Titans - Donna Troy - Review
Alrighty, bring on Wonder Girl! First introduced in the pages of The Brave and the Bold in 1965 and originally a younger version of Wonder Woman herself, Donna Troy was soon changed to be the younger sister of Diana. She too was an orphan like Dick Grayson but was adopted by the Amazons and gifted their powers and training. Diana raised her up and took her under her wing, turning her into a tough but sensitive warrior. Let's see what DC Universe does with her here.
Wayne Manor looms dark and quiet in the night. Young Dick Grayson bursts into his room and throws a Robin Birdarang at his headboard! Young Donna Troy is sitting in his bed reading. She smiles as she reaches up and easily catches the bloody flung shuriken with one hand. How totally Teen Titans awesome was the design of that weapon!? Props to the props dept.! She explains she's there with Diana who came to see Bruce and they're discussing Justice League business. OK right off the bat Boom, JLA name drop. Somewhere out there in this Titans world the JLA exists and they kick ass. How cool is that?! DC Universe is doing it right with this show, I say bring it all together and let some more characters meet and bleed onto the show. It's a perfect launchpad for just that thing. Let them drop in and out and be suggested at. We don't need to see Batman and Wonder Woman in action, it's cool that they're just in the same buildings as the characters we're actually watching. Fantastic world building.
Dick confides in his friend that the Joker case he and Batman are on is really messing him up. Lots of people died. Messed up really if you think of it. Bruce subjects such darkness and horror to such a young kid. Donna reminds him that he can't quit because the Joker won't quit. She tells him she'll always be there for him and that both he and she are sidekicks, who need to stick together. Ha!
In the Chicago safe house Rachel and her potty mouth are up early cooking breakfast. Gar surprises her and they briefly discuss their "Mom & Dad" hooking up together. Cute interaction here between the two. Very sibling-esque. Rachel's mother comes out in her robe and stares outside at the city skyline, taking in the view. The two sit together and in a sweet moment Mom puts her arm around her daughter. Gar joins in and the the three watch the city together.
Dick and Kory are in bed after spending the night together. She notices Dick's bags are packed and he tells her he needs to find himself. Basically it's not her, it's him. Pffff, nice move Richard. Have a sleep over party and then high tail it in the morning? She takes it well, even offering to maybe pick it up again in the future some time.
At the breakfast table Rachel's mother offers to house the group at the family farm in Ohio. Gar is excited and hopes its their new secret base. Doesn't exactly sound like Titan Tower but we'll see.
Dick walks with the , Ahem , team down the street. He and Kory exchange some awkward chit chat and laughs as he moves to go. Rachel stops him and gives him a big hug. She uses her potty mouth super power once again and assures him she'll be OK. And just like that Dick gets in his mini van and leaves.
Dick walks in the snow on a city street looking for an address. He knocks on a door and Donna Troy opens it. He tells her he quit. She smiles, grabs his bag and throws it in her place. She tells him she's late and to come get going. They walk and talk and Dick explains his rage issues. Tells her he burned his suit. She tells him hers in the closet. She also tells him that he'll figure it out. She says he can stay on the couch as long as he can keep up. She then runs and flips high into the air off of a parked semi truck in an alley. Woah! Wonder Girl in action! Dick flips his way over less impressively and Donna calls him Boy Wonder! Yes! She invites him to a function and he awkwardly agrees.
On a train rocketing to Ohio Kory and Gar sit in a bar car amongst passengers. Kory notices a man eyeing her as she drinks. They let Rachel and her Mom have some time together so they can get to know one another. Kory/Mom cutely tells Gar to play with his phone.
Donna leads Dick into a photo exhibit for her work. Most of its war photos and the two bicker over wether Dick has social skills or not. Turns out not.
Rachel and Angela talk and Mom tells her how she wouldn't let any one else hold her. She also tells her that she never cried. Kinda weird but OK. Rachel asks about Melissa and Angela tells her she was her good friend. She says they worked together to keep Rachel away from her father but still have some kind of Mom. Angela talks about Rachel's father a bit. Tells her he was handsome and charismatic and that he had powers like she does. She tells her she's safe now because her friends dealt with the cult followers that her Dad inspired. And that her safety was all she was looking out for. Rachel looks in the window at her refection and doesn't see any evil Raven staring back. Hmmmm.
Kory and Gar discuss him eating the bad scientist at the Asylum and how it freaked him out. He's worried it might have freaked Rachel out. He describes how it felt and Kory tells him to not be ashamed of defending himself. They talk about their powers and Kory weirds Gar out by asking him if he wants to make out with Rachel. Ewww he's a bit older, and more like her brother. I think Kory was just pushing his buttons as it is fun to watch Gar squirm. He takes a shot of Bourbon as Kory notices the fellow who's been eyeing her has vanished. She finds him and pulls him into the back of the train car. She attacks him and questions who he is and why he's eyeing her. Jerry just thought she was hot and almost gets choked out for it.
Dick examines one of Donna's pieces and discusses it and her with another patron at the gallery. He amusingly tells the the stranger that he's known Donna since childhood and that her Mom and his Dad worked together so sometimes they'd play together. He goes too far into the camera talk and loses the strangers interest. Dick wonders what the Penguin is doing? Yes, more world establishing please.
Donna gets a text and tells Dick she has to leave. She tries to get him to relax and mingle more at the showing. She takes off and leaves Dick there. On the train, it turns out Jerry is actually a US Marshal and he calls in to the FBI that he has Kory, the woman they're looking for, on his train.
Donna gets picked up and has bag put over her head. AS she could probably destroy all the yahoos in the car she allows this and goes along willingly. And wouldn't you know it, sneaky Dick Grayson tailed her and watches it all go down. Kory watches Gar on the train as his one shot of alcohol seems to have buzzed him pretty good. The train comes to a stop and the P.A. announces there is an obstruction on the track. Kory's radar goes up but they stay put.
Donna and her ride arrive in a warehouse where they are greeted by smuggler and poacher Graham Norris. He's turning on an old employer and wants to burn him so he's going to let Donna expose him and take him down. She shoots photos of all the animal pelts and carcasses he has in the back of his truck. He surprises her when he opens up the other truck and theres a live bear inside! He offers her the chance to shoot it but she declines. All ends well until guess who shows up. Yep good ole Dick jumps in and starts kicking ass. He's followed her and decides to intervene. She is not happy as Dick has jeopardized her whole goal of taking down the entire poaching and smuggling ring. She thinks she can salvage the situation if she schmoozes Norris so she has Dick take pictures of her knocked out too. She angrily calls him Bird Boy and they leave. So cool! Bird boy!
Back at Donna's apt. she confronts him on his macho beat everybody up bullshit and tells him to get over it. She tells him the Amazon's helped her fill the hole that the fire that orphaned her created with love and with family. She tells him Bruce filled his hole with rage and anger. She tells him they can be whomever they want to be. And she most poignantly I think, tells him that Robin was an echo chamber for Bruce's pain, and that he can't be that any more. She encourages him to keep helping, just not how he was. Boom birth of Nitewing right there folks. She takes a look at his phone and notices the pix he took of Kory's storage shed. She tells him she might be able to translate the ancient language she sees there.
Later on the moving train the P.A. announces they'll be stopping again but restarting shortly. Kory thinks this is too coincidental and grabs Gar. They race to find Rachel and her mother. Kory has Gar take Angela as she goes to find Rachel in the bathroom. On the way Kory is intercepted by FBI agents! She blasts the door with a fire blast but sees there are cops and agents everywhere. She hides as some agents inside shoot at her. She has a mini flashback of herself seated at the control panel of a spaceship! Sweet! Kory is an Alien! She uses her powers to blast at the FBI agents and causes the train car to explode! In the chaos Gar and the girls escape and head down the road. Kory jumps out a window and flees. Gar transforms into a tiger and hilariously steals a power company truck. Jamming some AC/DC they pick up Kory and keep going.
The group arrives in Ohio and pull up to the old family farm house. Angela finds the key and they go inside. Rachel sees Kory having another flashback. She tells the girl her head is messed up. Rachel offers to fix it by healing her. Kory seems doubtful but agrees to give it a shot. In the living room Rachel sets up to give it a go.
Racing to the farm Dick and Donna discuss the translations the Amazonian books have offered up. Donna tells Dick that Kory's name is Night or Starfire and that her mission is tough to define but that it definitely entails their friend Rachel. Inside the farm house Rachel is putting her hands on Kory and trying to heal her mind. It causes Kory to see more of her spaceship piloting flashback! Donna translates more and tells Dick she thinks Kory is actually there to kill Rachel! Kory flashes her green eyes and starts to hurt Rachel! The young girl screams as Dick and Donna race as fast as they can down a long country road!
Wow what an episode! One of the best ones yet in my opinion. The acting was top notch all around, the actors have all improved so much over the season and in this one they all did a fantastic job. The train set was fun and nice change of pace. Kory and Gar together was funny. Rachel was so sweet and nice and innocent, Mom was melancholy yet sentimental too, Gar was a laugh riot, Kory was sexy and badass as usual and Dick and Donna together was sublime. The two have such history in the comics and obviously on Titans too. The world building continues to impress and I want them to name drop everyone from Starro to Kite-Man as they go. What a cliffhanger! Can't wait to see how the team! is going to handle this one.
