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| Teen Titans Episode Guide (some spoilers); Everything you may like to know but... | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 5 2004, 12:22 AM (1,366 Views) | |
| LinkMaster™ | Feb 3 2005, 06:00 PM Post #46 |
The One And Only
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Episode 41: Cyborg The Barbarian "Don't do anything. Don't touch anything. Sci-fi rule #1: You start messing with the past and you got monkeys ruling the future. " - Cyborg Originally aired: February 12, 2005 Written by Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliot Directed by Alex Soto Posted Image Cyborg is mysteriously thrown into the distant past and lands in the middle of a barbarian village that needs his help. But with the nearest charging station 5,000 years in the future, Cy has no way to recharge, and his power supply is dwindling. Posted Image Kimberly Brooks as Sarasim Michael Clark Duncan as Krall Posted Image Posted ImageThis episode originally aired out of production order. Posted ImageCyborg's love for waffles - as seen in CRASH - is remembered by Raven in the opening scene. Posted ImageWhen Cyborg worries about messing with the timeline, we see an image of a 'baby' Warp from the episode HOW LONG IS FOREVER? Posted ImageCyborg's comment about "monkeys ruling the future" is a reference to the "Planet of the Apes". In the movie, a human survivor discovers the Statue of Liberty and realizes he is on earth; Cyborg's visual shows the Statue of Liberty in the background as well. Posted ImageThe face on the Statue of Liberty is Irineo Maramba - a storyboard artist for the series. Posted ImageWhen Cyborg digitally avoids messing with the past, it looks just like the video game, "Frogger." Posted Image"It's about time someone went Broze Age on your butt" is a reference to the movie "Pulp Fiction" - albeit a slighly cleaned up quote. Posted Image The name Sarasim is a reference to Cyborg's love interest in the comic book series, Sarah Simms. But the similarities end there. A far cry from a barbarian queen, Sarah Simms was a teacher at West Side School for the Handicapped - where the students coped with prosthetic limbs. The children looked up to Vic, who had his own ‘metal prosthetics,' of a sort. Vic and Sarah Simms remained close friends. Although each of them danced around the idea of a romantic relationship, this would never come to pass. Sarah first appeared in NEW TEEN TITANS #8 [1981] and remained a supporting player in the Titans book until the late 1980s. Posted Image CYBORG THE BARBARIAN is atypical for a Teen Titans episode. Teen Titans rarely does a straight-ahead action drama story that is not part of a story arc. That's more "Justice League" territory. In this episode, the super-deformed hijinx are relegated to the opening sequence. Also, this episode is 100% Cyborg's tale. The other Titans barely appear at all. Once Cyborg makes his humorous 'messing with timestream' observations, we're into serious straight-forward action heroics. Contrast this episode with the Robin-centric THE QUEST... which balanced serious ninja mojo with the rest of the team playing Robin dress-up! Cyborg's whole time-tripping journey pulls plots and themes from a Conan-type adventure... the scheming warrior, evil witch and warrior queen as typical fare for such stories. The story works just fine. And the Sarasim name - a reference to his longtime romantic interest Sarah Simms - was cute. I think many people may be turned off by the fact this episode is NOT a typical Titans tale. It lacks the humor and character interplay that has become associated with the series. On the other hand, I applaud the series for continuing to take chances. I fall somewhere in the middle with this one... it was a decent adventure for Cyborg, but was not as wildly entertaining as DECEPTION or even SUM OF HIS PARTS. Grade: B- |
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| LinkMaster™ | Feb 3 2005, 06:05 PM Post #47 |
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The One And Only
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Episode 42: Birthmark "I have to say Raven, when I found out the truth I was very impressed. All this time I had no idea the power lurking inside you. The glorious destiny that awaits. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? " "But honestly, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away? Today is the day it begins. You've known this all your life. It is going to happen. And no matter what you wish... no matter where you go... no matter how you squirm... there is nothing you can do to stop it. " - Slade Originally aired: February 5, 2005 Written by David Slack Directed by Michael Chang Posted Image Slade is back and this time he's after Raven. But the Teen Titans question why. Posted Image Roger Bumpass as Dr. Light Ron Perlman as Slade Kevin Michael Richardson as the voice of Trigon Posted Image Posted ImageKevin Michael Richardson - who provides the voice of Trigon - also plays Mammoth and the Joker on WB's "The Batman"; The voice of Trigon was originally Keith Szarabajka in the episode NEVERMORE. Posted ImageTrigon first appeared in NEVERMORE as a vision inside Raven's head. Posted ImageDr. Light's surrender to Raven is due to his frightening defeat at her hands in NEVERMORE. Dr. Light also uses his souped-up super-suit, which was seen briefly in WAVELENGTH. Posted ImageSlade was last seen as a hallucination in HAUNTED. He rises from his molten burial from the events in AFTERSHOCK part two. Beast Boy even mentions Terra's role in Slade's defeat: "Terra took you down. WAY down." Posted ImageIf Slade was in his molten burial, then he definitely did not activate the Slade mask in the episode, HAUNTED. Posted ImageRaven and Robin refer to their mind-meld, which took place in the episode, HAUNTED. Posted Image Raven is the daughter of a union between Trigon the Terrible, a powerful extra-dimensional being, and Arella, a woman who was part of a cult to try to bring Satan to earth. Instead, Trigon came and took Arella as his bride. Arella was rescued by an extra-dimensional pacifist cult and taken to the other-worldly dimensional world known as Azarath. There, she gave birth to Raven. The moment Raven was born, Trigon's evil influence was felt in Azarath. The grand-daughter if the original Azar herself raised Raven and trained her to keep her emotions in check, lest Trigon's evil side within her would be set free. Raven was plagued with prophetic dreams that she would one day be claimed by her evil father. Raven's origin story was told in TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS mini series #2 [1982] and NEW TEEN TITANS #1-6 [1980]. After some time with the Titans, Trigon returns to claim his daughter once again. When Trigon took over the world, the skies turned red and flesh became stone - as seen in the future vision in this episode. That story was told in NEW TEEN TITANS (second series) #1-5 [1984]. It was also collected in a trade paperback entitled "The Terror of Trigon." Raven's hair grows long in the future vision; Her hair actually ressembles her comic book counterpart in that vision. The future vision also shows ravens with four eyes. Four eyes signify the mark of Trigon. Dr. Light continues to reflect his bumbling persona from the comic book series. In this episode, he commits a crime the Titans see from their living room. Posted Image Tense, taught and unrelenting... Birthright ventures into the darker corners of the Teen Titans Universe. There's a lot to love in this episode; As a fan of the series, you're given some nice nods to previous episodes and situations. For a series that at first avoided continuity, there's lots of it in this fine episode... It starts with Dr. Light, in a scene that nicely echoes the events of NEVERMORE. And it's onto Slade, where he returns from the depths of... well, they aren't saying, exactly. And there's the intriguing idea of the Robin/Raven bond from HAUNTED. I love that any two characters interacting always yields some interesting results. Robin and Raven's friendship is given some depth in this episode - which works extremely well. Slade's return is also handled with the drama and intensity it deserves. [Although we are still left wondering who DID trigger that mask in HAUNTED?] Slade is perhaps even more sinister than ever - which is ably supported by Ron Perlman's magnificent voice work. Is it any wonder why the writers like using Slade with Perlman's pipes at the microphone? When you look at it, there's really not much plot to this episode. Slade delivers his message and leaves Raven to ponder her dark destiny. What propels the episode is the sense of dread - and Slade's unrelenting pursuit of Raven. We, the viewer, are running with her. The animation is also top notch - from the battle with Dr. Light to Raven's nightmarish visions. The series also once again pushes the boundaries for the show; The Raven arc may be the darkest territory the series will tread. But you won't hear any complaints from this quarter. An entertainingly intense outing. An awesome set-up for season four's story arc. Grade: A |
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| LinkMaster™ | Feb 3 2005, 06:14 PM Post #48 |
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The One And Only
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Episode 43: The Quest Robin: "I have to go alone?" Cyborg: "That guy takes himself way too seriously..." Originally aired: January 29, 2005 Written by Amy Wolfram Directed by Ben Jones Posted Image When Robin is defeated by the malicious martial artist Kitarou, our hero decides that if he wants to be the best -- he needs more training. So he embarks on a difficult quest to seek a mysterious, legendary teacher known only as ... The True Master. Posted Image Takayo Fischer as Chui-hui [True Master] Kevin Micahel Richardson as Bear and Snake Keone Young as Katarou Posted Image Posted ImageThis episode was originally aired out of production order Posted ImageWhen Starfire misses Robin, she remembers events from past episodes: The ferris wheel ride from SISTERS, the prom dance from DATE WITH DESTINY and the balcony scene from BETROTHED. Posted ImageStarfire interacts with the Starfire puppet from SWITCHED. Posted Image Producer Glen Murakami on developing Robin: "I didn’t want Robin to just be the little kid who gets into trouble. I don’t want him to seem like he needs the father-figure. I don’t want him to just be the sidekick. So when we talked about him, we talked about how we could make him really cool. And I made everyone to look sort of awkward, like teenagers. They have big hands, big feet and big heads – they’re kind of gangly and scrawny. I thought that awkwardness made them look kind of anime." "I just didn’t want them super-buff like the Justice League characters. I wanted them to have a clumsy quality about them. And like all teenagers, they would really be into footwear. Big clod-hopper shoes. That’s why I gave him the metal [steel-toe] combat boots. The spiky hair. I wanted to get rid of the shorts. I just wanted him cooler. Like a Bruce Lee or something like that. I just didn’t want him to copy Batman. I wanted him to be his own person." Posted Image When Beast Boy dons the Robin costume, he breaks through a paper mache ring held by Starfire. This is an exact recreation of the cover for DETECTIVE COMICS #38 - the First appearance of Robin - declaring him the "Sensational Character Find of 1940." Beast Boy is declared the Sensational Character Find of 1965, which is the year of Beast Boy's first appearance in DOOM PATROL #99. To view the cover image and compare, click here. The inclusion of this cover homage supports the "Robin is Dick Grayson theory" if anyone is still keeping track. Robin mentions being "trained by the best" - an obvious reference to Batman. Posted Image THE QUEST is an homage to all those famous Kung Fu movies from the 1970s to the present. Robin's an obvious choice for this episode, as the animated staff has even commented about infusing some "Bruce Lee" into this incarnation of Robin. Anyone who's seen a kung fu saga will spot the old woman as the True Master from her very first scene. Thankfully, that revelation becomes secondary to Robin's quest. The resolution and lesson learned brings the episode full circle. Not much new territory explored here, but competently done. I was a bit disappointed that the animation didn't rise to the challenge. If the episode was more atmospheric or action-packed, THE QUEST could have been stronger. It lacks the high-action scenes of X or WAVELENGTH. It doesn't have the same mysterious vibe as MASKS or FORCES OF NATURE. The animation and direction play out like a typical episode. I think this one could have benefited from a more unique look and feel. The episode gains points with the fun subplot of "Robining" (as Starfire calls it). As silly as this plot is, it's undeniably amusing. And the homage to the cover of Robin's first appearance was an unexpected surprise. The Robining subplot definitely raises the grade of this episode by a tic or two. Grade: B |
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| LinkMaster™ | Feb 22 2005, 12:20 PM Post #49 |
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The One And Only
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Episode 44: Employee of the Month "Hiya, Tommy, Say, be a sport and hand over our supreme creator, would ya? " - Bob Originally aired: February 19, 2005 Written by Rob Hoegee Directed by Alex Soto Posted Image Beast Boy has only one real dream in life -- to someday, somehow own a Moped. And when Robin won't buy him one and Cyborg won't build him one, Beast Boy has only one way to make his dream come true he has to get a job. Posted Image Tom Kane as Bob Rob Paulsen as Source Posted Image Posted ImageBeast Boy's love of mopeds is first seen in WINNER TAKE ALL and later in EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY. Posted ImageThe goth kid from SISTERS who also appeared in CAN I KEEP HIM? is seen in the Meaty Meat. Posted ImageCharacter designer Derrick Wyatt also appears in the Meaty Meat. Posted ImageThe Tidwell 3000 Moped is a reference to series storyboard artist Scooter Tidwell. Posted ImageBeast Boy uses Van Wyk BBQ Sauce - a reference to series storyboard artist Adam Van Wyk. Posted ImageRob Paulsen - the voice of the Source - has done a tremendous amount of voice-over work in animation. He is perhaps best known for his work on "Animaniacs" as the voices of Yakko, the Brain, and others. He also played Arthur on "The Tick" animated series. Posted ImageRobin's new gear - the bird helmet and scallop cape - is a direct reference to the uniforms worn on "Battle of the Planets." Series Producer David Slack is a big fan of the show - which was also heavily referenced in EPISODE 257-494. Posted ImageWhen Beast Boy sells vacuum cleaners, the house he approaches looks just like the house from "The Brady Bunch". That house was also seen as Killer Moth's home in DATE WITH DESTINY. Posted ImageBeast Boy bears a striking similarity to the character of Haruko from the anime series "FLCL" when he rides his moped; Haruko rode a moped and wore a helmet and scarf similar to Beast Boy's. Posted ImageThis episode is partially inspired by the movie, "Soylent Green" where the secret ingredient of food source in the future... is people! The Source's line, "The secret is .... water!" is similar to Charlton Heston's revelation in "Soylent Green." Posted ImageBeast Boy facing down the multiple Bobs is reminiscent of the "Matrix" movies - where Neo faced off against multiple Agent Smiths. Posted Image This episode has the spirit of the Silver Age era of DC Comics. During the 1960's, many DC Comics contained stories with strange alien encounters and unbelievable events. In the 60's, The Teen Titans had their share of alien encounters and adventures. |
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| LinkMaster™ | May 10 2005, 07:53 AM Post #50 |
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The One And Only
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Episode 45: TROQ Cyborg: "TROQ? What does that mean?" Starfire: "It means nothing." Originally aired: May 9th, 2005 Written by Amy Wolfram Directed by Michael Chang Posted Image A brave hero from outer space called Val-Yor comes to Earth, and asks for the Titans help in defeating an otherworldly menace known as The Locrix. But according to Val-Yor, Starfire may be the real problem ... Posted Image Stephen Root as Val-Yor Posted Image Posted ImageStephen Root - voice of Val-Yor - also provides the voice of Bill on "King of the Hill." Root also starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom, "Newsradio" and appeared in the movie "Office Space." Posted ImageWhen the Titans hear a loud rumbling noise, one of the Titans guesses, "Giant worms?" - a reference to events in the episode, TITAN RISING. Posted Image In DC Comics, there was a great hero from the planet of Daxam known as Valor. He bears no relationship to Val-Yor except for the similarity in name only. When Starfire returns from space, her hair is puffed out; Starfire's original comic book design featured a large, giant mane of hair. |
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| LinkMaster™ | Jun 20 2005, 03:58 PM Post #51 |
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The One And Only
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Episode 46 The Prophecy "Tick, tock, Raven. Time is running out. " - Slade Originally aired: June 4, 2005 Written by Tom Puglsey, Greg Klein Directed by Ben Jones Posted Image Why did Slade come back? What is he planning? Ever since the return of their arch-nemesis, the Titans have been searching for answers. But is there something Raven isn't telling them? Posted Image Virginia Madsen as Arella Ron Perlman as Slade Kevin Michael Richardson as Trigon Posted Image Posted ImageThis episode follows up events from BIRTHMARK Posted ImageThis episode is directed by Ben Jones, who also directed X. Viewers will remember a strong John Woo influence in that episode, including Woo's signature white dove. Series director Ben Jones has used white doves in two previous episodes: X and BUNNY RAVEN. And now, white doves appear on Azarath. Posted ImageVirginia Madsen - voice of Arella - is an accomplished screen actress, appearing in such films as "Class", "Dune", "Candyman" and the oscar-nominated "Sideways." Her brother is actor Michael Madsen, featured as Susan Sarandon's boyfriend in "Thelma & Louise", as well as in "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill." Posted Image Raven's mother, Arella, appears in this episode. Angela Roth, involved in a mystic cult, was chosen to become the bride of the demonic Trigon. Abandoned by the demon after mating with him, she was taken in by the pacifistic disciples of Temple Azarath, a group who had centuries earlier forsaken life on Earth to pursue their own nonviolent lifestyle. Angela was given the name "Arella", which means "messenger angel." In their interdimensional world, Raven, Arella's daughter by Trigon, was born. Raven grew up on Azarath and learned to control her emotions, lest Trigon's evil would burst free. Raven and Arella's story was told in NEW TEEN TITANS #1-6 [1980]. Raven would sometimes let her evil side show - which sometimes would cause her own teammates to fear her. Eventually, Raven became increasingly corrupted by Trigon and became the vessel that brought him to earth. Once on earth, Trigon lay waste to the planet until he was eventually destroyed by the combined forces of the Teen Titans. It all happened in NEW TEEN TITANS [second series] #1-5 [1984]. Raven mentions, "I'm not just a person. I'm a portal." When Raven was reborn in a new body by Brother Blood, one of her new abilities was to act as a 'doorway.' Other references in this episode: Trigon lay waste to Azarath in NEW TEEN TITANS [second series] #1-5 [1984]; The 4-eyes is the mark of Trigon; The sculptures in the library look like the Azarathians from the comic book series. |
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