Titans “Deathstroke” review: Clever approach to a cunning antagonist
Action packed doesn’t even being to describe Titans’ “Deathstroke.” With more than 40 minutes of tense situations, S2E5 provides carefully executed character development, romance, and an antagonist we can’t help but love.
Heartache, love, and drama are also unspoken pillars of Titans canon. Following the tragic flashback last week, the DC Universe series explores clever characterization for the titular character and beyond. Set in the main continuity, the dynamic storytelling allows “Deathstroke” to explore copious side arcs that set up the future of the series. “Deathstroke” is a perfectly balanced episode where even the tensest moments don’t have to compete with somber scenes.
There are some pop culture moments that naturally resonate with us. We don’t have space to extensively analyze every clip, its impact, and how it relates to its comic source material. However, we will think about “Deathstroke” for weeks to come. And we have every right to be dramatic about our post-episode reactions because this week’s Titans episode brought a complex but relatable antagonist to life and transformed me, a vehement Deathstroke hater, into a fan.
The man of the episode: Slade Wilson
Slade Wilson is a character with a purpose. He does everything for a reason. Whether it’s to complete a contract or to seek vengeance, the antagonist isn’t just a meta-human with stellar marksmanship. He is a strategist who uses his ability to read people during his long game.
Structured as a mystery, the fifth episode of the season illustrates Deathstroke’s intentional tactics that make him an intimidating foe. We already saw him kill an original Titan with a bullet that (presumably) was meant for a certain lasso-wielding warrior. But watching his scheme unravel this episode was something else entirely.
You can call Mr. Wilson a lot of things, but you can’t call him sloppy. Our comic knowledge helped us anticipate Slade carving Jason Todd’s (portrayed by Curran Walters) tracker out of his leg and planting it on the biggest liability (i.e. Dr. Light) to his long-game plot. While it makes sense, the suspenseful tone of the episode is what allowed us to be surprised once Deathstroke took his shot.
A cryptic approach to revealing his plan allows viewers time to predict Deathstroke’s actions right before they happen. In a way, this satisfies fandom’s inherent inquisitive nature while concurrently gives us just enough suspense. Beyond proving that this is everything that comic Deathstroke would do, this gives viewers the fun and fulfilling experience of anticipating his moves moments before they actually happen.
This week’s suspenseful tone does a bit more than build Deathstroke’s character:
- It gives us reason to suspect Deathstroke isn’t just a jerk who hates Dick Grayson (portrayed by Brenton Thwaites) and his team of heroes. Aside from giving us major Slade-possessed-by-Jericho vibes (circa Teen Titans 2003) during his monologue to Jason, Slade clearly has a vendetta against Dick and it has something to do with Jericho.
- It makes us ponder if Rose Wilson (portrayed by Chelsea Zhang) is actually willingly working with her dad. Or is Slade just hoping her proximity to the Titans will make bring her back to the family business? Or is he someone using Rose as a part of his plan without even filling her in? Regardless, we’re not sure who to trust right now because, clearly, we can’t even trust Dick.
Considering all the foreshadowing and questions, “Deathstroke” is a vital episode this season. In its pure homage to his comic incarnation, this episode is a testament to how dangerous Deathstroke is.
Esai Morales’ performance as Deathstroke and Bianca Sams’ writing this week helped me realize the error of my ways. Slade Wilson is a complex and interesting character, especially in this week’s Titans episode. (And yes, I did reread dozen of Deathstroke’s comic cameos and found new reasons appreciate the character in all mediums.)
If Slade is a formidable threat, then Kory is an even more powerful ally to the Titans family.
Thank god for Kory
Could you imagine what would have happened this week if Kory Anders didn’t return to the team? Dick would be dead. The Titans would be in disarray. Heck, half of the team would still be bickering now. And we’d hate to imagine what Rachel (portrayed by Teagan Croft) would be going through. We’re already unabashed shills for Starfire, but this week’s episode gave us a lot of reasons to double down on our Kory hype posts.
Surprisingly, this episode gives us some resolution to Kory’s lengthy list of superpowers: Her bracelets. But even with her power-dampening bracelets on, Kory was still able to keep up with Slade. Since her bracelets are supposed to complete block Tamaranean abilities, we can assume she will have her super strength, durability, and ability to fly when she takes them off.
Even with them on, the episode shows us a glimpse of her star-bolt-derived forcefields. Yeah, when she stopped Deathstroke’s bullets with her hand, that was her using her firepower as a defensive measure. We loved seeing Slade and Starfire fight after Kory saved Dick, but we’re still reveling in Dick and Kory’s onscreen chemistry.
There are a lot of ways to tell someone you love them. For Dick, it’s repressing his feelings (like a true member of the Bat fam) and telling the love of your life (i.e. Kory) that he likes her new hairstyle. For Kory, it’s decoding Dick’s self-sacrificing cues and saving him from certain death. The fact that they understand each other and that they can pick up on each other’s nonverbal communication illustrates the depth of their love. In the midst of their romance-turned-cliffhanger, it reminds us that Kory and Dick are the heart and soul of the team.
Even the bittersweet timing of Kory’s reunion plays into the tension this week. With so much happening, the transitions between scenes enhance the episode. As one intense moment simmers down, the story moves onto another dramatic scene. Such is the case with Rachel and Garfield’s (portrayed by Ryan Potter) argument. As their fight dies down (thanks to Kory), the episode moves to the scene where the old Titans find Dr. Light’s (portrayed by Michael Mosley) body. It builds different levels of suspense while allowing these dramatic moments to coexist.
Of course, there’s still a lot more than happened this week, so let’s discuss:
- The periodic comedic one-liners and a romantic return really helped break up the overall tense episode, which just makes this a more well-rounded viewing experience in our opinion.
- Despite all his snark, Hank (portrayed by Alan Ritchson) is very protective of Jason. This is a witty way to tie in in-episode character development back to “Hawk and Dove.” We’d love to see this kind of reflective storytelling with other characters. After all, we’re curious to see how the rest of the team member’s heroic motives grow and relate to the main conflict.
- Jason Todd isn’t dead yet. Considering the final moments of the episode focused a lot of Kory, this cliffhanger could end with Kory swooping in to save Robin 2.0.
- While Kory and Dick are obviously in love, we love that Kory called Dick out on his BS. “So which problem do you want to fix first” basically sums up our implicit thoughts on Dick’s leadership approach thus far. (Don’t get us wrong. We love Dick Grayson, but we can still acknowledge that he’s done some questionable things.)
- This week drew a lot of parallels between Dick and Deathstroke through their strategies and lone-wolf mentality. We’re not sure why these comparisons exist (yet), but this is a subtle way to make us invested in the main baddie this season.
“Deathstroke” is an ambitious take on the titular character’s ongoing feud with the Titans. As the series continues to supplement comic book mythos, this episode gives us insightful character interactions, suspense, and a ton of impressive special effects and scoring. From Rose Wilson’s disturbing advanced healing scene to the transitions, this episode makes us appreciate the DC Universe Titans, TTG!, comic fandoms, and all the quirks that come with these characters.
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