DC’s Titans
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| Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max |
Greg
Berlanti, Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns (creators)
Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Teagan Croft (cast)
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| Courtesy of HBO Max |
In DC’s
Titans Season 4, Part 1, the titular team is desperate to return home to
San Francisco, but they keep getting stuck in Metropolis. Nothing wrong with Metropolis,
except for the emergence of one Lex Luthor (Titus Welliver), and the new magical
villain Mother Mayhem (Franka Potente) who is intent on capturing a meek geek
named Sebastian Sanger (Joseph Morgan). Try as the team might, they can’t escape
the city because bad things keep happening.
Dick Grayson/Nightwing
(Brenton Thwaites) is probably the most settled he’s been as team leader. He’s
made peace with his past and effortlessly takes care of his majority young charges.
It helps that he doesn’t have to contend with teammates constantly questioning
his actions and motivations. And he has a co-pilot in Kory Anders/Starfire
(Anna Diop); she brings an assuredness to the team dynamic that was missing
before. But Kory has new, unknown powers that she’s trying to understand. Not to
mention a few visits from a Tamaran colleague that’s making her question her
role on Earth.
Most of
the team faces a range of personal challenges that affect their abilities. Conner
Kent (Joshua Orpin) is dealing with an identity crisis thanks to his heritage;
Rachel Roth/Raven (Teagan Croft) is dealt a challenging hand partway through the
season; Garfield Logan/Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) has visions and blackouts, while
Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo) is insecure about his place on the team since he’s only
just begun his training.
All this
takes place against the backdrop of sudden demonic deaths that rattle the team.
Magic is not the team’s strong suit (Rachel is the only one with a connection
to magic), so Dick recruits a former antagonist, Jinx (Lisa Ambalavanar), to
help them out.
Season 4,
Part 1 is one of the more cogent seasons of DC’s Titans so far. The cast
is huge, with the main Titans working with new supporting characters and fighting
a new villain. It’s gory as all hell. So much blood everywhere. Also, magical
snakes bursting out of people. It’s disgusting stuff, but the story is so compelling,
as are the characters, both old and new.
I feel
like this has been the funniest season of the show so far. Despite the high
stakes and general murderous nature of the villains, there are lighter moments
that have had me laughing out loud. The character interactions are also some of
the strongest the show has had.
Dick and
Kory have an easy chemistry that reflects the past that they’ve shared and a
future that we anticipate they’ll have. I also like that Dick is much gentler
and understanding towards his wards (Rachel, Gar, Conner, and Tim are kinda like
his wards at this time), encouraging them to be their best selves. There’s a
lot less tension among the characters—before things take a turn for the worst,
of course. The Titans actually feel like a team this season. There’s banter,
there’s camaraderie; they’re looking out for each other.
Instead of
loud declarations of friendship, we see subtle character moments like Kory patting
Tim’s shoulder when he’s down, or two characters fist-bumping because of a
romantic moment. Also, the romantic
subplot is just adorable, and I’m hoping it continues (spoilers in the
link). The performances are lighter, sillier, and a little more authentic. All six
episodes have been a delight. Aside from the main cast, Morgan has been such a
revelation playing Sebastian—he’s so timid and unsure of himself, and yet we
know his persona will be completely different when the second half of the
season airs. My favourite so far has been Ambalavanar as Jinx. She’s a breath
of energetic, irreverent fresh air. Jinx’s dynamic with Dick is hilarious—I like
that he’s off-kilter around her, but she’s not stepping beyond his boundaries.
I’d genuinely love to see more of Jinx on this show.
Most of
this review is about the characters because they’re the biggest draw for me when
watching DC’s Titans. I don’t forgive all the show’s flaws, but I have
loved many of these characters in the comics, so seeing them on screen is a
thrill for me. Seeing them in good stories is even better!
I’m concerned that I’m so excited for DC’s Titans to return. I loved the first half of Season 3, but felt the second half fell away with haphazard writing. I hope that won’t be the case here. I think there is certainly going to be a shift in tone and possibly even the setting of the second half, but if the plot remains as gripping and the characters are just as fun to watch, I’m all in.
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