Category: Show Reviews

Episode 7 of Titans — or “Asylum” — is a strange product. Along with “Together”, it’s probably a pretty good representation of what the show will be if it ever decides to actually be a show about the Titans, rather than a show about Dick Grayson. Yet it’s also more evidence for how truly thin the show’s plot is, despite it having so much potential.

The episode starts off on the right foot. We get a bit of insight from Adamson concerning what he and his group want with Rachel, as well as the knowledge that her mother (original, not adoptive) is alive and being held captive in a secret facility. Following this, mistakes are made, and the quartet find themselves captured and subjected to various types of torture.

This is where the episode starts to devolve. Kory and Gar are once again shortchanged in favor of a larger focus being placed on how these events affect Rachel and Dick, the prior of which at least makes sense in the context of the episode. We’re starting to see glimpses of what a confident Raven looks like and how her powers can be more than just a cloud of evil smoke. The methodical evolving of her character into a quietly terrifying force of nature is truly gripping and probably the high-point of the episode, if only because Gar’s development didn’t have the proper foundation leading into it. In fact, Episode 7 is a true testament to just how much Beast Boy has been neglected by the writers, squandering a truly devastating character arc for him in the process. The result of his torture is tragic and will likely last past the end of the first season, but the gravity of this is at odds with how little attention is paid towards it.

It’s still better than Kory being merely relegated to the body-horror portion of the proceedings. She gains nothing from the pain she endures, except for possibly the knowledge that she can heal quickly; but this isn’t “character development”, it’s “power development”. In reality, she’s just laying on a table for the majority of the episode. It’s like if Eli Roth did a “made-for-TV” movie; there’s no ultimate rhyme or reason for this character to suffer the way she does. That’s not a larger point being made either — like “sometimes there is no reason” — because everyone else has some sort of an attempt at character development accompanying their imprisonment. Even if Dick’s is the same thing they’ve been telling us for what seems like A THOUSAND EPISODES, there is still an objective at play.

And while all of this results in a neat climax, it kind of feels like any of the build we had for the show’s antagonist — what little there was — was just tossed aside. This seems like a definitive end to a story arc, which is incredibly confusing and unsatisfying. The show needed to have started really hammering us with a true villain two weeks ago, and instead, it looks like we’ll be starting from square one next week. I am legitimately stumped as to how we’re expected to have any sort of investment in a singular villain going forward. Why even bother at this point? If the show is really supposed to be what I felt like last week’s episode was (“Monster-of-the-Week”), then it should just lean into that. Don’t attempt this quasi-vacuum experiment in which the larger narrative only matters occasionally because, the fact of the matter is, the season isn’t long enough to do that.

Titans has so much potential, and every episode offers passing moments of that potential being realized. Which makes it so frustrating when the show continues to waste it so wantonly. This feels like such an easy fix, but it’s so ingrained at this point that it would take drastic measures to properly course-correct. For crying out loud, Dick Grayson is the main character of ANOTHER EPISODE next week! This show is called Titans, right?

5/10

Titans is released every Friday only on DCUniverse!

It’s been an interesting road for Titans up until now. With eleven episodes planned for the season, Episode 5 — or “Together” — marks the closest thing to a “half-way point” the show is going to have. So how does that point fare? Well, it’s nothing spectacular, but it does at least continue the trend of being “potato chips” (take a look at my review for Episode 4, if that throws you for a loop). That being said, there is one major slip-up that the episode makes that could very well irreparably damage the show as whole.

Before we get too carried away, however, let’s recap. Following a series of events, which include but are not limited to both blowing up a church and meeting a fully cognizant robot, all of our main players are now in one place. Dick takes this as an opportunity for the “team” become more familiar with their own abilities. There’s only one problem: a renewed Nuclear Family is hot on their trail. Suffice it to say, the results are explosive.

So let’s start with the good. First, the show is immensely more enjoyable when it has everyone in one spot. It feels more organic when a character is allowed to focus on more than one problem, something that becomes easier the more people someone can interact with. Granted, everyone sort of gets the short end of the stick compared to Dick Grayson, but they still have different stories building at the same time. Frankly, it adds some nuance to the decidedly straight-forward proceedings.

Without getting too close to spoilers, the choreography in this episode is quite good as well. Unlike the infamous alleyway fight from Episode 1, movement doesn’t feel as jerky or sped-up here. Camera cuts are fast, but not so fast as to be confusing. There is a slight dip in quality midway through one fight scene…a dip that, at least in terms of what this point entails, doesn’t really make a whole lot of narrative sense. However, even that is miles ahead of what we’ve seen up until now, and the quality also ramps back up after a brief interlude.

Now, what about the bad? Well perhaps the most pressing is that, at this point, the show seems to be meandering quite a bit. After Episode 3, it felt like we were on the cusp of getting some sort of answers, and I forgave the slow build-up to that point because of course you can’t have everything all at once. Yet, two episodes later, and we really don’t have any new knowledge in terms of the larger, overarching plot. On top of that, it doesn’t seem like the show even knows how or when it’s going to divulge something critical. The whole affair is somewhat of a confusing mess, and it feels like the writers are just going to keep stringing us along until Episode 9.

And as for my not-at-all-hyperbolic position of the show being in ruins due to ONE decision? Well, depending on who you ask, it may not be as doom-and-gloom as that, but it is indicative of a larger problem in terms of character-building. There is one interaction between two characters that, if you know anything about the source material, is not exactly a surprise, but is also done so haphazardly and hastily that you might get whiplash from seeing it. This is something, that if played right, would have been an easy home-run — something so expected yet hoped-for that it wouldn’t have mattered if it didn’t have the best lead-up. Instead, the writers opted for NO lead-up whatsoever. It’s a nonchalant rush to the finish, and it makes about as much sense as that phrase.

So, yes, Episode 5 is a glimpse at what the entire show is leading to — a fully-functioning Titans squad — and that’s very exciting. Despite all of the show’s problems when it comes to its script, CG, or just acting in general, it still knows how to relish in the fun of finally throwing all of its heroes together (sorry, I couldn’t resist). However, it still can’t seem to get past its extremely lacking writing quality and character development. In earlier episodes, it was just something to hopefully chalk up to growing pains, but as we approach that 60%-mark, the show desperately needs to find something to give us that’s more worthwhile than just, “These are the Teen Titans you know…with a twist!”

6/10

Titans is released every Friday only on DCUniverse!

“Third time’s a charm,” or so they say, and the third episode of Titans, titled “Origins” makes a pretty solid argument in favor of that. DCUniverse’s premier “belle-of-the-ball” had a bit of a rocky start, but it seems to have, thankfully, begun its upswing. Episode 3 still has a few problems, but they’re minor and ultimately inconsequential.

In “Origins”, we pick up immediately where we left off at the end of Episode 2, with the fallout of The Nuclear Family’s attack on our heroes being the jumping point. From there, however, the show starts to dive into what seems to be the crux of the season, “Who is Rachel Roth?” While much of the info that we’re given isn’t exactly new for comic fans, it is nonetheless exciting to be exploring a central plot and committing to moving the story forward.

While it abandons the more focused lens that was present in Episode 2 in favor of returning to showcasing multiple team members, the direction doesn’t feel as hectic and scattered as it did in Episode 1 either. Nothing feels out of place or random, and transitions between characters are much more cohesive. This makes for a good pace and the episode never really feels like it’s dragging.

The last two episodes haven’t done much in terms of forward momentum, but Episode 3 really pushes the narrative; it’s very much a welcome relief to be moving away from thin exposition. Plot details come fast and characters feel fully realized, rather than the vague, one-note standees that they have been. Motivations make sense, reactions are understandable, and everyone finally takes a beat to somewhat digest the situation with the viewer.

Much of the plot movement can be attributed to Kory Anders (a.k.a. Starfire) being present in a more significant way and not just murdering some Russian thugs. Anna Diop’s off-kilter, amnesiac version of the character is a little strange at first, but the approach is different and promises something interesting for the future. In fact, all three of the main characters that are on display in Episode 3 (Beast Boy only makes a brief appearance, once again) are at their best in terms effectiveness. Dick gets the short end of the stick, but he does get some interesting flashbacks that further flesh out his childhood.

It’s not all perfect – the horrendous CG makes a return appearance and even somehow manages to be laughable this time around. Think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which came out in 2001, and that’s the quality we’re getting now – with a new show – in 2018. The script is still tripping over itself as well, though the cringe-worthy dialog isn’t as prevalent as it has been. At some points, it actually seems to relish in the idea of being in so-bad-it’s-good territory, but overall, hits somewhere between “serviceable” and “inoffensive”.

None of this was bad enough to make me stop watching, however, or even make me stop enjoying myself. If the rest of Titans is at least the minimum quality that Episode 3 has established, there’s a lot to look forward to every Friday now.

8/10

Titans is released every Friday only on DCUniverse!