The residents of Gotham City should be afraid.
Titans Season 3 Episode 5 was the deep-dive we needed into the character of Jason Todd, and it was an hour bursting at the seams with exposition that flawlessly helped us understand Jason’s machinations.
Jason was driven by fear and learning that Bruce planned to remove him as the Joker was the final straw. For the most part, he was following Bruce’s orders, but Bruce clearly saw him as a liability.
Throughout the first three seasons of Titans, Jason has struggled to keep up the pace due to some near-death experiences that have forever changed him as a person.
It makes sense that he thought losing fear would work wonders for him because let’s face it, his ego took a huge beating when he was overpowered in front of Molly.
To an extent, Jason has felt invincible because of the power that comes with being associated with Bruce Wayne, but truthfully, he couldn’t shake his fear enough to get the results he needed.
Jonathan Crane was always going to be a part of the process, but I didn’t think he would be this involved. In essence, he manipulated Jason into doing his bidding, something that Bruce did for so many years.
Seriously, all this kid wants is to feel fulfilled, but everyone else seems to think they can control him. Well, Jonathan can control him to some extent, but we already know this new concoction wears off every so often to allow him to make some more human decisions.
Returning Diego to Molly would have been high on the list because he knows Molly has been failed by the city. But, how will Jason truly be able to let this little bit of good overshadow the bad he’s done?
He single-handedly led Hank to his death, and the fact that Jonathan didn’t know who he was talking about at first made it seem worse.
That should have been the moment Jason realized Jonathan was up to no good, but then again, Jonathan keeps plying him with drugs to take back control of him, so it’s going to be a process to save him.
There had to be a reason for Jason to be back in the land of the living, so Crane having him thrown into the Lazarus Pit was a decent enough way to make it plausible.
As long as the pit isn’t used as a plot device every time a character dies, I’m good. Hank’s death was tough, but there’s no way the pit would be able to bring back someone who was blown to smithereens by a bomb.
Jason’s nightmares about Donna showed that her death is still affecting him greatly, so we might find that his way of getting back in good standing with his former allies is telling them about the pit to bring her back.
Yes, Rachel is supposed to be in Themyscria to find a way to save their fallen friend, but it’s possible the mission will fail, and the Lazarus Pit is as good a plan as any. They will need to be mindful of bringing her back because not everyone comes back in the same mindset they left the world with.
Crane’s plan to bring mass panic into the city and to take control is just par for the course in Gotham City, but there will come the point in which Jason becomes immune to the drugs, or someone will manage to destroy what is left of it.
Crane was once a good man who was making some big changes in the world of science, but the power went to his head, and trying to kill one of his best friends was a big no-no.
Leslie might be a pivotal figure as the action ramps up, especially if she can work together with Bruce to take Crane down, but this would mean bringing Bruce back into the mix.
Bruce was one who quit town after the murder, and there would be some resentment toward Jason when he returned to town, but would it be enough to drive a permanent wedge between them?
Jason’s arc has largely been rooted in fear, but there was a sense of home when Bruce talked about being his father. Bruce was clearly worried about losing him, which could explain his reasoning for taking him off the streets as a crimefighter.
There was also a subtle nod to the Luthor name with Bruce speaking about the chat with Metropolis. With Superboy having half Superman and half Luthor DNA, could the show set up a Luthor as the next big bad?
Connor has struggled with a way to belong in this world that was foreign to him and has touched upon the fact that he will probably turn evil at one point.
“Lazarus” was the best episode of the season. In my eyes, it turned Jason from being one of the worst characters to one of the most well-rounded.
The show has previously used flashbacks in a way that felt like a way to fill up the episode, but everything on this installment was necessary to prepare us for what’s on the horizon.
What are your thoughts on the deep dive into Jason’s life?
Do you think he will turn on Crane at one point?
How will Dick react to the news that the Lazarus Pit brought his friend back to life?
Do you want the pit to save Donna?
Hit the comments.
Catch a new episode of Titans Thursday, September 2, on HBO Max.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.