After a well-received world premiere at NYCC last week, Titans will make its series debut for general audiences this Friday, October 12, on the DC Universe app. Here are a few screener secrets from the very first episode!
The Titans season premiere is almost here, and we were lucky enough to get to screen the first three episodes.
Related: Titans Review: An intense and exciting show that’s definitely not for kids
This first episode introduces us to the members of the Titans, though they’re of course nowhere near calling themselves that yet. Right now they’re just a moody detective from Gotham with an interesting night life, a scared and troubled girl, a woman with no memory of who she is, and a boy who really loves video games.
So what else can DC fans expect from the series premiere?
We’ll get to meet all 4 of the Titans…
…But all four Titans won’t get to meet one another.
Rachel and Dick’s storylines intersect pretty quickly, but while we are introduced to Kory and Gar, they’re still a few episodes away from meeting the rest of the team or each other.
And though we don’t get to spend too much time with Gar, the episode pretty evenly splits its time between Rachel, Dick and Kory, though it’s obvious from the very start that this whole season will revolve around Rachel and her story.
Another fun thing about this episode? We’ll not only get to meet all four Titans, we get to see their powers on display. For Dick, that means a pretty badass (and brutal) fight scene. For Kory, we get to see some well-deserving men burnt to a crisp. We get to watch Gar change from beast into boy and Rachel? Well, I won’t go too into specifics, but I would definitely not want to be the one to mess with her or her inner demon.
Don’t be too worried — this is still the Robin you know and love
Yes, we all know about the “fuck Batman” that shocked casual fans and drove bloggers into a frenzy. But as I (and many other individuals who actually watched the first few episodes) mentioned in my review of the season, the line actually fits well into the narrative when taken in context. It’s neither meant to be inflammatory or campy (though you can still read it as slightly being that second one), but instead provides quick expository background for Robin’s state of mind and outlook at the beginning of the series.
And while Dick Grayson projects a rather gruff exterior, 30 minutes into this episode a minor character who’s just met him astutely surmises that he’s not really an asshole — to which he just smiles and asks her not to tell anyone, as it will ruin his reputation.
Despite being rather growly at points, Dick Grayson spends this episode saving people, caring about lost children and taking care of victims. He even makes a few jokes along the way. So don’t worry about Dick being too dark or gritty or not your Dick Grayson. He’s there, he’s just got some Batman-related issues to work through.
This is the perfect show to debut in Spooktober
Right now, channels are running their 31 nights of Halloween schedules, there are half a dozen horror movies in theaters, and I can’t click on a single YouTube video without being forced to watch some kind of monster jump out at me during an ad.
Which makes October the perfect month for Titans to debut, because this episode is basically a horror story.
While we do get to see both Gar/Beast Boy and Kory/Starfire, the major focus of the episode is on Rachel (not quite yet Raven), with Dick Grayson in a supporting role. And while Dick Grayson is living a detective movie and Kori is living out an international thriller, Rachel’s story is straight up horror. She has a door covered in crucifixes that locks from the outside, a frightening, black-eyed reflection that whispers (and sometimes yells) menacing words to her, and a (literal) inner demon who attacks anyone that threatens her.
I was both surprised and pleased at how far into the horror movie element this episode leaned — though don’t worry if you’re not a horror fan. I’m not either, and while some scenes certainly surprised me, I didn’t have to pull the blanket over my head at any given moment.
By the numbers
- Body count in this episode: 5
- Bones broken: At least one leg, two arms and one breastbone
- Projectiles embedded into body parts: 5
- Number of flashbacks: 2
- Number of fight scenes: Technically 3, but really 2
- Number of times I thought, “Damn, Kory is so badass”: Every time she was on screen.
‘Titans’ premieres this Friday, October 12, on the DC Universe app!
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