3x12 Nightmare Monkeys

[9.0/10] Wow! I was not expecting this type of episode from Young Justice. Despite the show having plenty of fun with this one, it’s arguably more mature and serious than some of the more traditional signifiers of “adult” content like sex and violence. At base, this is about Garfield Logan dealing with death: those of his parental figures, those of his comrades, and even himself. It’s heavy and incisive, but done in a creative way that takes advantage of the medium and storytelling possibilities of this world.

I’ll confess, I’m a sucker for these sorts of vaguely Lunchian, pretzel logic explorations of a character’s psyche. Making that exploration an homage to everything from Star Trek, to Teen Titans Go! to old school sitcoms only sweetens the deal. Beast Boy’s titular nightmare forces him to confront some of his deepest seated fears and anxieties through the lens of television and other art, and I love that tack.

The STar Trek segment is a reminder of those he’s already lost. It’s a trip to see Kid Flash leading a brigade with Tula, Jason Todd, and Ted Kord. The “Doom Patrol Go” segment has the fun of bringing back the Teen Titans cast (which isn’t hard when 2/5 actors are already part of the show), and slipping them into conspicuously similar roles for the Doom Patrol. But it also centers the idea that going back to “The Life” means risking both your death and those of the people you care about. Last but not least, the visit to his mother’s old sitcom forces him to confront losing two maternal figures and being dragged away from a third. It’s heartbreaking watching him relive these events, and I’m glad the show finally confronts them in a concerted way after only grazing them in season 2.

The attention to detail is superb. The Star Trek homage is fairly generic, but they capture the look and feel of an episode well. I particularly like the fact that the original Megan’s costar has turned into a Shatner-esque blowhard, and that “Mento” is somewhat resentful of the role that made him famous a la Spock. (Though honestly, it’s closer to Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest.) The Teen Titans shtick is more robust, and the contrast between the brightness of the presentation and the gravity of the topic gives it a jarring quality that works for the show’s purposes. If that weren’t enough, seeing visions of his mom and stepmom, and the way they age or face threats from Queen Bee or don’t know him yet, gets at the liminal nature of grief and loss.

Granted, I get a little hung up on the whole “monkey god” thing. I assume it’s pulled from the comics, but I didn't really need an explanation of the source of Beast Boy’s powers (the martian blood transfusion was enough), and the idea that there's another god possessing/choosing people out there starts to feel like a hat on a hat. But I like the idea that this is something of a vision quest with the monkey god as a sort of guide, helping Garfield to reach his epiphany.

That epiphany is that he was trying to deal with his mother’s loss by working on television, trying to feel closer to her and her life. He felt ripped away from the parents he actually loved and subjected to his sneering stepdad, and this was a way to fight back against those feelings. The loss, the specter of death, hangs over him, but helping others, choosing to be a hero, is the way through it. I like that the upshot of all of this is Beast Boy deciding to rejoin the team (or at least a team) to honor those he’s lost.

The other business in the episode is good too. There's hints at trouble in paradise between M’gaan and Conner, and while I hope the show doesn't outright break them up, I appreciate that it addresses the challenges and priorities of Superboy wanting to step up to fill the shoes of Superman, while Miss Martian is more focused on having a life apart from “The Life.” In the romance department, Violet and Brion share a kiss, which is sweet. ANd despite us barely knowing them, the dynamic between Garfield and Perdita as a couple is very cute.

We also get some major lore. We find out that the Halo is actually the “soul” of a motherbox infused into the body of a young woman who died. It’s...chilling honestly. Violet is a cool character, but I truly wish someone (presumably Jefferson) had taken just a second to mourn the girl who was killed in all of this, and note the weirdness of some other being wandering around in her body. The exposition explaining all of this is pretty convoluted and clunky, but I do like Halo saying, “See, I told you I was a different person!”, affirming her identity as a new, separate being. There's some moral implications of all this Young Justice isn’t really grappling with, but the concept of this new kind of soul is an intriguing one.

I also like the natural tension it creates when the motherbox-infused Halo is juxtaposed with the fatherbox-infused Cyborg. Sphere’s instinctual move to attack Victor, and Halo having to regularly “heal” Victor’s fatherbox possessions is no doubt setup for problems later, and I’m on board with the tease. I’m also on board with Victor appreciating his easy welcome from a band of fellow “freaks’, but also his keen desire to have his cybernetic enhancements removed, so that he can resume his more normal life. We know that’s unlikely, but it’s also natural for someone who’s just been thrust into this position, and I’m invested in his psychological journey.

Overall, this is a fantastic episode of the show, which combines sharp television homages with a deep psychological journey, elevating Beast Boy and touching on something real and painful in the process.