“Titans” continues its steady, self-contained, and strong run in its fourth season with episode five, which arguably might be the best episode of the lot. In the previous episode, the team took shelter in STAR labs to help Sebastian Sanger avert his destined ascension under the blood moon by keeping him away from the clutches of Mother Mayhem. Season one is revisited as the nefarious “Organization” is shown to have been pulling strings for a long time to ensure the demon Trigon’s arrival. The last episode also showed May Bennett’s past life and how, by becoming the chosen queen of Trigon, she turned into Mother Mayhem. It is revealed that Sebastian Sanger is, in a sense, Rachel Roth, aka Raven’s half-brother, as Mother Mayhem conceived him with Trigon. The series continues its exploration of occult horror and mysticism as the Titans find themselves in a race against time and a fearsome enemy, but a Trojan magic-infected Conner Kent, aka Superboy, suggests it might already be too late.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Titans’ Season 4, Episode 5: Recap And Ending
The episode begins with Gar looking at the blood moon with a concerned look on his face. Sebastian’s voice can be heard in the background as he shares the memories of nightmares from his childhood with Rachel, something that used to make him feel lonely, helpless, and worthless. He shares that he fears this prophecy of his ascension will come to pass no matter what they do. Rachel assures him, saying she has trust in him and can relate to his plight as she, too, had to go through a similar ordeal in the past. As both of them are children of Trigon, in a sense, they quickly form a familial bond. Tim Drake and Bernard observe the team on the monitor from the security footage as we get to know they have to stay out of Mother Mayhem’s reach for six hours. Part of the monitor zooms in as we see Conner, who was infected by the magic dagger in the previous episode, seemingly being controlled by the witch.
Meanwhile, at the temple of Azarath, the cult of Blood grows restless as the end of the blood moon draws near, yet there is no sign of Brother Blood, aka Sebastian Sanger. May assure them that Sebastian will be brought home in time. She conjures a snake that emerges from a toilet at STAR Labs.
Tim shares his worries with Bernard, saying that he feels kind of useless being the only non-superpowered member (except Dick) in the team and thinks that’s the reason why Dick still doesn’t entrust him with high-stakes situations. Bernard tries to comfort him by saying he will have his moment to prove his commitment to the team. Before their conversation can proceed further, Tim spots the large snake moving through the hallways. Sensing suspicious activity as so far the mysterious deaths involved snakes, an eager Tim and reluctant Bernard jump into action. However, the duo gets spooked out of their wits and quickly retreats to safety. The Titans regroup (without Sebastian and Rachel, who are in a silo chamber) and learn of the incident. Dick seeks Jinx’s help as the threat is magical in nature, only for Jinx to come up with a “Snakes on a Plane” reference as she namedrops Samuel L Jackson (good one, honestly). Nevertheless, the team split into three groups in search of the snake. Gar, who is paired with Jinx, inquires about his visions of the tree with bones hanging around. In sync with our speculation, Jinx informs him of the elemental place called ‘the Red.’ They move on to discover a dead security guy with his face eaten off by the snake. As they inform the team of this, we see Conner feeling excruciating pain from the stab wound. Now completely under the control of the witch, Conner goes to the silo chamber and lies to Rachel that Dick has asked him to replace her momentarily on guard duty. With the snake on the loose and Conner becoming her puppet, Mother Mayhem has the upper hand.
During their search for the snake, Dick and Kory discuss the possible course of action when Kory shares her piece about Tamaran’s ruthless means, which could have ensured the safety of the Titans and averted the prophecy by killing Sebastian. Dick disagrees with giving up on an innocent man and reminds her that Rachel had to face a similar situation and how they helped her to become her best self. Suddenly, they spot Rachel coming out of the silo and learn of Conner’s lie. Before they confront Conner, Mother Mayhem speaks through him to Sebastian and plants a seed of doubt in him by saying the Titans are untrustworthy. Dick and Cory face Conner, but the battle ends quickly as Jinx knocks out Conner using her magic, something we know she said Kryptonians are vulnerable to. Realizing that STAR Labs cannot keep Sebastian safe any longer, Dick decides to let Kory and Rachel take Conner to the metaphysical threshold of Elko’s Diner.
In STAR labs, the team finds out Conner’s magical stab wound has opened up to secure the snake inside his body, which could lead to Superboy’s death. Jinx informs them that the best way to deal with this is to use her enchantments to oust the snake from Conner’s body, but for this, they have to insert a carrier agent. Garfield agrees at once to take the form of a virus to infect the snake from the inside. The catch is, however, that neither of them has a clear exit strategy for him, and if Conner dies, a virus will form, and Gar won’t be able to survive outside the host. Dick gets concerned for both of their safety, but despite all the risks, Gar stays adamant about taking on the mission to save Conner’s life. Their combined effort and adrenaline shot later, the snake gets ejected from Conner’s body, and Tim has his moment as he quickly dispatches it using his Bo staff. They successfully retrieve Gar from Conner’s body. Later, Tim and Bernard share a kiss.
Elsewhere, at Elko’s Diner, Kory accesses the metaphysical realm along with Rachel and Sebastian, where she meets her former Tamaran trainer, Zadira. Mayhem is unable to track them or enter the realm, and after consulting with Trigon, she sacrifices Gina to get the necessary additional boost in her powers. The trainer warns them of the prophecy and, in accordance with her cold, cruel Tamaran teachings, suggests they kill Sebastian to ward off the upcoming crisis. Kory and Rachel strongly protest, but Zadira keeps on acting cynical and hostile. She shows Kory a vision of a possible happy future for her and Dick, having a family with the Titans united, which quickly turns vacant, suggesting Sebastian’s ascension will stop all that from happening. Initially conflicted, Kory finally asserts her individuality by renouncing Tamaranian methods and rejecting Zadira. Soon after Zadira disappears and pulls down the protective veil from the realm, Mayhem attacks the team. With Rachel being powerless, Kory tries her best to take the witch on her own but soon gets overpowered by a boosted-up May. Just as Mayhem is about to deliver the finishing blow to Kory, Sebastian offers himself to protect their lives. He bids Rachel farewell, utters the chant “Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,” and gets teleported away with Mayhem. In the temple of Azarath, Sebastian is greeted by the cult of Blood, with followers chanting “Brother Blood” with fervor.
Thoughts
The fifth episode of “Titans” brought out the best in the team, testing their friendship, teamwork, and morality. The team as a whole insisting on taking the higher path is refreshing to see, as, in past seasons, we have been disappointed to see grim, edgy tones almost erasing their difference with the villains. Jinx is a charm on screen, and her addition continues to add a new dynamic to the team, and for a change, she is a member whose jokes land perfectly too. Rachel and Sebastian’s sibling dynamic was really heartwarming, and it made the latter’s departure all the more painful. The two most underused characters, Gar and Tim, get their moments to shine, which suggests they will have bigger roles to play in the future. Kory and Dick continue to be model team leaders, from taking care of team members to taking the right course during stressful situations. This episode also uses a good bit of body horror to convey the tone of occult mysticism. Sebastian’s eventual ascension was inevitable, but the way the showrunners handled it by providing the audience with time and moments to feel sympathetic to the character deserves praise, as does the actor Joseph Morgan. The next episode is going to be the last before the season break, and crucial developments are about to take place, which will keep the audience on their toes.
See more: ‘Titans’ Season 4, Episode 4: Recap And Ending, Explained
