Star’s
packing up all of her belongings to return to Tamaran? She’s
getting married? She may not return to earth? “Whoa”
is right, but no one is more shocked than the Boy Wonder
himself. Here he was taking it slow and playing hard to
get all this time, and suddenly Tamaranian custom swoops
in, stealing Starfire right out from under Robin’s
nose.
The
situation boils down like this: our misty-eyed Starfire
must return to Tamaran immediately because she is betrothed
to a groom she has never even met.
Yup,
you guessed it, Tamaranian custom includes arranged marriages.
Yet in an interesting swing to the whole tale, "Bethrothed"
writer Amy Wolfram has managed to work in subtle touches
from Starfire’s comic past.
I’ve
discussed Starfire’s origins in other reviews, and
I’ve even speculated on the inability for these origins
to be fully explored in the animated series, due to their
dark subject matter throughout. However, I was mistaken.
Wolfram
doesn’t tell the tale verbatim, but she manages to
touch on so many of the essential elements that it all works.
Returning
to her home planet, Starfire finds that her loved ones have
missed her greatly, and she realizes just how much she’s
missed her home. Her love of Tamaran has been evident all
throughout the series, and it pays off drastically in this
episode.
Her
teammates have some moments of self-discovery as well. Realizing
that their friend may not be around much longer, they seem
to regret taking her stay for granted. They also discover
that Starfire is indeed royalty, and nothing quite compares
to the moment when Star is first referred to as “princess”
and must explain her status to the rest of the Titans.
The
biggest revelation is the return of Blackfire. Having escaped
from her prison (See "Sisters")
Blackfire has successfully assumed rule over Tamaran, and
according to Star’s father figure, Galfore, it hasn’t
been the best of times under her iron fist.
Blackfire is
anxious to reveal Starfire’s future groom, Glgrdsklechhh,
a gelatinous green blob with snouts protruding from every
inch of his body. The deal is, Starfire must marry Glgrdsklechhh,
or his invading army will crush the Tamaranians and rule
them in oppression.
Some guys have
to go to extremes to get a date.
Robin,
of course, suspects foul play, although the rest of the
team questions his suspicions as masked jealousy.
Either
one is valid, but Robin is not going to lose Starfire so
easily. The Titans eagerly choose to join in the search
for clues, and each one discovers evidence of treachery.
Cyborg and Beast Boy discover that the “armada”
of green ships threatening to invade is nothing more than
a fleet of remote control phonies.
Raven
overhears Blackfire herself as she discusses her deal with
Glgrdsklechhh; if she delivers him a bride, in return he
gives her an amulet of unprecedented power with which to
rule Tamaran. It’s a lose-lose situation for all Tamaranians,
especially Starfire.
Robin
tries to urge Starfire to escape from the marriage, but
she is steadfast. Her loyalty to her people is far too devout
to be won over by selfish endeavors, no matter how attractive
Robin is in his costume.
In a
Graduate inspired race to stop the wedding, Robin
manages to alert Starfire to danger and foul play. The final
battle between Starfire and Blackfire is one for the record
books. Not only is it exhilarating and fun to watch, but
it also feels dangerous and brutal as well.
This encapsulated
the entire episode for me, the blending together of the
“edgy” and the “cool.” The balance
is tough to manage, and although a youthful Kory wasn’t
made to endure six long years of dreadful slavery with the
risk of being sacrificed, she was in danger of being sold
off as a bride to save her people at Blackfire’s hands.
It
seems to me when this balance is done right an episode can
shine, and this episode dazzles. The flip side to this whole
thing is how the episode also seems to keep Kory’s
marriage to Karras, the heir to the southern continent of
Tamaran. Much
like our own south, Karras’ people were on the cusp
of Civil War, and to prevent this from occurring Kory was
promised to Karras as a bride.
This
marriage of state, much like her youthful surrender to slavery,
is not presented entirely in line with continuity, but it
still works. In the comics, Kory went through with the marriage
to Karras, insisting that it was merely a means to save
her people. However, this disrupted her relationship with
Nightwing, and she eventually returned to Earth.
The unique thing
about Starfire is her sense of self-sacrifice when those
she loves are in danger. She has continuously placed her
own wants and needs on hold to save her people and her home
planet.
"Betrothed"
blends these two storylines together to illustrate this
character trait perfectly.
Next
Week: Innerspace meets Teen Titans when Beast Boy’s
online gaming manages to infect Cyborg with a computer virus.
Tune in next week for “Honey, I Shrunk the Teen Titans,”
or as listed in TV Guide, Crash.
