DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Conner'

After a brief break to cover more Horror-themed stuff, I return to the Show.  I hope you like another (more recent) flashback Episode...

Some time before what was happening recently (it's not clear), a subject breaks out of a Cadmus Lab.

In his absence, people come to check out the chaos and recapture the asset.  The lead woman- Mercy Graves, the 'fixer' for Lex Luthor.

Full of memories from both Luthor and Superman, the asset goes to an old house of the former's.  When they come to collect him, things don't go well.

With a good Scientist, he is shown the truth about himself.  Will this help him or hurt him?

Oh and how does this tie back to the end of Episode 5.

To find out, you know the drill.

A decent aside- but an aside all the same.  What a weird way to do this.  This is a slightly-better version of the tease that The Walking Dead got in trouble for a couple years back.  Obviously, fans had to wait only a week and not months.  In addition, far less people are invested in Titans Cliffhangers than the latter.  That said, this tease is just plain dumb.  For one thing, they teased Conner at the end of Season 1.  Why make people wait 6 Episodes for it?  Why make it seem like an afterthought?  I mean, I kind of get it...maybe.  That Teaser was just a 'please let us do Season 2' thing more than anything else.  On the positive side, I like Conner here.  The Actor does a good job of playing his confusion, naivety and heroism well.  I feel like the Writing is going to ruin him, so I'll just enjoy this part.  The use of his powers was nicely-done and not too much.  It's still a TV Show, so it wasn't going to do too much anyhow, to be fair.  All in all, this is a better distraction than counting down the minutes waiting for (REDACTED) to die in the last one of these.  I will say that if you're going to start teasing Lex Luthor, maybe do it with a less-silly looking picture...

Next time, can the Series rebound from a so-so start.  Here's hoping I get proven wrong.  See you then...

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Deathstroke'

On the plus side, I was wrong about this being a Flashback Episode.  Mind you, it's still Titans, so...

Deathstroke (never shown out of costume to save money) has captured Jason Todd to get the Titans.

The Team unites to help find Jason, in spite of him being an asshole.  There is still something to be worked out between them though...

Unfortunately, the search proves fruitless and they begin to think of doing more extreme actions after finding a body left by Deathstroke.

Will they give in to their darkness?  Will Rose stick around to find out?  How will this end on a different cliffhanger entirely?

To find out, watch the Show.

A lot of stalling and personal drama.  For an Episode named after the Character, it's amazing how little we learn about him.  Mind you, the one with 'Ghosts' in the Title says the word one time for no good reason.  If anything, we learn more about him in earlier Episodes.  Hell, he actually shows his real face in those Episodes!  This one is all about the original Titans dealing with their emotions and interacting with each other.  Poor Jason Todd is just a pawn in their personal drama!  There are some good moments here, but you definitely have to wait for them.  They also continue the pattern of having big moments happen suddenly and with little set-up.  Gee, thanks.  Without going into SPOILERS too much, I have to ask- what is the rule about Deathstroke's bullets/guns?  A normal gun can pierce a guy who is nigh invulnerable, while his pistol can pierce metal head protection.  Of course, in this same Episode, a bullet proof vest deflects them like nothing!  Can you just agree some internal logic?  I like the use of cliffhanger here, but I know that the payoff won't be worth it.  In the meantime, I'll just remember the last time that we saw DCEU Deathstroke- you poor, missing bastard.

Next time, I was wrong about this one being a Flashback, but I was only off by a little.  Time to stop everything to learn about another new Character!  See you then..

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Aqualad'

The 1,000mph was just too much, so we might as well have a 2-Episode Flashback Tale.  Seriously.  Let's just see if it is worth it...

Five Years Ago...from I guess the end of Episode 3 we get a Flashback to how Deathstroke is super-deadly and kills people.

Of course, this also depends on the people having zero security, but badass has to badass.

The Titans- not Teen anymore- are still together, but clearly some things have changed.  One of them is the fact that Aqualad is a Member, although we don't see him in the present.

It can't be a SPOILER that he's killed, right?  I mean, the whole Episode is just one long set-up to the death, so...

The group gets together to stop Dr. Light for the first time.

Hey look- they do have uniforms!  Will we get them in any future Episodes?

Can they stop Dr. Light?  Is this just 60 minutes of pathos for a character we've never even met?

To find out, watch the Show on DC Universe or however else you do so.

A slow walk to an obvious location.  Right off the bat, this one feels odd.  We just start a Plot and end with a big Cliffhanger.  Naturally, it is the perfect time to stop everything cold for a Flashback that we needed to see in one big chunk, as opposed to spacing it out.  Does this one work in a Binge-able Show?  Yes.  Does this come out one Episode per week?  Yes.  So, you know, maybe don't punish the people trying to watch the Show in real time.  Skipping past that, this one is...alright.  I like that we get to see the group dynamic.  That said, we get to see them right before something big happens.  That said, they also sneak a time-jump in here, which is weird when you think about the fact that this is all a flashback.  Donna has to leave (or does she) in two weeks and they just literally skip right past it?  I thought she was just lying when she said it was 'tonight,' but then it actually is.  So Dr. Light just chilled out at his base for 13 days or so?  It took that long to find a hit on a famous person that is dead and/or a famous criminal?  This little thing is just so frustrating, especially when you consider something else.  You see, we get to see them take down the 'Happy Birthday' display...but that makes zero sense now.  If two weeks have passed, they haven't taken that shit down?!?  I have more questions about how this works, but I'll hold off on them in case the next Episode explains things.  When all is said and done, this is a random, fairly-unnecessary Flashback Episode (of TWO!!!) that is going to make for awkward skipping when/if you watch the complete Season 2 on DVD or as a collection.  Also where the hell is Superboy?  These folks want to know...

Next time, the flashbacking continues.  Now we get to see our Heroes be terrible, so...yea?  See you then...

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Ghosts'

To make sure that I don't break my Schedule too much, I might as well cover the next Episode *around* the right time.

This one promises me sexy pottery, so let's see if it delivers...

A series of attacks from Dr. Light have drawn the original Titans together.

It doesn't make them wear their uniforms, because we have to wait weeks for that.  We know what we did.

Starfire is pulled aside for her own Sub-Plot involving a guy who looks alot like 'James Olsen' from Supergirl.  Someone in DC Casting has a type.

This does raise another question- does everyone on Tamaran look like them?  This kind of takes away from Tyroc's origin and planet, no?

Shock of non-shocks, Dr. Light is working with Slade as part of his revenge plan.  

We won't know what caused his need for revenge yet, because, again, we did something wrong and the Show deserves to punish us.

With an actual Super-Villain to fight, will the old Titans come together?  Will the Sub-Plots continue to pile up?

It keeps getting closer to a good Show.  That has to count for something, right?  Right now, all of the Characters are *almost* reuniting.  It sure would be a shame if they got along for more than 10 seconds, wouldn't it?  They make it hard to be invested in the Show when the Characters don't even want to be together.  There is a fine line between Drama and just plain bickering.  The Acting is good here and everyone mostly feel natural.  They mostly have their one notes to work off of, so I give them a bit of a break.  I won't give a break to some other parts, like the half-assed Dr. Light outfit.  I mean, he's wearing black pants and a t-shirt under a bulky chest plate and roman helmet.  He looks more like Demonicus than he should!  Yeah, it's bad when THAT is my first thought when I see this outfit.  On the plus side, Deathstroke looks bad-ass in silhouette so far.  This one has lots of issues- juggling Sub Plots like mad!- and lots of good points.  One day, the latter will outweigh the former.  One good point- they deftly dodge the BS explanation of Slade using 'more than 10% of his brain' that was being used even into the 2000s (in Identity Crisis)...

Next time, more mysteries will be revealed?  If they can actually pay them off, I can probably ignore all of the BS for a while.  See you then..

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Rose'

You can see how much of a big fan I am of this Show by the fact that I straight up forgot to watch Episode 2 and Review it last week.

Oops.  Was I right to wait?  Let's see...

After the last Episode, we casually-time-jump 3 months ahead.  Why not?!?

In Chicago, Starfire and Donna are working as Detectives looking for a Meta-Criminal.  Will someone find them first?

At the Tower, Dick is training the Team.  There's some underlying friction to work through.

We also see Hawk and Dove reenacting The Last Song in Wyoming.  It does eventually lead to some Action and Story- so be patient.

In the main Plot, a woman named Rose attacks the Police and draws Dick's attention.  He takes her in...

…but she doesn't seem to want to be there.  Can a heart-to-heart with Batman help things out?

It all leads to two reveals- one super obvious and one a little bit odd.  To find out both, watch the Show.

An improvement, albeit not a huge one.  This Episode is basically a mix of Sub Plots that fight for attention.  To be fair, they do have to start setting everything in motion here.  It would be nice if it was less clunky though.  It is just a series of Scenes in different locales with very little to connect them.  All it was missing was a 'Meanwhile...' on screen every few minutes to complete it!  This Episode is alot of parts, but how is the sum of it?  Alright.  The Acting is fine for what it is.  There's a nice Action Scene or two.  The Effects are nice enough.  I just wish that it all mixed together.  On top of that, we get more bleak moments to remind us that this Show is not nice to ancillary characters.  Alas poor Hat Guy on Horse- we didn't know ye well...

Next time, the revenge plot becomes more clear.  Will the lingering Sub Plots battle for supremacy though?  See you then...

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Trigon'

After a very uneven first Season, can things turn around for the better?  Here's hoping...

Trigon has risen thanks to Raven and he has plans to, of course, conquer the Planet.  Will he succeed?

The group- including Hawk, Dove and Jason Todd- arrives to help.  Can they?

Trigon finally rises as his (sort of) true form to conquer the World directly.  Can he be stopped?

Seriously, this CGI is sort of decent, but that's it.  We waited all Season for that?

Can the group survive the danger and regroup to form a proper Team?

No SPOILERS, but there's not much Trigon footage in the Teaser, so...figure it out.  It's now on Streaming.

It's about the same, but maybe it can get better.  For some reason, they cut an Episode last Season and ended with an hour-long dream sequence.  This time, they return and pad out only half of the Episode with them.  Yea?  The whole thing with Trigon and how his powers work is kind of lame.  He makes you live out a bad vision and if you do something bad in it, you are controlled by him.  So, basically, he keeps cheating until you do the bad and logical thing.  Even in this context, the Show cheats by having two characters just do drugs- hard ones, mind you- in their dream/vision.  The other people committed (simulated) murder, but that's the same- sure!  The big draw and the big drawback here is Trigon.  He finally shows himself- kind of- and they don't do much with it.  The whole thing is wrapped up- I won't say how- before the Show is over, leaving time for two extended bits to take place.  What a weird use of build-up-and-pay-off!  After all of that silliness, we do get the set-up for Deathstroke (as odd as it is) and the Titans Tower.  Hopefully there's more payoff to referencing the original Team and I'd have to think so, given that they designed a costume for Wonder Girl.  WB wouldn't waste all that time and money on a costume for a few pick-up shots, right?  Right?  I want this Show to be good, but this semi-re-Pilot didn't sway me just yet.  I want them to prove me wrong.  I will give them one point- they nailed how much of a dick Jason Todd was in the Comics...

Next time, we got teases of something better.  Will they actually deliver though?  See you then...

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Koriand'r'

After a short break, I figured that I might as well wrap this stuff up.

In spite of said break and the gap put in for no good reason, I'm still curious to see how this plays out from Episode 8's Cliffhanger...

Starfire loses control and tries to kill Raven.  Kind of cutting the tension, Robin arrives seconds after the turn, but isn't enough to stop this on his own...

After all that is over, there's tension at the Home.  Mom is acting weird, Starfire drives off and Beast Boy is feeling *sigh* angsty.

He's feeling all sorts of other things too.  Things are not...great for him right now.

On a side note, I'm sorry that they made you look like The Joker.

Away from 'home,' Starfire, Robin and Donna make a strange discovery in a Barn.  It's not an old car or some records- it's much weirder!

To find out where this all goes, watch the Show!

A decent effort at times, but pretty dull at others.  So, let's review the overall Pacing in recent Episodes.  Episode 8 had a pretty solid pace, leading to a climax.  Episode 9 was complete filler, barely making the effort to even pretend that it mattered where it was in orders.  After that gap, Episode 10...is really slow-paced.  Enough good/interesting stuff happens to make it more than filler, but not nearly enough.  We get even more explanation of Starfire's connection to Raven.  It's a shame that they already gave us so much, making this a little redundant.  The only real twist in it is a confusing one.  The Cult of Trigon was using pawns like The Nuclear Family to get Raven to use her powers to free their Master.  They also locked up the Mom, who was seemingly-against the whole thing, hence her captivity.  Now we learn that she...was trying to help Trigon all along?!?  What in the what now?!?  Oh yeah- SPOILER.  Seriously though, how much sense does this make?  Was she secretly-evil as part of a plan that makes no sense?  Did she just not bother to tell the Cult that she was evil, making this part just dumb?  Did she somehow turn evil in the small time gap?  Is there a good explanation for this?  It's a Twist just to have a twist and it's dumb.  This continues to drag and get mired down in silly/stupid stuff.  I'm really counting on this Finale to pull me in...

Next time, the Season Finale is here and things get big.  Will they legitimately get good though?  See you then...

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Hank and Dawn'

After setting up a big climax that I can't wait to see resolved, they...do a Flashback Filler Episode.  Motherf...

We see Flashbacks to Hawk and Dove's past.  Naturally, they include...a Scene implying that his Coach was molesting a pre-teen Hank.

Yeah, thanks for that!

Years later, Hank faces health issues due to Football.  I bet the NFL isn't giving money to DC now!

A strange accident occurs- no SPOILERs- that changes both of their lives in a big way.

Will the titular Characters come together properly?  Is this all just a waste of time?

To find out, watch the Episode.

Why this?  Why now?  Let's just deal with this first.  Why put this Episode here?  This couldn't be, for instance, Episode 5 or 6?  Furthermore, did we need a whole Episode on this?  We got the backstory on Hawk and Dove in Episode 2.  Who said 'we need to go back for more of this?!?'  What did we add?  Child Abuse and Molestation.  Random death.  Violence towards others.  Yea?  Furthermore...more, look at how important Hawk and Dove are to this Series so far.  They appeared in Episode 2 and were written out in the beginning of Episode 3.  That's it.  Now, all of a sudden, I need to know their life story and all to set up...Jason Todd coming back?  Oh, that guy who only appeared in Episode 6?  I can't...wait?  Getting past ALL OF THAT, the Episode is good...I guess.  It goes real deep into 'dark for the sake of being dark' territory.  Did we need molestation in the Story?  It certainly happens, but it isn't the integral part of a Hero's backstory!  I like the Actors involved, but this is just a so-so Episode that distracts from the main Story.  It would have to be amazing to warrant the spot it takes and, well, it isn't.  It's alright.  Mind you, this is the same Director of A Winter's Tale though...

Next time, will we resume the Plot?  There are just two Episodes left, so hop to it!

DCE-Hulu: Titans- 'Donna Troy'

After a busy week, I need to get back to this Show.  Will things take a turn for the better?

In a Flashback, we see Dick and Donna (called it!) as they hang around while their Mentors work.

So is this supposed to be following the Film Justice League and the Show is somehow set 15-20 years from now?

In the Present, Dick leaves- AGAIN- to go 'find himself.'  He vows to return and the others go out of the City.

Back in the City, he meets up with Donna, who's also 'retired' and works as an Artist.  Something weird happens that night, however, that makes Dick act.

After some trouble getting there, the group tries to awaken Starfire's memories.  Is that a good idea?

To find out, watch the Show.

A decent Episode that seems to be aware of the issues.  This one still has lots of problems for me.  I like Donna and seeing her Introduction is nice here.  I wish that they could introduce a new Character without splitting up the group though.  This keeps happening!  Seriously, add Characters to the group at once!  With that out of the way, I liked that they keep changing up locations.  They don't quite do enough with the Train for me, but I appreciate the effort.  At least they're honest about how Kory can't blend in like this.  More murder, so yea?  I will give them credit for the creative way that they got to setting up the Third Act with Donna- no SPOILERS.  I'm curious to see where this Plot Point goes.  Will Donna be important for the final Episodes?  Will she step up?  Will she realize that using her powers in broad daylight might not be the best idea if you're 'retired?'

Next time, we get...a Filler Episode?!?  It had better be good to satiate my displeasure!  See you then...