Teen Titans

As the opening moments of this episode played out, a sense of dread swept over me. There it was, an omen staring back at the fans viewing from home that could not go unnoticed.

That’s right, the T-Car is back.

The last time the T-Car showed up marked trouble for the animated teens of Titan Tower, and this viewer cringed at the thought of another episodic misfire in the Titans catalog.

Just like every canine, it would seem that every ill-conceived Titans episode has its day as well. Thankfully, this dog has its strong points to help ease us through another throwaway episode.

I’m sure that Beast Boy lovers will be flooding my inbox, because apparently this episode ranks highly in their eyes. Don’t get me wrong, as I’m a big fan of our green little beastie.

The plot centers on Beast Boy’s loneliness. In an extremely deft touch, episode writer Rob Hoegee pulls from previous episodes to help illustrate the isolation Beast Boy feels while hanging in the Tower.

As we all learned in "Car Trouble," Cyborg has his T-Car to keep him company, and since his “baby” requires TLC that only Cy could administer, Beast Boy learns that Cyborg prefers his ministrations solo.

It goes without saying that Robin enjoys isolation, so it comes as no surprise that the Dark Squire rejects Beast Boy from joining him in an outdoor workout session.

Even Starfire and Raven have a newfound bond with one another after the events that transpired in "Switched." Beast Boy only crowds their space when he tries to join in on meditation.

Having come face to face with rejection at every turn, Beast Boy turns to the City for camaraderie, and winds up finding nothing but trouble in the process. (Is it ever thus in San Francisco?)

This is pretty much where things start falling apart. Acknowledging that Beast Boy has remained the least developed Titan is a valid key for setting up possible future story arc, but the episode abandons this concept for a zany plot involving a intergalactic pet owner named Soto in search of his lost pooch.

Oh yeah, did I mention that the lost pooch in question happens to be green? Coincidence? I think not!

As you can likely surmise, Beast Boy finds it necessary to turn into a green dog, while trying to pick up some ladies who happen to be dog lovers, which leads to a rather routine mistaken identity plot thread.

Yawn.

I was more interested in seeing what Beast Boy brings to the table for everyone else. Instead, we are stuck with an allegorical nod that basically equates Beast Boy as the Titans' pet changeling.

Beast Boy fights imprisonment, but when it comes down to it, he is forced to change from animal to animal to spare being shocked into obedience. Animal cruelty, anyone?

The zany antics of the episode are hilarious at times, but overall this is one of the weaker episodes. The Titans take note long enough to realize that Beast Boy is missing, and the team sets off to track him down and save him.

Overall the episode is entertaining enough, however this viewer is still hoping for more Beast Boy development in the future. The emotional issues raised in this episode makes it overall worthwhile viewing to see advancements in Beast Boy’s character, but the whole alien kidnapping thread seems to fall flat.

It is nice to see adherence to the growth from episode to episode that is present here. At times I’ve often wondered whether or not Starfire and Raven’s relationship continued to make progress or if they eventually reverted back to their old ways.

Both the stray green dog and Soto are newly created characters for the animated series. Soto’s appearance seems to be inspired (or depending how you look at things, perhaps the inspiration for) the monolithic busts of Easter Island, with a spacesuit clad body.

All of his technology seems to be ripped from childhood in some way. His ship's monitors remind me of Atari 2600 games, and his controls are reminiscent of preschool toys.

The green dog, of course, escaped Soto’s clutches and fled to earth in search of a new life. Instead he led Soto directly to Beast Boy. By the end of the episode, Soto’s role has swapped with that of the green dog, whom by the way, speaks the full English tongue.

When the Titans finally capture the dog and learn that he can speak English we are treated to an exchange that is simply hilarious. The moment is so overplayed and unexpected that it comes across as hysterical, redeeming the episode briefly before the final confrontation between the Titans and Soto.

When Beast Boy is finally freed, the action sequence featuring him wailing on Soto is sure to get the adrenaline flowing, although it may be too late in the episode for a complete turnaround.

Who knows if we will ever see Soto and his dog again, although I would hope that we are spared in the future. Despite this, bring on more of that emotionally lonely Beast Boy in future episodes! While you're at it, give Cyborg a better attachment than merely a T-Car; for some reason, this just doesn’t mesh.

Next Week: Sadly I bring both good and bad news this week, Fanboys. The good news is that early reports indicate that we should be seeing new episodes of Teen Titans airing on July 31st (back to back with the first episode of Justice League Unlimited). However, we won’t have any episodes to review until the July 10th replay of "Only Human," in which Cyborg takes on a giant robot named Atlas in an attempt to save his teammates! How sweet!

Mario Anima