I would have loved to see more relationship exploration on previously-established couples. However, by the Harvest Festival, I was completely smitten with their relationship. Perdita, who I have chosen to love forever, brings the calm maturity to the table, while Garfield provides the fun spontaneity. The two blend incredibly well together, and it’s clear that they both care deeply for one another. I also really like how there’s no unhealthy power dynamic between them, despite Perdita’s title. With Garfield, she’s very much a ‘normal’ girl, and insists he treat her as such. One thing’s for sure, whenever these two come up on screen, I feel a cavity coming on; they’re far too sweet to watch!

Emily’s thoughts: These two were very much a dark horse ship for me this season. I wasn’t expecting this relationship to happen or for it to work as well as it did, but the writers packed so much cuteness into what little screen time Garfield and Perdita shared that I couldn’t help but ship it. Despite having a lot in common, Gar and Perdita always seemed like very separate elements within the YJ world. Bringing them together like this makes perfect sense to me. They act as these wonderful foils to each other, balancing each other out while also creating such an interesting parallel: they’re both just kids who had to grow up too fast and take on huge responsibilities. I love that they’re allowed to be normal teenagers with each other, despite those larger than life responsibilities, but I think my favorite aspect of this romantic dynamic might just be how unconditionally supportive these two are of each other. Whether it’s Perdita encouraging Garfield’s work with the Outsiders or Gar’s understanding and admiration of Perdita’s political career, these supportive cuties are just too adorable.

#3:Wally and Artemis’ reunion

Ah, the infamous moment that was specifically crafted to break the hearts of fans everywhere. While the jury’s still out on whether it was true closure on Wally’s death or a clever ruse to ward us off the ‘Wally is alive’ train, one thing’s for sure: this scene hurt in all the best ways. Though we’d like for Wally to be alive and for Spitfire to get back together, this was a pretty good way for Artemis to get closure. It will be good to see Artemis truly move on (with someone who isn’t her brother-in-law) and start living her life without the constant thoughts of ‘what if’ plaguing her. We’re very excited to see how Artemis’ character will continue to develop after Outsiders, now that she’s had her Wally closure and is able to move on.

Ariel’s thoughts: You know that moment right after the final Spitfire kiss, where Artemis walks away and opens the door and the music swells? Yeah, that moment gets me in the feelings every single time. I remember first watching this scene and being genuinely concerned that the fandom would break. Now that I know this was the intention, I can laugh about it. You know, through the tears. I really enjoyed this scene because of how simple it was. It took all of Artemis’ ‘what if’ moments and thrust them into the spotlight, only for her to eventually realize that she can’t keep living for them. I think what made this scene especially heartbreaking was finally getting to see Artemis’ desperation and grief over Wally. Prior to “Overwhelmed”, we only saw quick glimpses of her grief, but putting it into the forefront of her ‘reunion’ with Wally was especially hard, yet relieving, to watch. 

Emily’s thoughts: The entire subplot surrounding Wally and Artemis’s “reunion” made me cry. And while it wasn’t technically Wally, and we all know Artemis was just having a conversation with parts her own psyche as a magical manifestation of her working through her own issues, it doesn’t stop those scenes from being beautifully heartbreaking. Even just getting to see Spitfire together again on-screen was an absolute joy that brought back a lot of nostalgia for previous seasons. And while I may still be holding out hope for Wally’s true return in a future season, those scenes in “Overwhelmed” provided some much needed emotional catharsis and closure. 

#2:Will and Jade’s goodbye

Though they only shared one scene this season, Will and Jade’s goodbye packed in quite a gut-wrenching punch. Their relationship has always been one of the quietest on the show, with most of it taking place in the five year gap before Invasion. Despite the minimal screen time, every scene they share they completely steal. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the constant mystery of their relationship makes it incredibly interesting. Prior to this scene, it was understood that Jade left Will and their daughter Lian as she believed they were better off without her in their lives. The confrontation between her and Will remains one of the strongest moments this season, being incredibly painful to watch and bringing on an even bigger slew of questions.

Ariel’s thoughts: One day, I’ll probably be banned from talking about this scene on YJTV. Since today is not that day, I’m winding up my broken record and putting on my dancing shoes. I’ve talked so much about this scene that I won’t get into my reactions on it (again), but rather the mechanics as to why I love it so much. Essentially, I adore this scene because it gives us a strong glimpse on Jade and Will’s relationship, how well they know each other, and how well they work together. There’s little things in this scene that point out just how close they are. Will immediately notices that his wife is outside. The way he talks to her, it’s gentle. He’s not mad at her, because he understands why she left. He says she hasn’t lost anything that matters, giving her an open opportunity to come back to the family he knows she wants. Despite her words initially saying the opposite, Jade’s expression when he talks to her betrays the truth. The way Will lifts her chin when Jade tries to hide her expression is the final nail in my coffin, because he knows his wife. He knows her tendencies. He tries to break her out of her reasoning but Jade is in too deep. Jade has to back away from him and turn around because she knows that if she stays any longer, she is going to succumb. In the end, she literally runs away in tears, and that’s not the Jade we’ve come to know. This scene was made all the more painful as it’s the last time we see Jade this season. As much as it pains me to be patient and wait for season four, I know her (and hopefully, their) story will be worth it. 

Emily’s thoughts: My co-host Rich and our podcast producer Neal got to watch “Exceptional Human Beings” together a few days before it officially premiered because they were recording a segment with DC Daily. And, apparently, when they got to this particular scene, they both just looked over at each other and said, “Oh no, they just broke Emily.” And, honestly, that’s a pretty fair assessment of this particular scene. This moment is so tender and it gives us such a wonderful bit of insight into what Will and Jade’s relationship must have actually been like off-screen, especially post-Invasion. This isn’t the flirty antagonism we saw in season one or even the rekindled partnership we got a glimpse of in season two. There’s no anger or hostility here, like you might expect from Will after Jade ran away from her family. Instead, there’s just this bittersweet understanding and gentle care on both their parts. As a side note, I would also like to thank whichever member of the crew—writer, storyboarder, animator, or otherwise—was responsible for coming up with that little hand under the chin, head tilt thing that Will does to Jade in this scene because it absolutely wrecked me. Even after all that heartbreak, I can’t wait to see what season four has in store for these two.

#1:Kaldur and Wyynde

One of the most unexpected couples this season, the two quickly became one of the most celebrated and cherished. Kaldur’s sexuality had been hinted at outside the show, and we’re so glad that Outsiders finally provided the opportunity to fulfill it. We loved seeing Kaldur finally happy in a relationship, especially with such an intriguing character as Wyynde. The two are beyond adorable in every scene they’re together, whether it’s just spending time in Atlantis or sharing a coffee at Bibbo’s diner. Other than the cute moments, the two share some amazing fighting chemistry and seem to balance each other well when on official duty. One thing’s for sure, we need more of them in Season 4!

Ariel’s thoughts: Look, I didn’t think I would love another couple as much as I love Will and Jade. However, the moment Kaldur and Wyynde interacted, I was immediately invested. Kaldur’s been through so much the past few seasons, he’s never truly had the chance to just relax and focus on something so trivial as dating. Seeing him finally happy with Wyynde was just icing atop a beautiful and delectable cake. After “Quiet Conversations”, I was dying to know more about this mysterious boyfriend, so imagine my delight when “Unknown Factors” featured just that. I love everything about these two, especially their relationship dynamic where Wyynde serves as this little light of reason for Kaldur’s darker thoughts. You can tell that the writers took incredible care when writing their scenes together, and the love the two share for each other comes off strong and true. There’s a clean, no-fuss method to their interactions, not overly gushy but not unemotional either. It’s the perfect amount of endearment that I happily eat up with a spoon. I need more of these two interacting, and I really hope we get to see more of their interactions in season 4. 

Emily’s thoughts: Kaldur and Wyynde were the other surprise ship for me this season. Kaldur’s been through a lot over the past two seasons—responsibilities, betrayals, heartbreak, revelations, tragic losses, trauma, near death experiences, and more. After all that, I think he’s more than earned a bit of happiness in his life. Kaldur and Wyynde’s first on-screen kiss at the end of “Quiet Conversations” was so unexpected for me, but it was exactly the kind of joyful sweetness I needed after a string of darker episodes. And the writers smartly followed up that adorable moment with more screen time for the couple in “Unknown Factors,” an episode which not only gives us a better sense of their relationship dynamic but features them being a truly awesome battle couple, a hallmark of superhero romance. We didn’t get to see much of these two this season, but each of their interactions really was a stand-out moment.

Honorable mention: Dick and Barbara’s first appearance as a couple

Ariel’s thoughts: I knew these two shared some history in the tie-in comics, but even so I was definitely surprised by the cute scene in “Rescue Op.” I love how simple the scene is, how the two remain friends above all, close and still bantering despite being in a relationship. More than that, I love how Barbara can still kick Dick’s ass despite now being in a wheelchair. In retrospect, I wish we’d gotten some more build up to their relationship outside of the tie-in comics and regular comics history, but I still find their relationship pretty darn cute. Now if only Dick could work on his pet names… 

Emily’s thoughts: I just really love that our first explicitly romantic interaction between Dick and Barbara on this show is so casual. It’s not a formal date or a big romantic declaration, it’s just some cute, easy banter and a kiss in her kitchen that shows us how comfortable they are with each other. It’s a moment that speaks volumes to their long history of shared affection, one that was only barely hinted at on the show before now but was explored quite a bit in the last few issues of the Young Justice tie-in comic. We don’t get to see the entirety of Nightwing and Oracle’s romance this season, but the little bits and pieces we do get provide a wonderful sense of the larger story that exists between them.

And there’s our list! Agree with us? Disagree? We’d love to hear more of your thoughts! Let us know what you think in the comments, on our forum, or on Twitter.

Happy Whelmed Wednesday, everyone! Two weeks ago, we shared one of my newer writing pieces, and I just wanted to give a big thank you for all the nice comments on Twitter and Archive of Our Own. This week, I wanted to highlight the incredible music behind Young Justice: Outsiders created by Dynamic Music Partners (Kristopher Carter, Lolita Ritmanis, and Michael McCuistion). 

It’s easy to miss all the little nuances that make up an episode of Young Justice when your primary focus is the action happening in front of you. However, the musical components of Young Justice are alone worth a rewatch. While the music on Young Justice has always been fantastic, Dynamic Music Partners truly raised the bar for Season 3. From the new character introductions for Brion and Halo to tear jerking sequences later in the season, the music consistently enhanced the visuals and made for truly memorable moments. In case you need a little guide to assist in rewatching, here are some of my favorite musical moments on Young Justice: Outsiders. 

1. Halo’s Theme (multiple episodes, but especially Into the Breach): Musical character intros are not new to this season of Young Justice. Many characters had previously been given a musical theme, for example, Cheshire, Spitfire, and the Justice League. However, given the prominence of Violet’s character this season, Halo’s theme feels different, more important. The music feels mystical, which is right on par with the many mysteries behind Halo’s powers. In Into the Breach, the theme escalates with the plot and helps cement the importance of Halo’s actions as she saves the world from enslavement via Anti-Life Equation. 
2. Bowhunter Security (Private Security): There’s just something amazing about this theme song. The powerful, all-important horns paired with the silly slow motion shot of the Harpers and Dick walking into the van is total perfection. Every time I watch the scene, I burst into smile. The visual shot alone would not be nearly as impactful without the music, so for that, I had to put it on the list. 
3. Several scenes from Exceptional Human Beings: Where to begin with this episode? From the stellar fight scenes, creeping around the jungle, and even the emotional goodbye between Will and Jade, the music in this episode is on point. It’s thrilling when it needs to be, and plucks heartstrings (mine, in specific) when it doesn’t. The transition between Will and Jade’s conversation to the fight between Bane and Batman is especially wonderful, going from a slow, heart wrenching tune to a high-energy, high-tension horn. 
4. Several scenes from Illusion of Control. In the grand scheme of things, this is a simple episode. Thanksgiving! People are having dinner, the Harvest Festival in Taos goes a little nuts, and Vic continues to have identity problems. The music in this episode, especially in the opening sequence, perfectly encapsulates each plot thread specifically. When the scene focuses on Vic, the melody is quieter, more sorrowful and longing. At Chez Harper, it transitions to becoming more homey and warm, at least until it hits Violet, where it takes a dark dip. Overall, the music completely complements the style of this episode, and I remember several pieces from it fondly.
5. The Spitfire Goodbye (Overwhelmed): Ah, this scene. I’ll be honest, every time I watch this scene, the moment Artemis opens the door and the music rises, I get goosebumps and incredibly teary eyed. Even if you’re not a Spitfire fan, I think you can admit that this moment is powerful, and the music behind it plays a major part. There’s a sense of finality behind the music, truly marking it as a significant goodbye for Artemis and giving her the closure she needed to move on. I think the music in this scene is my favorite of the entire series, and I cannot wait to see how the team tops themselves next season. 

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just some of my favorite musical moments from this season of Young Justice. I also didn’t mention the hilarious ‘Doom Patrol Go!’ sequence from Nightmare Monkeys, as I wanted to focus on the lesser talked about music on the show. Besides, doesn’t ‘Doom Patrol Go!’ deserve its own piece? If you’d like to know more about the music behind Young Justice, check out the fourth episode of the Bringing Back Young Justice series on DC Universe! The episode highlights a lot of the post-production efforts, including sound mixing and music. Additionally, the Whelmed Podcast has a discussion episode featuring Dynamic Music Partners, so you can continue to learn more about them there! 

What are your favorite musical moments in Young Justice? We’d like to know! Feel free to share via comment below, in the forum, or on our Twitter!

Happy Whelmed Wednesday everyone! ... er, Thursday! Sorry, but if you haven't seen yet, Harley Quinn made some HUGE waves in the DC Universe yesterday that called our attention over to our sister site Harleyquinn.tv! Be sure to check it out if you are a fan of a more adult take on DC animation! For today's Whelmed *ahem Thursday, we are going to share an original story by our very own, Ariel Horn. This was at the behest of Tumblr user Batisshadow. She requested this short piece in honor of Zeno Robinson's birthday. We hope you enjoy!

Vic had known about the party for weeks.

How could he not have? Both the Team and the Outsiders seemed to have forgotten that Vic could read their electronic communications. It’s not like he wanted to read them. At first, he’d tried to stop it, but the messages came up in his vision anyway. When he got bored, he read them for fun. One secret Facebook event, three Whatsapp groups and a plethora of random texts made for plenty of entertainment. 

Violet had originally offered to make a cake (with Lian’s help), but Cassie gently shut that down by reminding her of the eggshell incident. Vic appreciated the sentiment, but he knew he would appreciate an eggshell free, store-bought cake even more. Bart, Jaime and Ed were all over decorations, having visited several stores all over the country to find exactly what they needed. Cassie was bringing balloons, and Forager was tasked with distracting him even more than he usually did. Oddly enough, it wasn’t as annoying as Vic had thought it would be; he had a soft spot for the bug. 

He perused the final messages upon waking on his nineteenth birthday. Everything was a go; Tara was buying the cake, decorating was well underway on the floor below his bedroom, and Forager would be arriving at precisely 10:56 to engage in the ‘delightful new Earthling habit’ known as brunch. Despite the smile on his face, Vic couldn’t help the dread from seeping into his stomach. 

This was his nineteenth birthday. A year ago, Vic had been on the fast-track to a football scholarship. If the accident hadn't happened, he’d probably be in college right now, waking up in a far-too-small dorm room. The longing, the regret were all too familiar to him, and no matter how many therapy sessions he had with Dinah, or Miss M., he couldn’t get rid of them entirely. 

Groaning, Vic covered his eyes and vainly tried to press the images out of his brain with calloused fingers. This was supposed to be a good day. He didn’t want the negative thoughts to intrude today, not on his birthday. 

Lucky for him, a distraction arrived by way of a phone call. Vic leaned to the side, grabbing his phone from the bedside table and fighting back the instinct to groan; old habits were hard to get rid of. 

“Hey, Dad."

“Happy Birthday, Son.” From the whirring and constant clicking on the other end, Vic could tell his father was deep in his work. Still, he’d called, so that was something. 

“Thanks. It’s the big one-nine, so that’s… special, right?” 

“I suppose.” Frantic clicking followed, and though Vic appreciated the gesture of the phone call, it was obvious that his father was very much distracted. “I took the evening off. Do you want to have dinner together?” 

Well, color him surprised. Vic crossed his legs beneath him as he nodded. “There’s that Korean place not too far from the house. Maybe we could go there?” While he very much enjoyed the company of his new friends, a surprising number of them were not adventurous eaters. Forager would eat anything, but there was only so much time he could spend with him. It would be nice to go back home for a few hours, catch up with his dad.

“Alright. Do your friends have anything planned for you today?”

“They’re throwing me a surprise party.” 

Vic fought hard to keep from smiling when he heard a chuckle on the other line. “Son, at some point today, please take some time to look up the meaning of the word ‘surprise’.” 

“Will do. See you tonight?" 

“Seven PM. I’ll be waiting at home.” 

“Dude, I said the balloons go on the other side,” Jaime growled, holding his hands out to the correct location for emphasis. 

Bart’s eyes followed his hands, nodded a couple of times in thought, and ultimately continued placing the balloons where he saw fit. “Noted, Amigo. But, given that you have no sense of design, I have chosen to ignore you.” Before Jaime could even think of another response, Bart sped through the rest of the balloon setup, admiring his handiwork with his hands resting on his hips. 

“Perfect.”

“I’ll say,” Ed balked, returning to the room with an armful of colorful streamer rolls. “You hardly left anything to do.” The pout he wore melted as soon as Bart’s arms were around him and vanished completely when he kissed his cheek. 

Out of respect, Jaime averted his eyes, but he couldn’t deny that the two were cute. “We should have put Bart on another task. He’s such a decorating hog.”

“At least he has vision,” Ed said with a shrug, prompting a shit-eating grin from his boyfriend and a groan from Jaime. “Here,” he tossed the streamers to Jaime with a wink. “Go loco.” 

“Are you kidding? He’ll totally mess up the balance of the room,” Bart scoffed, glaring at Ed. “The streamers should go around the ceiling in alternating patterns, twisted and not just thrown around all nuts. This is so not crash,” he continued as Ed took his arm and tugged him out of the room, passing both Cassie and Tara who came with the remainder of the supplies. 

“Need help?”

“Only if you promise not to criticize. Am I really that bad?” 

“Don’t take it personally. Bart is just… passionate,” Cassie waved off, taking a roll of streamers from Jaime and flying up to the ceiling to tape it up. 

“Too passionate. It’s just a party. We have parties all the time, for the dumbest reasons.” He wasn’t wrong. Both the Outsiders and the Team really enjoyed celebrating. Any occasion or accomplishment was reason enough to break out the helium tank and order a mountain of pizzas. 

Cassie hummed, continuing to put up the streamers. “Yeah… but this is an important occasion. I think we all just want to make sure Vic likes it, you know?”

She had a point. Jaime nodded, tossing her another roll when she extended her hand. “I know. I’m sure he’ll like it, though. Did you see the cake Gar brought?”

“Not yet. Is it in the fridge?”

“Oh yeah. Remember the picture we took of Vic after the mission at the cupcake store?” The mission in question had been a simple one, just stopping a quiet heist, and yet all of them had ended up covered in frosting. 

Cassie chuckled. “Don’t tell me. He got it printed on the cake?”

“Hell yeah,” Gar chimed from the kitchen, poking out his head to glance at the decorations. “Nice setup. Bart?”

“Naturally.”

“So crash.”

“Forager did not think that he could like pancakes any more than Forager did, but the banana pancakes with caramel and that white powder--”

“Powdered sugar. Not white powder,” Vic sighed. The last thing he needed was Forager going around and telling people he ingested things covered in white powder. 

Forager grumbled, clicking his usual noises before nodding in agreement. “Powdered sugar is most excellent.”

“The pancakes were pretty good.” Vic stuck his hands in his pocket as they walked back to the premiere building. He knew everyone would be gathered in the hub, just waiting to surprise him. Would he be bale to act surprised? The last thing he wanted to do was spoil the fun. 

“Victor Stone--” Forager paused before correcting himself. “Vic has been quiet. Quieter than Vic usually is. Is something wrong?” 

Right. Of course the bug would be able to sense something was up. “No, not really,” Vic sighed, stretching his hands behind his head and waiting until he heard a satisfying ‘pop’ before continuing. “It’s just… my first birthday since becoming this, you know?”

Forager clicked again, making a few thoughtful sounding noises. “Is Vic not happy?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Vic was happy. Granted, this wasn’t the ideal situation. Some days he still wished that he had his old life back. He missed playing football with his friends, going out on the town without everyone staring at him. Some days, he even missed going to High School. Yet… he wasn’t unhappy. He had new friends now. A team, a cause to fight for. Really cool abilities. All in all, it wasn’t so bad. 

“Forager does not understand.”

“To tell you the truth, sometimes Victor doesn’t either,” Vic chuckled, shooting the bug a grin. They paused by the entry to the Premiere building, nodding to the doorman as Vic pulled out his keys. The elevator ride was always long, but today he didn’t mind it. He had a room full of friends waiting for him. 

When the elevator opened, he no longer felt frustrated, or annoyed with himself. Instead, he tried his best to muster up the feelings of surprise. 

Let us know what you thought of the story in the comments below and in the forum!

Happy Whelmed Wednesday, everyone! I know the effects of the hiatus are starting to set in, so I’m coming back with an opinion piece! It’s definitely been a while. Today, I wanted to go back and take a deeper dive into ‘Quiet Conversations’, and why this episode matters so much in the grand scheme of things. If you need to refresh yourself on the contents of this episode, check out my recap here!

‘Quiet Conversations’ easily places into my top tier episodes from Season 3. In fact, if I wasn’t so biased towards loving the Harpers and Bowhunter Security, I’d probably rank it my favorite episode from the season. Each plot introduced in this episode was delicately crafted, intermingling smaller threads with powerful emotions. While the storytelling in Young Justice is always on point, the emotional scenes are usually supplementary, intermingled with the main plot and the action. ‘Quiet Conversations’, on the other hand, lets the emotions behind the different plotlines take center stage, driving the action and leaving many important messages in its wake. . 

Let’s start with Victor Stone. 

In the first half of the season, Vic’s story started off strong. We were introduced to his character in ‘Exceptional Human Beings’, and followed his crisis through ‘True Heroes’. After this episode, however, Vic’s arc took a bit of a backseat to the introduction and development of the Outsiders. ‘Quiet Conversations’ pushes Vic away from brooding on his cellphone and returns him to the tension-filled spotlight, leaving viewers unsure of whether his humanity will survive the episode. On the forefront, we see how Conner, Jefferson, and Forager immediately jumped to his rescue by searching for metron. On a deeper level, there’s a little more to uncover. 

Victor’s tech was triggered by a personal, internal stress, sucking away more of his organic nature and transforming him into an Apokoliptian machine. Could this be a metaphor for our own struggles? Too often, when faced with a problem, many people refuse to confront it and instead tuck it away until one day, it explodes with violent fervor. Like Vic, It is only when we start to accept the help of others that we finally get on a path to healing. For too many episodes, Vic chose to handle his problems alone and isolate himself from the company and assistance of others. To see him lean on others for support and encouragement feels right, and as a viewer, it helps me see how much his character has grown.

His friends weren’t the only ones to help him, however. Since introduced to his character, we’ve been made privy to his and Silas’ strained relationship. Though Vic distanced himself from many people this season, he completely alienated himself from his father, blaming him for his current condition. However, for the first time this season, Silas’ concern for Vic overrides his son’s wishes, and he takes the initiative to go help him. By seeing his father’s care for him, Vic comes to realize that there may be hope for their relationship, and lets down his defenses to finally accept his aide. This simple action speaks volumes, telling the audience that perhaps not all strained relationships, familial or otherwise, are completely lost to the world. 

Speaking of familial relationships, let’s talk about Violet. 

In the previous episode, it was strongly implied that Violet was planning on running away. ‘Quiet Conversations’ brings that implication into fruition, and her absence is discovered in little time. However, Violet’s location came as quite a surprise. While I had little idea as to where she would go, I would not have easily guessed that she would have gone to give Gabrielle’s parents closure over their daughter’s disappearance. 

Throughout the season, Violet struggled with discovering her new identity in relation to Gabrielle’s and the unfortunate choices Gabrielle made. These choices harped on Violet’s conscious, keeping secrets while internally struggling and lying to the friends she had made. Again, like Vic’s dilemma, these are all easily relatable scenarios, where the audience can find their own problems reflected in these characters. Upon interacting with Gabrielle’s family, Violet is unable to keep up the facade of being Gabrielle, as she is not her. Learning from her previous interactions this season, she comes out with the truth and accepts Samad’s bitterness as a consequence. However, not all is negative. 

Gabrielle’s mother, Madia Daou, recognizes the struggle that Violet has gone through and thanks her for giving her the closure she needed over her daughter. Instead of preaching anger, like her nephew, she instead decides to practice acceptance, tired of the bitterness that has come as a result of Queen Bee’s armies. She kisses Violet’s forehead and wishes her peace among her new family. This scene hit me like a punch to the gut, and I had a hard time holding back tears at Madia’s strength and her message to Violet. Acceptance and forgiveness seem to be a theme in this episode, a message that is often sorely needed in society. Not only that, but this interaction also held the importance of a found family, rather than a biological one. In today’s world, many people find themselves among their found families, friends or otherwise, in contrast to their biological one. While there are many examples in media about the importance of a biological family, it’s very touching to see an example of strength in a person’s chosen family. 

Moving on to another emotionally compelling scene (with another character voiced by the wonderful Zehra Fazal), Harper Row’s counseling session. 

After ‘Early Warning’, I wasn’t sure what to make of Harper’s character, nor could I imagine what the show had in store for her in the remainder of the season. What delivered was one of the most realistic, delicately composed interactions seen on Young Justice. Prior to this episode, Harper’s traits could easily be brushed off as those of any run-of-the-mill television delinquent. In ‘Early Warning’, she was edgy, with a callous disregard of right and wrong. However, we soon learn that this in fact a mask, concealing her pain as a domestic-abuse victim. 

On other young-adult focused shows, a domestic abuse storyline threatens to come off as ‘campy’, cheesy, or otherwise not handled well. ‘Quiet Conversations’ tackles the issue quietly, focusing on Harper’s feelings and the consequences of the abuse without any unneeded drama. For those who have suffered domestic abuse, they may see themselves in Harper, who is both terrifyingly strong and incredibly vulnerable. She remains stubborn, lying about the severity of the abuse until Megan points out that her lies won’t help her (or her brother) in the long run. When Harper finally realizes that there is an out, scary as it may be, she breaks, reaching out to Megan for support and allowing her to take her and her brother to Child Protective Services. 

Harper’s issues this episode are clear, not hidden by Apokoliptian tech or any other forces at play (like Vic and Violet). Her storyline is relatable, and unfortunately, one that many people will be able to relate to. It is because of this clarity that viewers may be able to see an alternative, a way out of their situation and into a better one. At the end of the episode, a phone number for the domestic abuse hotline is on display, offering real help to the viewers who need it. With this plotline, ‘Quiet Conversations’ extends beyond the metaphorical and into the real world, giving support to its viewers and sending them the message that their problems are real, and that they matter.

To end this analysis on a happier note, I’ll move right along to Atlantis. 

The storyline in Atlantis is the calmest of the four, focused mainly on rehabilitation and a quiet happiness. Though much of this plot focuses on Dolphin (as she is named in a later episode), it also gives us a closer look at Kaldur. As an audience, we’d grown so used to seeing Kaldur as a stoic, trained soldier, one who continues to take on more responsibilities instead of focusing on himself. ‘Quiet Conversations’ gives viewers a closer look into the more intimate aspects of Kaldur’s character and how he’s grown, in addition to introducing them to his parents and partner, Wyynde. 

Kaldur and Wyynde’s kiss is the second same-sex kiss this season. However, this one holds more significance, as Kaldur was a founding member of the team and a main character during all three seasons. While LGBTQ+ representation is on the rise in animated media, oftentimes this representation is given to smaller characters. It is both incredibly refreshing and cathartic to see Kaldur happy with Wyynde, confirming suspicions that many viewers had on Kaldur’s sexuality. Their relationship is a soft and tender one and is given more screen time in the next episode. Many viewers rejoiced in seeing a positive, happy relationship depicted on-screen, and hope that this will open doors for future representation on Young Justice.

While this storyline takes on a softer tone, its messages about rehabilitation and acceptance speak volumes to its audience. Through a different environment, Dolphin is able to move past her trauma and find her own path to happiness. Kaldur’s interactions with his family and Wyynde show that change is possible and previous mistakes don’t determine a person’s future. Like the other three storylines, the final message is one of hope. 

‘Quiet Conversations’ may not be the most exciting episode of Young Justice, but it is the most powerful. Each storyline leaves a lasting impact on the viewers, not only delivering powerful punches of raw emotion, but also instilling a sense of hope and positivity for change. Episodes like ‘Quiet Conversations’ leave its viewers thinking, opening doors for discussion and further learning. And that, dear readers, is an excellent start to any conversation, quiet or not.