Titans: The Complete Second Season DVD boxset (TV series/DVD review).
With the opening of the second season of ‘Titans’, we have the conclusion of the Trigon story from season one. Not quite as spectacular as the original comicbook version of the 1980s but probably down to TV budgets. The only really significant thing is the explanation of the apparent gem on Raven’s forehead being a symbolism of her heart. If anything, the rest of the Titans’ involvement in this is minimal as they are definitely outclassed and mostly beaten.
The problem with showing how powerful Raven (actress Teagan Croft) is, even if she now has to act with restraint, that you would think the likes of Deathstroke and Doctor Light would be taken in her stride. This is always a problem with having a team member more powerful than the rest combined.
The appearance of Iain Glenn as Bruce Wayne is certainly a revelation and steals the show whenever he appears. He has a bit more humour than we normally expect to see but as Dick Grayson is an adult, then he as to be much older.
There is still a reliance of alternating episodes between the present and six years into the past to explain or detail earlier events. One thing is odd about the ‘Jericho’ episode where it focuses on Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke’s son (actor Chella Man) and yet there is nary a mention let alone we seeing his daughter, Rose (actress Chelsea Zhang) in his early life. Granted Rose isn’t the focus of the story but we’re seeing Jericho growing up so she had to be there somewhere. Grayson sees himself as the reason for Jericho’s death and lied about it to the team, resulting in them all leaving with the exception of Gar Logan, but he has nowhere else to stay but the Titan Tower and keep an eye on the comatose Superman/Luthor clone Conner. His later near abduction from the Tower does make you wonder how secure are these Wayne buildings?
The threat by Deathstroke (actor Esai Morales) to Dick Grayson (actor Brenton Thwaites) that if the Titans reform he will kill them all forces him to get himself arrested and imprisoned to keep himself out of temptation. Even so, you do have to wonder how many teeth he will have left with all the battering he gets.
The separated Titans, who don’t know this ultimatum, are royally messing up, some in a really big way and several try to call Grayson and not getting a reply. Not even Bruce Wayne’s computers have come up with his name in prison. I do wonder how assaulting two police officers as a first offence, pleading guilty gets Grayson 7 years imprisonment.
It’s difficult to say much without going too spoiler. The introduction of Number13 otherwise Connor, the Superman/Luthor clone (actor Joshua Orpin) with the emotional make-up of a child is certainly interesting, not to mention how he misinterprets Gar Logan (Ryan Potter) when it comes to helping people and attacks the police who are arresting someone.
A lot of the storylines are basically following the aftermath of the Titans splitting after Grayson’s revelation and finding they really need him. Even so, there’s far too much talking and no comeuppance regarding the fact the Logan and Connor, even though under mind control killed people and vital scenes with the police explaining what is going on. There’s also a little matter of them stopping Deathstroke who is supposed to recover from any injury but didn’t or how Donna Troy (actress Conor Leslie) rescued Dawn Granger/Dove (actress Minka Kelly) in the last episode when you would have thought Connor would have helped and been even faster. Then again, death in the comicbook worlds doesn’t appear to last forever. Then is also a little matter of Dick Grayson escaping from prison on a 7 year sentence, so he’s essentially an escaped felon. Going through characters having emotional crises rather than dealing with real world problems are loose ends that needs to be tidied up than ignored.
In the DVD version, there is only a 10 minute extra looking at the life of Jason Todd, the second Robin and his demise in the comicbooks as written and explained by the now late Denny O’Neil and the fact that a similar poll was conducted in the USA as to whether he would be rescued from a hard fall in this TV series. Interesting, despite the decades gap, the margins were still pretty close. I’m not sure if it’s the viewers/fans being sadists or really testing whether the writers will really go that far when they vote.
There is a hint at the end for season 3 and the focus will be back on Kory and her sister. Whether they could record over lockdown remains to be seen. They certainly put a lot into the budget of a TV series and servicing such a big cast.
GF Willmetts
January 2021
(pub: Warner Bros/DC Comics, 2020. 599 minutes 3 DVDs 13 * 46 episodes with 1 extra. Price: I pulled my copy for about £18.00 (UK). ASIN: 3000082785)
cast: Brenton Thwaites, Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Minka Kelly, Alan Ritchson, Conor Leslie, Curran Walters, Chella Man, Chelea Zhang, Joshua Orpin and Iain Glenn and many more.
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