[9.0/10] This is paving the way for an epic conclusion to Teen Titans’ second season. Terra’s a great villain because with her, it’s personal. The Titan viewed her as a friend. She felt the same way once upon a time. Both sides feel more than a little betrayed. There’s juice there, which adds meaning to all the well-done battles in this episode.
Honestly, the animation and composition here is the best it’s ever been. The initial throwdown with the Titans versus Terra has the element of surprise and the tension from our heroes wanting to subdue their foe, but not hurt her. The tripartite skirmishes with villains past gives the episode an excuse to split the Titan up and vary the set pieces a bit. And the final one-on-one confrontation between Robin and Terra has some great hand-to-hand combat, and the clearest fight geography of any battle in the show so far.
What I particularly appreciate is that these aren’t just empty doses of combat. There’s character concerns in each of them. Beast Boy softly pleads with Terra before she smashes him. She and Robin exchange recriminations about friends and second chances, in a spirit that feels true to Robin’s own brief turn to the darkside. And in particular, the Raven fight is unexpectedly poignant. Terra knows her former allies’ weaknesses and also what button to push. She tweaks Raven in a , frankly, cruel fashion to set her off, jawing about the bitter tonic of the realization that Raven really did believe Terra was her friend, and that’s what makes the betrayal sting so much.
It’s powerful stuff, based on human relationships the show’s already spent time with. I appreciate the nods to continuity here from past episodes that inform the characters’ reactions here. The personal side to all of this adds stakes beyond just saving the city and stopping Slade.
Still, Slade stands out as particularly villainous here. Plotwise, there’s something both cool and threatening about his neural link, which allows him to control other villains like Cinder Block and even augment Terra’s attacks. But at the same time, he scans as an abusive parent to Terra, insisting she display total obedience and dependence, lowering her self-esteem so he can take advantage of her. This is all subtext, but it functions well as subtext, adding a layer of eeriness and reprehensible tone to their interactions.
Overall, this is a hell of a kick-off to the second season finale, riddled with cool fights, meaningful character interactions, and a grand scheme that feels rightly grand as the culmination of this season’s major arc.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-17T17:58:36Z
[9.0/10] This is paving the way for an epic conclusion to Teen Titans’ second season. Terra’s a great villain because with her, it’s personal. The Titan viewed her as a friend. She felt the same way once upon a time. Both sides feel more than a little betrayed. There’s juice there, which adds meaning to all the well-done battles in this episode.
Honestly, the animation and composition here is the best it’s ever been. The initial throwdown with the Titans versus Terra has the element of surprise and the tension from our heroes wanting to subdue their foe, but not hurt her. The tripartite skirmishes with villains past gives the episode an excuse to split the Titan up and vary the set pieces a bit. And the final one-on-one confrontation between Robin and Terra has some great hand-to-hand combat, and the clearest fight geography of any battle in the show so far.
What I particularly appreciate is that these aren’t just empty doses of combat. There’s character concerns in each of them. Beast Boy softly pleads with Terra before she smashes him. She and Robin exchange recriminations about friends and second chances, in a spirit that feels true to Robin’s own brief turn to the darkside. And in particular, the Raven fight is unexpectedly poignant. Terra knows her former allies’ weaknesses and also what button to push. She tweaks Raven in a , frankly, cruel fashion to set her off, jawing about the bitter tonic of the realization that Raven really did believe Terra was her friend, and that’s what makes the betrayal sting so much.
It’s powerful stuff, based on human relationships the show’s already spent time with. I appreciate the nods to continuity here from past episodes that inform the characters’ reactions here. The personal side to all of this adds stakes beyond just saving the city and stopping Slade.
Still, Slade stands out as particularly villainous here. Plotwise, there’s something both cool and threatening about his neural link, which allows him to control other villains like Cinder Block and even augment Terra’s attacks. But at the same time, he scans as an abusive parent to Terra, insisting she display total obedience and dependence, lowering her self-esteem so he can take advantage of her. This is all subtext, but it functions well as subtext, adding a layer of eeriness and reprehensible tone to their interactions.
Overall, this is a hell of a kick-off to the second season finale, riddled with cool fights, meaningful character interactions, and a grand scheme that feels rightly grand as the culmination of this season’s major arc.