Director: Meera Menon

Writers: Bryan Edward Hill & Gabrielle Stanton

This latest instalment of Titans has somehow managed to up the ante from the previous week’s episode. How? By adding more of everything. More violence, more superbly choreographed hand to hand combat, more humour and for the first time this series, a romantic tryst! A superbly constructed episode, with a final scene that served as a tantalising tease for next week by way of introducing a hugely significant character from the DC Universe, the show is certainly continuing to fire on all cylinders.

The title of the episode was “Together”, and this was certainly a theme throughout the entire running time. 5 episodes in, we finally got to see the Titans working in unison. The seeds were set during a training session set inside a seemingly abandoned barn, as Dick put the team through their paces, demanding that they each show off their power set, letting him see how they could pool their resources and work together. After Kory, Gar and Rachel each showed off their superpowers, the spotlight was thrust upon Dick to show what he can do, which was met with a reply of “I’ve had combat training, I can keep you alive”. This was an understatement of epic proportions, although at this early juncture it would have been reckless of him to say “I am Robin, you know what I can do!”. This reveal, of course, was to come later…

Taking refuge in a humble, isolated motel, we see our heroes start to bond. The interplay between the leads was very enjoyable to see, as an almost pseudo-family unit is starting to form, with Dick and Kory as the parental figures, leaving the younger Rachel and Gar to bond as the more immature, child-like figures. Bonding in a more physical way, however were Dick and Kory. Seemingly irresistible to women, Dick Grayson managed to not only have the receptionist from the motel come a-knocking on his door late at night for some nocturnal fun, but also Starfire herself also managed to get herself into his boudoir, armed with a bottle of tequila and a no-strings attitude to pleasures of the flesh. This wasn’t a shock to long-standing comic readers, as these two characters have often shared numerous romantic encounters down the years, forming a genuine love for each other. Based on Dick’s reluctance to share any post-coital pillow talk, it will be interesting to see the relationship unfold between the pair of them as this season and future seasons unfurl. Will they keep each other at arms length, regularly hop into bed without emotionally committing to each other or form a true relationship? My guess is the writers will keep us waiting for that. Despite her devil may care attitude to men in general, I did detect a twinge of sadness on Kory’s face when she received something resembling the cold shoulder from Dick, hinting that she is developing feelings for him. Kudos to both Brenton Thwaites and Anna Diop for giving the scene a lot of depth, not to mention their sizzling chemistry.

At this point we are treated to a quite breathtaking action sequence, full of hard hitting, broken bones and the return of the unrelenting Nuclear Family. Tracking down our Titans to their motel base, and with a new, younger “Dad” at the head of the family, what ensues is the best action scene of the series so far, as all 4 of our heroes get to display their powers against their psychotic opponents. The close quarter combat between “Mom”, “Dad” and Dick is fast-paced, brutal and expertly put together. Hats off to the actors and stunt coordinators involved in the sequence, it is as good as anything you will see on either the big or small screen. It is during these moments that Dick outs himself as Robin to the other Titans, as a quick costume change during an opportune moment sees him reinsert himself into the battle. The fanboy reaction of Gar was a lot of fun, as his immediate response was to see if Dick could arrange a meeting between he and Batman! This shows the level of notoriety that the Caped Crusaders have amassed in this universe, as they are known throughout the country, and more than likely, the world.

After a fruitless interrogation of the Family, Dick deduces from their car’s sat nav that Dr Adamson is the man behind them and embarks on a solo mission to find and question this enigmatic character. We are still not given the full answers behind the man and who he works for, but they are coming very soon. What we do get, however, is the explosive introduction of a certain Jason Todd. The replacement Robin, and the man that will eventually become the anti-hero vigilante Red Hood. To think that we are living in an age for we get to see the first meeting between Robin 1 and Robin 2 in live action is incredible to me, this is truly a golden age for comic book based film and television.

Would you like to see how it is depicted? Then watch below and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoRzh5n2C5U

What is immediately apparent is that Jason and Dick have very similar moves, clearly showing that both were trained by Batman, learning the same techniques and methods. The difference between the two of them in terms of attitude is very clear though, as Jason is brash, cocky and seemingly very happy dishing out a beating. This contrasts nicely with Dick’s more weary, understated manner, although his fighting efficiency and ability to administer pain remains undiminished. It will be great to see the two play off each other in next week’s episode, which promises to be yet another hugely entertaining 50 minutes.

The one big unanswered question from this week is one that I hope is cleared up in due course. What happened to the evil old woman handing out the butterscotch sweets in the lobby of Dr Adamson’s building? Was she taken out by the armed hit squad or will she live to fight another day, handing out her poisoned sweets to all and sundry? Time will tell hopefully….