#lightspeed

TAILGATE MENTION IN TF ONE!!!!!!!!!

Jinx: "You could've been one of us." Cyborg: "I could've been a lot of things."

I've always loved this small, quiet, yet deeply meaningful and powerful interaction between these two back in Deception. It's literally just a brief conversation, yet it already says so much and, more importantly, hints at the fact that there's more than meets the eye about Jinx than what we've previously seen. Which, accidental or not, becomes all the more poignant come Lightspeed.

In the context of the episode, it's clear that Jinx is disappointed to see Cyborg turn his back on the HIVE, likely because, Stone or not, their positive interactions were genuine. Enough that she'd come to see him as someone she'd want to be teammates with. Someone she'd come to trust.

That single sentence already proved there's more depth and humanity in Jinx than in about any other HIVE student or member, as later proved in season 5.

But Cyborg's response is just as charged with meaning and paints a deep reflection of his character precisely because of how ambiguous it is.

On the one hand, Cyborg could have meant that, by joining the HIVE, he could have become a criminal. With Jinx's disappointed reaction before going away possibly masking hurt at being judged so harshly by someone she considered a friend literally just a few minutes prior.

On the other hand, given the episode's general theme regarding Cyborg's regrets and his nostalgia for his normal, fully human life, it is just as likely that he could be referring to the fact that, hadn't it been for his accident, he could have finished high school and led a normal life like a part of him so desperately desired.

But what I like the most about their interaction and how it ties with Jinx's subsequent development is the way it subtly foreshadows how the same thing will happen to her. How the tables will turn on her.

Jinx chose to be a part of the HIVE, but just like Cyborg, she could've been a lot of things.

Which is exactly what Kid Flash helps her see in Lightspeed.

He helps her realise there's so much more to her than what her supposedly inherently evil powers and everyone around her made her believe: she doesn't have to be a villain just because she's bad luck. She doesn't have to follow in Madame Rouge's footsteps just because that's what she made herself believe is the kind of life she wants.

She doesn't have to hurt others to be respected.

Considering the show was originally meant to end in season 4, there's no doubt in my mind that they at first didn't intend to follow up on this possible arc for Jinx. But I do hold out hope that once it was confirmed they were getting a fifth season and they decided to focus on more heroes than just the core Teen Titans, they saw they had a gold mine of opportunities when it came to their version of Jinx and chose to explore it.

The fact that they could kill two birds with one stone by introducing a character as beloved as Kid Flash and allowed him to shine when his powers are usually downplayed in other iterations certainly didn't hurt.

Nevertheless, that's what I love about Jinx's character. While Cyborg could have been a lot of things, Jinx ultimately chose to explore those other options she had.

One person recognized them on bsky so that’s good enough for me 😎