Titans constantly surprised me. My expectations were low. All the advertising looked liked a high-profile gimmick. Grittiness, violence, cursing the Batman – I was not looking forward to an extension of the dark DC Film Universe. I had nothing to worry about. Titans gave me what I look for in any good superhero series: Strong story, compelling characters, and good fun. Fun – the most important thing to ask from any superhero film.
It’s true that this is a darker Dick Grayson than we’re used to. Brenton Thwaites’ Robin is angry, on edge, and probably a killer. He left Gotham because he was afraid he was becoming too much like former mentor Batman. He’s reluctant to put on the tights again because he enjoys hurting the villains. His fellow teammates are also far removed from their popular Teen Titans Go! personae. Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft) lives with a seemingly evil entity inside her, capable of killing whether she wants it to or not. Rachel is terrified by her power, and she does not want it. Croft’s angsty teen is countered nicely by Anna Diop’s Kory Anders. A victim of amnesia, Kory can’t wait to learn more about her solar powers. She’s also willing to do anything she has to in order to get the results she’s looking for. Despite Gar Logan (Ryan Potter) getting an entire episode about his morphing powers and past with the Doom Patrol, I feel like I know him least of all. The biggest impression he’s left on me so far is he’s kind of goofy.
The drama behind our heroes could easily turn the show into mopey soul-searching. That’s part of it, but the light-heartedness surrounding our core group saves the audience from the weight of 11 episodes of depression. The series never forgets that it’s a comic book. Take the Nuclear Family. Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister, they make up a group of brainwashed assassins on a mission to capture Rachel. They’re all replaceable. Dad dies, but it’s not long before a new one joins the group. They make a fun bunch of bad guys. They enjoy their jobs and go about murder and torture with an almost child-like glee. I also enjoyed seeing the Doom Patrol, and I found them very entertaining. Their episode left me excited about the spin-off series that is already in production. I wish we had had a little more of them, though. A lot of the joy came from seeing so many surprising DC characters done right. Batman’s new Robin, Jason Todd (Curran Walters) dropped by for a visit, and he’s just as cocky and annoying as Jason Todd should be. He also provided a lot of humor. The relationship between Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly) provides the heart of the series. The Titans’ story pauses in just the right spots in order to focus on the classic duo. If DC isn’t planning a Hawk and Dove spin-off, they’re missing out on a sure thing. Conor Leslie as Donna Troy/Wonder Girl made every scene she was in more exciting. We even – kind of – got a look at the Dark Knight himself.
Titans provides great characterizations of these heroes. I do wish their action scenes had been more memorable. Dick Grayson kicks a lot of ass in the series, and we’re treated to him beating a few villains to an unrecognizable, bloody pulp. Few things about any of the fight scenes stand out specifically, though. They’re a little run-of-the-mill, with nothing as fantastic as the great hallway fights in Daredevil‘s first season. Even when Titans is blatantly copying them.
The biggest problem with the first season is the final episode. The story builds nicely to a chilling cliffhanger in the season’s penultimate episode, then we’re jerked away into a poor excuse to give Batman a reason to make his presence apparent. It was great seeing Dick make his way back to Gotham – regardless of what plot device got him there – but I realized I was ultimately more interested in the entire group’s problems back in Detroit. The final tag that supposedly explained everything just wasn’t enough, and I feel a little cheated that I now have to wait until the next season to get a full explanation of what was going on with Dick. I’m sure I’d feel differently if I thought the final episode overall had had more to do with the big story.
This is definitely a story worth watching for any comic book fan, though. I can’t explain their movies, but DC gets most of their shows right. I still enjoy Flash, Arrow, and especially Legends of Tomorrow. I love Lucifer. I, Zombie is one of the funnest shows on television. I’m happy to add Titans to that list. DC also has Doom Patrol and Batwoman on the way and the advance word on both is they’re looking good. What they’re doing on the big screen just isn’t for me, so I appreciate the opportunity to see them doing quality work with all these characters I love so much. The movies coming out of Marvel Studios are far and away better than what DC is giving us right now. On TV, though, DC has Marvel beat at the moment. I wish I didn’t feel like they’re a little ashamed of that. I also wish they’d focus more effort into giving the audience what it wants on the medium that’s working best for them.
Titans is streaming on DC Universe.
