'Titans' 1.06 Review: Lady Vic

Batgirl and Robin shippers, rejoice!

Photograph by Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max
(Image: © HBO Max)

What to Watch Verdict

Life goes on for the team in this week's 'Titans.'

Pros

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    💥 Blackfire & Conner's unexpected friendship.

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    💥 Barbara and Dick flashbacks to their relationship.

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    💥 Lady Vic & Barbara's fight scene.

Cons

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    💥 The use of Gar.

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    💥 Starfire needs to chill.

This post contains spoilers for Titans.
Check out our last review here

There is so much to unpack in this week’s episode ‘Lady Vic’ as we continue on with life in Gotham for Dick (Brenton Thwaites) and the rest of the Titans. With Batman gone, it seems like Gotham has gone awry with more supervillains showing up out of nowhere to wreak havoc alongside the Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser) and Jason aka Red Hood (Curran Walters). Detecting that Red Hood is growing weary of their partnership, Scarecrow hires Lady Vic (Kimberly-Sue Murray) to do his bidding and show Red Hood that everyone is replaceable, including him. It’s quite odd for Scarecrow to threaten Red Hood, especially since he brought Red Hood back to life. The resurrection of Jason Todd cannot be a moot point in all of this. What would the point be bringing Jason back from the dead, only to remove him?

The introduction of Lady Vic, short for Lady Victim--a nickname referring to all her targets--is quite interesting. Her disgust for romance and happy couples stems from her lack of it, which we later found out was due to the death of her husband, accidentally by her own hands when she was fighting Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch) many years ago. Since then, the lonely assassin has been waiting to exact revenge on Barbara. Fortunately, wheelchair or not, Barbara still has a lot of fight in her and is able to take on Lady Vic. The fight scene is one I’ve never seen before on television and I was pretty impressed watching a disabled character hold their own against their villainous able-bodied foe. So often, we see wheelchair-bound characters remain helpless against their oppressors, but Barbara Gordon, who is a skilled fighter, is able to hold her own and use her wheelchair to gain the upper hand.

Photograph by Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max

(Image credit: HBO Max)

As a loyal Batgirl-Nightwing shipper, this episode had me filled with goosebumps for the two as they reminisce over their past relationship through flashbacks. It was a joy seeing the younger rebellious version of Barbara, which Welch played with so much charisma. Young Barbara wasn’t afraid of a challenge or getting in trouble--so much so that she dragged Dick along with her on these defiant adventures. It is such a contrast to the woman we see today. It reminds the audience of how the tragic event from the Joker really affected her personality and how she views the world. It’s quite sad really--especially during the last scene between Dick and Barbara, where they obviously have feelings for each other, but the trauma that occurred was too deep for both of them to admit it. This was the first time I really felt the chemistry between Thwaites and Welch and I hope we get more of it.

Back at Wayne Manor with the Titans, having Blackfire (Damaris Lewis) around was really entertaining. The fallen queen seems to have a lot of expectations for living with Starfire (Anna Diop) and her friends, only to hilariously find out that life is very different on Earth. Lewis is delightful as the annoying younger sister to the serious Diop. There were moments that even I wanted to tell Starfire to chill out when it came to her sister. Granted, Blackfire did kill almost everyone that Starfire loved, but if you’re not going to have your sister locked up, then allow her to be useful.

Photograph by Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max

(Image credit: HBO Max)

I am relieved that Conner (Joshua Orpin) was able to save the scientist who was found with the explosive in her chest--the same one that killed Hank. It was this idea that he could not save everyone that seemed to hang over his head. This time, he knew exactly what to do and came out a hero. It doesn’t take away the pain from losing Hank, but at least it gave Conner some sense of purpose again and showed that he is more than just his Lex Luthor side. It’s also this reason that I liked seeing Blackfire and Conner interact. She seems to understand and empathize with feeling like an outsider in her own home. The scenes between Blackfire and Conner were amusing, especially because Conner has no idea of the sexual context that Blackfire seems to insinuate when she’s around him.

As for my favorite Titan, Gar (Ryan Potter) remains the glue for keeping the Titans together, but he isn't given much to do--other than be frustrated over the fact that Dick is going off on his own when he has the team ready to fight alongside him. We got to see more special effects for the character--and a glimpse of him becoming green--but an animal never really surfaces and he returns back to his original state of being part of the set dressing.

Photograph by Ben Mark Holzberg/HBO Max

(Image credit: HBO Max)

It’s understandable why Gar is so upset. He, like many of us, wonders why Jason became so bad. There is even a moment after Jason distributes the anti-fear to criminals that we see him pause at the crimes being committed because of him. This isn’t the future that Molly wanted and maybe Jason is finally seeing that. That is, until he takes a whiff of the anti-fear, which shows just how much of a junkie he is to not truly care about what’s going on.

Overall, the episode was enjoyable in every storyline--including those that involved the Bat-family. The series thrives when it focuses on the Titans and flashbacks of Dick and Barbara’s life and how much their relationship had changed. Although the focal point should be the Titans, I can’t help but feel a connection between Barbara and Dick. Okay, maybe just give me a little more of Babs and Dick and then back to Titans full time.

Laura Sirikul

Laura Sirikul is a freelance writer, researcher, and managing editor of The Nerds of Color. Throughout her career, she has written for Nerd Reactor,  What To Watch, Nerdist, IGN, Movie View Magazine, Red Carpet Report, Mental Floss, Trek News, The Hollywood Reporter, Character Media, Bitch Media, and many other outlets. She has been on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, Nerdist's Fangirls, and many other news shows. For almost ten years, she has covered film and television extensively along with in-depth interviews with major studios such as Disney, WB, and FOX. She is also a member of the Asian American Journalist Association and the Hollywood Critics Association. Apart from addressing topics covering film and television, Laura is a strong advocate for social awareness for the underrepresented in the entertainment industry.