What’s
a Titan to do? Your best friend just conjured up her demon
father who is hell-bent on destroying the Earth, and you’re
stuck as the intermediary.
That’s
pretty much the situation at hand for Robin and company
at the beginning of "The End Part II." Luckily
for them, Raven finds a way to impart her powers onto the
rest of the team, but Trigon doesn’t take these developments
lightly.
The centerpiece
of this episode, the sequence that will have everyone in
a clamor come Monday, is undoubtedly involving everyone’s
favorite baddie, Slade. Last we saw, Trigon was stripping
Slade of the powers he had been given before turning him
into a giant ball of flame. His return, however, is sure
to send chills up and down any Titans fan’s spine.
Slade
is eager to get what was promised him, and he needs help
to do it. It just so happens that Robin is dead set on rescuing
Raven from the clutches of her overlord father, and with
the rest of the team tied up, he could use a little help
himself.
An unlikely
bond is formed between two foes, and they hit the road in
attempts to achieve each other’s goals amidst the
total annihilation of the world as we know it. Robin doesn’t
like working with Slade, especially considering their former
relationship as mentor and apprentice, but it is an accepted
necessity for both parties.
Viewers and fans
have to be curious about Slade’s desired payment,
and they get an eyeful this episode. Let’s just say
it isn’t Terra. There were two possible routes the
writers could’ve embarked upon with this scenario:
one was resurrecting Terra, and the other a complete resurrection
of Slade, who was presumed dead at the end of Season Two’s
finale.
Who
would have thought that the extent of making this desire
clear would be taken to such a creepy level? Slade, it seems,
is all bones as of late. A skeleton dressed up to look like
the Slade of old, he was promised the return of his flesh
should he provide Trigon with the portal. He intends to
get his payment, one way or another.
The real centerpiece
of this episode should be another one altogether. Sure,
the dramatics involved in revealing that Slade is a walking
corpse is, well, dramatic. However, this is all simple theatrics.
It’s good theatrics, no doubt, but this other sequence
actually ties into the very mythology of the show, culminating
in addressing each character’s key arcs which have
been touched upon at times throughout the series.
It involves a
classic showdown pitting each of the remaining Titans against
themselves. Trigon causes an “evil” version
of each Titan to split from Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg
respectively, and what ensues is a stroke of sheer brilliance.
While Robin must
contend with the one character who actually is “the
evil Robin” in Slade, Starfire must fight a version
of herself who knows all of her tender spots and exploits
them at will. Remember questioning the depth of Star’s
love for Robin? Tired of the waffling each character seems
to do regarding this subject? Well, sometimes dire circumstances
bring out the truth faster than direct confrontation.
When
evil Starfire suggests that by defeating the real Star she
will have Robin all to herself, Starfire responds with actions
that speak louder than words. Cyborg faces his counterpart,
who knows all of his twenty-six weak spots, and does not
hesitate to exploit them at whim. At one point he taunts
Cy, “Aw, you gonna cry to Mommy? Oh wait, I forgot,
you don’t have one!”
A low blow, no
doubt, but at least we can put speculation to rest regarding
Cyborg’s origin. One criticism of the show would be
its reluctance to tell the teens’ origins for fear
that they may be too dark for an animated show aimed at
youthful audiences. However, perhaps the decision to own
up so cleanly to Raven’s demonic father without revising
her origin is a sign that future explorations into the teens’
pasts are in store for audiences.
Beast Boy’s
doppelganger also pulls no punches in using Beast Boy’s
rejection at the hands of Terra against him. Not necessarily
new information in the vein of Cyborg, nor confirmation
of feelings as in the case of Starfire, Beast Boy’s
confrontation rounds out the necessary ingredients to a
successful series by acknowledging continuity. This has
been a questionable aspect of Titans in the past, but the
series seems to be getting more and more continuity-centric.
Let’s hope
this is something that sticks around.
In the end, Slade
and Robin reach the end of the road for their journey and
part ways, vowing to remain enemies should they cross paths
again. This was a really nice touch.
Robin
finds Raven; however it looks like she no longer recognizes
Robin and has regressed in age by a few years. Maybe. It’s
hard to tell.
Either way, rest
assured that Titans fans will be riding the edge of the
couch until the final installment of the finale airs next
Saturday.
Next
Up: The epic, and season, concludes in Part III
of what continues to be the definitive Titans story arc.
