“Titans” Is Back, and There Is No Sophomore Slump in Sight

Previously on Titans detective Dick Grayson Brenton Thwaites formerly known as Batmanamp8217s staffwielding sidekick Robin encounters RachelRaven Teagen Croft a young girl who witnesses her mother brutally murdered and the two set out to find her killeramp160 amp160Rachel soon reveals her own mysterious origins and her perilous purpose to bring forth her father an evil being known as Trigon who seeks to consume the universe in his darkness amp160Meanwhile an amnesiastricken young woman named Kori Anna Diop discovers that she is a firewielding alien known as Starfire with a strange connection to Rachel amp160Elsewhere a teenage boy named Gar Logan Ryan Potter with the ability to shape shift into any animal he chooses unites with the other three heroes to form the Titansamp160Along the way this ragtag group is joined by several young caped crusaders and leatherclad asskicking heroes like the crimefighting duo Hank and Dawn Hawk and Dove as well as Donna Troyamp160Wonder Girl and Jason Todd the new Robinamp160amp160The seasonone finale of Titans saw Dick Grayson giving in to the darkness heamp8217d been battling since he parted ways with Batman years prior and falling under the control of Trigon in a series of hallucinations that ended with him amp8220killingamp8221 his old mentor and partner Bruce WayneThe seasontwo premiere titled Trigon picks up right where season one left off with the Titansamp8217 sinister new enemy seeking to disassemble the squad of young heroes by exposing their inner darknesses and succumbing to his power amp160We get a bit more backstory to each of the Titans as we see what moment in their past or in some cases near future would or could force them to cross that point of no return amp160In some cases itamp8217s coldblooded revenge in others its harming their loved ones with their own destructive vices amp160In the end the heroes triumph over the foureyed red demon but as has been true throughout comic book history the villain never stays dead amp160Trigon will surely returnTrigon felt more like the true finale for season one as it wrapped up the arcs involving Rachelamp8217s origins and Dick facing his inner demons and taking on the role he was meant for as leader of the title team amp160While the premiere episode nicely closed certain storylines it also made room for new plots for the remainder of season two including the establishment of a new amp8220big badamp8221 now that Trigon has been subduedIn season twoamp8217s second episode titled Rose the Titans relocate to San Francisco their home base in the comics and reside in the newly christened Titans Tower where they plan to train before their next threat arises amp160Jason Todd hilariously played by the charming Curran Walters joins the Titans as their newest memberamp160 Kori and Donna busily work with local police to arrest fellow superpowered troublemakers roaming the streetsamp160 Dawn and Hank retreat to Wyoming for a more peaceful life togetherJust as the lives as the Titans have changed since the showdown with Trigon the series itself feels like it has taken a massive tonal shift between seasons amp160While season one was indeed thrilling full of action and brooding drama it suffered from some pacing issues in its first handful of episodes as it was introducing a vast gallery of new characters which muddled the execution of the main arcs along the way amp160Of course things can get a bit messy when one is basing a series off decades worth of source material and setting up an entire team of heroes amp160While the cliffhanger ending to season one wasnamp8217t ideal it certainly left viewers wanting more amp160And thatamp8217s just what they got amp160In the words of Jason Todd amp8220Titans are back bitchesamp8221As the threat posed by Trigon subsides another rises or should we say three amp160Enter retired assassin Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke and his superpowered children Rose and Joseph Wilson known in the comics as Ravager and Jericho respectively amp160In the comic book world Deathstroke is Dick Graysonamp8217s archenemy and quite possibly the biggest threat to the Titans amp160Now that news has surfaced that a new group of Titans is on the rise Deathstroke wastes no time in dusting off his iconic armor and twin blades to face off against the young heroesThe Wilson triumvirate is led by the esteemed Esai Morales as Slade WilsonDeathstroke Chelsea Zhang as Rose and Chella Man as Josephamp160 Man made headlines as the first transgender and deaf actor to take on a role in a comic book property amp160Man and Zhang are also two of the few Asian actors to land roles in superhero propertiesamp160 Theyamp8217ll also be joining Titansamp8217 Ryan Potter in the upcoming Asianled Marvel film ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings amp160Morales is one of the very few LatinAmerican actors to join a superhero property as well with Carlos Valdez in The CWamp8217s The Flash as well as Zoe Saldana and Tessa Thompson from the MCU films sharing that honor amp160This is giant step in the right direction for both gender and ethnic representation in these massive commercial franchises amp160Itamp8217s a longoverdue move in my opinion but one that is recognized and appreciated by audiences nonethelessThe returning cast members continue to grow in their respective roles particularly Thwaitesamp8217 as Dick Grayson who has gone from a hotheaded rebel to a mature and levelheaded mentor to the Titans and a guardian for Rose when he finds her on the run and wounded amp160Robin and Beast Boy are a hilarious match made in heaven with their equally hyper and snippy personalities brilliantly playing off each other amp160Kori and Donnaamp8217s roles as a crimefighting duo also give the actors who portray them new ground to exploreamp160 Kori especially makes a new discovery in Roseamp160 Though Manamp8217s performance is one that I most look forward to we have yet to meet his character in the two episodes of Titans that have been released as of this writingWhile many superhero and action drama series tend to go even bigger bolder and more bombastic in their second seasons Titans does the opposite a decision which works in its favor amp160The action is still there but it has been dialed back the drama remains but itamp8217s more grounded and the emotions are heightened to where relationships can become fortified The plot both unravels and thickens in ways that leave you wanting to see the next episode ASAP but alas DC Universe makes you wait until the following Friday amp160As my editor says thatamp8217s amp8220TV the way it used to beamp8221Showrunners with series entering their sophomore seasons should take notes amp160This is how you make a comeback with superheroes or otherwiseNew episodes of Titans are made available for streaming every Friday on DC UniverseClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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“Titans” Is Back, and There Is No Sophomore Slump in Sight

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Juan Ayala

Breaking Barriers: Nada Bradbury’s AD-ID Strategy for Advertising Effectiveness and Women in Tech - By E.B. Moss

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“Titans” Is Back, and There Is No Sophomore Slump in Sight

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Juan Ayala

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