TV Review: Young Justice: Outsiders Episode- 16: Illusion of Control (DC Universe)

Illusion of Control takes place around Thanksgiving time and puts our heroes into a family atmosphere while still bringing the action!!

We see different members preparing for Thanksgiving in their own ways with M’Gann doing her thing and Artemis doing hers at her home. We also see the members of Talos setting up a festival type celebration. We see a few interactions with heroes and the focus seems to be at the festival when most of the heroes fall ill out of the blue. Count Vertigo shows up and kidnaps Queen Perdita leaving the Team helpless. After the Team recovers a chase ensues and they find out they have to keep their distance due to Vertigo’s ability.

The Team figures out a way to disable Count Vertigo’s helicopter and it makes a landing into one of the pueblos nearby. Kid Flash, Beast Boy, and Blue Beetle cannot locate Count Vertigo anywhere and they figure out that he is playing tricks on them. So Beast Boy transforms into a bear and uses smell to find them. It is then when they meet Vertigo’s henchman in an alley and they figure out there is more to him than it seems. Vertigo gets distracted and Perdita gives him a swift kick in the south region and this breaks his concentration long enough to see that it is Psimon behind it all.

The kidnapping was all a ruse to get the heroes away from Talos long enough for the bad guys to round up the metas at Talos. It does not take long for the Team to make their way back to thwart the plan and rescue all the metas.

The real powerful moment in this episode was not with the battle, but with a very heated conversation that Artemis’s mom had with her at dinner. During the meal, Artemis was outed that she is still Tigress and this made her mother very angry. Her mother made reference to Barbara Gordon being in a wheelchair like she is. That being back in the life is a fast track to that same fate. This dialog was very powerful and very moving.

Episode 16 Illusions of Control is full of action and tons of story to keep you wanting more. JQ gives is a 9.4 out of 10!