Spoilers Titans - DC Universe Series

[Nerys Myk]

Heyheyhey! That's Komand'r and Koriand'r!

Yeah, Wolfman was a *little* on the nose there... But in the comics, Komand'r is actually the oldest and was heir to the throne until a disease robbed her of the ability to fly and she was declared "unfit" (seriously). So maybe her name is her parents' fault.

I seem to recall a baby brother too... Ryand'r? @Nerys Myk ?

Sounds right.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Episode 5

Spoiler

Ok, so Jason was really dead. And was revived by a Lazarus pit.

 

[thribs]

A slightly better episode. So he’s been brainwashed by Scarecrow with that serum. That explains the more uncharacteristic sinister moments he’s doing. I don’t know if that’s really necessary for the character though

 

[Noname Given]

IMO - this is some of the best stuff the Berlanti productions group has done in the DC TV universe. I'm really liking this so far. We may not see Bruce Wayne in costume; but I like this take on the character too.

Spoiler

And it looks like Bruce really did end the Joker in that 'world'.

 

[marillion]

So there just happens to be a Lazarus pit under Arkham and Crane can just go there whenever, without the guards knowing? Is that somewhere in comics continuity? Just seems kind of plot-convenient.

 

[Noname Given]

So there just happens to be a Lazarus pit under Arkham and Crane can just go there whenever, without the guards knowing? Is that somewhere in comics continuity? Just seems kind of plot-convenient.

I didn't mind it. The building in the comics is over 100 years old and has its own somewhat weird history; so yeah, why wouldn't he put one there?

As to his freedom within Arkham, he's a master chemist with a penchant for making emotion controlling drugs, so yeah, him having something that makes guards less inclined to patrol certain areas, etc. didn't bother me.

Hell, in the comic various villains manage to fool the Arkham guards as a plot (both for a story/and the villain's own 'plot' ) as needed, so again, didn't mind it. YMMV.

 

[Nerys Myk]

IIRC, more than one villain has has a secret hideaway under Arkham

 

[Commander Troi]

Crane specifically says he's been a "model citizen", so he may have earned some freedom of movement. The comics have always said Ras put those pits all over the place, so why not there?

Curran is really impressing me as an actor!

It was painful watching Jason completely misinterpret Bruce's intent because it was so nicely realistic. We see a kid who has had a hard life and a lot of trauma, as well as the crappy self-esteem that comes with, and he sees Bruce's protective and loving choice as a judgement on his "weakness". Wow.

Now that we have the background, I can't wait to see where they're going with this.

 

[thribs]

This show is just bizarre. Besides Garth and maybe Connor, none of the characters act like they should. Dick Grayson robbing people with Barbara just for kicks is just a strange choice to make with him. He did not not need that.

 

[marillion]

Spoiler: Spoiler

Bat phone!

Love it. This show is sometimes off the charts, but I love some of the call backs!

 

[Enterprise is Great]

This show is just bizarre. Besides Garth and maybe Connor, none of the characters act like they should. Dick Grayson robbing people with Barbara just for kicks is just a strange choice to make with him. He did not not need that.

Dick was thinking with a body part other than his brain. Guys are dumb sometimes when it comes to women.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

As hyperviolent as this show is the GCPD are remarkably disciplined about opening fire.

This show is just bizarre. Besides Garth and maybe Connor, none of the characters act like they should. Dick Grayson robbing people with Barbara just for kicks is just a strange choice to make with him. He did not not need that.

I've started noticing that more and more with these types of shows. It almost like they've gotten so comfortable presenting the extraordinary that it's almost like they've started forgetting to have people react believably.

 

[JD]

I'm finally all caught up, and loving this season so far.
Crane and Jason have been great villains so far, and Barbara Gordon has been a nice addition the the cast. I'm liking Blackfire too.
Blackfire has to be up to something, I find it hard to believe she's being helpful without some kind of ulterior motive.
I liked getting the flashbacks to Dicdk and Barabars's early relationship, them being thieves was unexpected.
I wonder if Lady Vi slashing her leg had anything to do with Barbara missing the leg now? I know she made a refence to being shot, but it would be weird to make a point of showing her getting sladsed in the leg she's now missing, and not have it be related.

 

[Xerxes82]

Another absolute stinker of an episode. The only parts I liked were the Blackfire scenes.

Firstly, apropos of nothing whatsoever, both the actress playing Barbara Gordon and the actress playing Blackfire are absolutely gorgeous. With Anna Diop on screen a bunch as well, it was a least a fun episode to look at.

Some thoughts:
Not surprised Crane has dumped Jason. He was a tool for escape, nothing more. Looks like Jason going rogue is about to set Gotham ablaze. Lady Vic would have been more fun if she was an actual character instead of a prop. Conner got to save the day this time, finally. Crane is well played. And look, they remembered Tim Drake exists! If his dad dies I'm going to be grumpy, he's the Robin without tragedy, damn it. (I know that DC has changed that and angsted him up in recent decades, I was annoyed by that as well.)

One major nitpick that reflects on how little effort is put in by the people making this show: in the opening attack on the State Troopers, the female trooper is holding her gun in her right hand. Lady Vic throws the weapon at her, and it is shown to penetrate her right palm. This is physically impossible. Not only would the blade have had to pass through her fingers AND the grip of the weapon, but it would have to have been thrown perpendicular to it's path in order to strike her in that fashion. Absolutely slipshod and lazy work from everyone involved in the scene.

Blackfire was excellent. The way she looked at first Conner and then Dick. Thirsty! She's sassy and does seem to be genuinely trying. Which means, I presume, that she is either plotting or will get burned in some way and wind up on the side of villainy again shortly. Given the dialogue with Conner in the car, I'm going to guess that she steals Kory's fire somehow. That having been her secret plan all along.

I just don't get what the benefit of the thief backstory for Barbara is. Making her an unrepentant criminal makes sense how, exactly? And the hypocrisy on display when she then bitched at Dick over breaking rules was astoundingly tone deaf. I kind of feel like the writers throw darts at a board full of ideas and just roll with whatever comes up, because this feels so damn haphazard and directionless.

 

[Commander Troi]

This show is just bizarre. Besides Garth and maybe Connor, none of the characters act like they should. Dick Grayson robbing people with Barbara just for kicks is just a strange choice to make with him. He did not not need that.

Dick was thinking with a body part other than his brain. Guys are dumb sometimes when it comes to women.

Agreed. Dick was thinking with his... I'll leave that there.

I was thrown by it. I kind of get Barbara rebelling like that - preacher's daughters and so forth - and Dick going along because, well, see above. So then what changed? Was it the Joker shooting her? Did Bats catch them? There's more to the story. And honestly, Dick has a terrible track record with relationships, both in the show and the comics. I'm guessing it did not end well.

Some thoughts:
Not surprised Crane has dumped Jason. He was a tool for escape, nothing more. Looks like Jason going rogue is about to set Gotham ablaze. Lady Vic would have been more fun if she was an actual character instead of a prop. Conner got to save the day this time, finally. Crane is well played. And look, they remembered Tim Drake exists! If his dad dies I'm going to be grumpy, he's the Robin without tragedy, damn it. (I know that DC has changed that and angsted him up in recent decades, I was annoyed by that as well.)

Blackfire was excellent. The way she looked at first Conner and then Dick. Thirsty! She's sassy and does seem to be genuinely trying. Which means, I presume, that she is either plotting or will get burned in some way and wind up on the side of villainy again shortly. Given the dialogue with Conner in the car, I'm going to guess that she steals Kory's fire somehow. That having been her secret plan all along.

I'm interested to see how Jason deals with being used. Why steal unfinished no-fear drug and sell it? Just for chaos? The look on his face at the end (before he huffed the gas) was... complicated. He's definitely addicted to not feeling fear, which fits with his insecurities, but what else is going on?

It was nice to see Tim. I don't know what DC has done with him in recent years, but I also hope he doesn't end up with Dead Parent. That's so played out.

What else is Crane planning? It looks (so far) like he wants his no-fear gas all over the city. But what's the end game?

I was really happy with Connor in this episode. He got to save the day *and* use his brain to figure out what Crane might want the machine for *and* his natural curiosity and kindness led him to actually TALK to Blackfire instead of assuming things.

Blackfire is fascinating. In that era of TItans comics, most villains were rather nuanced and she was no exception. I'm glad they kept the "unfit for the throne because of a birth defect" (in the comics it was because she couldn't fly). And the thorny relationship of the sisters is spot on. I'm honestly not sure if she has a "secret plan" or if being locked up for X amount of time threw her for a loop. She's not so much "sassy" as entitled, which is appropriate for what we've seen/heard of their culture.

This was definitely an odd episode and a bit uneven. :rimshot:

 

[thribs]

So is this Molly character Jason’s love interest in the comics? I haven’t read any of his story since the New 52.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

That cheesy shot of Krypto shooting eye beams was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.

 

[Commander Troi]

Wow. I thought this week's episode was really good!

@thribs - I can't find anything about Molly anywhere else, so I think she was created for the show.

@Mr. Adventure - my husband and I laughed hysterically when Krypto did that!

Jason thinking he'd Done Well and trying to get Crane's approval back was really sad. That kid has Serious Issues. Of course, the Titans still think Jason is Crane's partner, so I don't see this ending well for Jason. However, Detective Gar is on the case! I really like what they've done with him. This Gar is far more mature and caring and smart than he was in the Titans comics that inspired this show.

Excellent interaction between Kory and Komand'r. Damaris Lewis continues to impress me - her expression when she asks Kory in the car if she wants to know why she killed their parents was almost heartbreaking. She really wants her sister to understand her. So, no secret plot (so far), just a woman who was almost killed by her own parents, then by her own people, who came to Earth to try to get Kory to come home with her and settle her people down a bit. Not an especially *nice* person, but not evil either. I'm not sure how I feel about her and Connor, but besides being gorgeous, I think he sees a kindred spirit in her - someone who doesn't quite "fit", someone with both light and dark in her nature.

I cheered when Blackfire got her new costume! It looks SO MUCH like her outfit in comics, but more sensible.

Then there's mob boss Valeska Nox... wow. Like Kory, I wasn't expecting that. Blackfire did though (and now we know why). Of all the mob family heads, only the other woman, Trina Holmes, seems to realize that it's crazy to trust Crane. Silly mobsters!

Crane's plot to get into Oracle (nice shoutout with the name), making Barbara shut the system down, was clever. However, she and Dick still know how to, y'know, *think*. I thought for a second we might see Mr. Freeze, but no. BTW, I was thinking that perhaps Oracle has a British accent because Bruce gave him Alfred's voice. Anyone else?

Then the ending... trying to put my thoughts in order here. Besides what we saw last episode, when I was a kid, Barbara was a little older than Dick and he had a horrible crush on her. I remember an issue of Teen Titans from the 70s where he poured his heart out... only to find she was asleep and hadn't heard a word. Many years later, the two got together and even got married in 2015. Then there were 2 reboots and it looks like they didn't put them back together. I'm torn, because while I like the Dick/Babs relationship, I'm also a big Titans fan and like the old Dick/Kory relationship too.

 

[thribs]

They are actually doing Tim properly. Him confronting Dick about him knowing he’s Nightwing is exactly how he was introduced in the comics.
That place Jason went to was weird. Some sort of voyeurism brothel where you can watch people have sex. I’ve never seen that before.

So his big plan is to put his fear toxin into Gotham’s water supply. Where have I seen that before?

 

[marillion]

They are actually doing Tim properly. Him confronting Dick about him knowing he’s Nightwing is exactly how he was introduced in the comics.
That place Jason went to was weird. Some sort of voyeurism brothel where you can watch people have sex. I’ve never seen that before.

So his big plan is to put his fear toxin into Gotham’s water supply. Where have I seen that before?

Yeah... Crane's plan struck a bit of an "ugh" moment with me too. I mean, it's a real world, viable concern. Introducing toxins into a drinking supply is a very real threat, so I guess it makes sense.

The peep show is old school porno. Back before the interwebs and adult video stores, you could go to businesses and watch a wide variety of pornographic material including stripteases and sex. You'd get a private booth, drop some money and the screen would rise revealing the show on the other side. Those of us who grew up with MTV might remember watching a Madonna video that featured this sort of thing. Also the Tubes "She's a Beauty" video featured this as a theme.