Cartoon Network described this episode with the following blurb:

“Ever since the Titans final confrontation with Slade, Robin has been haunted by one question: Is Slade really gone? When Cinderblock breaks out of jail, Robin finally gets his answer: he sees Slade. Robin goes after him, determined to stop his nemesis once and for all.”

At first read, this sounds promising. The potential of a Slade-like visage haunting Robin throughout the episode is so ripe and capable of payoff if handled correctly that I had no doubt in my mind that this episode would redeem the disaster that was "Crash."

It all begins easily enough, Robin has held on to Slade’s armor, Cinderblock breaks loose and the teens must jump into a rain soaked fray against the mindless behemoth.

Then it happens, as the rest of the team is busy battling the ‘block, Robin catches a glimpse of Slade amongst the tree line. Then he moves, lightning flashes, and he’s gone. This of course prompts the boy wonder to venture off on his own in search of Slade, and lo and behold, he finds him.

Okay, stop right there. I, for one, believe that Slade is not dead. I realize he may be out of the picture for a season or two, but I’m hoping that his absence will allow the writers some time to work in a means to explore Slade’s character a bit more when he returns. I would love to hear him referred to as Deathstroke when he returns, but I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

But let’s evaluate the scenario thus far. If Slade is back for good at this point, then it’s a rather ho-hum reappearance. He even goes so far as to layout his plans to Robin while they fight, so how can this be considered a striking return to form for a villain?

The advantage, if Slade truly lives, is on him at this point, and this should behoove him to lay low and strike when least expected. So at this point in the episode, I’m getting a little concerned because it feels like we are about to go right into “Slade episode autopilot.”

Just as my faith begins to wane, things get a bit more complicated. The rest of the team catches up to Robin, and he issues orders to search the areas Slade marked for seismic charges to be placed. The team splits up and gets to work.

Starfire follows Robin in search of Slade. They discuss the probability of Slade’s return, and then Robin bolts into the dense trees. Starfire follows and happens upon the Boy Wonder just as he and Slade are in the midst of combat. Slade races past Star, who stands there with her mouth agape. Robin is of course furious with Star for not reacting, and he wigs out as the rest of the team reports no sign of trouble at any of the locations they’ve been dispatched to.

Starfire returns to the group, fearing that Robin is imagining Slade and his plot altogether. I love the idea of Slade being nothing but an image haunting Robin, but the problem here is that Robin is actually fighting Slade, which poses more questions than answers.

Is Slade real? Is Robin’s life actually in jeopardy when he fights Slade? Is there really a plot to destroy the city? All of these questions could go either way, and it kept me guessing the entire time.

At first I was very disappointed with the way things were shaping up, but as the episode continued, I found myself more and more intrigued by the execution. For instance, I loved the reference to Fight Club when the team finds Robin fighting himself in the ruins of Slade’s lair, and the beatings Robin sustains are nothing short of brutal.

Admittedly, I wasn’t completely sold until Robin’s final confrontation with Slade in the Tower. This sequence is so well handled that it not only makes everything come together, but it actually sent chills up and down my spine. It recalls some of the best moments of Japanese horror films (Kairo a.k.a. Pulse, Ringu a.k.a. The Ring, and Kyua a.k.a. The Cure) by creating a conceit that not only explains the Slade phenomenon, but is downright frightening in execution.

Another development, that instantly boosts this episode from its mediocre standing to being one of the best of the season thus far, occurs in Raven. As the team becomes trapped in one of the rooms inside the Tower, Robin is frantically running around the Tower chasing Slade. The team is concerned for Robin’s safety because the strain on his heart has increased exponentially since the inception of these Slade encounters. Something is killing Robin, and the team must learn the truth about what Robin has claimed to see in order to save him.

Raven enters a trance and her raven-self, something we’ve been seeing appear more and more since the last few episodes of last season, explores the Tower in search of Robin. When it finds him, Raven uses it to peer inside Robin’s mind, and see things as he sees them.

This sequence is phenomenal because not only does it give us some further clues as to which Robin is leading the team, but it is also a trait indicative of Raven’s character that has been sorely missing from the series so far.

Truth be told, Raven has become more and more Raven-like as the series has progressed. I don’t know if the network bigwigs felt that some of her powers were too taboo for a cartoon aimed at children or what, but at least things are moving forward in this direction.

For fear of spoiling the truth about Slade’s return, as if I haven’t spoiled enough, I won’t delve into what Raven learns and how Robin deals with his final confrontation with Slade’s “ghost.” This episode deserved to be seen firsthand.

It was nice to see Starfire’s emotions explored, especially with Robin’s reaction to her not seeing Slade and later on when she senses that Robin is in danger. Her soft-spoken side is well balanced with her physical prowess and strength as a warrior.

"Haunted" turns out to be one of those episodes you hope to see more of throughout a Season, an exploration of character while still intriguing and action packed enough to hold viewers’ attention.

Next Week: As hoped, Raven gets more room to develop as she develops a friendship with a wizard that’s been trapped inside one of her ancient books. We keep the ball rolling on an October chock full of new Titans episodes with Spellbound. See ya next week!

Mario Anima