Titans Season Three Discussion - Contains Spoilers!

this is gonna be rant so you don’t have to read the whole thing but I need this for my emotional well being so here it is.

It is currently august 12th at 4:14 pm and I am shocked. Like I literally can’t comprehend things rn, my heart is beating weirdly, and my mouth can’t close all the way bc it’s hanging open bc it literally can’t close bc i’m so shocked. You want to know why I’m shocked to the point of it being physical? I’ll tell you why, ■■■■■■■ titans. The first three episodes of titans season three premiered today and as one sane human does, I watched them. And let me tell you what I was not prepared. Titans in the past have been lacking to say the least. There was shitty dialogue, some of the things that happened in the plot honestly made no sense (yes I’m referring to donna’s death which could of totally been avoided). But despite that reputation, season three was made out to be a banger. So when going to watch the episodes i had high hopes but nothing and i mean nothing, not even god himself coming down from the sky and telling me to get ■■■■■■■ ready could of prepared me for this. it was a masterpiece like it should be hanging in a ■■■■■■■ museum masterpiece.

the first episode started off a little weak to be honest but i feel that was purposely done so you would lower your guard and then be ■■■■■■■ bamboozled in the next two episodes. I feel like they did a good job with the whole jason dying thing without doing the whole shabang like they did in the comics. and trust me like any comic fan I get heated when they stray from the comics but doing the whole murder bat thing. Literal chefs kiss. I mean I think that set the tone for the whole season. Barbara was amazing. I think that she had the right viewpoint of the whole superhero life especially when you find out that Jim was killed by mr.freeze (also a nice touch bc i seem like having jim die of a regular old heart attack does him dirty). Her and dicks relationship was also fun to watch bc you can tell that there was something there between them but not enough that it overshadows the whole thing. Tim, my soft boy angel fan boy. He will be protected at all cost, and I swear if the titans writers do him dirty there will be hands thrown.

I screamed when the whole crime gang members (whatever they’re current occupation is) showed up and the red hood threw the bag of heads on the table. I’m so glad they included it bc that is what sets the tone for red hood. He’s not afraid to get dirty and he takes no ■■■■. I was a little confused though bc i was wondering how the hell jason came back to life so fast. In the comics it takes a few years so I thought that they were going to wait at least an episode or two so time has gone by to introduce him but no they just smack him right in the center and I’m here for it. You know why I’m here for it? bc curran walters (the dude who plays Jason) and the writers did such a good job portraying jason that i do not give a single ■■■■ about how he got brought back to life, all i care about it seeing more of him. I was iffy when he started going to all the extremes like taking the children and stuff bc i feel like comic jason wouldn’t do that but i think that’s the point. The writers are telling the readers that this isn’t the jason you know, not from the past two seasons and not from the comics. they went to the extreme and boy did it work.
The ending fight between red hood and nightwing another chef’s kiss it was perfect. when red hood literally just yeets aside nightwings batarang, and then literally catches his escrima stick (all it is, is iconic) you can tell that these are two people who have been trained by the same person which i think is one of the most important things to highlight with red hood fight scenes. Then when nightwing breaks his mask and he slowly picks it up and you see it’s jason, oh my god i got chills. the look on his face just shows that he has been through some ■■■■ and he is done with taking it and that is literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. crane being a pothead is the storyline that I didn’t know I needed but now that I have it, I cannot live without it. I feel like the fact the scarecrow is an almost genius level psychologist gets overlooked due to the whole you know being crazy thing, and i really liked how the writers made sure we were reminded of that. bc being crazy is one thing but being a genius level crazy person is a whole other playing field, and i’m really excited to see how that plays out.

jason is a mother**** but he’s a good mother**** and that is what made episode three so damn good (also the ending but I will talk about that later). You knew the whole time he was talking to hank that he was screwing with him but you didn’t know what extent so instead of yelling at hank so being so stupid i was on the edge of my seat fixtated on how it was gonna turn out, and boy was i shook. I could come up with a hundred things that jason could do to hank and what actually happened would not be one of them. It’s not the fact that it was a bomb in his chest bc let’s be honest been there done that, it was the fact that it was in sync with his heartbeat that really got me bc talk about original (or at least I thought it was original, if you’ve seen it done before, don’t come for me for being uneducated). okay let’s talk about the ending of episode three bc oh my freaking god that is what I was most shook about. I did not see that coming. I was so sure that there was no way in hell that they were going to actually kill him off. and the fact that jason tricked dawn into pressing the detonator ughh pure brilliance. I think what made this death even more of a bomb to the heart (pun definitely intended) was that we saw another side of hank. the part where he’s talking to gar and he tells him that it’s not his time to go, and that he has a lot more things he needs to do just made it even more heartbreaking bc he was right!! it was not hanks time to die and everyone knows it.

wow that was a lot but so were the first three episodes but anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk I hope you’re not as emotionally damaged as I am after watching the first three episodes

9 Likes

I’ve been similar to you in terms of being mixed on the series especially looking back at Season 2 and honestly didn’t plan on giving this Season a shot but said ‘why not?’ Got HBO Max for The Suicide Squad and Titans is sitting right there.

Overall I think the writers did a much better job in these 3 episodes of showing the comradery with the team than they did last Season which would make sense at this point.

On the contrary I thought the first episode started strong but did feel the drag later on since it was mostly set-up.

Wasn’t too much ‘ugh’ dialogue so far, just some parts that came off weird but not enough to ruin it overall for me.

“If” Beast Boys role for the Season is to be someone who comes in and out of interactions and maybe turn into an animal that’ll be a little better compared to last Season where he was asleep for several episodes then got kidnapped and brain washed for several more… I still don’t expect them to give him a story arc of value tbh but we’ll see.

The now established dynamic of him and Superboy being like the actual kids of the group is pretty entertaining guess it’s kinda the shows version of Beast Boy and Cyborg.

As far as Red Hood I wondered how they’d make him a challenge for Nightwing since besides his guns he doesn’t seem to or shouldn’t have an advantage as Dick is the more skilled fighter and even Jason said Bruce always said Dick was better with the toys… but boy the ending of Episode 3 shows that tricky side that could be very dangerous. There are some aspects to his turn that don’t make sense to me but maybe they’ll expand on those we’ll see.

Maybe it’s the long Covid break between Season 2 and 3 that at this point I’ve been tired of Hank & Dawn still being here and didn’t care whenever they’d argue with each-other in these episodes. I’ve always had an issue with Hank in general still being here considering what they wrote back in Season 1 shows he shouldn’t be a Hero anymore but it was still sad and shocking… and dark… but crazy in a cool dramatic way how he went out. RIP. One of the best superhero deaths imo.

That scene was also so sad for Dawn so I am reinvigorated at least to see through the rest of her arc for this Season. Curious though if the gold robbery will even matter in terms of the City now seeing Dove as a criminal. Considering the writing for the series completely dropped plot-points of Starfire being wanted by the FBI, Dick being wanted by the Police, Gar also being wanted + Superboy and Krypto being wanted… that’s why when she jumped the truck I thought “OH!!.. well… this probably won’t matter since next season they’ll ignore consequences and wipe the slate clean again…”

These episodes really reminded me just how ‘not’ into Ian Glen’s Bruce Wayne I am with the show still trying to convince me he’s actively Batman. But good news is now Hank and Bruce are gone so two of three characters I had an issue with - * poof *.

Overall the best thing this Season could’ve done is get me intrigued to keep watching and especially with the 3rd episode the show fulfilled that.

7 Likes

Wasn’t too surprised with Hank’s death (in general - the specific way it messed with Dawn is something different). The actor has a new gig as the lead in the Jack Reacher series.

10 remaining episodes and Blackfire and Red Hood to deal with.

Will Tim not only figure out Bruce is Batman but also track him down.

5 Likes

I have an extreme mix of emotions… but you can not tell me that things are not getting intense, because holy :poop:! As OP mentioned, I was really excited that they still had certain iconic parts to the Under the Red Hood story, but its a nice retelling of it because it’s with Grayson, rather than playing it with the Batman vs. Jason conflict the story normally has. To me, it is more believable that Dick would need a minute and more evidence before realizing that it was Jason. I’m also glad that the “mystery” was not a long drag out, because I’ve seen complaints of that in the past; it happens when you retell a story so many ways.

I’ll admit, this version is darker, even I had to look away at a certain part, but thats what the show is going for and, let’s be honest, the early days of Red Hood are dark. One of the most important things about being a fan of Jason Todd is understanding that Jason is not a traditional good guy, he is a sociopath (specifically one with morals, can’t think of the name of it currently), he has done bad things in the past, and as much as I may love his character, he has done things that I would never do or wish to be done to someone else. As a fan I have to acknowledge that Jason Todd is not as sunshine and rainbows like Tumblr makes him out to be, and I have to remember at which point of his life does he do these things. It may not justify it in the end, but when you take a look at his character today in comics, he has toned down a bit, and now anytime he does kill someone, he doesn’t handle it the way he would have in the past. In the comics it’s easier to justify his method because normally his victims are criminals themselves, no one would have sympathy for a bad guy such as Black Mask or people that sell drugs to kids on the street. Titans is obviously taking things to a whole new level though, I’m not used to Jason kidnapping kids to get what he wants. This could be an interesting version of his character to see, and one of the perks of being a Jason fan is analyzing his character… it’s actually a fun hobby. One thing that I am the most curious about is the transition from villain to anti-hero, since that is what he is now. Will the level of violence and wrong deeds equal the same amount of emotions, regret, and potential remorse this Jason will have if Titans does allow him to have the typical change of heart he has post UTRH. Its one of the things I loved about the Death in the Family movie, different paths let you see different ways his character would act and what would become of him. After killing off one of the main characters (which I myself am still processing)… I can not wait to see how things will go. And just a reminder before internet trolls accuse me of being in love with a serial killer, Jason Todd is a fictional character… mkay? Mkay. (Its the internet, always gotta be prepared, anti-Jason Todders can be vicious sometimes).

One final thought… I love Curran Walters… 110%. He is doing a really good job with this villainy take on the character. Not gonna lie, he had me there when he sounded and looked vulnerable when he was over the phone with Hank (RIP), I was genuinely thinking that it had to do with his Chem experiments affecting him (which I have no idea what that’s about but we shall see).

Ahem… yeah… I love Curran, but everyone here already knew that. :blush:

6 Likes

Okay, now that I’ve gotten sleep, its not 2 am and I’ve had coffee, my brain is theorizing about this. I’m blurring it for those that don’t want to see any potential predictions (especially if I am onto something here) and just want the experience of waiting to find out. Again, this is all a theory.

Part of me wonders if it is some sort of anti fear toxin. There’s an episode of BTAS where Scarecrow decides to turn the tables and releases an anti fear toxin, in which victims are no longer afraid of their fears, but their behavior and actions still have consequences and can be dangerous (such as a person no longer afraid of heights dying from free falling). It wouldn’t be surprising that Jason would have access to the formula for Scarecrow’s fear toxin, especially since he is an established villain with history in the show. Of course Batman would have the formula saved in the Batcomputer, since he has had to make an antidote before. That said, maybe Jason was trying to figure out a way to make a version of it but for anti fear, and he takes a small doseage of it. As for the reason, his PTSD. Its apparent that in episode 1 he is still struggling with it and he’s scared that it would stop him from doing his job as Robin, and he obviously wants to be better to prove himself.

But that’s just a theory… a film theory!

4 Likes

Watched them last night and man just… wow.

The opening with the Gizmo take down was fun. Classic Titans stuff. Didn’t expect to see Giz so that was school.

It kicks off with the famous crow bar. And it’s all crazy from there.

Bruce this version of a Bruce that’s lost it all. No Alfre Jim and now Jason with Babs and him not in the best terms and Dick gone he was alone. And an alone Bruce is not good as it leave him alone to wallow in his trauma which eventually lead to his break. The Robin cameos were cool.

Beast Boy was kind of doing his thing. Misses Raven wants to get more with his powers and of course wanting to be the star​:sweat_smile:. His friendship with Connor is nice. Cool to see Connor doing his thing and the tech guy was interesting but makes sense being part Lex.

Tim was cool. A fan just living his life. And how Jason’s death shocked him. Wonder how hill Robin up :thinking:.

Kory seems to be happy for the most part of heroing and mentoring and enjoying her life then the visions come. Is it something with Jason or Blackfire. Did Blackfire have something to with Jason​:thinking: also her DITF line was fun :sweat_smile:.

Babs as the comish was cool. Tried to stray away from bating. Telling it like it is to Bruce like she does. Fun thing though during the first two episodes (watching it with the family) we were trying to guess if she had one leg or were they just crossed the whole. Gave us a chuckle that during all this serious story stuff were focused on how many legs she has :sweat_smile:. But a nice version of Babs here cool it wasn’t a one in done thing.

Scarecrow [spoiler]
was cool. A fun adaptation of an older scarecrow that’s done it all. Wonder where it will go with him.

Dick is doing his thing. In the shadows lead the team. Trying to help the best he can. Cool fights with him and such.
[/spoiler]

Hawk and Dove. Still having relationship troubles. Hank coping it with Tod with one D :sweat_smile:. Hank going rouge and it leads to the bomb. His death got me. I thought it would have been a trick to kill Dawn and Jason deactivates the bomb last minute but Dawn get it. But they kept instead she killed him. All the reactions and Krypto being the best staying until the end. Man just wow what a start.

As for Jason.
This is cool. First off the some nice homages to UTRH were cool. The the reveal already. It different and I liked it. There has already been some many red hood origins in the past few years it was nice to just rip the band aid off of who it is. Now it can just make the hunt more personal.
As for how dark he is it crazy. With modern Jason being more grown and changed it’s easy to forget how dark Jason was at the start. And which this show being dark and gritty as it is they turned it up to ten and they’re doing great. What his did to Dawn was just…man.

Overall likening the start. Cool action nice story and just looking forward to more.

8 Likes

I was thinking the same think that or he was going for normal fear toxin and using it to conquer his fears. Just the his chemistry had to be fear toxin related.

5 Likes

oh my god I totally forgot about the team being wanted criminals. I totally agree with you with the Ian Glen thing tho he was way to old to be an active batman so I’m glad that he’s gone. You make a good point though when talking about the fighting skills between red hood and nightwing.

5 Likes

Oh I didn’t know that the actor had a new series! It makes sense now that they killed him off. I hope that we see Tim figure out the Batman secret bc I think what makes him a memorable robin is that Bruce didn’t find Tim, Tim found Bruce.

2 Likes

I saw some people who were mad that they revealed him in episode two but I’m with you bc I think that the team knowing it’s Jason raises the stakes and makes it personal. Fighting a criminal who used to be family is a whole different concept than fighting an everyday criminal. I love you out look on Jason. One of the things that I love about Jason is how he never claims to be a hero bc he’s not going to confide within the lines of what makes a person a hero. But again it’s important to remember especially in the direction that the writers are going with, is that Jason is a sociopath and that yes some of his actions have reason but most of them aren’t something that should be condoned. Also would you be down with starting a Curran Walters fan club bc he needs one like now

2 Likes

The anti fear toxin was honestly my first guess too. He’s been through a lot and now he’s without the support of the titans and going into the field without support is probably terrifying. I saw this theory online (idk if it’s true) that Red hood and scarecrow are working together so if they are it would make perfect sense.

2 Likes

I will say that these first three episodes are a really good start for the show. Definitely an improvement from seasons 1 & 2. I still think there is some choppy, lets-not-really-think-too-hard-about-it writing and plotting going on (isn’t the whole team wanted criminals?, everyone in GCPD has to know Dick is Nightwing, right?, I guess they still don’t know how to make Gar’s powers relevant since he always has to get naked to use them).

But I really like how they used Conner in episode three, and what they’re doing with Scarecrow. The Dawn/Hank storyline really has been stupid since season one, so I’m glad that’s done (I hope). And of course… BABS! always a highlight.

And I wouldn’t mind them continuing to thin out the cast, but I know that isn’t going to happen. Let’s hope the quality continues and gets better as this season progresses because the past seasons really went in the opposite direction.

5 Likes

I’ll have to see how much time consuming being a club owner would be, because clubs have to have activities and such. Also, there isn’t much Curran content aside from Titans and his socials. He’s still in the early stages of his career. There is the Renegade Robins club though, which is as close to a Jason Todd fan club on here. But I am always down to fangirl over Curran.

2 Likes

Now I know how GOT fans feel

2 Likes

I hope dick still has that crowbar still around

1 Like

they have to know dick is nightwing, he’s at GCPD and in all of it’s business way to often for it to be considered normal behavior lol

3 Likes

Since Dawn’s storyline was majorly tied to Hank’s, do you think that she’s going to stay on the show for long now that Hank’s dead? Do y’all want her to stick around?

3 Likes

Dude. As a GOT fan I can say with certainty, this was worse than any death on GOT. In a good way.

In, GOT you knew there was a high chance someone was gonna die when they were in a bad situation. Here, you don’t. I honestly expected Conner to save Hank. But that explosion. Conner’s blank stare. Dawn’s confusion. The music. Krypto… Seriously, this is high up on my Top TV deaths list. And I just finished watching maybe 10 minutes ago.

5 Likes

Okay, I’ve given myself some time to digest the premiere and I still believe everything I said above. Plus, I have a couple theories.

So, whatever Jason is taking is why he didn’t fully die or was able to be revived or whatever. It’s definitely related to Scarecrow. And Scarecrow definitely did something to switch his personality to straight murder.

And with Joker, Is this the Arrowverse now? With Bruce disappearing after killing the Joker? It’s odd that both CW and HBO would have the same Bat-storyline that isn’t from a comic. (at least that I’ve read)

Someone mentioned Dawn possibly leaving. I hope not. Her character is heavily tied to Hank but she can stand by herself. Plus, isn’t there a rotating history with title of Hawk, anyway?

And, finally, Tim!! It’s been a great week for Tim fans. I’m really excited to see what they do with him. RIP his parents though, I guess? Maybe? Maybe not? He seems to have a good extended family in this version so I won’t be surprised if his origin is different.

I think that’s all the main points I had. So much happened in the first three episodes and there is so much that still needs to happen. We’ve been focusing on Gotham but there is still Blackfire and Rachel/Donna to get to. Should be a great season.

4 Likes

Hank was one of my favorites he added the hot head role

3 Likes