Titans review: Episode 312, “Prodigal Son”

Sometimes it just pays to have a Lazarus Pit lying around. That’s the case in “Prodigal Son,” where Dick became the most recent member of the Titans to return from the dead, and his vengeance is focused on putting an end to Jonathan Crane’s madness.

Dick Grayson’s journey is the big story in “Prodigal Son.” Rachel and Gar find his body but it’s too late to bring him back with traditional methods. Thankfully, they both knew of the Lazarus Pit where Scarecrow resurrected Jason Todd.

Donna and Tim, with help from Tim’s family, are headed out of town. Tim wants to stay behind to defend the city, but Donna and his family know that their efforts would be futile and their time better spent elsewhere.

Blackfire finds Connor after he’d been dosed with kryptonite dust. They agree to team up and do things their way. The first order of business is to get revenge against the scientist who held Blackfire hostage, but when he reveals that her ship survived, it leads to a big decision for her.

What happens in Titans season 3 episode 12?

While the Titans work out their issues, Crane is busy setting up the final phases of his plan to kill everyone in Gotham City with the toxins that Batman and Jim Gordon confiscated during his last attempt for city-wide domination. Red Hood, thinking the battle was over with the death of Dick Grayson, is shocked to learn that Crane plans to kill everyone.

The Titans are splintered right now, which is going to make it tough for them to fight Crane. However, once Dick come back to the land of the living he’s able to convince Red Hood to help him put a stop to Crane’s plan.

Highlights from the episode include Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch) breaking out of her jail cell in the most badass way possible, Blackfire telling Connor that he’d better call her his girlfriend and seeing Dick Grayson embody the Joker in his dream sequence.

“Prodigal Son” is another pivotal moment in season 3. Dick seems to have a newfound sense of self and sense of purpose, which is what he’s been missing this season after seeing Batman leave Gotham City behind, losing Jason, losing Hawk and losing his way.

Kory seems to be at peace with losing her powers and is supportive of her sister’s desire to return home as the rightful queen. However, the only person capable of powering her ship is Connor and he doesn’t want her to leave, so when her ship blows up you have to wonder if he was responsible.

I’m really enjoying Donna and Tim working together. She’s calm and supportive, and he’s eager and new to the superhero business. His family is amazing and I’m a little worried about their fate heading into the season finale. It would be easy for them to fall victim to Crane’s police force, and that would be a shame.

Having the team divided at this point is interesting. They all have reasons for not coming back together, but if they’re going to beat Crane there’s no other way to do it. The season finale might be a battle to protect the city from Scarecrow, but it’s also a test to see if the team can reunite or if the Titans are over.

“Prodigal Son” is a great setup episode for the season finale, and praise must be given to the production team for balancing so many stories so effectively within one episode. (This happens to be my major gripe with The Walking Dead season 11 thus far; having more than two stories in any given episode seems to water it down, which isn’t the case with Titans.)

It’s also nice seeing Gar and Connor having some big moments because they’ve been on the periphery all season. They’re fun to watch and deserve more screen time. Damaris Lewis continues to deliver strong performances, and I hope the busted ship means she gets to stick around even longer.

More than anything, I like the uncertainty leading into the finale. Though it can be assumed that Crane’s plan will be thwarted, it’s not a given that the Titans have a future, and that’s exciting. With all of the growth they’ve seen as individuals this season, their futures are wide open, and it will be very interesting to see how things unravel.

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