Here is one diversion from continuity that is welcomed -- no, strike that -- encouraged.

Fans of the Teen Titan series have long pondered how it all started, so the series creators decided to finally buckle down and give the fans what they wanted.

At sixty-two episodes deep, we finally get a taste of how it all began, and as cool as the premise may sound, it is actually a little more disappointing in actual execution. Well, disappointing is a little harsh. Perhaps underwhelming is a touch more accurate.

What is done well is the incorporation of character backgrounds into their initial meeting, for the most part. Each future Titan is given a nod to their past, some more than others.

The episode opens with a Gordanian transport ship toting a slave prisoner we all know as Starfire. She escapes to Earth and the Gordanians follow to retrieve their prize. Starfire is rendered dark, powerful, and lethal as she destroys the Gordanian ship angrily screaming in Tamaranian.

This would be the perfect nod to the comics and an excellent means to kick off the animated series, had it not appeared buried all the way in season five. Oh well. Robin’s introduction is chock full of references to the Boy Wonder’s life as sidekick to the man in bat clothing. Viewers are treated to a rendition of Robin’s theme from other Batman animated ventures, accompanied by the flutter of bats and an aside from the Boy Wonder about going “solo.”

At this point, origins begin taking a backseat. Sure, Beast Boy is given a significant nod to having parted ways from the Doom Patrol, with jokes targeting his mask and a comment about Cyborg being “Robotman 2.0,” but other than that, we aren’t really given too much to go with.

Cyborg and Raven come up even shorter. Both seem to wander into the conflict with Starfire by chance and without any real motivation for being there in the first place. Cyborg gets a nice moment in which he loses control and goes off the deep end, calling himself a monster as a result of his accident related enhancements. Sure, it's nice to make a comment about it, but why not give us a little more?

Raven gets the shortest end of the stick, literally wandering into the fray, and then occasionally referencing her fate and birthright. It’s nice to see some of the bonds between the characters form, such as Robin’s natural step into a leadership role, a shared moment with Starfire, and the interactions between Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven.

As expected, Starfire is eventually swayed from her destructive rampage, and the teens must face off against the Gordanians in hopes of thwarting their nefarious and brutal tactics.

Sure, this episode technically shows fans the “origins” of the team, but the overall threat and the method in which the team comes together feels a little forced and underwhelming in the end. This isn’t to say that some of the in-jokes, like including Marv Wolfman and George Perez in a cameo and using team poses from back in season one, are amusing and fun, but this doesn’t make the episode really work in the way it could have.

It helps, but it isn’t the answer, and what’s missing is giving us a “peek-a-boo” angle on the team members’ individual lives prior to joining the team. Perhaps giving us a brief recap for each character would have been good route to undertake, even if it means cutting back on some of the Gordanian plotline.

Bottom line, "Go" has its moments and is better than a good portion of episodes released in the past. It just fails to deliver anything we either haven’t seen before, or had anticipated from an episode promising “origins.”

Next Up: Join us in January as the final episodes of Teen Titans ramp up to the close of an excellent season. First up is "Calling All Titans," a continuation of the Brotherhood of Evil plotline promising appearances by Titans East and perhaps a couple other surprises. See you soon!

Mario Anima