“Fuck Batman.” The words were on comic fans’ lips after it was first heard in the trailer for Titans. What better way for DC to show us this series is different. The fun and playfulness of Flash and Supergirl are largely missing here. This show is dark and gritty. This show is dangerous and violent. I don’t expect Titans to come out with a musical episode. This show has cursing. The line came off as little more than an attention-getting stunt in the trailer. We get it. There are now R-rated superhero movies and Titans has to push the envelope to get noticed. I was ready to write the show off as a cheap grab for controversy and publicity. Thankfully, Titans was good and it earned the right to say “Fuck Batman.”
That particular line comes after the first noteworthy action sequence. Dick Grayson had left Gotham City a year before and Robin was presumed missing or dead. Gassed by the Joker is one speculation. But Dick was just laying low while he found himself a position in the Detroit PD. Fed up with the city’s crime, Dick once more dons Robin’s outfit and finds a rowdy gang of no-goodniks. When they recognize Robin they naturally assume Batman is near by. Dick proves he can handle things without the Dark Knight and after a good thrashing he utters the now famous line. The scene worked beautifully. I laughed as the villains were searching the sky for the Bat. I really enjoyed Robin’s beat down. Then the terrific follow-up when we discover Detroit doesn’t want any vigilantes in its city limits. It all served as a nice set-up for what we can expect out of the series.
Brenton Thwaites looks like Dick Grayson to me. I was almost immediately taken with him. Whatever anger he has toward Batman isn’t just resentment. He expresses his worry that he’s becoming too much like his mentor. At the same time it’s obvious that he’s worried about what’s happening to his mentor. Dick has a way with minors in trouble, and it comes across as natural and sincere. As it should, given his history. And he’s able to portray the need to be a Caped Crusader without making it look like a cliché. For the first time on film we have – all due respect to Burt Ward – a Dick Grayson we recognize from the comics. A Dick Grayson who has graduated from the Batcave and can get the job done himself. I also suspect he’ll be taking on the identity of Nightwing before too long.
Of course, the Titans aren’t a team yet. Most of the episode focuses on two of the future teammates. Teagan Croft is Rachel Roth, soon to take on the name Raven. She’s a teenager with something powerful living inside her. She has an extremely bad day in this first episode and Croft doesn’t get any time to relax. She plays trauma after trauma like a seasoned pro. I’m anxious to see more from this talented young lady. Anna Diop is Kory Anders. She enters the series with amnesia – no doubt forgetting that she’s Starfire – and does some excellent detective work to get a lead on herself. She also doesn’t come across as very trustworthy, which just tickles me. My favorite moment in the whole show was her introduction. Awakening in a bullet-riddled car with no memory and still being chased by some bad dudes, and all the while Tavares’ “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” plays. Kory is an early contender for my favorite character. The final scene of the episode also introduces us to Garfield Logan (Ryan Potter), otherwise known as Beast Boy. A green tiger morphs into a young man, and by that point I was hooked.
The episode had its flaws. It’s too dark for one thing. The producers of these types of shows need to learn that “dark” doesn’t mean too dark to see. And I’ve noticed an odd trend in scoring lately. I’m hearing too much of the same synth music that was featured in too many ’80’s movies. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. Sherilyn Fenn is Melissa Roth, Rachel’s adopted mother. She’s that same tired Crazy Evangelical Lady that I’ve seen in so many of Stephen King’s stories. I was leery of her at first, but that problem solved itself about halfway through the episode. Above all, though, I was intrigued, I had fun, and I wanted more. Which leaves us with the question that has been asked time and time again: Why can’t DC do the same quality productions on the big screen that they’re so successful with on TV? I’m still waiting for an answer.
Titans is streaming on DC Universe. New episodes premiere every Friday.
