Titans: Season Four – Review
With the fourth season, Titans comes to a close. I have very much enjoyed this series, probably more than any other DC TV series. The season and the series ended on a strong note.
This series was very much inspired by the Marv Wolfman and George Perez run of the New Teen Titans, which I collected and read as it was first published. This created nostalgic value but it also provided a strong foundation on which to build.
Each of the main characters played a major role. Dick Grayson/Nightwing had the spotlight for some of the previous seasons and he perhaps gets a little less attention.
Connor Kent/Superboy gets some major character development. He is a clone of both Superman and Lex Luthor. He hopes to meet Superman but when Kal-El has other commitments, his other “dad” makes the time. This will eventually lead Connor to embrace his Lex side, including the hairstyle. The complex nature of the character gave the actor a chance to stretch.
Gar Logan/Beast Boy also had a major arc. One of the highlights of the season was when Gar meets up with Freedom Beast, a South African superhero, also with animal powers. This leads Gar to travel the multiverse. We get glimpses of numerous other DC characters from different series and a brief crossover with Stargirl. It also reunites Gar with the Doom Patrol and we finally get to see Gar with Vic Stone/Cyborg, who in the comics are best buds.
Aside from all this, the main story is the build up to Brother Blood, one of the Titan’s main enemies in the comics. In this story, a man named Sebastian is the son of the demon Trigon, just as Rachel/Raven is the daughter of Trigon. His human mother has a plan for Sebastian to bring Trigon to earth,
While I liked Brother Blood in the comics, I did not like the portrayal of Sebastian in this series. He was far too whiny and not the strong character I remember from the comics. Usually I see superhero shows as only as good as the villain. This was an exception.
The episodes in this season were almost all strong. There were so many thought-provoking and fun moments. We got to see Tim Drake become the new Robin. We saw Kory/Starfire wrestle with her destiny. And Raven grows into a more confident and powerful young lady. Plus we get to meet Jinx, a trendy sorceress, who is a thief but aids the Titans.
Thankfully, they knew this was the final season and so they were able to conclude the season accordingly. And it was a satisfying conclusion.
One of the reasons that I liked this series is that they did not have to introduce a bunch of new characters along the way. An entire DC Universe is just assumed and they can mention a name without showing the actual hero. Even Superman, who in a way plays an important role, is not actually depicted but we get a sense of the figure he is.
I don’t know what future DC television shows will be like, but I hope they take some of the positive lessons from Titans.
