Titans - "Atonement" - Episode 20 Review
The title says it all for this episode. Dick Grayson has put his cards on the table and come clean with his Titan teammates about his involvement with the death of Jericho. Prepare for some fallout.
Dick Grayson stands before his friends and Titan teammates and tells them the truth, that he lied. He lied to keep the new kids around, and he lied to the old friends because he was ashamed for his part in the death of their friend and teammate Jericho. Hank doesn't take the new info well and pops Dick in the face. Rose stands first and because Dick got her brother killed she decides to leave. Jason stands next to go with her telling Dick he doesn't get to tell anyone else what to do anymore. Makes sense. Donna decides to leave next and surprisingly Rachel jumps up to leave with her. Odd couple but could make for an interesting team up. Hank and Dawn slink off leaving Gar, Kory, and Dick. Kory gets a phone call from her boy toy bodyguard, nice galaxy wallpaper there Starfire, and bails too. The Titans leave the Tower for their Ubers and the music says goodbye for us as Dick looks out forlornly.
Faddei picks up Kory in a sweet old ride and informs her that her sister, Blackfire, has become Queen in her absence. She has royally murdered her way to the throne and now has sent the intergalactic goon squad after the both of them. She learns her ship is toast so they decide to go and try and get Faddei's ship back into working order. Donna and Rachel get a ride and discuss Dick's lack of ethics. Rachel rightfully calls Donna out on hers, telling her she was there too and played her part. Donna tells her they thought it was for the best. Suddenly Rachel unleashes the darkness on Donna and exits the vehicle.
Gar watches Dick pack up his stuff and can't believe the leader is leaving the HQ. He asks him what he's supposed to do and OH YEAH Superboy is still unconscious in the next room over. Dick unbelievably tells Gar that his number one job is to babysit the comatose clone. Wasn't he awake and alright and talking to his mom and playing with Krypto before the flashback episode? And now Beast Boy is head nurse at Clone Hospital? Nice Dick, nice. Gar doesn't freak out and hugs his bro dude. Dick tells him to "keep the faith". Krypto the good boy shows up to console the abandoned Titan. A funny little montage begins that shows Gar day after day attempting to fulfill the Operation: Save the Titans goal. He trains, eats his veggies, and reads to the sleeping Conner. Love his room by the way. I want Pinball machines in my room too. Love he and Krypto eating pizza on the couch together. Day after day he starts to lose his focus and boredom begins to set in.
Hank and Dawn are back on the farm and having trouble with the plumbing. He suggests leaving the isolation but Dawn tells him they just need some fun. She really seems set on staying away from the cities. She tells him to shower up and get ready for a night out. At the Tower a disgruntled Gar gets a surprise by an awake Conner. A naked, awake Conner. He feeds him and brings him up to date on whats going on and where he's at. He gives him the low down on who and what the Titans are. Gar goes to call Bruce Wayne as Dick suggested, but then disconnects the call(Bruce probably saw it anyway) and to deal with Conner himself.
Kory and bodyguard stop for gas and Faddei has a funny little TV quoting moment before something flies in his ear and seems to take him over. Uh oh. At the Tower Gar introduces Conner to the training room. He tells the clone boy about how the others needed to do some stuff but that they should be back soon. Beast Boy gets Superboy to hit the heavy bag and he hilariously punches right through it! Gar wants to take credit for it.
Hank and Dawn head out for a Karaoke night at the local watering hole. They suffer through a recently broken up with guys version of "All by Myself" and then take the stage. They sing "Aint No Mt." and they do a fantastic job. Hank really delivers and the crowd gets into it. He sings and, dare I say, dances with his gal up on the stage. As the two head out to their truck to get frisky they are followed out of the bar by a woman in a GnR t-shirt. She's pissed at them because she was their friend Ellis' sister. She holds them responsible for his death. They try to explain themselves but the sis is not having it. Hank lets her have it, telling her it was her junky boyfriend that got Ellis hooked in the first place and that she was a lousy sister because she was locked up for possession when Ellis needed her. She points out that they were the ones who got him killed and that she is going to make their lives a living hell. Ha! More than they already are?, I'm sure they're thinking. Go for it. She threatens their lives and walks away.
Gar and Conner battle at a video game and Conner uses his super senses to beat the final Boss. Gar is incredulous but super impressed. Gar invites Conner to join the Titans and Conner is hesitant as he doesn't think he's a real hero like the Titans. Gar tells him that he is. Conner explains he has a dark, Lex Luthor side, but Gar counters that everyone does.
Dick goes to see Jericho's mom. He goes to apologize to her. He tells her he's sorry. He tells her that he made a terrible mistake. He tells her how he took advantage of Jericho to get to his father, who killed their friend. He tells her how he stalked her son and used him. She tells him that her son loved him and his friends. She tells him that his self motivated redemption tour isn't going to work, she still has nothing but pain for him. Dick accepts this and gets up to leave. She stops him and says that if its redemption he's looking for maybe he should try in the next room over. THEY might feel differently. Dick opens the door and finds Daddy Deathstroke there watching TV. Uh oh. Slade tells him that their war is over, he won. He's made Dick pay by losing his family like he lost his. He is sentenced to be alone, while his Titans family is out there in the world. He won't be able to be with them until he's paid for his crime. Dick tells him that they were both to blame and that neither of them deserved Jericho. This gives Slade pause, but then he gruffly tells the former Boy Wonder that if he ever puts the band back together, he'll kill them all. Interesting little scene there. Is Jericho's spirit inside Deathstroke somewhere? Was it actually Jericho who was getting the revenge, and not Slade? Both? Hmmmmm.
Gar takes Conner outside and gives him his mission parameters for life, save people. He explains to Conner that the Titans just needed a break and once they see what he can do they'll all come right back so they can get back to saving more people. Conner asks Gar what he can do and Beast Boy tells him he can turn into a tiger. Conner doesn't know what a tiger is so Gar gives a quick growl glimpse. He promises to show him more later. Conner notices a man being assaulted by two other men. Uh oh. He moves to help but, it's actually two police officers arresting someone. Superboy doesn't get the context, only seeing men in uniform and thinking they're bad. He attacks them and immobilizes them. Gar tries to tell him not to, but Conner is soon surrounded by men with guns and the clone feels attacked. He lashes out and goes to battle with the local police. They shoot at him? in a crowded square? so he and Krypto leap into action. They go to work beating them up and Conner awesomely uses his laser vision to destroy an incoming squad car. Gar slips away? without trying to help any more? Hmmm weird scene here. I feel Gar should have jumped in some how and schooled Conner that those were some of the good guys he was beating up.
Kory and Faddei get some grub and discuss her family. They talk about how their lives have been difficult and that Starfire has always been hard on her sister. He tries to get her to reconcile with the new Queen but she doesn't see the path to that place. Hank sits in his truck. Dawn comes out of the cabin and talks to him through the window. They discuss their lives and how Dawn wanted them to get back to the good place before Dr. Light and Ellis and returning to the Tower. Hank basically tells her they're bad together and that he wants to break up. All they do is cause harm and he wants to end the cycle of violence and pain. She tells him if he wants to go then go so he starts up the truck and leaves Dawn alone in the woods. Kory and the bodyguard make it to his ship where Kory reveals she knows Blackfire has taken over her former lover. She gets him to come back to the surface before she Starfire's him into a pile of ash. All thats left is the quasi-holographic image of her sister. Blackfire tries to get Kory to come home and rule with her but Kory is a bit put off by that idea after she learns her sister has killed their mother and father. Starfire tells her that she's coming for her and in response, Blackfire blows up Faddei's spaceship in front of her. Gonna be a long walk home. Wonder where she's gonna get another spaceship from?
At the S.F. airport Dick is looking for an isolated place to run away to and so he picks Greenland. Inside a dingy bar Hank sits and orders a diet cola. He looks around and then asks where he can get some real drugs. In Titans Tower Gar is sitting in the costume room, listening to the news reports about Conners rampage. He calls Dick's cell phone but he doesn't hear it because he has made a decision in the airport. Gar leaves a message telling Dick something bad has happened but Dick is resolute. He drops his bag in the middle of the airport and approaches two policemen. He attacks them and quickly disables them both. He pushes a gun away and awaits for backup to get there.
Wow. Robin is turning himself in. Sure its for the assault but it seems Dick thinks he needs to go to jail to Atone for his crimes. Does he? And how is that going to turn out? Think Bruce can get him out of it? This might be just what Dick needs to be reborn and become a new man. A Nitewing perhaps? Where are Conner and Krypto going to go? Nice episode for Gar, they gave him lots to play with. And how about Jericho being trapped inside his father? There is comic book precedent for that so it'll be interesting if they come back into the picture down the line.
