Titans season 2, episode 8 review: Jericho

How the original Titans broke apart is finally revealed, but the relationship between Jericho and his father, Deathstroke, proves far more interesting.

With Deathstroke (Esai Morales) almost killing Jason Todd (Curran Walters), Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) is on the warpath. The problem is Deathstroke, being the world’s greatest assassin, is very hard to find. Problem two is that years of pent-up guilt resulted in Dick hallucinating Bruce Wayne (Ian Glen), who between making snide remarks and doing the “Batusi,” insists that the former Robin come clean about what really happened five years ago.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Titans kept finding items throughout the Tower, items that are clearly personal and intended to rattle them psychologically. Naturally, they think Jason’s the culprit because a) nobody likes him, and b) he hasn’t been traumatized enough. This along with his reliving his near-death experience result in Jason going to the roof of the Tower to commit suicide. Fortunately, Dick is there to talk him down by telling what he’s never told the others: Deathstroke didn’t kill his son, Jericho… Dick killed him.

That’s right, it’s time for another flashback episode! And given that this one is entitled “Jericho,” it’s all about Slade Wilson’s mute metahuman son (Chella Man) and how the “wrong crowd” he hung out with was actually the Titans all along.

“We all have family stories, right?”

Just like “Aqualad,” the episode takes place five years ago. A few months have passed since Garth’s death, and the Titans have already befriended Jericho. Obviously, they’ve used him to gather intel about his dad. What they also discover is that Jericho has superpowers. Just like his character in the comics, he can possess the bodies of others for brief periods of time. Also, in keeping with the comics, Jericho was born with these powers, a result of the genetic tampering his father underwent which turned him into a super-assassin.

Hence this episode is just as much of a Deathstroke origin story as it about Jericho’s relationship with him and how he lost his voice. Never mind there are certain details Jericho couldn’t possibly have known about his dad. Even though Jericho’s the one telling the story to the Titans, we still see it mostly from Slade’s perspective. Viewpoint problems aside, this episode gives us a very effective character portrait of a man who’s chosen profession has driven a wedge between himself and the family he loves.

With the spotlight on both father and son for much of the episode, we, as the audience, must also buy into their complicated relationship. Fortunately, both Morales and Man do exceptional jobs. In fact, every scene they have together make for, far and above, the best performances of the entire series. Man, in particular, who also lost his hearing at a young age, does an exceptional job in also having to act via sign language in certain scenes. As a result, he gives a believable portrayal of someone who, deep down, is an everyday teenage kid, rivaling Ryan Potter’s Gar as the most likable character on the show.

The only scene with Jericho that feels particularly off is the opening. For whatever reason, we’re shown Jericho having a surreal nightmare of seeing the ugly side of San Francisco (and three guys in pig masks roasting a leg over a spit) as David Bowie’s “Five Years” plays in the background. Why director Toa Fraser chooses to open the episode this way this writer has no idea, especially since it has nothing whatsoever to do with Jericho’s story or has any bearing on what happens to him next.

“Watch closely, son. This is what happens to Titans.”

Morales also continues proving why he makes for an excellent Deathstroke. Even though he’s great speaking in a steady, even tone, this isn’t a cold man. Rather, this is someone who deliberately tries keeping his emotions in check, even as they seep out from his gravelly voice. And while I’m not sure if Morales is also performing his own stunts or if he has a stunt double, once he puts on the mask, you can definitely hear both the intelligence and menace in his voice, as well.

Speaking of stunt work, viewers are treated to two particularly vicious fight scenes, as Deathstroke dishes out some pain on both Donna (Conor Leslie) and Dick in one-on-one engagements. The fight with Dick, in particular, taking place inside the church we saw in “Bruce Wayne,” is something we’ve been teased with since the start of the season, and it was well worth the wait. Granted, you might think it’s awfully convenient that Dick and Slade fight with staffs when the latter has swords. It could be because Slade can then show off how his staff also doubles as a spear and an assault rifle.

“It’s not your fault.”

Yet now we come to what is, perhaps, my biggest gripe with this episode. Since Titans began, it’s been assumed that Dick’s questionable leadership decisions are what lead to the breakup of the original team, along with ending his relationship with Dawn (Minka Kelly). Even the last episode implies that Dick has the blood of Jericho’s death on his hands. Except “Jericho” doesn’t show this. If anything, it shows that much of the blame the Titans hold towards Dick is completely unfair.

For starters, when Dick learns that Jericho has powers, he decides to have him join the team, and with help from Dawn, tells him the truth. It’s not because he wants to manipulate Jericho, either. To Dick, Jericho is a good kid who, under his tutelage, could use his abilities to become an even better hero. Even though Dick initially starts off seeing Jericho as a mere asset, it’s clear that by episode’s end, he sees a lot of himself in Slade’s son.

If there’s anyone to blame, the episode actually makes a great case that much of the fault for the Titan’s break-up lies with Donna Troy. She’s clearly motivated by revenge over Garth’s death, and her making it so personal is what causes most of the problems. When the Titans, including Dick, decide to stop using Jericho, it’s Donna who insists they continue doing so. Also, the episode confirms that it’s the Themiscyran ambassador, Jillian (Ann Magnuson) who’s Deathstroke’s intended target. Does Donna tell the rest of the team about this? Of course not!

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Thus when Donna gets a text from Jillian, it doesn’t occur to her that this might be an obvious trap from Deathstroke. So of course, not only does she go off on her own only to find everyone dead, she decides to take on Deathstroke by herself. It’s classic characters doing dumb things because the plot says they must do dumb things.

Yet somehow, it’s Dick who’s made to be at fault. Why? Because when Deathstroke arranges to meet his son, and after Jericho tells Dick about it, Dick agrees not to follow him but later does so anyway. Except the only reason he follows Jericho in the first place is that Deathstroke mortally wounds Donna beforehand.

Also, we learn that Jericho died protecting Dick from being killed by Deathstroke. Naturally, Dick would blame himself over this but so do the rest of the Titans. Why? Your guess is as good as mine because, by episode’s end, all of them practically treat Dick as if he stabbed Jericho himself. Instead of presenting it as a tragic mistake on Dick’s part, “Jericho” makes his original teammates look like a bunch of jerks and as hypocritical as Deathstroke says they are. Honestly, if this is how Dick’s friends treated him, he really was better off without them.

Still, now we no longer have to explore why the Titans fell apart anymore, Now, hopefully, the series can move forward, allowing the team — and the series — to become even stronger because of it. At least seeing the Wilson family drama unfold more than made up for it.