3x13 True Heroes

[7.3/10] I get tired of giant fight scenes. It’s not Young Justice’s fault. It’s just that when you’ve been watching superhero shows since Batman: The Animated Series was on the air, you’ve seen a lot of this sort of thing,and it becomes harder not to tune out. Much of the original Young Justice team springing into action to break up a metahuman teen fighting ring in Greater Biyali is perfectly fine, even as they’re going toe-to-toe with a group of the usual supervillains. I’ve just seen something like this, albeit not exactly this, plenty of times before.

Still, the set piece has its high points. I appreciate Superboy and Icicle Junior having some fun mid-fight banter about their shared time in prison. As we’re halfway through the season, it’s nice to see Brion finally reunited with his sister, even if it seems like they’re teasing Terra working for Deathstroke as usual. And Mr. Bliss is a delight, with his broad homage to The Emcee from Cabaret and outsized persona for the villains he’s performing for.

The B-story sees Violet tormented over her feelings for Brion, and comforted by Dr. Jace, while Victor turns fatherbox homicidal again. Dr. Jace brushing Violet’s hair to calm her down, much like she did her own little girl, is a little uncomfortable as a case of emotional transference, but also sweet in his way. Cyborg turning into The Terminator is a bit of a cliche. Still, I like Violet deciding that having “a lot of feelings”is a strength, not a weakness, and that epiphany being the key to return her powers to full strength. The notion that these emotions can be something to harness and channel rather than be a vulnerability is uplifting, even if it feels like a cheat that this time, she’s able to permanently heal Victor with her abilities.

Otherwise, there's a few nice comments here and there. Forager using his natural form as a Halloween costume is a laugh and the way he refers to the bioship as “good girl” is cute.

Overall, though, this feels like a reasonably tidy mid-season finale. There's a big fight. The good guys collaborate with their allies to take down the metahuman trafficking rings they were after. They learn that Granny Goodness was using the Goode VR goggles to identify and brainwash metateens. There's still plenty more to uncover,especially with the tease about Terra, but this episode puts a solid semicolon on the season, if not a full stop.