Flashbacks on flashbacks on flashbacks in this week’s Titans and that’s not a great thing! Finally, watch and uncover the rest of the secret history of the Titans’ confrontation with Deathstroke in “Jericho.” This one definitely highlights the frustrations of the structure of this season even more so than “Aqualad” a few weeks ago. So let’s get into it and beware spoilers ahead .
1. Getting in with the wrong crowd…
This episode opens with a really weird dream sequence of Jericho walking through a street filled with so many vices and cannibals and trying to scream but being unable to do anything until he wakes up. The sequence was visually interesting and would be a great storytelling choice if it was clear why it was there. Afterward, Jerich heads to meet a new group of friends he’s made and wouldn’t you know it…it’s the Titans. The big gang are hanging out on the beach and chatting with our sweet child about records and eventually get into his parents, for obvious reasons, and Jericho gives some surprisingly detailed flashbacks that detail Deathstroke’s origin story that shows him going through H.I.V.E experiments, coming back to being a family man and becoming more and more distant before going into business with Wintergreen and later having hitmen attack his family which leaves Jericho mute and Slade out of the picture permanently.
This scene on the beach is a weird mixed bag. It’s nice to see the Titans being carefree young adults, or at least pretend to be, but the moral ickiness of what the Titans are doing sits right next to the jabs at Hank about being expelled which is an unease that this scene accomplishes well. Well but not subtly with Dick walking the tightrope of interrogation and being casual. The scene did do well to establish that the Titan’s genuinely like Jericho (how could you not, Chella Mann is incredibly charismatic of an actor) but this conflict is explored more a little later. With regards to the flashback, there are too many, but it was really great to see Esai Morales doing action scenes outside of the bulky Deathstroke armor, definitely would want to see more of that.
2. To manipulate or to not manipulate
Like right now! Dawn and Dick on the beach talk about how conflicted they are about manipulating the sweet innocent child, Jericho, to which Dick tells Dawn to think of Garth. A sentiment which Donna agrees with as she radiates the Michael Jordan “Fuck Them Kids” energy regarding Jericho because of her connection to Garth. As they prep to go after Wintergreen, the Titans agree to do so under the condition that they cut ties with Jericho.
Welp, they go after Wintergreen and of course, he’s not there but instead in the car outback with Slade. The Titans get fed up and Donna pushes them further to pressing Jericho. Wintergreen and Slade know that the Titans are pressing Jericho but Slade doesn’t worry because Jericho doesn’t know anything and to leave him out of this.
Donna meets with Jillian (WHO IS SHE) and finds out the hit that killed Garth was for her (WHO IS SHE!!!) and that she and her Amazon guard will stick around and that Donna should stand down (WHO IS SHE).
3. Awkward Eye Contact
Remember Jericho, well he’s had powers this whole time! He can do his comic book abilities of body-hopping which he demonstrates by taking over the body of a cartoon misogynist businessman at the record store to which Dick Grayson entered stage left to witness with amazement.
Dick takes our boy back to the Tower and Jericho demonstrates by taking over Hank’s body and making him dance after swearing to never do so again which feels creepy. Jericho’s powers have always been quite creepy, despite him being such a sweet young man. Jericho believes his powers are from his dad’s experiments which we have repeated in the immediate flashback of him telling his dad.
Flashback to Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, driving his son to lessons but getting cut off and about to definitely kill a man in a road rage incident, but Jericho takes control over the offender and gets him to drive off. Slade tells him to never show anyone these abilities because it’s implied he fears that he’ll become a monster like Slade has and that people will come after him, which at the time would seem like a foreshadowing of Jericho’s short-lived superhero career, which never comes.
Continued below4. Secrets Revealed and Conflicts Happen!
Dick and Dawn have a talk about why Dick brought Jericho back to the Tower, referring to them cutting ties with the good young child. Dick says that his abilities changed the plans and also…Slade to which Dawn takes back her “Be Batman.” challenge because…Batman is a dick (no pun intended). They agree to let Jericho on the team but no more secrets. They reveal that they are the Titans, which is fun and cute, but less cute they reveal that Jericho’s dad is a killer and they were pumping him for information the whole time.
Jericho is very upset (obviously) but mostly at his mom and father for lying to him. To which I ask, Jericho… You know your dad had experiments done on him that gave YOU superpowers, and there was a traumatic attack on your home where your dad killed people very efficiently and you thought…”Yes…My dad does insurance…nothing more.” I love you Jericho but…c’mon this is the DC Universe bud.
Adelaide, Jericho’s mom, contacts Slade and she says he needs to get their son back. He agrees, and here I’m going to shout out Esai Morales’s performance as conflicted family man Slade. Morales has really sold the menace of Slade but this episode really gives him a chance to show a hard vulnerability which adds an interesting dimension for the character.
Wintergreen, who is unapologetically the worst, pops up at Jericho’s record store to tell him Slade wants to meet with him at an address. Jericho tells Dick about this because #NoMoreSecrets and Dick says he should go and that he won’t follow but Dick is lying because Dick is a fool.
Meanwhile, Donna gets a text from the ever-illusive Jillian needing to meet but whoops its a trap. Donna shows up to find the amazonian guards and Jillian dead. RIP Whatever Jillian’s Deal Was 2019-2019.
Donna and Deathstroke fight which is fun before it gets brutal. The sound effect of Slade’s sword against Donna’s lasso is really great and that was such an interesting aspect of the fight. Deathstroke gets the upper hand after doing a Rey from The Last Jedi and dropping his knife doing some strategic stabs to Donna and telling her to stay away from his son. She presses her distress thing which sends Dick running.
Jericho shows up at the church we saw the last episode (so we know what’s going to happen here) and Deathstroke offers the same offer of a relationship without secrets and just as there’s some hope of reunion Dick shows up and ruins it (he’s actually in costume this time!). Jericho is pissed at Dick because he betrayed his trust which adds fuel to the fire that the Titans were just using him. Dick attempts to cancel Deathstroke for being a murderer which is messed up and Slade then cancels Dick by saying he’s manipulative and that murder is better than betrayal in the tier list of sins. Unfortunately, 2014’s cancel culture was in its infancy, so they fight in a really good fight with big staffs, smoke bombs and head butts, which leads to the most disappointing sacrifice after Garth’s however many episodes ago. Slade stabs Jericho through the heart while trying to kill Dick…You mean…Dick didn’t really kill Jericho?? Who’d have thought…
5. Final Flashback Thoughts
I mentioned previously about how this season’s use of flashbacks is an interesting experiment in fighting a decompressed story but I do not think it’s working as well as the show wants it to. Jericho’s death has been hinted at and alluded to very early in the series and its execution in “Jericho” really doesn’t justify the existence of these episodes. The issue with this episode and the rest of flashback episodes is that storywise they feel like they are trying to create conflicts and stories that should be explored over a season but they have a predestined cap that they have to hit. With “Aqualad” it was Garth’s death and with “Jericho” it was Jericho’s. Jericho’s conflict of family and friendship with the Titans and that manipulation has so much to be explored but really doesn’t have a satisfying conclusion. Jericho’s sacrifice happens because it has to, it’s not a choice built on his experiences with his father. His last interaction with Dick was being upset that he betrayed his trust, and from Dick’s perspective Jericho’s death isn’t a direct result of his manipulation. Jericho’s death just happens because it happened in the present.
Similarly, the show pushes Dick’s agency in Jericho’s manipulation, but not Donna’s who had no sense of conflict on using Jericho but doesn’t have a guilt infused hallucination of Wonder Woman taunt her for an episode. I am really hoping that this is the last we see of flashback episodes for a while this season because they really break the momentum of the season and as a whole don’t add much and what they do add are undercut immediately by forcing the ending that’s needed for the larger plot and leaving a really unsatisfying ending. Hopefully, next week’s episode “Atonement” can atone for the frustrating parts of this episode. Until next time!
