'Titans': "Trigon" - Season 2 Premiere Reaction

Titans is back for another season on DC Universe, and the season 2 premiere really had my eyes glued to the screen! So here are my thoughts on the new episode, "Trigon," and how well it works as a season opener. I can only talk about it in spoiler-filled details. So if you have not seen the episode, go watch it, and then read this.

Cliffhanger Resolved

When last we saw Titans, Dick Grayson was trapped in an illusion created by Rachel Roth's demon father Trigon. He thought he was in the real world, and he believed that Batman had gone over the edge after Riddler left Jason Todd wheelchair-bound, Barbara Gordon went missing, and Joker killed Commissioner Gordon. Again, these events were part of this fake world that Trigon created, but Dick believed it and saw that the Batman of this fake world had killed the Gotham villains there. Dick led a manhunt for Batman in Wayne Manor, which resulted in Dick giving in to his dark desire to kill Batman within that world, thus falling under the control of Trigon.

That episode, "Dick Grayson," was one heck of a season finale. It had me excited even though I knew that whole time that Grayson was hallucinating. But it left me a bit worried that most, if not all, of season 2 would be the Titans trying to take down Trigon in order to save Dick. I've been wanting the team to really come together. And if the show had gone the direction I was worried about, it might have potentially delayed any appearance by Cyborg. Even though Doom Patrol may be a separate continuity, I do remember hearing of talks that Cyborg could join Titans at some point. Whether or not it'll still be Joivan Wade has yet to be seen, but the point is that if this new season had just been all about Trigon and saving Grayson, it would have been tough to move the story forward. Thankfully, "Dick Grayson" and "Trigon" feel more like a classic two-parter in which the first part ends one season and the second part opens the next, like what some of the Star Trek shows have done.

Heritage Embraced

I was also surprised that the show embraced a bit more of its comic book roots by depicting Trigon in his demon form. Season 1 felt very much like a grounded take on the Titans that DC fans know and love, so it seemed like a given that Trigon would only look human due to budget limitations. But of course, since that season, there have been impressive characters on other live-action DC Universe shows who look very out there and comic book-y. On Doom Patrol, we got Mr. Nobody and Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man. And on Swamp Thing we got the title character, as well as another certain character at the end despite the show feeling more grounded than the comics.

So I'm very happy that Trigon looks like a demon here, and it opens the door for other really out-there characters to appear. He might not look real enough to some eyes, but I'd rather have this than a boring-looking human. I suppose that my main issue is how muted the coloring is, but that's an issue with the show in general. And the show also gets a bit closer to the comics as Rachel gets the classic gemstone in her forehead.

Predictability and Setup for the Season

I will say that some aspects of this episode were pretty predictable. The moment Kory emerged through the portal without the other heroes who went in, I knew that she'd be dealing with an illusion. There was just no way that Rachel was actually going to be killed off. And when she has Rachel in her grasp, it takes a while for Garfield to really react. Once Kory gives into temptation, we see Jason, Donna, Hank, and Dawn follow suit. And it was a given that Garfield was not really going to be killed off, but it was amazing seeing how he fakes his death by turning into a snake. He manages to get Rachel to snap out of it when she's under her father's influence. So I'd say Garfield is the real MVP of this episode.

Though Trigon is defeated, I doubt that this is the last we'll see of him if the show keeps on going. We get an epilogue that is around 15-minutes long, and one of the things we see is Slade Wilson. It'll be refreshing to have him as the villain for this season. We also get to see Dick Grayson have a heart-to-heart with Bruce Wayne, played by Iain Glen. I remember hearing his voice in a trailer for this season and thinking he has the Batman voice down even if he does not look like what I'm used to for the character. But his Bruce Wayne voice will take me a while to accept. I'm not up in arms about it. It's just some adjustments that come with this depiction on Titans. Some of my favorite moments in DC Comics are when Dick and Bruce have talks in which they either bond or really dig deep about what's wrong with their partnership, so it's nice to see this show incorporate a bit of that. This show really seems to deal heavily with the topic of fathers and father figures.

Now, we have the hilarious Jason Todd as a member of the Titans, along with Dick, Garfield, and Rachel. Having him on the team is an alien concept to me, but so was having Cyborg as a member of the Doom Patrol. I think that this will create some interesting dynamics within the team. I am curious about what's next for Kory and when she might come back into the picture. Plus, in this episode, we haven't even seen Superboy (who appeared at the very end of last season). I thought for sure he'd at least show up again at the very end of this episode. We know he's coming, and I'm excited to see what this show does with him.

Also, I really thought that we were going to get a T-shaped Titans Tower during the zoom out at the end. But instead, the zoom out led into a cross fade that makes it really hard for me to figure out which building exactly is the team's. So that was a little bit of a lackluster ending, but I'm still excited to see what's in store for the Titans this season.

Rating

I am a bit surprised by just how thrilled I was by this season premiere. I enjoyed season 1, even though Titans might be my least favorite of DC Universe's originals. However, I am intrigued by the potential for this season. As such, I give "Trigon" the following rating:

9/10 - A season premiere that can keep viewers engaged and prepare them for what's to come.