This week’s Titans introduced us to a new DC sidekick and one of Dick Grayson’s oldest friends. Donna Troy AKA Wonder Girl made her live action debut in the freshman series and she did not disappoint. Keep on reading to find out how I fell in love with the actress who plays her.
Donna Troy, the new love of my life
I can admit when I know very little about a comic book character. Donna Troy was never really on my radar. After watching this episode, however, I want to go back and read as much as I can about her, because she’s won me over completely.
Conor Leslie (The Man in the High Castle) is a breath of fresh air in this role and she stole every scene. Chewing up all the scenery, her portrayal of this iconic role is sure to satisfy longtime fans of the character.
As Wonder Girl, Donna was mostly known as Wonder Woman’s sidekick. Now she’s her own woman and taking down the criminal underbelly of poachers one photograph at a time.
As a photo journalist, Donna has come to realize she can do more good with her civilian alter ego than her superhero code name. All I know is that I loved every moment with her and I want more of her as the series continues.
Dick Grayson is socially awkward and it’s adorable
Dick decides that he needs to leave the team in order to find himself. After what happened in the asylum and burning the Robin suit, he’s trying to figure out who he is. That leads him to Donna’s doorstep. The two were friends growing up because as Dick put it, her mom worked with his dad sometimes.
I love that Dick is openly calling Bruce his dad now. After weeks of pent up anger at Bruce and Batman, Dick has finally embraced the fact that this man is his family and he always will be.
Donna took him to her art gallery in this episode and he had a really hard time blending in, which is hilarious because it’s completely the opposite of Bruce Wayne’s expertise at blending in. This show continues to show us how different both men are despite being so alike.
Some of the best scenes of the episode where actually when Donna was making fun of Dick. Their sibling like rivarly and close bond is a highlight of this season. I hope she sticks around for Dick’s sake.
The rest of the team are on their own – with Rachel’s mom
After watching Dick drive away, the team hops on a train bound for Ohio where Rachel’s mom promises to have a safe house. The trip is seemingly uneventful until Kory is recognized by a US Marshall. Not realizing what they’re up against, the authorities try to detain her on the tracks.
She’s of course able to get away using her fire powers but I’m pretty sure this isn’t helping her case at all.
They finally make it Rachel’s mom’s house where Rachel offers to help Kory heal her mind. She’s been getting quick flashes of her memories but it’s still not enough to know who she is.
Rachel has some sort of breakthrough but that may not be a good thing because Donna figures out a dangerous secret that sends her and Dick on a cross country trek to find his friends.
What was Starfire’s mission?
While messing with Dick’s phone, Donna finds the photos he took in Kory’s storage unit. She instantly recognizes the language as an old dialect that she learned about on Themyscira. Translating the text, she tells Dick that his friend Kory’s mission statement was to secure the Raven. That could mean that Kory was sent to earth to kill Rachel.
While Donna is reading the text, we watch as Kory comes out of Rachel’s trance with glowing eyes and wraps her hands around the young girl’s throat.
I know Starfire is not a villain in the comics. And I wonder if this mission statement is being properly translated. Still, it doesn’t look good for Kory right now and I can’t imagine that Dick or Gar will let her hurt Rachel.
Nightwing Teased
In one of my favorite conversations so far, Donna and Dick are talking about their mentors over a couple beers. She tells him that she was able to find herself as Donna and that she hasn’t quit being a hero. She’s just doing it in a different way now. Donna tells Dick that Diana filled the hole in her life with love and family because that was the way of the Amazons. But Bruce filled the hole in Dick’s life the only way he knew how, through rage and violence.
Dick is adamant that he doesn’t want to be like Batman and he can no longer be Robin, which Donna gets. So she tells him to figure out how to be someone else.
This is the most blatant nod to Nightwing that the show has given so far. It makes me think that Dick will take up the mantle before the season ends or at least play with the idea of a new name sooner than later.
I’m really curious to see how he picks the name Nightwing on the show. This entire series is basically his origins story so that moment will likely be one of the most powerful scenes of the entire series and I can’t wait for it.
Highlights
- Dick and Kory aren’t even trying to hide the fact that they’re sleeping together and I love that.
- Gar and Rachel talking about them and Gar asking if it’s like talking about your parents was hilarious.
- Rachel hugging Dick right before he left. I love this father-daughter duo more than anything.
- Kory and Gar bonding on the train ride was adorable. I like that he was able to open up about what he did as a tiger to her. I wanted to see him talk about it and she was the perfect person to talk about it with.
- Gar officially has a crush on Rachel but it’s definitely too soon for that romance to blossom. I hope they pump the breaks on it for now.
- Drunk Gar was the cutest thing I have ever seen.
- I still don’t trust Rachel’s mom and I don’t know why. TV really has given me trust issues. I hope she’s one of the good ones for Rachel’s sake though.
- Older, smarter, prettier is my new life motto. Thank you, Donna Troy.
- Donna and Dick have the coolest friendship. I like that it’s completely platonic. They really are like siblings.
- I loved the flashback of Dick and Donna talking about a failed mission with the Joker.
- That Justice League reference had me screaming.
- Dick calling Bruce his dad to a complete stranger completely melted my heart.
- Kory is still fierce as hell even though I don’t know if I should trust her at the moment.
- I really love Donna Troy and I can’t say that enough. Give her a spin off where she’s a photo journalist taking down criminals. If I’m not going to get the Lois Lane show that they promised me then at least give me this.
A new episode of Titans is available for streaming every Friday on the DC Universe app. Here’s a look at next week’s episode featuring the highly anticipated return of Hawk and Dove:
