Before I begin, I just wanted to say thank you to Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max for allowing me to check out the first five episodes of Titans Season 4 early. It means a lot that they thought I was worthy of this kind of early access.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE LAST THREE SEASONS
I want to start by saying that DC’s Titans has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. I think the first season starts off really strong and has many great elements about it but kind of fell apart in the last couple of episodes.
Season 2 started off even better and for the most part, I thought it was a superior season thanks to Deathstroke and the introduction of Nightwing. I think Brenton Thwaites is the shining beacon of the entire series that never fails to impress me as Dick Grayson. The finale of Season 2 was…disappointing to say the least, but I can at least say I thought the season as a whole was enjoyable.
Then Season 3 happened and…I’ll just be completely honest about it. I didn’t care for it at all. To me, it stopped feeling like Titans and became a watered-down Bat-Family story with an embarrassing portrayal of Batman, a despicable take on Barbara Gordon (one of my favorite DC characters), and two villains that made me laugh more than anything. There were some things I liked such as Superboy and Starfire being show-stealers and Nightwing continuing to shine. However, even the best characters stopped feeling like their proper selves and it had me worried about the future of this series. I originally had little to no interest in the fourth season of Titans.
WELCOME BACK, TITANS!
After seeing the trailers, I got a bit more intrigued and when HBO Max allowed me to see the first several episodes early, I couldn’t really say “no.” So, I checked them out and I’m happy to say that I found myself pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
This is arguably just as strong of a start, if not stronger than the second season. For the first time in quite a while, Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Tim Drake, and Superboy feel like a proper team of Titans. They act like brothers and sisters and feel more like themselves again.
Once again, Brenton Thwaites is the highlight; from the moment he was announced to be playing Dick Grayson, I was sold. This season in particular is great for Nightwing because they finally showcase the quippy side of the character. Almost every situation that the Titans deal with has at least one snappy remark from Grayson and I love it.
Superboy is put into the spotlight a bit more this time around and I couldn’t be happier about it. Conner was always a favorite of mine in the Titans and Young Justice comics so it’s nice that he gets a bit more to do than he did in the last season.
Raven being back as a major player is also really refreshing. That’s one of the best elements of Season 4 thus far: none of the characters feel side-lined. Every character has some kind of story whereas the last two seasons felt really hesitant to give any development to certain characters with Beast Boy getting the worst treatment despite the character being nearly-perfect.
MYSTERIOUS AND SPOOKY
Season 4 introduces another rather dark storyline and at first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it but the episodes I’ve seen so far display the most balance of tones.
It keeps that dark and grittiness that Titans has become known for since the very first episode but there is enough the DC mythos and wonder mixed in that now the show feels truly immersed within that universe. Part of that has to do with taking place in Metropolis with places such as LexCorp, the Daily Planet, and STAR Labs providing more fantastical settings for the story.
Season 3 took place in Gotham City, but never once did it actually feel like Gotham City. It looked and felt like every generic crime-ridden city in fiction that happened to feature Gotham City characters. Metropolis has a lot more flavor and history to it to make it seem like a world where Superman has existed for a long time.
But like I said, it still retains that mature tone with bloody deaths and rituals featuring the villains. However, where it improves on the darkness is a nice fix to the dialogue. My biggest flaw with the first two seasons in particular was that Titans featured dialogue that was straight out of a Rob Zombie production where every single sentence felt the need to drop an F-bomb or some other obscenity. I’m not exactly a prude myself, but the cursing felt so forced and unneeded for a lot of scenes. Season 3 suffered from this too much not nearly as much.
Season 4, in my opinion, fixes this by having the dark and mature themes without feeling the need to have a swear jar on standby. In 5 episodes, I think I heard the F-bomb maybe 4 times.
Another element that adds to the darker side of Titans Season 4 is the introduction of Mother Mayhem and Brother Blood. I certainly don’t think these two will measure up to Deathstroke from Season 2, but they are definitely two great additions so far. The pieces slowly assemble to show how the two connect and the two actors give strong performances, particularly Joseph Morgan as Blood.
I don’t watch The Vampire Diaries, it is simply not my thing so this is my first experience watching the actor perform and he delivers a really sympathetic performance. I truly feel bad for the character, even though I know that he’s going to be the villain at some point. I like his character as a regular person which made me not want to see him turn bad. At the same time, I’m excited to see more of him throughout the rest of the season.
Mother Mayhem, played by Franka Potente, is definitely an interesting villain and it is cool to see a villain who can dominate all of the Titans in a fight. I haven’t seen something like that since Deathstroke; so the two villains in Season 4 are the best elements of Deathstroke split into two characters.
INTRIGUING AND WELL-PACED
I can’t speak for the whole season but so far, Season 4 seems to have the best direction and story. Every season prior suffered from a lull point, where the show would grind to a halt or focus on the wrong characters.
With Season 4 focusing on nearly all of the Titans as a team, nobody feels overused or underutilized. There was no point where I felt like the show got too distracted with something or was padding itself out to reach that 45-minute mark.
There is even a new addition to the Titans team in the form of Jinx and I couldn’t get enough of this character. She’s essentially a magical villain who is joining the team for this season and she is a sass master in every minute on screen. Even though I can assume that she won’t be a permanent addition, I am still glad that she’s part of the team to not only add a magical character but also some dark humor.
NOT PERFECT (SO FAR)
No season of any show is perfect and Titans is no different. While I certainly enjoyed the first five episodes overall, I still have a couple of minor gripes and nitpicks that I thought I should share.
- There is a death in the episodes I saw that I am mixed on. It was a surprise for sure, but part of me hopes this death is not permanent because I wanted to see more of them.
- Sometimes the visual effects are lacking. It’s TV budget so I’m not expecting Rings Of Power-level effects, but sometimes when characters use their powers, it can look really fake.
- This is a nitpick that could easily be erased depending on what happens later in the series, but the reasoning for Superman not being in Metropolis felt contrived.
- Without giving any spoilers, that little tease of Deathstroke’s return in the trailer? Yeah, it was a big lie and does not pay off well, in my opinion.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
As of right now, Titans Season 4 definitely feels like the show is back on full steam and filled with fresh energy. I am intrigued, I’m loving the direction with the characters, the actors are still performing well, and the superhero stuff that I come to see is a highlight.
Consider me a proud fan of Titans once again. It just goes to show that one bad season doesn’t always mean the entire show needs to be damned. I’m going to give this first portion of DC’s Titans Season 4 a solid 8.5/10.
The first two episodes of DC’s Titans Season 4 premiere on HBO Max on November 3rd and I recommend everyone to give it a chance if you too were heavily disappointed by Season 3.
You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this article! I write about anything geek-related, especially comic book-related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady where I am much more active! Love you all!
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