In 'Origins,' 'Titans' Starts to Get the Gang Together

Anna Diop as Starfire in "Titans" on DC Universe. By Courtesy of DC Universe

Since “Titans” premiered three weeks ago on the new DC Universe streaming service, its weekly episode releases have primarily served to ease the shock of the show’s world. By depicting mature themes, gory violence, and intense swearing, the show quickly sent a message during the first three episodes that the heroes Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven aren’t the same characters that many viewers grew up with. Fortunately, the plot’s complexity makes up for the nostalgia for characters’ lost innocence, and this week’s episode continues to execute the intricacy solidly.

After last week’s focus on little-known heroes Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly), Episode Three of “Titans,” called “Origins,” comes to refocus on the beloved main cast of characters and fill in some gaps in both Robin’s (Brenton Thwaites) and Raven’s (Teagan Croft) backstory. Robin looks for Starfire (Anna Diop) and Raven after Starfire goes on a quest to rescue Raven from the family who kidnapped her. Over the course of the episode, flashbacks to when Robin was adopted by Batman as a child reveal how closely his familial crisis parallels Raven’s. Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Starfire make their return this episode after their absence last week, although Beast Boy spends some of his time playing video games in an arcade.

This episode highlights the strengths of “Titans.” As per usual, the plot is what really drives the show, as well as the engaging and easy-to-watch action sequences and drama. The action scenes have almost always been one of the show’s more shocking surprises. The choreography in “Titans” is better than that of any other superhero show currently on the air, rising almost to the level of a blockbuster film’s. The gory moments of each fight scene — at one point in this episode, Starfire stabs a man with a fork — will probably never end, but the absurdity is fun to watch and keeps the show from falling flat. In a way, the over-the-top violence makes the show even more unique, in a manner reminiscent of the “Kingsman” series.

The thing with “Titans” is that there are very few other comparable superhero or teen shows on the are that are simultaneously absurd and engaging. But while its choreography thrives, its CGI wilts into comical mediocrity, and its clichéed dialogue distracts from the relatively well-structured drama. Given the many conflicting strengths and weaknesses, it’s hard to pin down exactly what this show will become. Hopefully, those strengths are enough to make up for what it lacks.

Viewers of the show who yearn for the team’s unification can look forward to a promising continuation as the characters increasingly cross paths with each other and Raven’s past has now been well established. Hopefully, the show will deliver on finally unifying the team, a long-awaited climax of the show’s long build-up.