Titans Season 3 review: New season but plagued by the same issues as the previous instalments

2.5/5

Story:

Nightwing and the rest of the Titans return to Gotham after Jason Todd, the second Robin, is brutally murdered by the Joker. He is later resurrected using Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit by Jonathan Crane in the hopes of using Jason as his foot soldier in the war for Gotham’s soul.

Review:

When the very first trailer for Titans season 3 was released, it was met with mixed reception. The idea of an edgy teen drama was not what a lot of fans expected, especially those who are fans of the animated series Teen Titans. But the first few episodes of season one quelled any fears of it being another Riverdale. They featured excellent character development, grounded narrative, and great visuals. But unfortunately, this didn’t last long as the season ended with a whimper with poor writing, questionable plot lines, and poor screenplay.

The second followed a similar pattern, with certain episodes and characters excelling. Isa Morales essayed an excellent version of Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke - one that would rival Manu Bennett’s critically acclaimed version in Arrow. One might even consider Morales’ version a far more compelling one. But the finale was rushed and bordering on being absurd and butchered any sort of character development Deathstroke was given for the first half of the series.

The third season was always going to be a make or break season for the show. So the creative heads behind the series decided to go for the safest bet to earn more viewers, to set the narrative in Batman’s Gotham City. For obvious reasons. Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne does appear in a limited capacity but is never shown donning Batman's cape and cowl. Considering the show is about the Titans, the decision by the writers is justified. But what cannot be justified is the fact that they have set the entire arc of season 3 around the Batman mythos. The setting is Gotham City, the storylines are inspired heavily from Batman: Death in the Family comic book storyline and Batman: Arkham Knight video game by Rocksteady.

Considering the Titans do have compelling villains and storylines in the comic books and animated shows/films, the choice of making it about the Batman mythos and using a Batman villain such as Scarecrow as the main villain can only be perceived as lazy storytelling. It also does not help that Vincent Kartheiser’s version of Dr Jonathan Crane Scarecrow is poorly written and is a far cry from Cillian Murphy’s version from Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy or even David W Thompson’s iteration in the TV series Gotham.

The idea of rebirth and second chances is the central theme of the season, but they have been overused to an extent that almost every character is revived, and it could only be described as ridiculous. The ‘afterlife’ sequences involving Donna Troy (Conor Leslie), Hank Hall (Alan Ritchson), and Tim Drake (Jay Lycrugo) merely plug plot holes. There is no coherence or logic in the narrative, especially towards the end when the city descends into chaos. Most of the events are shoehorned into the plot because the story demands it and not because it is part of an organic progression of the narrative.

The cast of Brenton Thwaites (Nightwing), Anna Diop (Starfire), Ryan Potter (Beastboy), Teegan Croft (Raven), Curran Walters (Red Hood), and Joshua Orpin (Superboy) all do justice to their roles. Damaris Lewis as Blackfire and Savannah Welch as Barbara Gordon are great additions to the cast, but Blackfire offers nothing more to the overall narrative. There are several plot lines that are completely ignored, none more so than Lady Vic’s (Kimberly-Sue Murray) arc. Despite dedicating an entire episode to the character, the scribes write her off completely from the season without any explanation.

Ultimately, the series has continued to make the same mistakes over and over again. This is yet another dent in executive producer Geoff Johns’s reputation. The renowned comic book writer, who has written acclaimed graphic novels such as The Flashpoint Paradox, has come under intense scrutiny recently over his alleged involvement in rewriting David Ayer’s 2016 film Suicide Squad, the 2017 version of the Justice League, and Wonder Woman 84 —all of which ended being mediocre adaptations.

Verdict:

Titans season 3 is a poorly-written, convoluted story that offers no redemption to the series that continues to frustrate with its inconsistency.