TV Review: ‘Titans’ Season 4, Episode 4
by Frank Martin
When a show builds up mystery, there are two paths it can follow. It can either devote an entire episode to answering its questions or it can dig deeper by focusing entirely on action. But as both go hand-in-hand, a show can take itself so deep into the hole that it can’t get out; a particular problem for a show like Lost. The first episodes of Titans‘s third season also built up a lot of mystery. It had a choice whether to continue along that path or answer some of the questions it set up. Fortunately, this week’s episode did a bit of both, and it made for entertaining television.
Largely devoted to figuring out the connection between Sebastian (Joseph Morgan) and Mother Mayhem (Franka Potente), the episode saw the Titans returning to the asylum that was burned down in Season One. There they learned that Mother Mayhem had been kept in a cell in the basement because she believed the Organization’s prophecy was about a boy rather than a girl, who would become Raven (Teagan Croft). Mother Mayhem then summoned an undead army that included a zombie Deathstroke. This resulted in Connor (Joshua Orpin) getting unexpectedly stabbed, which is another mystery that will have to be dealt with in future episodes.
This episode had just the right amount of revelations and action. Titans has become a little bit of a ridiculous show in terms of its superhero fights; already this season saw duels with ninjas and a magical woman with a staff. So of course, seeing the Titans battle zombies — especially an undead Deathstroke — was a treat. But there were also great backstories involving Sebastian and Mother Mayhem. There is certainly a lot more to be done, but this episode definitely put this season’s plot on the right track to have even better episodes down the line.
Titans streams Thursdays on HBO Max.