Titans “Souls”

In the last episode I wrote up, the Titans sort of accidentally exposed the Gotham City water supply to Professor Crane’s fear chemicals.  Now would be both the best time  and the worst time to check in on other plotlines that have largely languished off to the side because, well, where the heck has Rachel been all this time?

She’s been on Themyscrira, obviously.

Yup, we finally get to see the home of the Amazons as this series pictures it and…man, it’s just as gloomy as everywhere else in this universe.  I know it’s too much to ask for the sort of bright colors and elaborate sets from the Gal Gadot movies, and it’s not like they actually cast a Diana to appear on this show, but it might have been nice if it was a little brighter and I got the impression there was more than, say, four or so Amazons.

However, the problem is while the Amazon, with Rachel, are attempting to bring Donna back to life, that process doesn’t always work, and Rachel’s attempts to use her Scary Soul Powers aren’t helping.  There’s a punishment for Rachel for that, she learns a lesson from another Amazon who couldn’t bring her daughter back or somethi…wait, do Amazons have daughters?  You know, besides the queen’s daughter?

Asking for a friend.

I might have misheard.

Anyway, Rachel does learn her time on Themyscria is at an end, and Donna is probably never coming back.

Meanwhile, over in the artsy black-and-white afterlife, Donna may actually be coming back.  Not because she wants to.  She’s fine sitting on the train to Hades.  Tim Drake, on the other hand, not so much.  He panics and tries to get off, and when Donna goes to talk to him, both end up somehow flying off the train.

You know, Donna was dead a lot longer than Tim was, so time may work differently on that side.  Then again, there are these ghouls over there that suck the life out of souls that got off the train, and that means Tim.  Donna doesn’t want that to happen, and neither does the guy in the muscle car.

That would be Hank.

Yeah, that fits.

I actually largely liked this episode, but that may be because we got a whole episode where one of the Titans wasn’t acting kinda dumb.  Hank has a fancy hotel for a base that should be safe from the ghouls, but those things really want Tim.  He can conjure ghoul-killing weapons when he reaches into his soul, a neat trick in the hotel when he pulls out a couple guns, but less so on the bridge back to the land of the living when he pulls nunchucks he can’t use or some of the Robin throwing stars he can’t toss straight anyway.  Donna, using the same trick, is pulling swords and a lariat that has a splash of color for once.   She makes it look easy.  Hank eventually pulls a baseball bat.

Now, Hank wants to live again to get back at Jason, but Donna, not so much.  She’s ready to stay dead.  Tim wants to go back, but he fears he was too much of a coward before, and he keeps running away from the ghouls.  Can this trio find a way out?

Oddly enough, mostly.  Donna changes her mind about returning and Tim leaps a chasm when the bridge collapses.  Hank stays behind, figuring he can fight ghouls and protect lost souls for all eternity.  Plus, the actor already has a new show for himself, so don’t feel too bad.  He’ll be playing Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime before you know it.  But that’s the actor.  Is there anything for the character?

Sure!  Hank finds a partner on the other side:  his dead brother Don.  Hawk and Dove reunite in the afterlife.  Or Dove and Hawk.  It may not matter.  That’s a nice ending for those two.

So, to recap, Rachel is returning to Man’s World, Donna is alive again, so is Tim…and Donna saves Bruce Wayne from a suicide attempt.  So, things may be starting to wrap up for the better now.

Or not because the Titans did accidentally put Crane’s fear chemicals in the Gotham City water supply.  That may lead to more problems.