TITANS
Season Two
Before I go ranting, let's just get my score out of the way first... 2 out 5.
When I watched season one last year, I ended the show underwhelmed and ultimately disappointed.
So I figured with season two there was no where to go but up, right?
Nope. Apparently you can lower... much lower.
Titans continues it downward spiral by continuing to make this a hard R rated show with extreme violence and sex, where our "heroes" drop the "F" Bomb every 5 seconds, where they claim to be about family but abandon and turn on each other continually, where they beat the crap out of people not to protect the innocent or for justice, but because they get off on it.
I grew up reading The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. It is a classic and is considered by most as one the Great Series. I also read and enjoyed the much critically lauded Geoff Johns relaunch. And then I look at this show, and I do not see anything I recognize.
I do not see any heroes.
The first 5 episodes are so depressing, lacking any fun or levity. We get a brief respite when Superboy and Krypto show up in episode 6, but even that storyline goes dark incredibily fast.
The series views these classic character through such a distorted, dysfunctional, dark lens that it is very difficult to connect or root for anyone. All the characters start in such a low, dark place and just continue to descend, it is hard to believe in them or feel sorry for them, when you have never seen them at their best.
You know a show about superheroes is in trouble when the most heroic and inspirational character is KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG!
Titans is supposed to be about Youth Empowerment. But at every turn, it is Daddy Batman that has to step in and guide them.
So once you get to the final episode, to the big RA-RA-The-Team-Is-Back-Together to save the day, it feels... "meh". The final wrap up the big Deathstroke arc that driven the whole season happens in the first act in a very anti-climatic fashion, making you wonder what was point? And then it gives the viewer a left field death to one of the Titans that just leaves you empty.
This series is a hot, steaming MESS.
Or maybe I am just a Grumpy Old Fanboy.