REVIEW: ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’ Episode 4, “Private Security”

Young Justice: Outsiders episode 4 returns with three new episodes on the DC Universe app, the first of which is episode four, “Private Security.” The episode follows the aftermath of the “Eminent Threat” as Artemis, Connor, and Jefferson are left with some of the survivors after the attack on Markovia. However, the team is frustrated with Dick’s sudden lack of leadership and unwillingness to help these survivors with his new-found anti-team attitude.

While the app itself has been struggling in the most recent reports, the series is better than it ever was minus a few kinks. The biggest criticism of season two was the introduction of too many characters at once. Since the show introduced not only new team members but the runaways, it was hard to build a connection with newer characters and still have enough screen time to develop the already established team. So far, Young Justice: Outsiders has learned from this lesson as these episodes give us a glimpse into the lives of older team members like Zatanna and Dick.

Zatanna barely got any screen time in season two despite being brought on fairly early in season one and becoming the main team member. Since she had little screen time previously, Zatanna’s story arc with Doctor Fate taking her father and the emotional impact of that was never properly explored, until now. The moments with Zatanna and Doctor Fate were so poignant. The scenes made me tear up at moments and I was thankful they were broken up with storylines of different characters who provided some much-needed comic relief.

Immediately, Dick is still reeling with the guilt of losing Wally and his reluctance to rejoin or lead another team because of it. Seeing all the Harpers return was a welcomed surprise and a great balance to Dick’s character arc since Red Arrow, the clone of Roy Harper now going by Will Harper, is best equipped to deal with Dick’s irresponsible mentality.

Dick has since learned his lesson from Season one episode 24, “Performance” where Dick specifically lied to Wally about a mission, knowing that his best friend would challenge him at every turn. Now, Dick is reaching out to old friends, clearly missing Wally’s guidance. With the Justice League dissolved, it will be interesting to see how Dick is able to lead a team while M’gann and Kaldur continue to lead their own team under the supervision of what remains of the League.

Unfortunately, the main complaint I had with this episode was most notable during the scenes with Zatanna. The animation in this episode was questionable at some moments looking more like an animated short on YouTube created out of someone’s spare time on DeviantArt as opposed to a sanctioned DC Animation production. I am not usually a stickler for animation or graphics but there were moments that it was so off-putting it took me out of the episode. It certainly felt like a step down from previous episodes and seasons.

Overall, Young Justice: Outsiders episode 4, “Private Security,” is a bit of a filler episode but the best shows use their filler episodes in important and creative ways. I think, in this case, Young Justice: Outsiders did just that.