[7.5/10] Wow! This was a big step up from Teen Titans’ first three episodes! The story here is pretty simple too. Beast Boy plays a prank on Starfire and tries to make up for it, while a pair of elemental demigods come to wreak some gleeful havoc and one of them has second thoughts. But the execution is much better, more entertaining, and even offers some deceptive complexity.
Beast Boy accidentally pranking Starfire and learning that even when you’re just trying to have fun, you can hurt people is age appropriate as a lesson. But I like the dramatization, from Starfire using alien curse words on him, to him trying “the face” with a cut kitten transformation, to him panicking that Starfire’s been hurt in the fight and her warmly reassuring him that he’s OK. Beast Boy coming to understand why what he did was wrong through seeing Thunder and Lightning make a similar mistake is some deft writing.
Likewise, I love how Thunder has second thoughts from the beginning, and how Beast Boy changes his mind rather than outright defeats them. Their spirit world confab over the nature of when what seems like harmless fun can hurt others is unique as superheroic skirmishes go.
At the same time, I like how Slade plays them, feeding Lightning’s worst impulses in particular that they’re special and thus not bound ybt eh rules of other people. He uses them in a Devil's temptation sort of way, and it’s an interesting tack to take with the villains.
I’m also a big fan of the art and animation here. THe designs for Thunder and Lightning are particularly cool, with a throwback Astroboy/Speed Racer vibe in play. The elemental effects are impressive and artsy, especially when done in silhouette. The same goes for Beast Boy and Thunder’s meeting of the minds in a spiritual plane, replete with ripplign visuals. Even Slade’s Lo Pan get-up has some cool design elements at play.
Overall, this was a quantum leap forward from the prior episodes of this show, and gives me how that the series will find its voice as it carries on!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-06-20T01:37:58Z
[7.5/10] Wow! This was a big step up from Teen Titans’ first three episodes! The story here is pretty simple too. Beast Boy plays a prank on Starfire and tries to make up for it, while a pair of elemental demigods come to wreak some gleeful havoc and one of them has second thoughts. But the execution is much better, more entertaining, and even offers some deceptive complexity.
Beast Boy accidentally pranking Starfire and learning that even when you’re just trying to have fun, you can hurt people is age appropriate as a lesson. But I like the dramatization, from Starfire using alien curse words on him, to him trying “the face” with a cut kitten transformation, to him panicking that Starfire’s been hurt in the fight and her warmly reassuring him that he’s OK. Beast Boy coming to understand why what he did was wrong through seeing Thunder and Lightning make a similar mistake is some deft writing.
Likewise, I love how Thunder has second thoughts from the beginning, and how Beast Boy changes his mind rather than outright defeats them. Their spirit world confab over the nature of when what seems like harmless fun can hurt others is unique as superheroic skirmishes go.
At the same time, I like how Slade plays them, feeding Lightning’s worst impulses in particular that they’re special and thus not bound ybt eh rules of other people. He uses them in a Devil's temptation sort of way, and it’s an interesting tack to take with the villains.
I’m also a big fan of the art and animation here. THe designs for Thunder and Lightning are particularly cool, with a throwback Astroboy/Speed Racer vibe in play. The elemental effects are impressive and artsy, especially when done in silhouette. The same goes for Beast Boy and Thunder’s meeting of the minds in a spiritual plane, replete with ripplign visuals. Even Slade’s Lo Pan get-up has some cool design elements at play.
Overall, this was a quantum leap forward from the prior episodes of this show, and gives me how that the series will find its voice as it carries on!