Teen Titans

Nothing gets the ball rolling on a good Titans episode like learning a valuable lesson, and Beast Boy starts this one off with a hoot. Looking to pay Cyborg back for a practical joke that resulted in turning Beast Boy's skin brown for a week, he devises "Beast Boy's Insta-Lube 9000," a tripwire based mechanism that results in the victim being doused in motor oil. Funny right? Starfire doesn't think so.

After being drenched in oil, in painstakingly hilarious slow motion, Starfire believes she has been punished for doing something wrong. When she learns that this has been nothing more than a joke she becomes enraged and lashes back at Beast Boy, calling him a "Chlorbag Barblernilk." Stunned, Beast Boy replies, "I'm a 'what' bag?"

It's dialogue such as this that makes the overall message easier to swallow in a series like this. Of course it is wrong to take practical jokes too far, especially if someone's feelings are hurt in the process. We learn this lesson, but we also laugh at the predicament in the meantime.

Meanwhile, two god-like brothers known as Thunder and Lightning have decided to have a little fun of their own by wreaking havoc on the city. The Titans show up to put a stop to the brothers' shenanigans, and in the process Beast Boy bestows his recently learned lesson onto Thunder, causing him to question whether or not their fun is truly harmless.

Fans of the comic series are no stranger to the brothers Thunder and Lightning, also known as Gan and Tavis Williams. When they first encountered the Titans in the comics, the brothers were indeed knee-deep in mayhem, but under different circumstances. The brothers were having difficulty controlling their otherworldly powers when a wise Chinese man named Chan To encouraged them to seek out their long missing father in hopes to discover a means to better harness their abilities.

In time, the Titans befriended the brothers and helped them track down their missing father named Walter Williams, who turned out to be an alien held captive by the H.I.V.E. for twenty years. The H.I.V.E. learned to control Walter, and pit Thunder and Lightning against him in battle. Ultimately the brothers are forced to kill their own father, which allowed them to use his blood to give them command over their powers.

In the animated series we are given a different look at the brothers; instead of the tragic angle on their origin they come across as mischievous elemental gods who need to learn self-control. Once again a seemingly wise Chinese man, called The Ancient One in the episode's credits, influences the brothers, but not for the purposes of good. Instead, The Ancient One encourages them to blast a series of wooden targets in the middle of a forest for "fun."

The brothers oblige, as long as Thunder's desire to not harm innocents is met. The result is their discovery of fire. Now I can see where Lightning could create fire with bolts of lightning, but we have a few sequences in which Thunder blasts targets to produce flames. Someone help me out here because I'm still scratching my head on this one.

Either way, the target practice turns out to be a part of The Ancient One's plan to raise another elemental being consisting entirely of fire. The towering Fire Elemental is brought to life and the Titans show up in time to try to deter Thunder and Lightning from further participation and to stop the Fire Elemental from setting the city to ruin.

In Forces we are presented with yet another re-working of Titans characters from the comic story arc to accompany an animated series format suitable for television. To top it off we also branch off into further developing character relationships with one another.

Although Cyborg and Beast Boy share a love of practical jokes, Starfire obviously does not, and while we learn a valuable lesson in the episode, we also learn more about her relationship with Beast Boy.

Meanwhile on "Slade watch," an interesting development in the third act of the episode reveals that Slade was indeed involved in the destruction that ensued throughout Forces of Nature. We are treated to the first time Slade comes face to face with the team, and he and Robin even square off for a bit, although Robin has no clue who he is up against.

In an interesting reference, likely intended specifically for Titan fanboys, Slade's guise, as The Ancient One, is actually starkly reminiscent of his true visage under the Deathstroke mask in the comics.

Altogether, Forces of Nature proves to be pretty good episode. It could have come across far more heavy handed with its focus on conveying an important message. Instead we are treated to a funny, yet action packed episode that balances out character development with dynamic action sequences.

The final showdown tracks three individual battles at once: the Titans vs. the Fire Elemental, The Ancient One vs. Robin, and Thunder vs. Lightning. Each face off is gripping in its own right and could have served as the sole climax to any individual episode, yet we are presented with all three.

Mixing humor with message, and throwing in the occasional comic and movie reference (a Project Mayhem assignment from Fight Club makes an appearance here) makes for an even balance of lighthearted fun and serious undertones. Add to this the underlying plot thread of Slade's involvement, and you've compiled a thoroughly satisfying installment to the series.

Next Week: We get a double whammy of Titan goodness as we continue with the retro Episode One reviews as Cyborg learns a valuable lesson in energy consumption in Sum of His Parts, and we switch gears for an Episode Two review when someone is hunting down the Titans one by one in Fear Itself. Join me for a double dose of Titan fun!!

Mario Anima