This was the moment we’ve all been waiting for since the series first premiered last fall. This episode had everything we ever wanted. And I was so blown away by how perfect that iconic transition was. Let’s take a deep dive because I just want to talk about it!
All Roads Lead to Elko
I do have to critique the choice in titles for these last couple episodes because they really could’ve focused on the bigger picture but its fine. So, Elko. Apparently, Bruce Wayne has more pull than anyone ever imagined because he somehow magically got all the ladies in a random diner in the middle of nowhere. Batman’s got pull.
After mansplaining to them that they need to put the Titans back together, he leaves in his very expensive car. I’m guessing he’s heading back to Gotham.
The thing is, the girls have no interest in getting the band back together. Donna and Dawn decide that Gar needs their help after getting kidnapped more than Dick, who’s in prison.
This is interesting because Dawn and Donna have known Dick the longest but it’s Rachel and Kory that are desperate to help him. It just goes to prove that the new Titans are much more of a family dynamic than the original team.
Rachel and Kory make it to the prison but by then, Dick’s already escaped on his own. Don’t even ask how because they don’t bother explaining. Truthfully, the only interesting thing about this entire plot device was the fact that Rachel kept having visions of Deathstroke killing Dick. I’m still not sure what any of that means given everything that they revealed in this episode.
Bird of Prey
We’ve been waiting almost two seasons for Dick to transition from Robin to Nightwing. This is the episode he finally graduates from being Batman’s sidekick. It just took a fever dream to get him to realize what he already knew.
I have to praise the stunt work on this show because how insanely cool was that fight between Dick and Bruce. It may have all been in his head but the emotional gravitas of that battle was very real. Dick was basically fighting his past. All the guilt he’d been carrying around, especially about Jericho, he seems to have finally let go.
And now that he has, he’s ready to become something better and stronger than he ever was.
Then there was the big reveal of the episode. Dick realized that Jericho is in fact alive. He also came to realize that there’s a mystery hostage somehow involved.
A Hostage Revealed?
This is where I was super confused.
In my review about Dick going to see Jericho’s mom, I mentioned how weird it was that Slade was in her house. I also found it weird that the two men didn’t try killing each other right there. They just came to a sort of truce.
This episode confused me even more because the figment of Dick’s imagination in the form of Bruce Wayne, opened his eyes to things he’d already figured out but did not want to admit. I still don’t understand how Jericho is alive but the show heavily implies that Rose is the hostage.
It is revealed that she’s been secretly working with Slade all along to get to the Titans. At the end of the episode she tells the villain to go fly a kite before tossing her phone in a pool so he can’t track her.
I guess she’s really starting to like Jason. And that’s probably bad news for the young sidekick. We all know Jason Todd’s fate and we don’t need the Clown Prince of Crime to carry it out if I’m being honest.
I honestly do not know what to expect after this episode. There’s only a couple of episodes left this season and literally nothing has been resolved. We should probably expect a major cliff hanger this season. Good thing the show’s already been renewed!
Cadmus has a new weapon
Now this might be an even bigger plot twist than the whole Jericho thing. After messing inside Gar’s head since they kidnapped him, Mercy Graves has done the unthinkable. She turned Gar into a literal weapon.
Most of the time Gar’s spent in the laboratory has been an illusion they’ve used to pull secrets from his mind. In the last illusion, we see Gar back at Titans Tower when Rachel shows up. At first, everything seems normal but then they reveal he’s still in the lab.
Mercy is watching and suddenly she’s using a musical cue to send the young kid into a murderous rage. Gar murders the scientist in the room that is pretending to be Rachel, which means he’s actually attacking one of his best friends in his head. Gar just became the most dangerous person the Titans might have to face. And with only two episodes left, I’m not entirely sure they’ll be able to rescue him by the time the season ends.
Highlights
- The shadow of bird wings on the prison floor as soon as Dick made the decision to escape. That was really fucking iconic. When I die, I want them to project that image on my tombstone. I couldn’t stop cheering when that happened!
- That fight sequence between Bruce and Dick is probably the best to come out of the entire series. A master class in stunt work!
- ‘Jericho is alive’ are three words that made my jaw drop. I’m not going to lie. Has the damn kid being orchestrating everything? Is he the villain of the story? Wouldn’t that be a hell of a plot twist?
- Rose and Jason are kind of cute. People really need to stop being such assholes about them. Let them live.
- Dawn’s music choice after a break up is spot on. I want her playlist for my own break-ups.
- Donna, I loved you last season but this season you’re a pain in the ass that I can do without.
- Poor Gar. I really just want to hug him.
- Where was Conner this week? Is he okay?
- Kory’s been through a lot. Her drunkenness this entire episode cracked me up though. My poor girl is a complete mess. Did she ever get her donuts though? This is a very important question.
- Rachel’s visions have to mean something. I’m just not sure what yet. I’m dying to find out though.
A new episode of Titans is available to stream every Friday only on the DC Universe app.
