After a long wait, it's finally time to revisit the world of Titans with the flagship show of the now defunct DC Universe service moved over to HBO Max for its third season and beyond. While my hopes were for the show to retain its upward trend from season two, I found this latest season kind of plateaus.
On the positive side, season three is much more focused than the last, with one main villain to defeat and characters' personal stories sprinkled throughout. I also like that we start out the season with the Titans being a firmly reestablished superhero team now all with supersuits in tow and that despite friction between members, they operate on a much more united front compared to the last two seasons. The season being set mostly in Gotham means it leans very heavily into the Batman mythos (even partially adapting "No Man's Land"), which can be a double edged sword. The main threat and challenges faced in Gotham are pretty well done, though there were times where I kept thinking why this wasn't a full-on Batman story.
Which brings me to my main issue with this season: Jason Todd as Red Hood. Since Curran Walters first appeared as the second Robin in season one, his death and resurrection has been something many had expected to see at some point. While we've reached it, the execution (no pun intended) misses what made his story so tragic. In the comics, Jason planned for years his return to Gotham with his driving force being anger towards Bruce for not avenging his death at the hands of Joker, taking the Red Hood name for its association with his killer. In "Titans", he dies and comes back in a matter of days and is used as a pawn by Jonathan Crane (who does not suit up as Scarecrow this season), which can evoke echoes of their partnership in the "Arkham Knight" video game. The problem with this depiction is that Jason is still the whiny little runt he's been the last two seasons; without the years of festering rage that guided him, it's hard to take him seriously as Red Hood. Plus, Jason's still not that bright, as even at times when he starts to get wise to Crane's manipulation, he somehow still finds himself drawn to work with him. Finally, it's hard to feel sympathy for Jason when he broke bad even before Joker took a crowbar to his face; he sought Crane's help to get past his traumas from season two after Bruce benched him as Robin and told Crane all the family secrets in exchange. My point is, the writers needed to think a little harder when it came to bringing this story to life to capture why it worked in other media.
Like last season, here are some notes on the various characters that appeared this time around:
* We learn a little more about Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne and it doesn't exactly paint him in a good light. Without going into a lot of detail, let's just say they lift from some of the worst parts of Frank Miller's Batman, and I'm talking "All Star" levels here. Even with that aside, Glen's performance this season doesn't have the same energy as before, with him seeming tired half the time. This may be intended as they make a point about him getting older, but this just makes me wonder how this Bruce has still been operating as Batman up to this point. It's unclear if we'll see Bruce next season, but with the implication by the end being that he's retired, maybe he does deserve a break.
* Vincent Kartheiser does a good job as Jonathan Crane, bringing a calm and collected demeanor for most the season before starting to go off the walls in the final episodes. In short, he's able to capture both demeanors of Scarecrow very well.
* Damaris Lewis brings Blackfire to the forefront after being teased last season, and I'm glad they didn't go the obvious route by making her the secondary villain this season. Instead she finds herself a new member of the Titans after building a level of trust with her sister Starfire (Anna Diop), with their relationship reminding me a lot of Gamora and Nebula in the MCU. Blackfire also enters a relationship with Superboy, which comes off naturally as they bond over feeling like a fish out of water when they first met the Titans.
* Savannah Welch perfectly encapsulates Barbara Gordon, reminding me much of the DCAU version of the character at different points. As some can compare Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne to Kevin Conroy's, I feel the same can be done for Welch to Tara Strong's Barbara. And much like in "Batman Beyond", Barbara is now police commissioner and grown mostly disenchanted with the vigilante lifestyle. I also enjoy that they were able to depict the character as still capable of defending herself even in a wheelchair and the chemistry between her and Brenton Thwaite's Dick Grayson shows a deep connection between the two.
* Jay Lycurgo debuts as Tim Drake, who many know goes on to become the third Robin. Like in the comics, Lycrugo's depiction of Tim is a pretty smart superhero fanboy (but not in an annoying way) with a drive to do good and protect his family and city. By the end, he's able to prove his potential to both the Titans and his family and I look forward to seeing where that potential grows when he inevitably suits up next season.
* Ryan Potter's Beast Boy continues to be the most optimistic character on the show, trying to keep everyone from succumbing too far into their dark thoughts and being the only one who didn't totally give up on Jason.
* Joshua Orpin's Superboy has certainly gotten more of a handle on life since the end of last season, now shown to be a well rounded person. While I initially thought he would have been more a jock to act as a foil to Gar's geekish tendencies, I was pleasantly surprised to see that having Lex Luthor's genes also makes him a genius, able to easily understand science and put together gadgets at superspeed. It gives the team a brain and brawn in one package.
Overall, season three of Titans is a flawed but adequate endeavor. There's enough old stuff and new stuff to enjoy that you can make it through some of the more problematic parts. Season two is still the best of the series to me, though that means there's still room for improvement that I hope season four will be able to reach.
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