#outsidersinturmoil

[yjwhatif]

Outsiders in Turmoil - Part 4

Bart

Like all the others who were subjected to the Pit, I think there should be some sort of residual trauma being seen - like we saw with Dick. Now of course he’s a non-meta who was in there for over 24 hours, but I still think there should be something - even if it’s just minor - like trouble sleeping or focusing. These are young impressionable minds that are easily downtrodden by trauma - as is prominent in ‘Misplaced’.

My thinking is that Bart is going to be someone who will / should be explored more next season. The more I watch S3, the more I feel like there’s something we’re not being shown about his character - more than just the secrets of the future - which we know he’s keeping.

Bart has a very damaged psyche because of the world he grew up in, and the persona he put on and now lives in hasn’t help to heal that damage - just bury it. It would be interesting to see if the pit forces some of his past trauma to rise to the surface once again. To see if any of the ghosts he’s left behind have returned to haunt him.

And in truth I’m kinda convinced that they have - or something has. For as I was getting the screenshots for these posts I realised something - Bart seems to isolate himself from Ed and Jaime - the two people I’d say he cares most about (in whatever way you perceive that to be). This is odd, since he usually sticks by one of them depending on who he’s in an episode with, but after the pit there’s a disjointedness between them that goes against the framing of the whole season. Could he be hiding his pain from them or could it be something more complicated?

(I have got a crazy theory brewing in my head - but I’m gonna leave that for a different post.)

I love happy, cheery, goofball Bart, but I’m ready / prepared to see the other sides to him now... So long as they don’t do a Brion twist with him - because I cannot be made to hate Bart - it’ll make me sad.

[yjwhatif]

The Outsiders in Turmoil - Part 1

So, in previous seasons this show has been very good at presenting the emotional aftermath for its characters after intense / traumatic experiences. The most obvious and memorable example being season one’s ‘Disordered’ episode - focused entirely on the aftermath of ‘Failsafe’. It’s what this show is good at - portraying extra dimensions to these fictional characters. There is long term impact caused by single events and everyone is effected differently - this is what makes the characters feel real, and it’s not just with the traumatic moments - Wally was angry at Artemis for weeks after the choices she made in ‘Insecurity’ - as you would be.

However, in S3 the emotional aftermath is what seems to be lacking for a lot of the characters - mainly the younger ones. Of course we still see examples of trauma / emotional impact - like when Black Lightning loses his powers, Kaldur’s guilt towards keeping secrets, and Dick’s grief towards losing Wally in that heart wrenching fever dream sequence. The S1 lot are the ones to still get this development - but there is a lack of consequence being shown of the younger characters actions - mainly regarding Gar’s Outsiders.

Something I realised earlier was that Gar, Cassie, Bart, Jaime and Ed all experience situation that could elicit trauma - yet we aren’t shown any obvious impact. Now depending on the person, trauma doesn’t necessarily show itself straight away, so could this be something that’s shown in S4? I would really hope so - it would reestablish the fact that THE LIFE isn’t easy and doesn’t go without consequences.

The Moments

I’ll give more explanation in separate posts, to stop this one getting too long, but here’s the basic list:

Gar - almost killed by a teammate and friend on live tv

Cassie - magically bonded to a freaky flesh monster

Bart - forced to endure the torture of the X-Pit and any buried memories that that might reawaken

Jaime - a non-meta forced to endure the torture of the X-Pit

Ed - failed to save his friends

Being that this team fought to exist, I can believe that they won’t want their elders to think they can’t handle it - they are young and trying to prove themselves - but even the most experienced hero can have a bad mission. Emotions can quickly build up and fester if ignored - which can make for a very toxic environment.

Though my thoughts are all taken to the extreme as what ifs, it doesn’t have to be so explicit - as it’s a very hectic show with a lot going on. But there does need to be some references to the emotional impact their experiences have had - to ensure a believable dynamic is maintained for the team and individual characters. Especially after the X-Pit - since even super experienced Dick and Jeff didn’t get out unscathed. Actions have consequences - and that idea needs to be kept up for S4.

So basically M’gann and Dinah are gonna have A LOT of work to do.

[yjwhatif]

Outsiders in Turmoil - Part 6

Ed

Now I have my theories / speculations about Ed’s reaction to the pit itself - but I’m gonna look at that in a different post. Here I’m gonna point out the fact that Ed failed to save his friends - that has consequences. Obviously the team knows it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t teleport out of the pit - but sometimes the mind can’t register that and can only feel the guilt of failure - we saw that with Dick after ‘Failsafe’.

This would be a really interesting development for the character, especially if there are any problems for the others who were in the pit - that would make his guilt worse - and we all know that abilities are controlled by emotions.

Also as someone who didn’t join to be a hero but to inspire the meta-teens, he is not going to like the fact that he couldn’t even protect his friends from harm. If he can’t even do that - hows he supposed to help the meta-teens?

Another thing is, after that moment I’m convinced Ed’s powers have gotten stronger, since he did teleport into another dimension, and I think / hope 🤞 they’re gonna keep getting stronger in S4 - which is gonna cause havoc for him. The combination of power development and difficulty focusing will not end well - especially with a power that could land you anywhere.

As well as possible emotional trauma and power changes, he also has his work as the youth centre - which sounds to be expanding, as well as his heroing and I presume school. That is A LOT of stress to deal with, and if you ask me, a recipe on how to lose control! Let’s not forget that Ed has quite the explosive temper, he may have found a sense of calm now, but that fire is still within him - we saw a glimpse of it in ‘Elder Wisdom’ when he had a go at his dad. It would be good to see a bit more of angry Ed again as he struggles to keep himself balanced under the stress.

Finally, Ed’s relationship with his power through the series has shown a compelling and natural development - in S2 he didn’t want it, in S3 he’s accepted it, so in S4 could he lose control of it? It would certainly fit well.

[yjwhatif]

Outsiders in Turmoil - Part 3

Cassie

During the mission to stop Klarion in Cuba, Cassie is bonded with the freaky meta flesh monster - yet seem pretty fine after being released. But was she?

As a visual sequence it looks traumatic, and the inclusion of the harrowing screams when someone is added would certainly suggest that things ain’t peachy in there. Though, I can get behind the idea that her being a demigod has given her the strength to pick herself back up and carry on - especially if there are others who need her help. But physical strength does not mean psychological invincibility. Her being foiled by Klarion will have an effect - whether it’s because of her pride or because she made the creature stronger - causing more danger to her team.

In what we’ve seen of Cassie prior to that episode (Early warnings), she is very energetic and carefree - usually with a smile on her face. But there’s a moment in the following episode, ‘Elder Wisdom’, where she is trying to get everyone to focus on training - rather than playing around.

Now this could just be showing her understanding for the importance of training - after all, she is Wonder Woman’s protégé. Or it could be an example of how Klarions attack has actually effected her - she’s realised the seriousness of the situation they put themselves in and they can’t mess around anymore. She certainly possesses a slightly more serious vibe from that point on - something which could definitely play a part in S4.

It’s subtle enough to not seem strange, but could easily mark the start of an escalation into an obsession with trying to be stronger - to ensure she isn’t defeated again. We’ve seen in the tie-in comics that Cassie wants to be seen as being in the same league as Wonder Woman, Superman and Superboy - so much so that shes jealous when she isn’t abducted with them. Her pride won’t like the idea that she was beaten by both Klarion and Granny in the space of a couple of weeks - so could it be enough to push her into overtraining? Pushing herself past her limits to make herself the strongest she can be?

[yjwhatif]

Outsiders in Turmoil - part 2

Gar

As well as the trauma of the X-Pit and his brutal fight with Granny, Gar’s most impactful moment is when he is almost killed on live tv by a friend and teammate - you can see the fear in his eyes as he processes the situation.

Thought he may not hold resentment towards Tara - which I don’t think he does - there may still be an underlining sense of doubt towards any new member or person in general that he doesn’t know.

Trust is a very hard thing to repair, and might just find himself less willing to forgive next time.

[yjwhatif]

Outsiders in Turmoil - Part 5

Jaime

Now I think it is very obvious that Jaime should not be ok after his time in the pit. Unlike the others, he wasn’t meta and very clearly had the worst experience in there - that needs to have an affect to keep up with the standards of the previous seasons.

The show has shown Jaimes anxiety towards his experiences with the Reach in S2, and they have kept it up in S3 - his reaction to being told that the Reach were back in ‘First Impressions’ was perfect - as was Barts. These tiny moments are seconds each, but highlight perfectly the fear and hatred the pair are feeling without needing to be explained - we know exactly what they’re thinking in less than a minutes worth of footage - that is what this show is good at.

So there needs to be consequences to his experience in the pit especially, for other than his brief time on the Reach ship after ‘Darkest’ he might never have been in a situation where he was being tortured - and definitely not to that extent. That has an effect on the mind even when minor.

He was also abandoned by the scarab in there as well, which forced him into more pain - will that have an impact on their relationship and their trust in each other?

And what about the scarab itself - we’ve never seen such a reaction from it before - will there be trauma on that front? I can definitely see the scarab being a lot more vigilant and trigger-willing than usual to avoid ever going through that again.