Written by Jamie Gorenberg
Directed by Glen Winter
Garth: “No, I want my Dick Grayson acapella birthday serenade!”
Arguably the only disappointing thing about this episode is that the birthday boy didn't get his serenade from Dick Grayson, at least not onscreen but other than that, this was certainly an episode that really explained a lot when you think about.
We've had flashbacks episodes in the past, notably the Hank & Dawn one from last season and this episode's focus on Aqualad (Drew Van Acker) certainly confirmed a theory that most fans had already worked out. Yup, by the end of this episode, Deathstroke had murdered Garth in front of Donna and following Dawn's advice, Dick channeled his inner Batman in order to get revenge on Slade.
Befriending Jericho (Chella Man) would've seemed like an innocent act if we didn't know that Dick was out to avenge his fallen Titan and of course, if Jericho wasn't hiding with his mother from his assassin father to boot. We already know that Jericho is going to be a goner but unlike Garth, at least we're going to see him for one more episode.
Getting back to Garth, Drew Van Acker did a good job of bringing the character to life and he seemed like a natural fit in the Titans with Dick, Donna, Dawn and Hank. This episode alone is making me hope for some pre-Deathstroke flashbacks again as they're an enjoyable team to watch between taking out thugs and celebrating Garth's birthday.
Then there's the romantic angle with Garth and Donna. All of it felt textbook to be honest - the flirty moments, Donna being unsure whether to pursuit a relationship with Garth and considering going home, the actual sex scene itself, Donna changing her mind before Garth was killed by Slade. Now, while it might have all been predictable, that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable to watch. It just meant that nothing really surprised, scene wise.
As for Deathstroke, killing a Titan member showed that he meant business and once again with the lesser scenes he had, the character was still a lot more engaging to watch that Doctor Light, who even in flashbacks is a bit of bore, character wise. Now following the events of last week's episode, it seems that Aqualad won't be the only Titan member to suffer a nasty fate. Oh, Jason, you're so screwed.
- Dick and Dawn being a couple in the flashbacks threw me off and it shouldn't have. I liked Donna's Amazon adviser, Jillian. I hope we get to see her again.
- While Garth was enjoyable, I'll admit the effects for his abilities didn't look quite as impressive as they could've done. He was 22 when he died as well and had fancied Donna for a decade.
- Rachel, Kory, Gar, Rose and Jason all sat this episode out and much as I like them, the episode worked without them, which shows that the show can juggle/bench out some of it's main characters and do well.
- Chronology: Five years before the events of this season.
Aqualad certainly wasn't a damp squib of an episode. In fact, it's a series highlight and despite everything in it being widely telegraphed, it only made the episode a lot more enjoyable. Saying that, I do hope the show ditches Doctor Light soon as he's the weakest part of the season so far and I'd rather more scenes with Deathstroke and for the Cadmus plot to kick in as well.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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