"Fuck Batman" Titans recap: "Together" & "Jason Todd"

Titans

Are you ready to meet a brutal, take no prisoners, gives zero fucks Robin? A Robin who takes things to the extreme? Who isn't Dick Grayson? That's right. There's another Bat prodigy going apeshit in one of these episodes and this one wasn't a part of the Flying Graysons. That's right, it's time to meet Jason Todd. Jason replaced Dick in the comics when he went off to become Nightwing. Jason was introduced back in 1983, and fans hated him. They hated him to the point that when DC set up a number to vote on whether he should live or die, the response was overwhelmingly to murder him. Yikes. I'm sure that won't happen here though.

Episode 5: "Together"

"Oh no. Dick's going to think I did this." - Kory upon finding the headless Nuclear Family.

The Titans start to train to defend Rachel, but it's difficult to be a team when one of is keeping secrets. *cough, Dick, cough* Cue training/demonstration of powers montage. They had best get it together quickly, because the Nuclear Family has a new stepdad and they are headed to finish what they started. Kory is determined to get answers out of Dick and what better way to do that then with some booze and boning? When the Family shows up to whoop some Titan butt, the team bands together and Dick finally reveals to them that he is Robin. After some interrogating, Dick heads to meet Dr. Adamson, who remotely detonates the bombs in the Family's neck. Adamson calls a strike team to take Dick out, but he's saved by... Robin?

Titans Together

This was another solid episode of "Titans." It could be because I'm a sucker for a team bonding training montage. It could also be that the actors are really settling into their role. During the training montage it's also nice to see Kory not super cool under pressure. When she misses the tractor, she's a little chagrined and it's nice to see that she isn't infallible. Her plan to get Dick to open up feels right. It also hearkens back to the Teen Titans comics. Nightwing and Starfire did have a romantic relationship, so I don't think this is going to be a one-night stand. Brenton Thwaites and Anna Diop have a nice, easy chemistry and Dick really seems like a fully formed person when he is with Kory.

The Nuclear Family continue to be creepy and menacing. The action scenes are really good. The show, in this episode, walks the line between satisfying and gratuitous really well. Dick finally trusting these people enough to show them who he really is was a nice moment. It's things like this that will help the Titans feel more like a team, rather than just a bunch of individuals hanging out together.

The end of the episode left me a little cold. Like, you've spent the entire episode convincing these people to trust you, that you're a team and then Dick just takes off by himself. It feels like a giant step backward and it doesn't make a lot of sense using the episode as context. It felt like a contrivance to get Dick alone to be saved by Robin. 

Minor complaint in an otherwise super solid, entertaining episode.

Grade: B+

Episode 6: "Jason Todd"

Gar: "Wait, you're Robin too?"

Rachel: "I thought you were Robin?"

Dick: "I am."
Jason: "Was."

Gar: "How many Robins are there?"

Dick is saved from Adamson's hit squad by the new Robin, Jason Todd (Curran Walters). The Boy Wonders kidnap Adamson and take him to one of Bruce's safe houses. While there, Jason reveals Bruce sent him to Dick because someone is murdering Dick's old circus family and only one is left alive. Dick gives the other Titans a heads up about where he is and tells them to come to the safe house. He and Jason go to track down Clayton Williams, who is now a bouncer at a club. While on the job, Dick notices that Jason is full of rage and easily set off. He also remembers his fateful encounter with Tony Zucco, the man who murdered his parents.

Brothers fight.

There is a lot to chew on in this episode and we get the clearest picture yet of why Dick decided to turn his back on Batman. This show loves a flashback and I would say this is the best use of them so far. The reveal that Dick basically let Tony Zucco be killed once he found out that he wouldn't properly pay for killing his parents is pretty chilling and helps explain why Dick would finally cut ties with Bruce to try to get back to himself. Where I have some problem with this reveal is the decision to have it coincide with Dick meeting Jason Todd. They are clearly trying to give Dick some sort of moral high ground here, but does he really have it? Right now, we don't have any proof that Jason has murdered anyone, but Dick definitely has, even if he didn't pull the trigger himself.

That bring us to Jason. I think Curran Walters does a great job. He's cocky. He is so different from Dick. While Dick is conflicted about what he's done as Robin, Jason relishes it. Dick has some sort of a moral code. He wouldn't go HAM on some police officers, but Jason doesn't have those qualms. I've had some issues with the level of violence on this show, but I'd say that Jason going to town on these cops is an example of the show using that violence in the right way. I think the audience needs to see this so they get an idea of how different from Jason Dick is. 

It also paints a picture of who Batman is in this "Titans" universe. Batman's intentions and judgement in bringing these troubled kids into his line of work as always been questionable, no more so than with Jason Todd and the show leans into that. How does Bruce not see that this kid is not mentally sound enough to do this? Has he lost it completely? 

This episode also addresses one of my concerns from the last one. Dick taking off. I'm happy that he contacts the rest of the team as soon as he's settled into Bruce's safe house. I wish the episode had done a little more with the rest of the team confronting Adamson. The show is still struggling with juggling these multiple storylines. I think if they had moved the flashbacks out of this episode into another, it would have flowed so much better.

Grade: B

Next up, the team learn more about Rachel's mysterious origins and Dick meets up with a "wonderful" old friend.

What do you all think of "Titans?" On the fence but loving it now? Hate it? I'd love to hear from you. Hit the comments with all your Titans opinions.