Friday, August 13, 2021

My Review of Titans 3x01: "Barbara Gordon"

 


Written by Richard Hatem And Geoff Johns
Directed by Carol Banker

Barbara: "No more Robins, Bruce."

Never mind the Boy (or Girl) Wonder, by the end of this episode, there may be no more Dark Knight. If Dick Grayson has any sense, he will not take Bruce on his offer. No doubt he could do a better job saving Gotham than this version of Bruce Wayne but I do not want to see him suit up as Batman.

Dick has only just begun on this show as Nightwing and he's so much better for it. Seeing him along with Starfire, Beast Boy, Superboy and Krypto protect San Francisco, that was finally the Titans show I wanted to see and it's taken too long for even something that simple to happen. I don't want that to be ruined because Bruce lost the plot in this episode.

Yes, Bruce lost the plot big time and all because this episode opened with Jason getting himself killed by the Joker and a grieving Batman then killed the latter offscreen. The good news from a viewer perspective though means that we're getting the Red Hood story this season but it's inevitably going to be bad news for the Titans who already feel guilty for failing Jason.

Jason's death led to Kory giving both Gar and Conner sound advice, newcomer Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo) somewhat despondent and a tense reunion between Dick, Bruce and Commissioner Barbara Gordon (Savanna Welch). Barbara might have been happy to reunite with Dick but she wasted no time in tearing Bruce apart for his irresponsible treatment of Dick and Jason.

It's interesting that this season has started off on the most Gotham driven off all things and with Red Hood and Scarecrow both on their way, you'd almost think that the show has forgotten about Blackfire. This opening episode didn't feature the character but given that something strange happened to Kory, I wouldn't be shocked if her sister was involved in it.

As for Dick, he was the most proactive he's ever been on the show. He looked into Jason's sudden interest in chemistry, only to find the fallen Robin had a secret loft and a drug lab while also being disgusted at Bruce for looking into replacements for Jason. Brenton Thwaites really has made Dick Grayson into his own and it's great to see but Iain Glen still struggles to convince as Bruce Wayne or an offscreen Batman. 

- Bruce was looking into Stephanie Brown, Carrie Kelly and Daxton Chill as replacements for Jason. Mr Freeze also was responsible for Jim Gordon's death and Kory clearly is getting a love interest in Justin Colt.
- Nice early scene with the Titans fighting Gizmo over a dangerous toxin as well as Gar wanting to up his game with his animal transformations.
- A lot of absences with Rachel, Donna, Hank, Dawn and Rose all sitting this one out. Ravager seemingly will not be a regular this season.
- Chronology: I think it's three months since the second season finale. 

Barbara Gordon has kicked the season off to a promising start. With HBO Max dropping the first three episodes on the same day, I plan to catch up with the remaining two over the weekend. This show has often been a challenge but maybe just maybe, this will be the season where things finally come together. The pieces are certainly there.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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