Titans: 3 things the show can improve on in season 3
3. Focus on the Titans more
By “focus”, I mean the current generation of Titans consisting of Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Brenton Thwaites), Gar Logan/Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), Kory Anders/Starfire (Anna Diop), Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson), Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly), Rose Wilson (Chelsea Zhang) and Conner aka Superboy (Joshua Orpin). From the beginning, the producers had an issue with not allowing the Titans be who they are supposed to be as a team. While Dick has been, to some degree, the point of view character (which is fair considering he is the leader after all), other characters like Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft) and Gar were relegated to side characters once recurring characters like Jason Todd/Robin II (Curran Walters) were thrust into the spotlight. Clearly, there are thematic and expositional problems at play.
Even as the unlikely heroes we saw in season 1 eventually worked together in order to face a common threat, the season was plagued by plot threads, mostly concerning Dick. While crucial to his arc in transitioning away from the Boy Wonder persona and out from under The Bat’s shadow, it felt like part of a vinyl compilation – a Side B if you will – that breaks pace and doesn’t weave together.
Of the four core characters, Gar’s backstory was the most fleshed out, but it’s now in question due to the break in continuity caused by fellow DC Universe show Doom Patrol. By the time season 2 came in, the retcon of an already existing Titans team made all of the efforts slightly counterproductive, especially Kory’s development as a character and her objective on Earth, assigned by the Royals from Tamaran.
The season 2 finale ended with Dick in the new identity of Nightwing, slaying Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Esai Morales) once and for all with the help of Rose and an incorporeal Jericho (Chella Man) who lived within his father’s subconscious since his physical body was killed. Dick and the rest of the Titans then saved Conner and Gar from the clutches of Cadmus and defeated Mercy Graves (Natalie Gumede), but not before Donna Troy/Wonder Girl (Conor Leslie) died trying to protect innocent bystanders and one of her teammates.
With Blackfire (Damaris Lewis) set to be the new antagonist of season 3, the main arc of the season should revolve around Kory and her uneasy relationship with her sister, as well as discovering her place in the world as a depowered resident from Tamaran and illegal alien on Earth amongst the Titans. In terms of subplots, there should only be two other character arcs that intertwine with the central theme of the story which could be family ties and bonding through blood and outside attachments. Conner is the best example to represent that through his ties to the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor. The point is the characters need a sense of direction that moves the plot in a more steadfast and prominent way.