Titans
DC Universe
Season 1: Episode 6 “Jason Todd”
After being ambushed by a mysterious organization, the new Robin, Jason Todd, teams up with a reluctant Dick Grayson to stop a serial killer targeting old members of Haley’s Circus.
Following last week’s disappointing episode, ‘Titans’ is back and better than ever! Curran Walters absolutely nailed the role of Jason Todd, and his chemistry with Brenton Thwaites made you feel like they were actually brothers. Writers Richard Hatem and Jeffery David Thomas knew exactly what makes Jason Todd tick, especially in his early Robin days. Hatem and Thomas found the perfect balance between Jason’s enthusiasm and rage, which we didn’t get to see a lot of in the comics. One minute Jason is gleefully talking about how great it is to be Robin and the next he’s bashing someone’s head into the ground. Jason also tore back and forth between admiring Dick and being jealous of him, which is perfectly in tune with the young Jason we see in Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth and exactly what I was hoping for.
The action and cinematography were much better than the last episode as well. The fight sequences were as brutal as ever but with less CGI blood and bone breaking sound effects. The choreography in Jason’s fight scene at the end of the episode was stellar. It wasn’t quite ‘Daredevil’ hallway or prison-level good, but it was the best one this show has had.
The pacing for this episode was surprisingly great, with everything flowing organically instead of feeling rushed and crammed. Dick’s struggle with who he wants to be as a person seemingly comes to a head in a natural way that sets him on a different path as a vigilante. This progression made even more sense given that Dick has now found a new family with the Titans and can come to terms with someone being the new Robin, even if he isn’t thrilled with it.
With compelling writing, strong action sequences, and impressive character development for Dick, “Jason Todd” is the best episode of ‘Titans’ yet.