Change My Mind: The Original Team Members Are Acting Too Old For Their Ages
Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’re still at over 100 days to go until the second half of Season 3, and the withdrawal is hitting hard. Friday mornings feel so empty without new episodes, and oftentimes I find myself staring at the countdown clock, willing it to go faster. To bridge the gap, here’s another opinion piece to get the mind working!
While watching the first thirteen episodes of Season 3, I noticed a recurring trend that left me a little uncomfortable. The original team are all young adults in their early to mid twenties, and yet they’re acting as if they’re much older than they are; and I don’t mean maturity-wise. As a person who is also in her early twenties, I’m watching these characters all have modestly successful lives and it makes me feel inadequate in comparison. Suddenly, everyone is either owning a house, or working at their dream jobs, or about to get married. Meanwhile, I sulk at my desk job and wonder where I went wrong in life. I’m going to dig a little deeper into these:
- Suddenly everybody’s a homeowner: The amount of lust I felt while staring at Will and M’gann and Conner’s houses was unhealthy. Maybe things work differently in Earth 16, but I would never be able to afford half the rent on those houses with the position I currently have. So how on earth are they? As far as we know, Artemis isn’t working and Will’s company is still young and developing. M’gann works as a guidance counselor and Conner is a freelance mechanic. Even if they’re renting the top half of Lucas Carr’s house, I still have a really difficult time believing they can make rent on those kinds of incomes. It is possible that they receive some sort of compensation for their work as heroes, but I still maintain my point.
- Questionable career choices: I have to admit that I was a little taken aback when it was revealed that M’gann works as a Guidance Counselor. While on paper it works and definitely suits her personality, I’m left wondering when M’gann found the time to go to school and get the proper credentials. To me, things don’t add up and it takes me out of the world Young Justice works so hard to build. Will’s Bowhunter business seems to be doing great, but I still have so many questions as to how it came about (especially considering how broke he was during Season 2). We haven’t seen Artemis work, so what does she do all day other than be persuaded by Dick to join ‘covert’ missions. As someone who struggles big-time for cash, I would have loved to see this challenge reflected in characters who are allegedly the same age.
- Jumping into love and family: I’m going to preface this by saying that I have nothing against getting married or having kids early. Personally, it’s not for me, but I won’t judge anyone who chooses otherwise. That said, however, I did feel disappointed when it was revealed that Karen was pregnant during ‘Home Fires’. In Season 2, Karen was so focused on research, and her career. It was refreshing to see a woman so dedicated to her passion in science, and it’s this representation that we need more of to inspire young women. Despite this, our first glance at her this season is as a mother-to-be; it’s a little jarring when you realize that she’s only 22. Given her passion, I would have loved to see Karen continue her research, or working on her PhD in Graduate school. Of course, she can definitely balance being a mother with a career in the science field. However, given only what we’ve seen, I’m disappointed that this was our first taste of her. This doesn’t just apply to Karen, though. We’re given the impression that Dick is in a serious relationship with Barbara. Conner and M’gann are getting married. While on screen, it’s certainly enjoyable to see our favorite ‘ships’ together. Off screen, I look to my friends and other acquaintances who want more out of their current lives rather than settling down and having kids.
I can already see your biggest critique: this is a cartoon, it doesn’t have to be realistic. Sure, fair enough. But why is it so wrong to want a more-accurate representation of characters who are my age? I want to see Will struggle with the realities of being a young, single father. I want to see Artemis work away at a job she hates, if only to pitch in something for Star City’s absurdly high rent. I’d have loved to see Conner and M’gann taking the next step and moving in together, rather than already doing so and jumping into marriage. As the show stands now, these characters are all well-off and happily dealing with their private lives. As someone who faces both internal and external challenges on the daily, it’s a little hard to swallow.
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