Titans review, Episode 311: “The Call is Coming from Inside the House”

This week’s episode of Titans drops some major bombshells on the characters. From Kory’s big revelation to Dick’s disastrous encounter with Red Hood, the clock is ticking on Titans season 3, and “The Call is Coming from Inside the House” sets up the finale in a big way.

I don’t think enough can be said about how well Vincent Kartheiser gleefully embodies Jonathan Crane. The opening sequence of Crane using Bruce Wayne’s towel and razor to shave his beard while listening to TLC’s “Waterfalls” after taking over Wayne Manor — now Crane Manor — is so perfectly over the top. You can almost imagine how he’ll rub that in with the other members of the Rogue’s Gallery the next time he sees them.

Crane thinks it’s a good idea to listen to Batman’s case file on him, but things turn sour when Batman correctly assesses that Crane is a coward who isn’t capable of harnessing the true power of Scarecrow. That’s why he’s always looking for pawns to do his dirty work. Batman’s file sends Crane into a fury. It’s enough to make him think about changing his ways to make himself the most powerful villain in Gotham City.

Titans Episode 311 brings big revelations with big implications

The biggest revelation of the episode comes as Kory goes on a quest to find the baby from her vision. When she gets shot protecting the baby and her mother, she sees a vision of her birth. It turns out she didn’t have the power necessary to rule Tamaran. Her parents discover that it’s Blackfire, her younger sister, who has the power. They remove Blackfire’s power and give it to Kory. The revelation stuns Kory, who now has a completely different outlook on her life.

Tim runs into Donna and tells her that he’s miraculously healed from his injuries. He takes her to his family’s restaurant, where his parents learn what he’s been up to. They don’t approve. However, the GCPD is bearing down on the neighborhood and everyone is at risk, so they relent and allow Donna and Tim to get to work so that Donna can reunite with the Titans.

Dick decides to go after Red Hood on his own at the end of the episode. He almost has him beat until a crowd shows up and a young kid shoots Dick in the neck. Seeing his brother bleeding on the ground and surrounded by an angry mob is almost too much for Jason to bear. He returns to Wayne Manor to find that Crane has battled his demons and sliced up his own face to prove that he could do it.

This is exactly the kind of drama and action you want to see leading up to the season finale. The Titans have been split up, they’re being hunted, the GCPD is out of control, Barbara Gordon is in jail, Kory has discovered the terrible truth about her sister and Dick could be mortally wounded. Oh, and Scarecrow is running wild with all of Batman’s toys at his disposal.

As much as I want to see the Titans pull off a big comeback on their own, I can’t help but wonder if Bruce Wayne should be the one to fix things since he put the ball in motion with Jason. Donna saved Bruce’s life and now it’s time for Bruce to repay the favor. It would also be really nice to see Batman in action for once. Things are getting desperate in Gotham City and it might need him to save the day, or at least to help the Titans do it.

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