All right, so for this one I'm going to be doing something a bit different.
While for seasons 1 and 2 I went through each episode in their order on the DVDs, my discussion
of season 3 will be formatted a bit differently.
I'm going to start by discussing all the episodes that aren't a part of the conflict between
Cyborg and blood brother and then I'm going to be discussing all of those episodes at
once.
There are a number of reasons that I'm doing this, but they will be more relevant once
I get to the next part of this video series.
For now, let's focus on the episodic episodes, starting with episode 2.
In this episode, Red X returns, but this time someone other than Robin is in the suit.
As such, this episode focuses on how Robin dwells on the past and the guilt he feels
for how he acted previously, when Slade was involved.
In addition to this, specific mistakes Robin made when making Red X's suit come back to
bite him, as he used a dangerous substance to give the suit some of its abilities.
Considering that episode 5 is going to explore the trauma that Slade has caused Robin to
experience, this is a good move.
It reminds us that Robin hasn't moved past this and that these things stick with him.
As we've seen previously, he's hard on himself, and that hasn't changed; he hates what Slade
got him to do.
It's also important to see how Robin's friends are still a bit burnt over this and that they
don't really trust Robin with stuff like this 100%, as they still believe that he may be
Red X at the beginning of the episode.
I especially like that part about the suit being powered by something dangerous.
It helps bring home the fact that Robin was doing something very questionable here, beyond
just treating his friends poorly.
The implication here is that he wasn't just manipulating them; he was putting himself,
his friends, and other people around him in danger just by using this substance.
That context adds a lot more to the Slade-Robin dynamic and helps make the way the Titans
compare Robin to Slade feel a bit more fair.
The other major part of this episode is that Robin is supposed to be considering how the
world is more grey than he envisioned, as becomes clear in the narrations he has in
this episode.
While I like this idea--the idea that Robin is confused about morality--this episode itself
doesn't do the best job of making that engaging.
Ultimately, the show may be successful in exploring this idea in later episode with
Red X, but this episode in and of itself didn't do enough with that idea to denote such weight
being given to it in these narrations that are rather uncharacteristic of the show.
What I mean is that these narrations are delivered with a serious, melodramatic tone and the
words themselves align with this.
Now, I have no problem with melodrama or seriousness.
But this episode is otherwise a bit more goofy than many of the previous season's episodes
that weren't specifically comedic, with lot of visual gags popping up throughout.
Of course, there's also nothing wrong with visual gags.
But this self-seriousness and these gags are at odds with one another and results in a
bit of an awkward tone.
Furthermore, in order for this central idea to be explored more effectively, I feel that
we need to know more about Red X--so perhaps this would have been better as a two-parter,
where in the next part we get to see more of Red X's confusing morality.
In the next episode, Starfire goes back to her home planet to get married to a stranger.
However, this marriage goes awry when it's revealed that Blackfire is the one choosing
Starfire's husband and that she is using her sister in order to gain a powerful item.
While it is somewhat entertaining to see Starfire interacting with her own people, ultimately
this episode fell falt for me.
There's nothing glaringly wrong about it though.
In fact, I've had some trouble putting my feelings about it into words--moreso than
I have had with any other part of this series.
It's probably because I don't have much to say about it and, really, I think that's exactly
the problem.
Where most of these episodic sections of the story are either meant to be comedic or are
used to flesh out the characters (or, on some occasions, both), this one isn't really either
of those things.
It's at once a serious episode and an episode where we learn very little about Starfire.
Going into this episode, we know that she cares about her people.
Leaving it, we know that she cares about her people.
Going into it, we know her friends care about her and want her to stay with them.
Leaving it, we know the same.
Certainly, we get to see more examples of both of these things and that these two ideas
can come into conflict, but the conflict is ultimately so short-lived that it never feels
like something that could cause genuine tension or large changes in character.
In addition, the events of this episode solidify earth as Starfire's home in her own mind,
so it's definitely wrong to say that there's no change in character whatsoever, or that
Starfire learns nothing.
But this episode doesn't make Tamaran feel complete enough to be Starfire's home: In
other words, we don't know anything much about this place.
If we knew more, that could add a lot to Starfire's conflict, could make this moment when she
chooses earth hit hard.
Basically, the more it feels like Starfire may choose Tamaran, the stronger this conflict
is, and it just never feels like there's any chance Starfire would do that.
Because of that, the episode lacks momentum and thematic depth and, thus, I don't see
much of a reason for it to be here.
Next up is "Crash."
In this one, Beast Boy accidentally gets Cyborg infected with a virus and needs to work together
with Gizmo to fix him.
I really like the idea of bringing back a minor but reoccuring character in this capacity
and it feels natural that the titans would think of Gizmo.
This is also good because some of the things Gizmo says force Beast Boy to consider his
actions and how his carelessnes can hurt his friends.
Really, that's the point of this episode: to get Beast Boy to think about how is foolishness
can end up hurting his friends.
Also, ya know, it's meant to just be a fun time.
But let's start with the Beast Boy thing.
Unfortunately though, there isn't much to say about that, despite the fact that the
main character-based aspect of the episode involves this.
Beast Boy's conflict in this episode is only explored through him saying some self-deprecating
words, other characters telling him he screwed up, and through him eventualy doing something
smart and succeeding in deleting hte virus.
If anything, it seems that this episode is meant to show us that Beast Boy can be industrious
and that he isn't necessarily stupid, despite the fact that he does some stupid things.
But if this isn't what's focused on that much, then what is?
Well, a ton of time is spent on Robin, Starfire, and Raven chasing Cyborg as he eats things
in the city.
Part way through, the stakes that these characters deal with at least rise as Cyborg starts blowing
other stuff up, but that doesn't change the fact that we're still watching what is essentially
the same scene play out over and over again.
Characters chase Cyborg; Cyborg eats a bunch of stuff; characters can't catch Cyborg; repeat.
And even when this episode isn't about them chasing Cyborg, most of what's going on inside
Cyborg is similar, with Beast Boy and Gizmo getting chased by the virus.
For me, the episode's presentation isn't nearly enough to overcome this repitition, and the
overall lack of focus on Beast Boy's conflict does very little to help this episode succeed.
That lack of depth stopped me from having much fun with this episode.
Up until this point, season 3 has been massively disappointing to me.
It's not that it's outright terrible or anything like that.
It's simply that nothing stands out.
That everything feels watered down and a bit bland.
But then season 3 episode 5 happened.
One of the best episodes in the series so far.
In fact, it's good enough that it made me think about how I feel about storytelling
in general, and about what I believe are the fundementals of delivering an interesting
narrative.
Action and consequence.
Two foundational elements of stories.
While this is pretty obvious, it's shocking how often it gets overlooked.
For example, it's not a character's death that matters, it's the aftermath of their
death, the affect it has on the plot and the characters.
Yet so often I've read novels and watched shows where characters die and . . . they're
just kind of gone.
No one is horribly affected by it.
They just move on.
The death was a tactic used to shock the audience.
Nothing more.
Now, I'm using the death of a character, which is one of the most extreme examples I can
think of, but we can really use anything.
If A happens, then B should happen--but how is B related to A?
What about these two arbitrary elements makes them entertaining?
It can be genuinely difficult to figure out how to proerply execute on this action and
consequence idea, but that's part of what makes "Haunted" a fantastic episode: We've
seen the actions, now here's a piece of the consequence.
Slade, despite all the issues I've had with his character and with the execution of the
Robin-Slade dynamic, has had a big impact on Robin and done horrible things to him and
his friends.
It is only natural, then, that Robin may be afraid of him, that he may hate him.
Yet we haven't heard too much on that subject yet or, at the least, Robin's feelings towards
Slade haven't been explored in a particularly serious manner after the first season's completion.
But here we see Robin breaking down, fighting a Slade that isn't really there, growing violent
and hurting those around him.
His trauma is controlling him, making him paranoid and irrational.
And, more than ever before, he feels human, and his friends' care for him is tested in
the most real way possible: After all, how do you care for your friend if they're acting
like this?
Do you tell them Slade isn't there?
Well, that probably won't go over well.
But it also isn't good to just play along.
As someone who has suffered from some mental health issues that made me anxious and irrational,
I know how hard it was for others to deal with that and to make me understand that I
was delusional at points.
This representation of it is both exciting and nuanced.
Robin doesn't want to hear the truth; he's become too focused on Slade and too obsessed.
Of course, this isn't just caused by trauma though.
As cyborg states, the mask released a chemical reagent that caused this whole thing.
But this still works as an exploration of Robin's mind cracking, of how his trauma has
led to a mental breakdown.
Then there's the direction of this episode.
It's top-knotch.
There's some stuff that simple but worth bringing up, like how the fight scenes flow so well.
And then there's more specific stuff, like how Slade disappears as the lights go on and
off, or how strong the direction is in this episode.
I especially like this scene where Raven enters Robin's mind and tries to help him overcome
his fear of Slade.
The mysteriosu music and the way that the shots flow together, with the camera constantly
moving in different direction--it adds a frenatic intensity to this moment.
Then there's the episode's great use of music and Scott Menville's especially strong performance
as Robin in this episode, Ron Perlman's fantastic work as Slade, the use of overall dark colour
pallets and how that adds to the episode's overall tone, the way the shot composition
makes Slade feel more threatening than he's ever felt before.
I could go on and on.
I really love this episode.
It's great.
It may be the best episode in the series yet.
The next episode, while not as phenomenal as "Haunted," is pretty good.
It's another Raven-centric episode and, in this one, Raven believes that no one understands
her and hates this fact.
However, when a book she's reading begins speaking to her, she thinks that she's finally
found someone who understands.
Some sections of this episode are pretty creative with how they're directed and composed.
Specifically, I like how this scene where the other Titans are interrupting Raven's
reading is handled, with noises infecting the book's world and the images crackling
out when they speak.
Beyond the creativity here, it's important to note that Robin is the first person to
knock on her door, and he actually asks her if she has anything she wants to talk about.
He attempts to open up a dialogue, without being over-bearing, but Raven turns him down.
She's given the opportunity to help someone understand her better, but she turns it down.
It's something that a lot of people with social anxiety do and makes it harder for them to
improve.
Raven's interactions with the Malchior, the individual who is trapped within the book,
mainly serve to show how someone with social anxiety can sometimes be easily manipulated
and hurt if they find someone who they feel understands them.
Part of what makes him creepy to the audience right from the get go is how he articulates
his feelings about Raven, how he's so quick to say that Raven is the best thing to happen
to him or how he tries to convince her that all things that are rejected are smiply misunderstood.
He creates a particularly strong bond wiht her by saying phrases like "people like us,"
by making her thinks that they're the same, by threatening that she'll be alone without
him.
An extension of this is that, instead of encouraging Raven to try and find ways to deal with her
friends and her problem, he encourages her to avoid them altogether and to spend all
her time with him.
Of course, Raven eventually releases Malchior from the book, only to realize that he's evil.
She fights him and traps him again.
After this, Beast Boy comes in and comforts her, saying that she may think she's alone,
but she's not.
It's a pretty touching moment and adds a lot to hers and Beast Boy's relationship.
While this is by no means one of my favouties, it is a pretty strong episode, that adequately
explores it themes.
The next episode is another Mad Mod one.
In this one, it's the fourth of July, so Mad Mod swoops in to hypnotize everyone and convinces
them that they're British.
I honestly can't think of a better concept for an episode involving Mad Mod.
It's the perfect plan for him to enact and aligns with everything we know about his character,
while being so ridiculous that I found it inherently funny.
Lines like "there is no George Washington and their never was" made me laugh out loud.
You can really tell that the writers had a ton of fun with this one.
And, unlike many of the other episodes that are focused on being goofy or comedic, I didn't
find that this one repeated itself too often.
The sheer number of references being thrown around in the episode kept me interested,
despite the fact that I know I missed a lot of them.
These range from Monty Python to Abbey Road to Led Zepplin.
If you want to know more about those references, check out the article on "Revolution" on the
Teen Titans wiki.
Of course, in this episode, Mad Mod also steals Robin's youth and Robin is unable to do much.
So the other Titans are left to try and figure out what to do for themselves, which is a
big problem for them.
Without their leader, they each try and enact their own plans, but none of them work.
However, when they combine aspects of all their plans, they are able to fight back and
win.
The message is pretty on-the-nose, with how Starfire goes full ham over the declaration
of independence.
It's pretty cheesy, honestly, but the message itself is a good one: sometimes it's not about
putting things to a vote, it's about combining the best aspects of multiple ideas together
to make something great.
And, besides, with a comedic episode like this one I don't mind that much if it's a
bit cheesy, especially when the whole episode is just so over-the-top and ridiculous.
With that, I think it's time to wrap this one up.
In Part 6, I'll continue going through season 3.
Thanks, as always, for all your support.
It means so much that so many of you are enjoying these videos.
Also, I want to specifically thank all my patrons.
You're the best.
When my computer broke this week, the money you've given me on there so far went a long
way in helping me hire in editor.
And that leads me to my next point: I have an editor now.
I've linked to his channel in the description below if you're curious to check out any of
what he does.
He's a super awesome guy and he makes some neat videos.
Anyway, thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below.
Bye bye.
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