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What TV SHOWS are you watching?
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Like a lot of sci-fi drama shows this leans heavily into past sins revisiting the characters rather than exploring the potential of the mysterious effect. Don't even try to figure out how it all works (though they throw a bone to guys like me that MUST have a logical explanation), just enjoy the suspense, wonder, and tragedy which ramps up to 11 in the last ep.
The real star of this show is the location. Apparently they got access to a real volcano-side tourist town emptied out by covid. So EVERY scene is grimy, covered in ash, and this big ass smoking volcano looms in the background of almost every shot.
It probably riffs a lot on older shows with a "back from the dead" theme, but that's not really my genre so I skipped out on The Returned, 4400, Manifest, and all that stuff. But there was enough Pet Semetary in this show to hook me.
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Doom Patrol is still amazing. Weird stories about freaky characters, but handled with great empathy. I still feel that Cyborg is out of place here, and he seems to have co-opted Cliff's role in the comics as the normal guy who can handle anything. Crazy Jane is everything that I could have hoped for, and Rita and Larry are significantly more interesting here than they were in the comics. The theme song by Clive Mansell (best known for his soundtrack to Requiem for a Dream) is strangely addictive, and the end credits portion is even danceable.
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- hotseatgames
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It's a neat show, and it does not fuck around; it can be rough at times.
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As a tv show, Titans is an above average superhero show. The show really digs into the characters and their interactions. The tone is surprisingly dark, fairly gritty, and sometimes really violent, with a bit of profanity (including the notorious line from Robin: "F*** Batman"). The overall storyline is one of long arcs broken up by extensive flashbacks and pressing short-term threats. It isn't always good, but the typical quality of the show is much better than the various Arrowverse shows or Agents of SHIELD. The actor playing Dick Grayson (fka Robin) is quite good, and rises above the rest of the ensemble cast to practically be the star of the show. Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly are also good as Hawk and Dove, elevating their minor roles into a more compelling part of the show. Anna Diop has a real presence as Starfire and sometimes steals scenes.
However, Titans doesn't compare favorably to the comic book source material. I can understand that these heroes were cut down to a more reasonable power level for budgetary reasons. Starfire can't fly. Raven (Rachel) can't teleport, her healing power is weak, and her astral form is less visually interesting. With one exception early in season two, Gar only slowly changes into a tiger, while his comic book version can rapidly turn into any creature, from a fly to an elephant. Wonder Girl rarely demonstrates any superhuman strength or speed. But I can forgive all of this because they are working with a tv budget.
What I can't easily forgive is the way most of these characters have been reduced to bland CW-style young adults and teens. Starfire is supposed to be an alien, but she comes across as a cool African-American 20-something who seems completely familiar with American culture. Comic book Raven was raised by a cult to tightly control her emotions and powers, but the show version seems like a very typical teenage girl with no particular ability to manage her emotions or powers. Comic book Gar is an attention-seeking extrovert who constantly cracks bad jokes, but the show version is a calm, quiet introvert who is easily amazed despite growing up with the extremely weird Doom Patrol. Comic book Dove is a conflicted pacifist who tries to fight defensively and de-escalate conflict, while the show version is nearly as aggressive and brutal as her partner Hawk. And so on. Also, Starfire's outfit is just awful in the early episodes. In the comics, she is a brunette alien with orange skin and a purple bikini. On the show, Starfire is a black woman with florescent pink hair, a purple bodycon dress and a big fur coat, for an overall presentation that practically shouts transvestite streetwalker. By the end of the first season, her hair and clothes get toned down in a good way.
All that said, this show offers one of the most interesting and in-depth interpretations of Dick Grayson (Robin) that I have ever seen. He has a lot of resentment for the way he was raised by Batman, and is aware that he tends to become more violent than necessary even when fighting crime. But he shows some decent leadership skills, especially by season two. The show throws an interesting curveball in first season, by introducing the new Robin (aka Jason Todd), with a startling casting choice of someone who looks a lot like notorious '90s comic book artist Rob Liefeld. Two Robins working together could have been really boring, but these characters are very different from one another, despite their shared experience of working with Batman. Speaking of Batman, when he finally appears, it's shocking and disappointing. On the one hand, actor Iain Glen plays a fine Bruce Wayne and his voice bears an amazing resemblance to that of Kevin Conroy, the voice actor for the excellent Batman cartoons of the '90s. On the other hand, Glen is 59 and looks 70, so he doesn't visually seem at all plausible as Batman. He didn't look anywhere near as old playing Ser Jorah Mormont on Game of Thrones, so the Titans showrunners seem to be deliberately presenting an old Batman.
Overall, Titans is good but not great. You won't be missing a cultural milestone if you skip this show. But if you do watch it, you might find yourself sucked into the drama and the action.
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Probably the same issues with beast boy, he's not all green, right? It's sooo hard to pull off those skin colors unless you just bury the actor under a lot of it like Vision. But then again, Bret Spiner did it for YEARS on a comparatively shoestring 90's budget so I really think it falls on getting the right actor.
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- ChristopherMD
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Second season trailer
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One example. The team mostly breaks up after finding out that Dick Grayson (fka Robin) lied about some stuff. After several other folks leave the headquarters, Dick decides to bail, too. Finally, he is in an airport and trying to decide if he should go back and fix things or move to Greenland. Instead, he decides to deliberately assault airport security personnel so he can be arrested, plead guilty, and go sulk in prison. WTF?
There is a season three of Titans on the way, but right now I'm not sure if I want to see it. Why did I hang in there with season two? I was a big fan of the comic for several years, but this show is so different, so that isn't the reason. I think that it's because I am going through a really rough stretch in life and feeling like I don't have a purpose anymore. But now matter how unhappy I am, I can see the Titans completely screwing up and that makes me feel a little better about myself. But that is a negative mindset that I want to escape soon.
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I agree, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next episode, but I really, really, really wish they hadn't included that mid-credits scene.Ah_Pook wrote: Richard E. Grant at the end of the most recent episode of Loki was v. excellent. This show is top notch.
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- hotseatgames
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The first two episodes were great, while the 3rd was less so. But I definitely want to see more. You will immediately hate Kevin with white hot passion, as intended.
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- ChristopherMD
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- ChristopherMD
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Shellhead wrote: There is a season three of Titans on the way, but right now I'm not sure if I want to see it. Why did I hang in there with season two? I was a big fan of the comic for several years, but this show is so different, so that isn't the reason. I think that it's because I am going through a really rough stretch in life and feeling like I don't have a purpose anymore. But now matter how unhappy I am, I can see the Titans completely screwing up and that makes me feel a little better about myself. But that is a negative mindset that I want to escape soon.
It's been a while since I watched it but I know that I'm done after season two. The show just isn't what I want it to be and that's fine. There are other shows like Doom Patrol that I like. Also, despite the same actors in that episode the Titans and Doom Patrol actually don't take place in the same universe but the same multiverse.
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