Ken's Alternate Universe!

Entering The DC Universe

The doors to the DC Universe streaming service have been opened wide since September of this year.  While I haven’t heard very much about the public’s reception of the service itself (I’ll actually be taking a more in depth look at the service in a later post), I have heard a few people talk about one of their current original programs:  Titans.

When set photos were leaked, fans cried foul over the looks of Beast Boy, Raven, and particularly Starfire.  Robin’s official photo was better received, but fans weren’t too excited about his utterance of “F*$! Batman” in the teaser.  As is often the case, the finished product looks much better than leaked set photos and teasers make them appear.  In fact, Starfire is one of the best things about the first season of Titans so far and there’s a perfectly good reason why Robin said what he said. Lets take a look at what has been good and what has been bad as we await the release of the ninth episode later this week.

A few mild spoilers ahead, but nothing that will ruin the show for you.

The first season of Titans has primarily focused on three of our beloved heroes trying to find their purpose in life and how they, along with Beast Boy, have to face off against a growing danger that appears to be intent on capturing Raven.  Robin is trying to separate himself from Batman, his Robin persona, and being the hero in general.  He’s determined to make his own path as a detective in Detroit and he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it until he runs into Rachel Roth (Raven), a young girl who is having an identity crisis of her own.  She’s talking to a demon in the mirrors and there are a bunch of big bads after her that want to harness her powers that she’s still learning to use.  Poor Starfire has the biggest identity crisis of them all.  She can’t remember who are what she is at all.  She does her best throughout the series to trigger old memories and along the way she learns that she has some extremely amazing powers.  Beast Boy is the final member of the group that is introduced, but his head is on a bit straighter than everyone else as he was fortunate enough to befriend another group that I’ll get into later.

The series is definitely much darker than any other televised version of the Teen Titans.  The series features brutal fight scenes, some to the death, and some pretty strong language as well.  There have been a few adult oriented love scenes, but nothing that would make you want to cover your eyes….yet.  There are also plenty of actions taken by the characters that I know will have comic fans screaming, but once they see the series play out, I’m sure that they’ll begin to enjoy the series as a whole.

Unlike Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and, to a lesser degree, Wonder Woman, DC’s Titans has quite a bit of humor laced throughout the show.  Much of the humor comes through Beast Boy, but Starfire has quite a few funny moments as well.  Robin and Rachel also draw a few laughs, but they are definitely the more serious characters of the group.

Spoilers begin here!

Fans were already aware that some of DC’s lesser known heroes would be introduced in the Titans series.  Eight of them have been featured prominently so far.  Hawk and Dove were introduced in the second episode and, true to the comics, they represented brute strength and anger (Hawk) and a more understanding heart that will cut you if necessary (Dove).  Portrayed by Alan Ritchson (Hawk) and Minka Kelly (Dove), this dynamic duo has a history with Batman and Robin in the series, and it’s not necessarily a solid relationship.

Another hero introduced in the series is Donna Troy, also known as Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman’s sometimes sidekick, who helps Robin out after a major event occurs in the series.  While I never remember her being referred to specifically as Wonder Girl, she definitely shows off some of her powers.  Donna is portrayed by Conor Leslie in the series.

The fourth hero to pop up on the show is none other than Jason Todd, the second Robin.  He shows up in the fifth and sixth episodes of the season and proves to be both a help and a hindrance to Dick Grayson, the first Robin.  The character is portrayed with reckless abandon by Curran Walters.  Dick sees hints of himself in the new Robin, but he also sees a darkness that he fears might take him over as well.  Jason Todd is both hilarious and brutal all at the same time.  He’s quite possibly the most violent hero in the show and he has plenty of competition, especially from Hawk.  I love this version of Jason and I hope to see him show up again in the series.

Four other heroes introduced and given some depth in the series are the members of Doom Patrol.  They are initially shown as Beast Boy’s adopted family.  They, like him, have special abilities that make them stand out from the crowd.  The group features Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman, portrayed by April Bowlby, who can manipulate the size and shape of her body with varying degrees of success.  It also features Larry Trainor/Negative Man, portrayed by Dwain Murphy and voiced by Matt Bomer.  While Negative Man’s powers are never truly revealed on the show, the comics have always shown him to have the ability to project a Negative Man being from his body that can fly and has super strength, but can only do so for no longer than one minute.  Robotman/Cliff Steele is the final team member of the Doom Patrol that is introduced in the series.  Portrayed by Jake Michaels, we don’t get to see him use his powers, but he’s a wonderful character.  The team is guided by the Chief/Niles Caulder.  Dr. Caulder (Bruno Bichir) put the group together as a ragtag band of misfits that he helped learn to control their powers.  Beast Boy seeks the Chief’s help with Raven.

Of course, a team of heroes is only as good as their villains, right?  Titans has some great villains that definitely up the ante for Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy.  There’s an unseen villain that has sent out assailants to capture Raven over the course of the series, but none of them have been as excellent as the Nuclear Family.  While their look, origin, and purpose differ from the comics, this Nuclear Family is awesome.  They are one of the most sadistic groups of villains that I’ve seen on television so far.  Their sugary sweet wholesomeness is just a cover for four of the most lethal warriors you’ll ever meet.  Dad (Jeff Clarke), Mom (Melody Johnson), Bif (Logan Thompson), and Sis (Jeni Ross) are devilishly brilliant in this series and are my favorite villains so far.

The series features some great acting performances, particularly from the Nuclear Family and Brenton Thwaites as Robin.  Ryan Potter injects some much needed humor throughout the series as Beast Boy, but he shows other emotions as well.  Anna Diop’s Kory Anders/Starfire takes on a motherly role with Raven when necessary, but she struggles with her own problems as well.  I believe that Diop will eventually become the breakout star of the show.  Teagan Croft’s portrayal of Raven is adequate, but she’s the weakest member of the team as far as acting is concerned.

The guest stars have all done very good jobs, especially Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly.  Ritchson channels a bit of Ben Affleck’s grizzled Batman at times, but it fits the character well.  Minka Kelly comes across as very loving and quiet, but her character doesn’t hesitate to take up arms when the situation calls for it.

The show’s music is also very good.  From the original music for the series to the playing of classics such as Sunshine Day by the Brady Kids, this series knows exactly when and where to play just the right song.  Some are played for laughs and others build the intensity of the moment.

But is it all wine and roses?  Absolutely not.  The CGI is bad at times and its flaws are especially evident when Beast Boy turns into a tiger.  Thankfully the story is strong enough that I can easily look beyond the bad CGI, but if certain characters are going to be making an appearance in future episodes (one has been heavily hinted at both in the show and in rumors), the CGI will definitely need to crank things up a notch.

Some of the ways that conflicts are resolved are a little bit too “well, ain’t you lucky” for my tastes, but I understand that this sort of thing happens in every series with and without superheroes.  I also don’t like how easily certain character deaths are blown off or forgotten about by our heroes.

With all of that being said, I’ve only scratched the surface of just how cool this series is and how it hints at greater things to come for both the show and for DC Universe.  I haven’t mentioned all of the villains nor have I given away any of the Easter eggs that the show drops throughout each episode.  The producers, writers, and directors have really put their hearts into this series and it shows.  Don’t let the naysayers draw you away from this series.

Eventually I plan on breaking down each episode but I want to give my readers a little more time to watch the series before doing that.  This show is one of the best live action DC series so far, and with Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and other original shows waiting in the wings, DC will have me as a subscriber for a long time.

Thanks for reading my post.  I plan on looking at the DC Universe streaming service as a whole in the near future.  I also plan on taking a closer look at their other original series, DC Daily, as well.  Keep your eyes peeled for more DC Universe posts!