The latest episode of DC’s Titans, “Koriand’r,” marks the point at which the series has finally begun to answer questions rather than leave them hanging for as long as possible. Two mysteries have stood at the center of Titans’ plot so far; who is Raven’s father, and what is Starfire’s mission? Unfortunately the effectiveness of these two plots has been damaged somewhat by the fact most Titans viewers are familiar with the comics, and that the most important clues were offered in the first four episodes anyway. Titans has only managed to draw things out by sending the team on various side-missions; some of these were excellent, but they’ve really not had anything to do with the central plot.
Still, the time for secrets and lies has come to an end. Titans’ tenth episode sees Starfire recover from her amnesia, revealing the truth about her alien identity and her mission on Earth. At the same time, Raven’s mother proves to be as untrustworthy as most viewers had suspected, and manipulates her daughter into somehow releasing Trigon on to Earth. The scale of the story escalates at a dramatic pace, with Starfire showing prophesies of the death of worlds. And it’s all done in quite an interesting way; there’s an occasional sense of disorientation as the plot jumps from science-fiction to haunted house horror, but in general it works well. This is where superhero team-up shows have the chance to shine; they can blend different genres of fiction to fascinating effect.
This is still Titans, though, so not every question is answered. Even the fact that Raven releases her father from his own dimension is quite surprising because it seems to conflict with Starfire’s prophesies. Let’s explore the unanswered questions from this episode of Titans.
- This Page: Of Jason Todd and Wonder Girl Next Page: Trigon’s Traps
9. Why Did Raven Want Jason Todd So Badly?
The opening scenes of “Koriand’r” see Raven reaching out psychically for help as Starfire attempts to kill her. It’s a powerful, spooky scene, and it explains what happened last episode - when Raven entered the minds of Hawk and Dove. But while that works on the surface level, it doesn’t explain why Raven asked Hawk and Dove to get Jason Todd. Nor, frankly, does it fit with the love she still clearly has for Dick Grayson; her mind is working on instinct even as she’s coming closer to death than ever before, so it’s strange that she doesn’t call out to Dick for help. This is still pretty strange.
8. Has Donna Troy REALLY Given Up Being Wonder Girl?
The Titans version of Donna Troy is an ex-superhero who decided she could do more good in the world as a photographer than as a hero. She’s been contrasted quite effectively with Dick Grayson, who’s struggling to work out how to move on from his time as Robin. This episode suggests that Donna may not have been quite so successful at moving on from her superhero career as she’s been making out, though. Notice that she still carries Wonder Girl’s equipment with her; a golden lasso and even a star-shaped tracer that she tosses into Koriand’r’s car. It’s very much reminiscent of the fact that Dick spent several episodes insisting he wasn’t Robin anymore, but always carried a Robin costume around with him just in case.
7. If The House Has Been Abandoned For 20 Years, Why Does It Still Have Electricity?
The latest episode of Titans explores the haunted house trope pretty well, and many scenes are absolutely chilling. But there’s something pretty weird about this house. While it’s apparently been abandoned for 20 years or so, everything in the house still works. It has running water, it’s connected up to the mains, and there just aren’t quite enough cobwebs. There’s apparently even food, unless there was some off-screen grocery shopping. The house really doesn’t feel as though it’s been abandoned. From an out-of-universe perspective, that makes sense; this is all a trap, after all. But it’s odd that the likes of Dick Grayson, who’s supposed to be a pretty competent detective, don’t notice these inconsistencies.
6. What Is The Creepy Mirror?
A creepy mirror is a classic haunted house trope, and Titans uses it tremendously effectively. It looks as though this mirror is a bridge between our dimension and the one in which Trigon resides. He can use it to communicate - but also, crucially, to influence. The mirror appears able to draw upon a person’s darkest fears and secret shames; this is particularly notable when Beast Boy stares at it, and sees his face coated with gore after he killed a doctor back in the asylum.
Page 2 of 2: How Did The Tamarans Know What Would Happen In The Future?
5. Why Did Starfire Land So Close To The Haunted House?
It’s surely no coincidence that Starfire landed so close to the haunted house; presumably she either knew all about it when she arrived on Earth, or her sensors detected a potential dimensional breach and she chose to land nearby.
4. How Did The Tamarans Know What Would Happen In The Future?
Titans has already subtly blended the Tamarans with the “Ancient Aliens” trope, suggesting these aliens were actually the Sumerian gods. In keeping with that, they appear to have the ability to foretell the future, and Starfire produces holographic prophecies showing the death of her entire world should Trigon be unleashed. The “Death of Worlds” book appears to be written in Starfire’s language, so is presumably an ancient book of prophecies that fits with the more recent visions of the future.
3. Why Did Starfire Lose Her Memory?
“Koriand’r” avoids answering one simple, basic question; why did Starfire lose her memory in the first place? Starfire’s amnesia is just a convenient way of drawing out the plot, but the fact it’s completely unexplained makes that pretty glaring. Even a throwaway comment like “Trigon’s servants found me, and he did something to me” would be better than nothing. Hopefully there’ll be some sort of explanation next week.
2. What Are The “Trials” Raven Must Endure?
It seems Raven is the only one who can defeat Trigon, and banish him from this dimension. In order to do so, however, she must first complete 400 consecutive days of warrior training - an experience that apparently none have survived. This is a very strange comment, as it suggests others have tried this kind of extensive training and died. Does that mean others have trained to stop Trigon in the past, and failed? If so, it may mean Raven is just the demon’s latest attempt to break through into our dimension.
1. Why Did Trigon Let Dick Grayson Into The Haunted House?
The episode ends with the haunted house allowing Dick Grayson entry. He’s the only one it lets in, though, so this is clearly a trap. It seems that Trigon’s plan is to break Raven’s heart by forcing her to choose between her parents and the inconsistent father-figure. While this does indeed work in terms of the show’s overall structure, it makes the fact Raven didn’t instinctively reach out to Dick for help all the stranger; that would have been a perfect opportunity for Titans to showcase how important Dick is to her, setting this plot up.
