Titans: Season 2 Premiere
Note: This article will contain spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Titans.
When DC Universe was first announced, there was only one thing that I really cared about getting it for: Titans. If you’ve been reading my work since the beginning, you know I’m a fanatic of superhero media. Whether it’s an Amazon Prime series, the CW shows, or even the DCEU, I’m a lover of everything superhero. Titans has always had a place in my heart as I watched the original animated series religiously (don’t tell anyone this but I really wanted to be Robin). I really loved the family dynamic of the characters and the way it truly was a coming-of-age story for many of the characters and how they can lean on each other to grow. So, when I heard there was going to be a live-action Titans series, I was ecstatic. For a while though, it seemed like it would never come out as it was in development hell, but it finally did and even though it was a bit dark, it was everything I wanted from it and with the potential for even more. Now, with season 2 promising to lighten the tone slightly, and truly introduce the Titans, there’s a lot of expectations that this show has to live up to.
You may know the story behind this premiere but for those that don’t: the majority of this was filmed to be the finale for Season 1, and for the first two-thirds of the episode, you can really see it. Feeling more like the closing of an arc rather than the start of something new, this episode focuses primarily on Trigon in a way that we all know ends with his demise. That’s unfortunate from a viewing perspective because it means that for that portion of the episode, the viewer isn’t engaged. Overall, Trigon’s arc feels half baked, and more of a way to grow Rachel as a character in a way Trigon really shouldn’t be. Along with this, the overwhelming sense of despair that this episode gives off is undermined by a large majority of the ad material that led up to this premiere. It’s an unfortunate circumstance that probably couldn’t have been avoided other than releasing the majority of this episode with the finale of season 1.
From a story perspective, there’s a lot of beats we’re expected to accept quickly in order to set up the season in a good way, and some of the work, while others just don’t. One of the best is the continuing relationship between Raven and Dick, as their connection is ultimately how they end up being able to save one another. Brenton Thwaites and Teagan Croft have excellent chemistry on screen, and not in a romantic way, but of a sibling bond. In fact, that’s what I would say carries the majority of the wrap up of the Trigon arc. But once that ends, Titans really begins anew in a way that I expected but didn’t know I desperately wanted.
The moment of the episode, in fact, comes at that two-third mark, arriving at Wayne Manor, we’re given an excellent conversation between an older Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson about taking stock of your past, accepting that it happened and it’s not who you have to be. Dick has let go of that pain and baggage he’s carried for so long, recognizing Bruce didn’t want to weaponize his anger but push it away so he could be happy and not wallow in it. Iain Glen is excellent here, and for a first scene, it still feels very impactful. I’m curious if we’ll end up seeing more of him through the season though as Jason Todd, his new Robin seems to be playing a starring role in the new season. There was even mentions of the Justice League and Superman, so perhaps we could hear more easter eggs dropped by him.
With the end of the episode setting up the introduction of Slade Wilson, and the true Titans team, there’s a lot of promise for what is to come, but I’d be lying if I said a good portion of the episode wasn’t disappointing. The end result though is truly what matters in the grand scheme of the season. Next week we’ll get to see our first true look at the future of Titans, and I’m excited for what is to come from it. There’s plenty of questions I still have though, as there’s a tease of a previous Titans teams that failed, and a lot of the footage from the trailers feel connected to that team. Perhaps there’s still more to come with that, or it was footage to throw fans off the scent. Either way, Titans seems to be in a good place moving forward, and the best is surely yet to come for this team.
