With the bulk of the recruitment drive and filler episodes drawn to a close, The Brotherhood of Evil is just about set to spring their trap on the unsuspecting Teen Titans. As cool as all of this sounds, the fact is that only two episodes of the series remain following this one. Sure, this rounds out the show with a total of 65 episodes yet it leaves fans with a sense of false hopes squashed after the first of an exciting and successful change for the teen superhero group.

The episode begins with an eager Beast Boy anticipating a swift return home following the recruitment drive while warning teen heroes around the globe of the Brotherhood’s plan. Eager to get home to a tofu sandwich and a round of Mega Monkeys 4.2, not necessarily in that order, Beast Boy’s aims at relaxation are cut short by Robin’s insistence that there are still remaining heroes to recruit.

Beast Boy’s reaction to this is hilarious: “Haven’t we already given these to everyone we know? Titans East has them, Kole, Gnarrk, Kid Flash, Tramm the Fishboy, that Russian dude...”

Despite Beast Boy's insistence, Robin feels the best move is to split up and hit the remaining recruits, while Beast Boy feels its best to stick together in case of a Brotherhood attack. Needless to say, Robin wins.

The final recruits provide a host of Titan cameos from the likes of Argent, Pantha, Herald, Jericho, and Bushido. Each original Titan seeks out a different character, giving us insight to what makes each one individually unique.

One particular match up that proves to be a treat is Cyborg’s approach of Pantha, who is spending time in the ring taking down anyone who dares challenge her. Don’t expect to see her popping up in “Falls Count Anywhere” anytime soon.

Cyborg and Pantha tumble, and it's enlightening to see Cy get tossed around a bit by someone else for a change. The fact that Vic is the team’s heavy gives you some idea where Pantha stands in the powerhouse standings. We even get a glimpse at Dimension X as Raven seeks out Herald for recruitment.

Another rewarding pairing is Beast Boy’s interaction with Jericho. Although it is logical that the series’ creative team would seek to include Jericho in the series somewhere along the line, it is surprising to see them actually rise to the challenge and include him here. Jericho is a mute character who communicates with sign language, so it would be understandable if he proved too difficult to bring to life in an animated sense.

However, for the most part he seems to come across as an emotive and reflective character, which is totally in line with his initial posturing in the series (he later went bonkers and wreaked havoc for the teens, but that is a tale more dark and gruesome than this series would ever undertake…maybe).

Careful viewers, and those with TiVos, may have noticed another cameo by Wonder Girl on the Titan’s compass (when they test out communications for the first time).

With the team spread thin across the globe, the Brotherhood of Evil finally decides to spring their assault to capture the teens once and for all, and the second half of the episode switches gears depicting just how much of the upper hand the Brain actually has over the Teens. With the Brain monitoring their every move (thanks to the stolen T-communicator compliments of Madame Rouge), the Titans are completely vulnerable.

As the collection of evildoers under the Brotherhood banner attack, the episode devolves into a battle royale of action sequences pitting characters against one another in frenetically paced fights consisting of subtle pairings for fans to geek out over.

What could have been a complete mess muddling a whopping total of fifty-four characters in a pile of fight sequences upon fight sequences turns into a well executed series of rewarding chess moves. As distress signals start lighting up the Titans grid, the team is forced to split further and further apart in hopes of assisting their new found recruits as they are ambushed across the globe.

Each pairing is accompanied with cutaways to Msr. Mallah playing chess. As Mallah manipulates the chess pieces on the board, the Titans slowly find themselves worked into checkmate by the Brotherhood’s sheer numbers. Some of the battles are pretty significant, such as the pairing of Speedy vs. Cheshire, a spar that is not only fun to watch, but holds significance for fans in the continuity of the comics.

Raised an orphan in Vietnam, Jade Nguyen found safety in the training and practice of martial arts, assassination, and poison. She became a world renowned assassin and took the name Cheshire. So where does Speedy fit into all of this? Eventually down the road Jade had a child named Lian, a daughter who was born out of a passionate, if brief, affair with Speedy. So as you can see, the show’s creators are having a bit of fun with this pairing, and the significance of other pairings throughout the fight sequences seems to suggest the same.

The episode proves to be the first of a two part cliffhanger, ending with the capture of Robin and the revelation that Robin is at fault for personally handing the T-communicator to Madame Rouge, who was disguised as Hotspot at the time. The Brain has the upper hand, the Doom Patrol is nowhere in sight, and one-by-one, the newly recruited Titans fall beneath the grasps of the Brotherhood of Evil.

Next Up: Who will save the Teen Titans from their demise? Join us next week for "Titans Together" to find out!

Mario Anima