Titans Season Two Episodes 1- 4

Have heroes of any series been in such a difficult corner as the Titans find themselves at the start of season two? The only issue with having a cliffhanger ending to a season is that casual viewers may be bewildered so you  have to commend the producers of this show for creating a succinct summary at the start of the episode which is called `Trigon` (episode titles are not the series’ forte) It’s a scenario that places the characters very much in harm’s way as the released Trigon divides and defeats them one by one with the ultimate attempt of breaking his daughter’s heart. Literally. Most of the episode deals with the immediate moments after the first season ended and by any standards it’s a dark, grim way to begin. Of course a lot of what we see is illusion or dreams so the true condition of the regulars is not immediately clear but there were definitely moments when I thought we were going to end up with a smaller cast.

Relishing the role of Trigon, Sean Patrick Devar contrasts the character’s huge powers with an everyman approach that makes him seem even more menacing. As the Titans fall one by one you keep wondering how Rachel is going to stop her father. When she falls too, that is a real puzzler. In the end the answer was staring us in the face- good storytelling is often like an illusion where you divert the audience from something they might otherwise guess. So all this time we’ve forgotten that Gar can theoretically transform into any animal as the only one we’ve seen is a green tiger. The depiction of Trigon as a full, horned, hoofed beast is impressive considering how many times fantasy series have used similar iconography. There’s also an impressive overhead shot of him striding out leaving blackened ground in his wake while ravens drop out of the sky. It’s is Biblical to say the least.

After such a build the risk of anti climax is fulfilled with a somewhat brief confrontation between father and daughter. It also undermines the menace of the previous forty minutes for everyone to be back to casual banter later the same day. Apparently this was shot alongside season one which it was originally intended to conclude with but the decision was then made to hold it over. There are a couple of teasers to set up the rest of the season one of which involves our first sight of Bruce Wayne. It was a bit odd that whenever we popped into his house last season he was out but now we meet him in the steely form of Iain Glenn. He’s an older Bruce Wayne than you might expect though given the timeline of Dick being a teenager when they first met it fits in. Meanwhile it’s the new Robin who stacks up heaps of trouble for everyone by appearing in front of tv cameras to declare as only he can; “Titans are back, bitches!”

Episode 2 `Rose` introduces us to, er, Rose. They really need to sort out some interesting episode titles. She’s an eyepatch wearing blue haired individual who can leap across improbably spaces but like many of the characters has parental issues. As the Titans later discover her father is Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. He doesn’t sound pleasant. This is a talkier episode as Dick takes the younger kids to the old Titans lair in San Francisco- they call it Titan Towers but is that a generally known name? If so it is sort of advertising their not so secret base. It boasts the sort of interiors you see in Grand Designs suiting moody teenage superheroes with shadowy lighting, lots of cool tech and plenty of separate rooms to storm off too! Dick is not the best surrogate parent as he tries to keep the peace between the squabbling Titans and persuade Rose to stay for her own safety.

Its three villains for the price of one this episode with Kory and Donna dealing with Shimmer- the real point of these sequences is for the two actors to riff on pop culture and the aforementioned villain is soon dispatched. We also meet Doctor Light whose calling card sees light streaming from everywhere before the place, object or even person explodes. Hank and Dawn’s attempts to settle down are literally blown apart by this character meaning all the Titans, young and older end up back at the tower. There’s much to enjoy in these triple stories notably Anna Diop and Minka Kelly’s banter during the stakeout as well as Chelsea Zhang’s subtle performance as Rose which avoids predictability. The light effects are fantastic too.

`Ghosts` (better title, not quite so obvious!) sees the tensions and rivalries of last episode simmer most notably encouraging Jason to take matters into his own hands with a foolhardy attempt to stop Doctor Light. Some have found Curran Walters’ version of this character too unlikeable but that surely is the point. He brings a random very human energy the series needs and is a good counterpoint to the others. Incidentally I’m glad characters are allowed to swear in this show which avoids the need for inventively odd alternatives.

The plot is to some extent a holding operation- Deathstroke having stated he wants to test and separate the Titans which sort of explains a set piece confrontation in a stadium in which he gets the old Titans there and then just runs away! Much better is the end sequence where Jason and Gar are in a subterranean encounter that does not end well. I also enjoyed the sub plot in which Kori is summoned home by an emmissary of her home planet and they also have a personal connection. It’s a mature alternative to the main plot which is all macho posturing of one sort or another and shows Anna Diop’s acting range. I suspect this plays far better with older viewers, I’ve seen some reviews call this part of the episode boring but I think it adds a lot.

It’s a big ask to get an audience to care about a character enough across just one episode so that their death is a shocker and `Aqualad` works hard to do so but falls short. It is good to see the original Titans in action five years previously but the missions have to play second fiddle to the titular character’s attempts to woo Donna as she contemplates going back home. The script asks us to believe that Garth has been chasing Donna since they were twelve but somehow the dialogue is straight from one of those series about rich kids and their relationships. What the shock ending- well it’s a shock only in the way it happens because we knew it was coming – does is push the Titans into becoming more avengers than crime fighters. The episode might have worked better had it been shown before `Ghosts` so the impact of Deathstroke is harder, as it is you can see where this is going almost from the off.