The DC Universe streaming service has had something of a rocky start following the cancellation of
Swamp-Thing and a shortened first season of
Titans which ended on a rather baffling note. What should have been a twelve episode run became eleven, and we were left with a pretty underwhelming cliffhanger that definitely didn't feel like a fitting choice for a season finale.
Well, the season two premiere picks up where we left things last year, and that eleven episode storyline revolving around Raven and her demonic father Trigon is finally resolved. Unfortunately, it's far from epic and feels thoroughly underwhelming at times. Rather than seeing the team leap into battle against the demonic bad guy, we're forced to sit through more "fantasy" sequences, which, to be fair, aren't too bad. These shed some light on many of the Titans' motivations and what could have become of them had they made slightly different decisions in life. The CGI Trigon we've been waiting so long to see is definitely comic accurate, but the visual effects aren't overly strong and that could explain why his inevitable defeat was handled the way it was.
Once we get past the conclusion to Raven's overly long and convoluted origin story, the good stuff finally arrives, and not only saves this premiere but also ensures that fans will want to stick around to see what comes next.
It's not a spoiler to say that Deathstroke is teased here, while we also finally get to meet Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne. Despite the fact that he was set up as some sort of lunatic in the first season, this appears to be a comic accurate version of the character (even if he is shown without his suit) and more scenes between him and Brenton Thwaites' Dick Grayson are an absolute must moving forward. They share a lot of chemistry and it's clear that there's much more to explore about their unique dynamic in this world.
While
Titans definitely dropped the ball with the entire Raven storyline and devoting this premiere to wrapping up the previous season was an odd creative choice, there's a lot here that works. Even Raven's story arc has its moments, particularly when the episode leans into those horror elements.
The final fifteen minutes or so are also great, and if those are any indication of what the show is going to become, the DC Universe series looks set to become must-see TV throughout season two.
An exciting start to the season once you get past the remnants of season one, Titans still isn't quite up there with some of the better superhero small screen offerings but it might be soon enough.