Titans Season 1 Episode 11
Titans wrapped its first season in surprising fashion. Trigon’s arrival seemingly set up a titanic finale. Instead, the show took another deep look into the psyche of Dick Grayson, but things seemed a bit more fluid, possibly manipulated, this time around. Regardless of the setting’s nature, it finally returned Dick to Gotham, and delivered the series’ first glimpse of the Dark Knight. Sometimes you can’t escape destiny, especially when it seems tailor-made for you. Reality fluxes like that.
Homecoming
The episode opens sometime into the future. Dick has set up shop in California alongside a pregnant Dawn and their son, Johnny. A lazy afternoon spent poolside is interrupted by a call from Rachel and Gar. The two are away at college together and appear to be doing fantastic. The Titans have gone their separate ways, living conflict-free lives. That is until a wheelchair-bound Jason Todd turns up on Dick’s doorstep.
Jason informs Dick that Bruce is in trouble. Gotham has devolved into chaos following Commissioner Gordon’s murder and Jason fears Bruce will kill the Joker in retaliation. He implores Dick, the “real Robin,” return to Gotham, but Dick is reluctant. Dawn picks up the mantle after Jason’s exit, reiterating that Dick is the only one that can save Bruce from himself. Dick decides he will go after their baby is born, but is influenced to leave immediately by a reality flux.
Dick finds Gotham in worse shape than originally thought. The streets are brimming with crime, Gotham PD is pushing back against vigilante justice and the Bat Signal has been retired. It isn’t long before Dick pledges to return home, but another flux leads him to crime scene linked to Batman. Dick finds Joker’s lifeless body, inferring to GPD that Batman is responsible. Joker’s hand moves and EMTs rush the funny man to the hospital.
Assault On Wayne Manor
Dick breaks into Wayne Manor, opening a secret passage to the Bat Cave in the hope of talking Bruce down. The passage won’t open, so Dick informs Bruce that Joker is still alive through a security camera. He tries to talk his mentor down, relating his relationship with Rachel to theirs. He reiterates that Bruce can’t cross the line into murder before leaving.
The former boy wonder runs into Kory, now an FBI agent, at the hospital. She questions Dick’s reasons for trying to save Bruce from himself when another flux cuts the building’s power. The two rush to find Batman standing over a dead Joker before escaping through the window. Dick has just enough time to tell Dawn about the murder and get pissed that Hank is helping her before he gets the news that Arkham Asylum has been attacked. Batman has lost the plot, killing inmates, guards and nurses. Even the warden. Batman cannot be saved and Dick is forced to reveal his identity to the police.
The revelation leads Dick to team up with GPD for a raid on Wayne Manor. Multiple SWAT teams infiltrate the mansion but are quickly taken out by Bruce in the Bat Cave. Kory prepares to light him up, but Batman shoots her with a cold gun, killing her instantly. Dick has no choice but to bring the house down with demo charges. He enters following the blast, discovering a still alive Bruce trapped in the rubble. Dick gives into the darkness, telling Bruce that he wins, before killing him.
Part Of The Family
One final reality flux reveals that this entire endeavor occurred in Dick’s head as he stood frozen in Angela’s living room. The act of killing Batman morphs Dick into his most dark form, complete with black rings around his eyes similar to Rachel’s. Rachel tries to snap Dick out of his hypnotic state, but Trigon refuses to release his influence over the former Robin. Rachel’s father allowed Dick’s release from his troubled past and Angela welcomes him as part of their family. A horrified Rachel looks on as Dick exclaims how good it feels to be home.
Super Tease
No season finale is complete without a good tease toward the next season, and Titans didn’t disappoint. A naked man escapes a laboratory hidden somewhere in Metropolis. He frees a dog, imprisoned in a kryptonite-laden cell. The dog’s eyes flash red and a tattoo of Superman’s crest appears on the man’s shoulder. It appears that Superboy and Krypto are making their way to the surface just in time for season two.
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