Titans Season 3 Is Failing To Deliver On Its Basic Premise
The third season of the HBO Max series (which was picked up from the now defunct DC Universe) is busy tackling a multitude of storylines, including that of Jason Todd’s transformation into the nefarious Red Hood following a deadly run-in with the Joker. On top of all that, Hank was killed by Jason and Kory has been having visions that have made her black out. The trail ultimately led her back to her sister Blackfire, who was depowered and captured after being labeled an alien threat. With all that has been going on, Titans has forgotten to showcase the team as a united front and their vigilante activities, making allusions to them instead.
Titans is called as such because it was supposed to be about the team and their dynamics together. That couldn't be farther from the truth in season 3. There are barely any team interactions and, while it's great many of the characters have their own individual storylines, there is very little team focus. They're all separated, barely interacting or fighting together. Titans season 3 is focused a lot on individual stories: Dick is dealing with Jason on his own (though with some occasional help from Barbara Gordon and his teammates), while Kory is handling the return of Blackfire by herself for the most part. The rest of the team came to Gotham and are just hanging out at Wayne Manor doing very little.
Hank is dead, Dove is gone, and Gar is being overlooked yet again. All told, the team is starting to feel less like a united group who share the same goal and more like a fragmented one who have lost the connections that once brought them together. It’s great the characters are getting some emotional development and Dick and Kory are especially at the forefront of the season, but there could be more group activities. What’s the point of the whole team being in Gotham if they’re also not actively involved in finding Jason or patrolling the city at night? There was only one scene at the beginning of Titans season 3 that showcased their combined efforts in taking down a big bad, but they’ve been doing none of that ever since.
The Red Hood storyline could be to blame here, as it centers Batman’s mistreatment and neglect of his sons despite him not being the protagonist of Titans. It’s still early on in season 3, and it’s possible Titans will turn things around to focus at least some of its efforts on the team fighting together and interacting in more meaningful ways. For now, the team is very much siloed from one another, but there is still time to fix that before the end of the season.