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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
