DC Universe arrived last year with a slate of original programming, and one of the shows was the long-awaited Titans. bringing the iconic team to life. After years of attempts to bring the Teen Titans to live-action, DC Universe became their home.
From Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti, the first season focused on establishing the birth of the team: Dick Grayson, Garfield Logan, Rachel Roth and Koriand'r. Throughout Season 1, we met several new DC characters, leading up to a finale that ended on a massive cliffhanger. With Season 2 set to debut later this year, it's time to rank Titans Season 1.
"Hank and Dawn"
Two of the new DC characters Season 1 featured were Hank Hall and Dawn Granger (Hawk and Dove respectively). Introduced as two familiar allies from Dick's younger years, the ninth episode focused on Hank and Dawn's respective origin stories and how they became the dynamic vigilante duo.
While this episode is an emotionally heavy one, it felt completely misplaced by being one of the final three episodes. At that point, the focus should have been 100% on the four Titans.
"Titans"
Named after the show itself, the pilot focuses on establishing Rachel's quest to get help from Dick after her adoptive mother is brutally murdered by one of her father's followers. The story also reveals Dick's life after having left Batman, as he is now working as a detective in Detroit.
While the series premiere was a solid start for the show, the episodes that follow it are simply stronger. While this is where it's placed in the list, that doesn't take away from the fact that the Titans pilot was enjoyable.
"Hawk and Dove"
The second episode is where we are first introduced to Hawk and Dove. This is also the episode where viewers got to witness more of Dick's insecurities, taking Rachel under his wing the way Bruce Wayne did for him. "Hawk and Dove" also features flashbacks of Dick's younger days as Robin, who would team-up with the duo from time to time.
Their relationship in the present is more interesting, however, given that he and Dawn were involved for a period of time. This obviously causes tension between Dick and Hank throughout the episode. "Hawk and Dove" also becomes the introductory episode of the Nuclear Family.
"Dick Grayson"
The eleventh episode served as the season finale for Titans Season 1 and it was without a doubt one of the most exciting so far. Throughout the whole episode, Dick is living the ideal life, together with Dawn who is expecting their second child and having left the vigilante life behind. But when Batman breaks the one rule that he swore to never break, it forces Dick to return to Gotham City to stop his former mentor.
Dick being under Trigon's influence is just one of the major cliffhangers as the finale ends with a mysterious man breaking out of Project Cadmus with a Superman tattoo on his arm. Given that it was later revealed that we had a 12th episode that would have ended the season, it takes away a bit of the enjoyment of the finale, as the illusion took up pretty much the whole hour.
"Koriand'r"
Kicking off right after the end of the previous episode, Kory starts remembering who she is, after she unintentionally tried to kill Rachel. Kory tracks down her Tamaran space ship and it's revealed that her real name is Koriand'r, who has come to Earth to stop Rachel from destroying the planet.
This is also where we start learning about Trigon who needs Rachel to get out of his dimension, but she is also the one who can stop him. While this is a strong penultimate episode, it doesn't fully live up to its title, as Kory isn't at the center the way she should have been.
"Origins"
The third episode is one of the better episodes for Dick. The show, through flashbacks, goes back to the Boy Wonder's teen years after he lost his parents. It shows the struggle that young Dick had to go through right after losing his family, as well as being adopted by Bruce.
While we never see Dick become Robin in the flashbacks, fans do get to witness Bruce offering Dick a new way of dealing with the pain that he is going through.
"Together"
The fifth episode is where the team officially begins to form the alliance, as Dick puts it. "Together" is one of the more fun episodes of the season, as the team gets to know each other (and what they can do). The first three episodes had been incredibly serious, which is why "Together" was a breath of fresh air for the show.
From seeing Kory trying to understand how her powers work to Gar scaring the heck out of Dick by becoming a tiger, it's a strong team-building episode. There is also the bonus of seeing the group clashing with the Nuclear Family when Kory, Rachel, and Gar find out that Dick is Robin.
"Jason Todd"
During the production of the season, fans were eager when they learned that the second Robin, Jason Todd, was being introduced. At the end of "Together," Dick is saved by Jason who introduces himself as the new Robin, which is quite the surprise for Dick.
This episode does justice to Jason's introduction thanks to Walters' excellent performance, which stays true to the character's comic counterpart. But "Jason Todd" also presents itself as a compelling personal episode for Dick, when he has to save the last member of his Haly's Circus family.
"Donna Troy"
Episode 8 became a highly anticipated one when it was revealed that Donna Troy was making her live-action debut. Similarly to "Jason Todd," the introduction of the character is partly why this is such a strong episode. Not only does it give the DC TV Universe another strong female hero from the comics, but it showcases a very positive presence in Dick's life.
The chemistry between Leslie and Thwaites is so strong that you would think that they have worked together for years.
"Doom Patrol"
The fourth episode was a big deal for Season 1, as it introduces the Doom Patrol as a set up for the spin-off series. Not only does "Doom Patrol" serve as a terrific introduction to the group, but it also gives some of the focus to Gar to honor his connection with the team in the comics.
While things definitely changed a bit for the Doom Patrol series after this episode, it doesn't take away any of the enjoyment from it. It was also a positive one for Rachel to get to see others that were different, like herself.
"Asylum"
When it comes to the best episode of Titans Season 1, the award goes to "Asylum." The group goes to save Rachel's mother who is being held prisoner. However, things go incredibly wrong when they get there, as they are forced to surrender. This puts Gar, Kory, and Dick through psychological examinations, in an attempt to mess with their minds.
The reason why this episode stands out as the best is because you get a better understanding of these characters on an emotional level. With Dick, you see him having to face his literal inner demons as Robin, by having the young version of him beat him mercilessly. All that while he declares his disappointment in what they have become. Because of their powers, Kory and Gar are experimented on, which gives Gar one of his most pivotal scenes in the show so far. Most iconic, however, is Dick's official goodbye to the Robin mantle, as he burns his suit.