In which we finally get a decent episode of Titans

Last updated on: December 17, 2018 at 1:29 pm by Coyle Neal

In which we finally get a decent episode of Titans 2018-12-17T13:29:04-07:00 Coyle Neal

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ten episodes into the series (and one away from the series finale), we finally get a decent episode out of DC Universe’s Titans. Not a great episode, mind you, but a decent one. It’s not great in part because they try to cram too much stuff in, but that’s getting ahead of myself (spoilers abound, for what it’s worth).

Image: IMDB

We begin where we left off in the last episode, with Kory trying to kill Rachel. She is stopped by Donna when she and Dick get there in the nick of time. This snaps Kory out of her murderous rampage, and she runs off followed by Dick and Donna. They follow Kory to a… spaceship! Bet you didn’t see that coming (unless it’s the case in canon? and obviously it’s not like aliens are unknown in the DC Universe). In the spaceship, they find that Kory has been sent from another planet to stop Rachel from bringing her father from his prison back into the world.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (they’ve got those in Ohio, right? I grew up in Montana so I can’t really picture a ‘ranch’ anywhere East of western Nebraska, but heck anything’s possible these days), Gar gets sick and Rachel can’t heal him. Rachel’s mom suggests that only Rachel’s dad can help, so Rachel opens up a mirror and brings her dad back into the world. Oh, and we also learn that her dad’s name is “Trigon,” and he tried to destroy the world (and Kory’s world?) in the past, but was chucked into prison. And we learn that Rachel’s mom has been in on the whole thing all along. Once Trigon has been released, Kory and Donna tell us that only Rachel can defeat him and that only by going through a year’s worth of brutal trials that no one has ever survived. Trigon heals Gar, and then says that is isn’t going to destroy the world until Rachel has had her heart broken. Apparently the only thing powerful enough to inspire the devil is teenage angst… If all of that seems choppy, scattered, and mildly interesting, then I have successfully summarized the episode.

So if we’ve been suffering from a dearth of plot so far in favor of emoting, this episode tries to make up for it (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of emoting to go around). And I know, I know, it’s a new show and it’s still trying to find its feet. But it’s not like this is DC’s first TV show, and they certainly have experience with good pacing and plot lines.

Because so much of this episode is action and exposition, there’s not a whole lot here that is interesting theologically. Of course you’ve got the whole plot idea that Thanos Poor Man’s Darkseid Trigon is coming to destroy the world, and that he’s tried it in the past only to be temporarily imprisoned. And I suppose there’s something to be said for Kory’s finding this information in an “old book”, instead of in all the fancy new technology in her spaceship (though she also finds it in all the fancy new technology in her spaceship). I’m not going to step into Christian theologies of eschatology and the return/nature of the “destroyer.” That’s a minefield that it’s not worth getting caught in. Just leave it to say that Jesus is coming back and he’s going to win, regardless of what the enemy does between now and then: “one little Word shall fell him.”

Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO

Previous Post

December 14, 2018

They're not "The 10 Suggestions"

Next Post

December 21, 2018 Chaos, Cosmos, Creation, and You

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Action AFI Top 100 Animation Best Picture Winner BFI Top 250 Biography Biopic Books Childrens Christian Classics Classics Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Editor's Choice Family Fantasy Fantasy Films Foreign Historical Historical Fiction History Horror Horror IMDB Top 250 Indie Memoir Modern Novel Musical Mystery Non-Fiction Oscars Philosophy Poetry Popular Literature Reading and Writing Reality Romance Science Fiction Science Fiction Silent Sports Thriller TV Show Uncategorized Western Westerns Young Adult

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to 3 John, who loves to be first and will not welcome the brothers?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Gaius Demetrius Diotrephes Alexander