Titans returns to HBO Max with a two-episode premiere on Thursday, November 3, 2022. New episodes air weekly thereafter. UK airdates are yet to be confirmed.
Synopsis
Having saved Gotham, the Titans hit the road to head back to San Francisco. But after a stop in Metropolis, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a supernatural cult with powers unlike anything they’ve faced before.
Review
After four years, the trials tribulations on DC’s Titans are the stuff of myth and legend. Opening on the niche DC Universe platform before transitioning to HBO Max. The series has a rabid fanbase game for eating up every piece of Titans-related media. But with huge operational changes at the newly minted Warner Bros. Discovery and the burgeoning DC Studios on the horizon, can the series stick the landing with season 4?
Last year, Titans took us to Gotham and pitted the team against Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow. It was storyline which saw the series striking even closer to the heart of the DC Universe than ever before. Jump back to my review of season 3 and I felt the series’ writers had outdone themselves in terms of tone and balance. Stepping back out of the box in 2022 and I’m even happier to say the production team has done it again.
Having seen five of the six episodes in Season 4, Part One, I can say that the writing team has outdone themselves yet again. Each year the team has consistently stepped up their game. Last year we saw an overall lightening of the tone and a step-change in how the characters worked together as a team. The same is true of season 4. Some of that step-change is symbolic in the team’s arrival in Metropolis, a city which is the polar opposite of Gotham. It’s bright and full of hope and now so too are the Titans.
Across these five episodes there are plenty of opportunities for each character to take the spotlight. More so than ever before, the entire team is part of the action. With Dick (Brenton Thwaites) really stepping up as leader we finally get to see him coordinating the team and playing to their individual strengths. In the past the show has had a tendency to rely on its more well developed characters, from what I’ve seen of season 4 so far that is no longer the case.
That is evident in the increasing inclusion of Gar Logan (Ryan Potter), aka Beast Boy, in the action. As is evident from previous seasons, Gar has often been sidelined in the series’ major storylines. Be that for budgetary reasons around his shape-shifting or just simply because he wasn’t central to the story. Either way, season 4 finds Gar with a lot more to do and the series is better for it.
Embracing the sense of family has really brought new heart to the series. Season premiere “Lex Luthor” opens with a simple scene of the team at a bowling ally. Whilst “the kids” – aka Gar, Rachel (Teagan Croft), Conner (Joshua Orpin) and Tim (Jay Lycurgo) – bowl, the parents – aka Dick and Kory (Anna Diop) – simply watch on proudly. It lingers briefly on the events of last season before drawing a line under the events of Gotham and stepping boldly in to the future. Get ready to see a lot of Brenton Thwaites smiling this season.
Season 4 also wastes little time in getting down to business. It’s no spoiler to reveal that Titus Welliver has joined the cast as Lex Luthor. Heck the season premiere is named after him. So it’s fair to say he makes his presence known very early in the season. His intentions are also pretty clear from the outset. Whilst there is somewhat of a fakeout in the trailers around his involvement in the plot, Lex nevertheless makes a huge impact on Conner and on the storyline of season 4. Premiere writer Richard Hatem presents a Lex who is one of the most comic accurate we’ve seen. It would be a joy to spend more time with Welliver in the role down the line.
In terms of season 4 villains, there’s a lot going on. Aside from Lex, we’re quickly introduced to Mother Mayhem (Franke Potente). We’ve seen from the New York Comic Con clip just how formidable she is. But what fans are yet to see is the context as to why she does what she does. Across five episodes she is easily one of the series’ most well realised villains. She has motive, method and a back story which ties in to the series’ roots in a fascinating and well executed manner. Her storyline remains close to her comic book roots, retaining her role within the Cult of Blood, something which sets up another major villain for season 4.
One of the biggest surprises is in the introducion of Sebastian Sanger aka Brother Blood. In the style of Titans-old, I had anticipated him to turn up early in the season ready to cause trouble for our heroes. But that is not the case. Whilst that is true of Mother Mayhem, Brother Blood is instead the focus of episode 6, which I am yet to see. Across the first five episodes of the season, Sebastian is something of a sympathetic victim of circumstance. In a second stroke of genius, Titans sets him up as a character with a mysterious past and some disturbing facets. But overall we’re made to feel sorry for a man who seems to have his destiny forced upon him.
His connection with Rachel – who does refer to herself as Raven this season! – is particularly strong. Joseph Morgan’s chemistry with Teagan Croft makes their friendship one of the most tangible of the season. Morgan is a revelation amongst the cast, easily standing out as the most authentic performance so far this season.
Season 4 also features the debut of Lisa Ambalavanar as Jinx. Introduced in episode three, aptly titled “Jinx”, she adds some interesting connections to the wider DC Universe. The mention of a certain mystical character from the Justice League Dark could herald some interesting plot developments for Season 4, Part Two. Ambalavanar adds another layer of levity to the series. Her scenes with Dick are some of his most playful, but it’s her screen time shared with Gar which is the most compulsive viewing. I hope to see more of these two together later in the season.
Some of the episodes I’ve seen are unfinished, so I don’t want to linger too long on the VFX. Plenty of what I’ve seen is typical of the series production values. Season 4 isn’t suddenly introducing huge CGI set pieces. It’s continuing Titans tradition of carefully picking and choosing when to enhance its visuals with VFX. With a mystical story at its core, season 4 does call for a little more bells and whistles. But from what I’ve seen so far, the budget it capably able to handle it.
Season 4 is also continuing the series’ tradition for some incredible fight sequences. Keep your eyes peeled for a Kory fight scene in a hallway and Rachel taking on a mysterious villain as two cook, unexpected highlights. Elsewhere there are plenty of moments for the gang to suit up and create some cool fights.
There’s no denying that season 4 features some of the series’ best pacing. Season 3 quickly took its foot off the gas and struggled to maintain momentum through mid-season. The idea of breaking season 4 in to two parts seems to have helped the narrative thrust overall. Whilst episodes 4 and 5 do slow things down a little, there are still some huge story beats to keep the viewer engaged. If the series can keep this up through the back half of the season then I will be thoroughly impressed.
Verdict
With even bolder storytelling and the series’ finest characterisation to-date, Titans season 4 looks set to be the blockbuster season fans have been hoping for. A tightly written story, exquisite pacing and well-rounded villains all add up to this being a new status quo for the long-running show.
