Titans Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Ghosts
Paul Dailly
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Jason Todd is the worst.
Titans Season 2 Episode 3 was an excellent installment of this DC Universe series, but the young iteration of Robin is testing my patience.
Every single time it seems like the character is progressing, he proves to be the brattiest teenager around.
His outburst at Raven was warranted. If she had pushed a little bit harder, he would be dead, but Jason followed that up by not ratting on her.
That appeared to be a turning point for him. By the end of "Origins," it became clear that there's no helping Jason, and I won't complain if he's dead.
Jason thinks everything in life is a competition. He's a teenager who desperately wants to be an adult, and doesn't care about following rules.
Jason: Where's Dr. Light?
Rachel: Jason.
Jason: Little stealth job when I got here shoots what? Head lamps? I mean, half the city is on fire and still no sign of Dr. Light.
Dick: Not the time, Jason.
Jason: Look, I don't take orders from you anymore, man. I do what I want, when I want.
Dick: Get out of my way.
Jason: I think you got it all wrong. You're in my way. Maybe you need to see your retirement package, huh?
When you're part of a team, respecting rules is a must. That's how teams fall apart -- when someone thinks they are above the rules.
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There's no question about whether Jason can fight. He successfully beat down Dr. Light when he got the opportunity.
But the youngster did not bank on Deathstroke showing up to overpower him. Jason's fate is very much unclear, but the loss of someone in the team may be the right thing to make the rest of the team realize the villains they're confronting are legit.
Gar is a nice person, but he's not going to be able to move on quickly if Jason dies. They were never friends, but Gar is the type of person who will blame himself -- even if Jason was the one to manipulate him into joining the ill-fated mission.
Tamaranean: Don't.
Kory: Sorry.
Tamaranean: What the hell?
Kory: There's food in the galley... ten years worth of it.
Tamaranean: I'll burn my way out of here.
Kory: Not a good idea, it's our only ride home. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Tamaranean: This won't end with me. More will come for you, legions of them.
Kory: Let them come.
The biggest issue here is that even if Jason and Gar did get a much-needed win, then they would have to admit to the rest of the team what they did to get it.
It's hard to imagine what was going through Jason's mind to go to those lengths, but it probably had something to do with his ego.
Kory is in an awkward position because she knows her people are coming to Earth to strong-arm her to return to her birthright.
But that isn't the type of life Kory wants. She prefers being part of a team and not being known as having royal blood running through her.
However, she understood that her family was never going to stop pursuing her, and that's why she entertained the idea of going home instead of sticking it out with her Earth friends.
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Even though Kory was sent to Earth to destroy Rachel, she has a strong bond with her -- they mimic mother and daughter.
Kory is fiercely protective and would move mountains just to keep Rachel safe. Knowing that Rachel is struggling was enough to change her mind to stick around.
That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if Kory returned to her home during the Titans Season 2 finale, presumably when the villains are all destroyed.
It would be a great hook for Titans Season 3 to explore Kory's home planet.
Kory: Hey.
Rachel: Hey.
Kory: You're up late, kiddo.
Rachel: I couldn't sleep. Did I catch you at a bad time?
Kory: I got a minute or two. What's up?
Rachel: I was worried.
Kory: About me?
Rachel: That you went back home.
Kory: Rachel.
Rachel: Everybody has come back home, but the thing is, nobody's staying. They're all moving on, and I wondered if you're moving on, too.
Kory: I have to go home, too. I'm sorry.
Rachel: I get it. I mean, you have your own people back there, and I'm just somebody you met. But I don't know, I don't know, I felt like you were my people. If you're going home, maybe I could come see you.
Kory: You don't belong where I come from, Rachel. What's going on?
Rachel: Something's happening to me.
Kory: Like before, with your father?
Rachel: No, this time it's different. When I fought my father, I became something. Something different. And that different thing wants me to be it... all the time, so I spend all day, and all night trying to hold it down, trying to hold it in, trying to keep it in. I'm so tired.
Kory: What would happen if you just let it out?
Rachel: I don't know. I think I would be like when I...
Kory: When you killed your dad?
Rachel: And I don't know if I want to be that all the time. I kind of just want to be normal.
Kory: Have you talked to Dick?
Rachel: No. I have caused enough trouble, that's why I'm telling you.
Kory: It's okay. Sit tight.
Rachel: What?
Kory: I'm on my way.
Rachel: I knew I could count on you.
Kory may have locked up the dude from her planet, but expect others to appear in his place just like he teased.
Rose seems like a decent addition to the team if only for making friends with Rachel. They could help each other greatly.
However, Rose being the daughter of Deathstroke does not instill much hope in my mind that she will be able to work with the Titans.
If it comes down to it, it's highly likely Rose will choose her father's side. She talks a big game about how they're no longer friends, but how do we know Rose is not a mole?
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Obviously, Dick pursued her to join the team, but it's hard not to rule out it being an elaborate ruse to take our heroes down from the inside.
I could be totally wrong, but she doesn't seem as against her father as she would like our heroes to believe, and that's problematic in my eyes.
Now that everyoe has essentially united at Titans Tower, there is going to be more conflict than ever before, but this might be the point in which having all of these characters working together will prove to be detrimental.
For some reason, the creative forces thought it would be a good idea to have a lot of the comic book characters on the show at once, but the true test will be whether the narrative serves all of these characters well.
It's possible that DC Universe is testing the waters to see which of these characters resonate the most and could go on to their own spinoff.
If that is the case, I'm not as certain about Hawk and Dove leading a team as I was at the beginning of Titans Season 1.
Hank is slipping back into old habits too easily. The physical and mental strain of putting yourself out there to fight crime is going to kill him.
He's unable to cope with their current situation, but it could be the thing that makes him and Dawn split up for good. Dawn is all about that vigilante lifestyle, and she knows Hank will grow to resent her if she continues with it.
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Okay, Titans Fanatics.
That's all I have, but I would like to say that these last two episodes have been amazing. Titans Season 2 Episode 1 was just a blip!
What are your thoughts on the way things are shaking out?
Hit the comments below.
Titans continues Fridays, only on DC Universe.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
