Titans 2×05 “Deathstroke” proves to us that Deathstroke is indeed a villain we should all be scared of, and that Kory is a hero we all need to stan.
At the end of last week’s episode, I turned to my husband and said, “Well, that was a table setting episode if I ever saw one.”
At the end of this week’s episode, I stood up from the couch, hands gripping my hair, and said, “Holy SHIT.”
Which is a reaction I still stand by — and really, the most appropriate reaction to a cliffhanger ending to the best episode that Titans has given us in two seasons.
It’s exactly the type of episode I was hoping to get when we saw the last 20 minutes or so of the season premiere, and highlights the fact that when this show is good, it’s — and excuse my language here — really fucking good.
As compared to last week’s glacial pace and inefficient storytelling, there’s absolutely no excess fat to the story this week. This is a lean, focused script, where all the character moments service the plot, and all the plot points drive toward one exciting conclusion.
All the characters are as great as ever, but this episode sets itself apart in that nearly every character in the ever-expanding cast gets their time to shine.
This is Bianca Sams’ first-ever Titans episode, but given the high quality of it, I certainly hope it isn’t her last.
I almost named this review, “Everything’s better when Kory’s around,” and I’m going to spend so much time talking about how great she was in this episode that you should just consider that discarded title to be a subtitle to this episode.
I was thrilled when this second season seemed to recognize what an incredible star it has in Anna Diop and gave her a solo side plot completely unconnected to the main Titans storyline. Anna Diop is such a talented actress, and Kory is such an interesting character, that having her own solo story is the very least of what she deserves.
However, as glad as I was that Kory was finally getting the solo screentime that she deserved, I also missed seeing her interact with the rest of the team. In fact, while there were a lot of different reasons why I didn’t like last week’s episode, but the fact that there was no Kory at all ranked high among them.
That lack of Kory is rectified with a vengeance here, as we see just how much better everyone feels and is — and how much better of a show Titans is — when Kory is around. The minute she appeared at the Tower, I, like Rachel, immediately felt my shoulders relax and was enveloped by the thought that everything would be better now that Kory was here.
And I was right!
Having Kory around is a great way to balance out both teams. She’s an adult who knows Gar and Rachel, so she’s able to handle their adolescent struggles in a way that Dick can’t. She’s able to keep a cool head and perspective when the rest of the varsity Titans squad are too lost in their shared trauma to do so. And she’s a true partner to Dick, someone who can support him and keep him honest in a way that no one else on either version of the Titans teams is able to.
In short, I love her, and when Rachel said, “Thank God for Kory,” I really felt that in my soul.
The other thing that I felt in my soul? How great of a villain and a character Esai Morales’ Deathstroke is.
We’ve seen hints of his menace and his malice in previous episodes, but this is the first time we’ve been able to see why he’s a villain who truly deserves to be feared. He’s not only a consummate professional in what he does — killing people — he has a personal vendetta against the Titans.
Those two things combined makes him a truly deadly foe, but it’s the hints we hear of his history with the Titans that makes him a fascinating character. Last week’s episode showed us that he killed Aqualad, which speaks to his efficiency as a professional killer and the legacy that he’s left on the Titans.
This week’s episode gives us a few more hints about what keeps being referred to as ‘the sins of the Titans,’ which makes it seem like the death of Aqualad was a catalyst, not a conclusion. The introduction to Jericho in last week’s episode, coupled with the reference of ‘using Deathstroke’s kid against him again,’ strongly hints that Deathstroke’s personal vendetta against the Titans may be understandable — even justified.
Like Anna Diop, Esai Morales brings a staggeringly great performance to an already great character, elevating Slade Wilson to something truly special. It can be hard to convey menace when you’re covered up in a costume — even one as cool as Deathstroke’s — with only your one eye showing, but somehow Esai Morales is able to do it.
You can see the bravado from Jason’s face slip away as Deathstroke begins sharpening his sword, and the calm kind of threat that laced his speech about Dick as a charlatan gave me chills.
We’ll have to wait until episode 8 to see Jericho’s self-titled episode, and I can’t wait to see the mystery fully unspooled.
Stray thoughts and lingering questions
- I know I haven’t been the biggest fan of Hawk and Dove this season, but I absolutely loved them both in this episode. This was just the right amount of the two of them.
- I especially want to give a shoutout to Alan Ritchson’s performance this week. Truthfully, he’s really brought it week by week, but this one especially was a highlight. His protective feelings toward Jason are what I’ve been wanting to see since episode 1, and the fact that it stemmed from his own personal trauma was a nice callback to season 1. Again, just top notch writing from Bianca Sams.
- I was glad to see more Gar this episode, though my one nitpick is that I could’ve stood to see a little more. He finally got some heavy work here, which he pulled off with aplomb.
- Did everyone catch the look on Dick Grayson’s face when he first saw Kory, and when he was asking her to stay? Just say you’re in love already, Dick. We all get it!
- I say this every week, but the fight choreography on this show remains god-tier level. That last fight between Kory, Deathstroke and Dick especially had me jumping out of my seat, and I loved seeing the way Kory saved the day both figuratively (keeping everyone grounded and honest) and literally (saving Dick Grayson’s dumb, sacrificing ass).
- So, Kory’s gonna fly and save Jason, we’re all agreed, right? We’re really gonna see Starfire, Titans fans do not lose.
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