Nowadays, Teen Titans is known as one of those shows that ended prematurely on an unsatisfying cliffhanger. And while I'd love a Season 6 (Starfire hasn't gotten her season yet!), I actually think this season works pretty well as the big finale to the series as well as one of the show's better seasons.
It would be hard to top the world-ending stakes of Season 4, so this season's main storyline goes all in on the superhero action. Nearly every episode this season introduces a bunch of new superheroes as the Titans travel the world to recruit people to defeat the main antagonist of the season, a conglomerate of all of the villains from series past. This overarching conflict may not be as personal or dark as something like the Slade or Trigon arcs, but having all of the show's heroes get together and fight all of the show's villains just feels so climactic and spectacular, a love letter to DC that perfectly fits a final season. Even more, since nearly every episode fits the story arc, it means that this is probably the show's most consistent season. There aren't any hit or miss standalones this time around, and as a result, there aren't really any episodes I dislike. Beast Boy also gets a pretty great character arc this season as he deals with his past in the Doom Patrol and proves himself as a leader. The whole season has this overarching theme about the characters proving themselves that I thought was really cool.
However, the heavy focus on superheroes other than the Titans is definitely noticeable, with multiple episodes where the show's central cast doesn't even appear, sometimes with the exception of a single character. While I definitely admire the world building here, and some of the side characters like Jinx, Kid Flash, and most of the Titans East are definitely likable, it also means that we just don't get to spend as much time with characters like Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. In addition, while the lack of standalone episodes means we don't get too many bad episodes, it also means we don't get many experimental gems (outside of Revved Up and Go!) that we'd get in some of the other seasons. Episodes like Mad Mod, Haunted, and Don't Touch That Dial are pretty much nonexistent here, which does remove a bit of the charm. As for the finale, I kinda liked it and I wouldn't call it an underwhelming cliffhanger. It's a somber and thematic episode that resolves Beast Boy's character arc, probably one of the highest points of the season, but I'll elaborate more on it later.
There were a lot of great episodes in Season 5, especially near the end:
For Real/Lightspeed: I'm clumping these episodes together since they both faced a few similarities, each focusing on a different team than the Titans as they try to prove themselves as either heroes or villains. For Real is hysterical as the Control Freak finds a new enemy in the Titans East who realize that no one knows who they are. Lightspeed focuses on HIVE as they fight with Kid Flash, who's trying to convince Jinx to turn good. Both episodes are a ton of fun and nice changes of pace, and it helps that Lightspeed onwards is a pretty much flawless streak of episodes.
Go!: It's always cool to see how the gang gets together in the first place (Firefly did this really well), and this episode does it especially well. The attention to detail in Go! is just so good, I love how Robin is still using some of Batman's weapons, Beast Boy is still wearing his Doom Patrol outfit, and Cyborg is still keeping his robotic body hidden. It was fascinating to see the team unite to fight and eventually save Starfire, and all of their dynamics developed incredibly naturally throughout the episode. Oh, and shy Raven is adorable.
Calling All Titans: This episode signals the first half of the big final battle with the Brotherhood Of Evil, and it's pretty great. It starts off fairly lighthearted as we get to meet a bunch new heroes that just got recruited, only for them to nearly all get picked off by the Brotherhood in a pretty devastating second half. The ending is a great cliffhanger as only Beast Boy and a few remaining heroes are left...
Titans Together: What a massive final battle! Titans Together did an amazing job with feeling like both the climax of Beast Boy's arc and the climactic final battle of the whole series. It was really cool to see Beast Boy use his knowledge from the Doom Patrol to fight the Brotherhood, and the big Endgame-esque finale with all of the heroes fighting all of the villains was just so amazingly epic.
Things Change: Okay, time for my paragraph on why this finale is great. On a presentation level, I love how different this episode feels. The more orchestral score and long shots create this somewhat surreal tone that perfectly fits the episode. The visuals are just so good, especially that traffic light shot when Beast Boy was talking to Terra. I also like the themes this finale is going for. The obvious one is the fact that things change. Sometimes your favorite store closes, sometimes your friend wants nothing to do with you, and yes, sometimes your favorite show ends. It's not the only theme this episode is dealing with though, it touches on Beast Boy's arc about dealing with his past, along with how important he is to the Titans. As for Terra, I didn't really feel like it was all that unsatisfying. When you think about it, Terra was freed when Raven reverted the world back to normal in The End. Whether or not she remembers being a Titan, it's obvious that she wants to lead a normal life, and I like that Beast Boy ends up accepting it. There's so much more to unpack here, but this paragraph is as long enough as it is. So yeah, I thought this was a great finale even if I get why a lot of people didn't. As a fan of ambiguous and theme-heavy series finales, this was right up my alley. It's mature, thought-provoking, and emotional, and I'm glad the show runners took a risk by ending the show with this one.
Overall, Season 5 worked as a final season for me. Its main storyline was a bit uneven, but between the massive roster of villains, incredibly strong latter half, and dramatic final episode, I'd definitely call this one of the better seasons of the series.
4/5 Stars
My ranking of the Teen Titans seasons is:
4 > 5 > 2 > 3 > 1
My ranking of the Teen Titans finales is:
4 > 2 > 1 > 5 > 3
Favorite Episode: Haunted
No comments:
Post a Comment