Titans season finale review: “Purple Rain”

Brenton Thwaites, Curran Walters in Titans Season 3, Episode 13 - Courtesy of HBO Max
Brenton Thwaites, Curran Walters in Titans Season 3, Episode 13 - Courtesy of HBO Max

All’s well that ends well, with the season finale of Titans being Exhibit A. “Purple Rain” delivers a satisfying ending with a delectable amuse bouche that previews what’s coming in season 4. It the Titans work together as a team to defeat the Scarecrow. It takes a village, but they manage to pull off the impossible.

Titans season 3 has been a lot of fun to watch. The stakes were incredibly high, and the team was dealt a lot of blows, but the Titans rallied to take down the Scarecrow and restore order in Gotham City. It’s been a while since the team has operated with that kind of cohesion, especially after losing Hawk and Dove, and there’s hope that they’ll continue to thrive in season 4.

The season finale of Titans brings the team spirit needed to save Gotham City

The spirit of teamwork that’s been missing all season came back in the season finale. After fighting Jonathan Crane together, the team is stronger than ever. So strong, in fact, that they plan to travel back to San Francisco in an RV.

There was a lot to unpack in the season 3 finale. Some of the key moments:

  • Vee (Karen Robinson) is actually working for ARGUS (Hello, Roy Harper!) and her team helps Barbara take control of the GCPD
  • Bruce Wayne returns
  • Connor recreates the plans for Blackfire’s ship so that it can be rebuilt and she will be able to return to Tamaran, and thanks to some new technology he can visit her
  • ARGUS offers Donna a job, but she’s planning to go visit Dove in Paris
  • Barbara Gordon asks Dick to stay in Gotham, and he asks her to go back to San Francisco with him
  • They use the Lazarus Pit to restore life to those who had been killed by Scarecrow’s bombs (hence the “Purple Rain” reference)
  • Raven pulls all of Scarecrow’s knowledge about the Bat Family from his memory

One of the highlights of the episode was when Gar was trying to hack into the Wayne Manor security system and needed to answer a security question: “Who was the one who got away?” I love that Tim knew enough about Batman to know it was Selina Kyle. That says a lot about Tim’s keen mind and a preview of what a great Robin he will become.

There was a touching moment toward the end of the episode when Bruce and Dick clear the air. Bruce and Jason also say the things they needed to say to each other. While Jason says he’s leaving Gotham, this won’t be the end of Red Hood. We will see him again.

As for Tim, he was welcomed aboard the Titans RV. In another deviation from Tim Drake’s origin story, Dick offers Tim a chance to come to San Francisco and get the training he needs. I wish we’d been able to see Bruce meet Tim. I feel like that would have been a great moment, but maybe that will come in season 4 after Tim has learned more about being a superhero. It would have been nice for Bruce to see the optimism that Tim represents.

Titans season 3 was wholly entertaining. Sure, there were some plot holes and threads left dangling, but in the end it doesn’t really matter because the end result of Crane’s reign of terror upon Gotham City is that the Titans were able to come together and fight when the city needed them. It was a boost they all needed after losing Hawk.

There’s a bright future in store for Titans if it keeps this momentum going in season 4. After taking down the Scarecrow, there’s no telling which villain will pop up next.

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