Titans
So, clearly, I'm still getting back into the swing of things. I'm definitely going to get back into a weekly schedule, but this week it's your lucky day. You get three "Titans" recaps in one. It's still really early, but is it possible that "Titans" is turning a corner quality-wise? Read on to find out.
Episode 13: "Rose"
Donna: "Don't you ever get tired? Or impatient? Or pissed off?"
Kory: "Where I come from it doesn't really pay to get pissed off."
Donna: "So you like better here?"
Kory: "In this van? No, I do not like it better here in this van."
In the actual season two premiere, it's three months later and everyone is getting settled into their new roles. Dick is helping train Gar, Logan and Jason to become the new generation of Titans, much to Jason's chagrin. Hank and Dawn are carving a new life for themselves in Wyoming while Hank works on overcoming his addictions. Donna and Kory are teaming up to take down unfortunately named villains. Everyone seems to be doing fine on their own until an old enemy breaks out of prison and young woman with a deep connection to Deathstroke appears to reunite the original Titans, whether they want it or not.
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| Queens. |
Much better. The first episode of this season was a pretty huge letdown. That wasn't really the show's fault, but whoever made the boneheaded decision to make the season one finale the premiere of season two. This episode is the actual season two premiere. It feels like a fresh start. It introduces new characters, new threats and pushes threads from the first season forward.
With the ensemble of "Titans" growing in this season, I was worried about how the writers would juggle multiple characters with multiple arcs and I'm happy to report they do a damn good job out of the gate. Hank and Dawn were two of my least favorite characters in season one and this premier helps make them a bit more nuanced, grounded and real. The addiction metaphor extending to superheroes is not so heavy handed and Dawn and Hank's fight when he finds out she's been going out as Dove behind his back feels real and lived in. It feels like these people have a past and do love each other. It didn't always feel that way last season. Dawn seems to have also grown more of a personality this season which is nice.
Dick and the "teen" Titans are trying to become something better, but it's tough. Rachel is hiding her darkness and Gar is having a hard time trusting the guy that tried to kill him. Jason continues to be the worst, though that basically fits character wise. One huge improvement over season one is the characterization of Dick Grayson. This definitely feels more like the Dick from the comics. This is the most clear when he has his conversation with Bruce. It's more father/son and less antagonistic which I enjoy.
The show continues to belong to Kory and Donna. They are magic together. Anna Diop and Conor Leslie have amazing chemistry and I would legit watch a "Cagney and Lacey" style show where they go after shitty named metas like Shimmer. I felt and related to Donna's disdain. Another Tamaran showing up and kidnapping Kory adds another nice wrinkle and starts to hearken more to her comics backstory which I won't run if you're unfamiliar.
The re-emergence of Arthur Light, presumably broken out of prison by Slade Wilson, is a nice way to reunite the OG Titans with the next generation. Rose doesn't have a ton to do in this premiere except be badass and add one more connection to the Titans and Deathstroke but I think she's going to be an awesome addition.
Aside from some minor pacing issues, this episode really made me excited for "Titans" in a way I haven't been since the show started. It was lighter. It embraced the Titans rich comic history and I can't wait to see where they go from here.
Grade: B+
Episode 14: "Ghosts"
Dick: "That was a long time ago. Everything's changed. I've changed."
Donna: "Changed how? You burned the suit. You're not Robin anymore. So what now? You're Dick Grayson, camp counselor?"
Dick: "This isn't summer camp."
Donna: "Exactly. You made them Titans. Do they even know what happened last time?"
Hank, Dawn and Donna show up at Titans Tower to take down Doctor Light. It's not the happiest of reunions. When Dick tells the others that Rose is Deathstroke's daughter, it gets even more tense. Jason is getting fed up with Dick not treating him like an equal and keeping things from the new Titans. After a botched attempt to capture Light after which Dick gets a dressing down, Gar finds Light again. Jason convinces Gar to join him on a "recon mission" where he confronts Light himself, but things take a turn when Deathstroke turns up. Meanwhile, Kory reconnects with a man from her royal past.
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| Worst. Robin. Ever. |
This second episode keeps things moving in a great direction for "Titans." The return of Donna, Hank and Dawn to Titans Tower brings a conflict that doesn't feel forced, but feels very natural. There's more hints to the original Titans' past and it helps stir the conflict. On the flip side, Dick gets to spend some time with the originals and for the first time you see why they were friends in the first place. No more is this more apparent then when Hank and Dick have their version of a heart to heart. There is a real camaraderie there and Brenton Thwaites and Alan Ritchson play it just right. It was really nice to see this new side to their relationship, especially since in season one, it was just a lot of male posturing and name calling.
The episode continues to do a great job of juggling the multiple characters storylines. We learn more about Kory's backstory. She's actually a Tamaran princess and is being ordered back home. There is mention of Blackfire, Kory's sister. Faddei is a great foil for Kory. He pushes back against her and even though she gets the better of him in the end, I'm excited for him to catch back up to her.
Jason Todd goes full asshole in this episode, which is pretty on point for the character. Jason wants to be part of everything. He doesn't see himself on the same level as Gar and Rachel. He lashes out. He goes on the mission by himself, well with Gar. He beats Light, but loses control and it's his impetuousness and anger that gets him captured by Deathstroke.
Where the show has struggled a lot is with Dick. I feel like the major place the show is course correcting is with him. This is the Dick that I remember from the comics. He's mentoring the Titans. Trying to reason with Jason. Saving a busload of innocents at the expense of capturing Light. One thing that rang a little false was the other Titans giving him so much shit for being "soft," when isn't that what they should be doing? It was good to hear Hank acknowledge this when he and Dick had his heart to heart.
Rose Wilson doesn't get a ton to do in this episode but but actress Chelsea Zhang makes the most of it. Her scenes with Dick sing especially their fight/therapy session and I'm excited to watch this relationship develop.
Season two of "Titans" continues to push forward and even in this second episode it continues to raise the stakes.
Grade: A-
Episode 15: "Aqualad"
Donna: "I need to stay here. The team needs me."
Jillian: "Be careful. Vengeance is a dangerous path."
Five years ago, Deathstroke is murdering everyone involved with a high profile murder case when he gets a contract he can't refuse. The Titans are cleaning up the streets of San Francisco along with Aquaman's protege, Garth aka Aqualad. There is lots of sexual tension between Garth and Donna but Donna is not into it because she's going to eventually have to head back to Themyscira. Donna may live to regret her decisions when Deathstroke sets his sights on Aqualad.
This episode was a little bit of a letdown. I was super excited to have an episode that focused on the OG Titans and it was just OK. Part of the problem is that Aqualad's death at the end of the episode is completely telegraphed. Even if you have never watched an episode of television in your life, you know what is going to happen.
This episode really lives and dies by the chemistry that Donna and Garth are supposed to have. Sadly, Conor Leslie and Drew Van Acker have pretty much zero. Watching them together and try to be flirty is just kind of painful. The scenes where they talk about trying to find Nemo on New Year's Eve just fall so, so flat. Also, the writers decision to portray Donna as this meek schoolgirl-ish type of person doesn't make a lot of sense. You'd expect Wonder Woman's sidekick, someone who is destined to join her warrior sisters on Themyscira to be kind of a hard ass, but Donna is not. I understand they are trying to show that Garth's death is what turned her into the badass she is currently, but I'm not buying it.
I was a touch irritated that they made Garth, who is gay in the comics, straight, but seeing as how he's killed by Deathstroke at the end of the episode, I'll allow it. We don't need anymore one off gay characters that get killed.
The things on the outskirts of the episode are really what work. We see the origin of Doctor Light so there is a tie-in to what's been happening in the present. Esai Morales continues to take ownership of a character that has already had what some would say is the definitive portrayal on "Arrow." He doesn't do a lot or have much dialogue, but Morales plays the silence, expressions just right.
I'm a big fan of Donna's Themysciran guardian, Jillian. She exudes the quite power and confidence that you would expect from an Amazon and I really hope that we see more of her.
The episode also introduces Deathstroke's oldest, Jericho. He can't speak and the scar across his neck gives us a good indication of why. Dick and Jericho's "chance" meeting at the end of the episode gave me chills and I'm excited but nervous and scared to see what Dick has planned.
Season two of "Titans" has been so killer that while this is nowhere near the rock bottom lows of season one it's mediocreness is kind of a bummer. I'm ready to get back to the present and see what Slade has in store for Jason and the rest of the Titans.
Grade: C+
Whew. That was a lot. I'd love to hear what you all are thinking of "Titans" this year. Have you been on board from the beginning? Were you disappointed in season one but coming around now, like me? Let me know in the comments.
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