It
seems wise to keep this one short, considering that the
second part has yet to air (January 22nd is the scheduled
airdate), however it seems prudent to at least lay the groundwork
for the two-part Season Three finale, considering that the
first episode of Season Four aired this past Monday.
As expected, and hoped for, Brother Blood
does seem to have designs on some sort of grand scheme,
and as one might have guessed it surrounds everyone’s
favorite robotic teen, Cyborg. Blood feels that Cyborg owes
him a headquarters after leading the charge that resulted
in the destruction of the underwater H.I.V.E. base. Blood
has his sights set on a new headquarters for H.I.V.E. and
it just so happens to be the tower being constructed for
the newly established Titans East.
Hands
down, the concept of reversing the location of the original
team is brilliant. In the comics the Titans originated on
the East Coast and eventually established a subsidiary of
the team on the West Coast. In the current run of Teen
Titans (helmed by Geoff Johns), the team is stationed
in San Francisco much like their animated counterparts.
So, now we bring the bi-coastal connection to the animated
series and the concept is thrilling.
The
new team consists of Aqualad, Speedy, Bumblebee, and a pair
of speedsters named Mas y Menos. Being a hard and fast “Flash”
fan, initial impressions of the twelve-year-old knock offs
were not favorable. What are the Teen Titans without Kid
Flash, right?
Of
course this was prior to even screening this episode, mind
you, so take this impression with a grain of salt. Biases
can be crippling. Truth be told, Mas y Menos are perfect
for the series and a logical addition to the team. The team
is in desperate need of speedsters to fill the gap left
by Wally West and the team’s lineage of lightfoot
heroes (Jessie Quick and Bart Allen come to mind).
It’s
not entirely clear why the series couldn’t make use
of Bart Allen taking up the helm as Kid Flash, considering
that Johns has already done so in his current run in the
comic series. Yet it does make sense not to make too much
of a muck of continuity in the animated series. The creative
team has already had plenty of fun playing up the “multi-Robin”
angle, not necessarily being straight forward with whether
or not animated Robin is Dick Grayson, Jason Todd or Tim
Drake. Since the latter has scantly been hinted at, and
the animated Speedy is more akin to Roy Harper than the
recent Speedy, Mia Dearden, it only makes sense to refrain
from incorporating Bart as the series’ yellow clad
speedster.
Mas
y Menos, from what can be gathered, is a group collaboration
behind the scenes, but it must also be noted that Marv Wolfman
is credited with writing this episode, and this shows. Mas
y Menos are a pair of twelve year old Latino heroes who
seem to possess your usual speedster traits with one exception:
they must be in contact with one another in order to activate
their powers.
Not
only do they fill the void of speedster in the series, but
they also fill in as the East Coast team’s resident
comedians. Most of the comedy comes from the fact that the
rest of the team cannot understand a word that the duo says
because neither of them speaks fluent English.
Throughout
the course of the first part of this finale, Cyborg helps
the team learn how to work together to fight off Blood from
overthrowing the Tower, and in the end the team elects to
offer Cy a job as the team's resident leader. This is a
decision that weighs heavily on Cyborg’s heart, because
his role on the West Coast is obviously important to him,
yet this new team clearly needs guidance in order to work,
and the note plays like vintage Victor Stone.
Any fan of the comics knows that Vic is
a natural born leader. He thrives to instruct, and is excellent
as a mentor without overstepping the boundaries between
friend and leader. In the end, Cyborg decides to stay on
as the leader of the East Coast team. Whether or not this
decision will stick remains to be seen, but either way his
choice feels so right that one cannot help but hope that
it does.
Next
Week: Stay tuned for the conclusion to Titans East,
unless Season Four premieres first. See you soon!
