Titans S04E04: Super Super Mart

© HBO Max

Mother Mayhem's origin is revealed.
by Chuck Duncan

Let's Talk About 'Super Super Mart':

• We meet May in 1996 and see that she already has powers.
• A man from The Organization invites May to join them.
• The Titans aren't quite sure what to do with Sebastian or Jinx.
• In 1997, May and her friend at The Organization, Gina, are invited to meet 'Him', aka Trigon.
• The Titans return to the site of The Asylum and are surprised to find another building in its place.
• Rachel and Sebastian are shocked to learn they are more connected than anyone thought.
• An old foe makes a surprise appearance.
• Conner is surprised to find out he can bleed.

It was a very busy, action-packed episode of Titans this week that gave us a lot of Mother Mayhem's backstory and has us wondering if the 'Big Bad' vanquished so anticlimactically at the start of Season 2 will be making another appearance (and if so, hopefully they've been able to smooth out the janky movements of that original CGI character).

What this episode serves to do is give us the backstory for Mother Mayhem, or May as she's known back in 1996 when her story starts, working an office job, using her powers to revive a dead plant and fix a copy machine. But she's a woman so she's expected to do someone else's work while he gets all the credit. The guy is a total coked up asshole (he tells her it's just dry skin on his nose and to mind her own business) and when he starts talking shit about her to the boss, she makes sure none of that happens again. From the sound of things, she used her powers to make the guy throw himself out of a window. We don't see it but the sounds and the sight of her concentrating intensely are all we need to picture the 'mayhem' taking place behind that closed door.

Apparently May is fired -- she has an impressive string of firings behind her -- and as she enjoys a drink at a local bar a man approaches her, and he seems to know a lot more about her than he should. He never introduces himself, just hands her a card with The Organization on the front of it. He's got some pitch for her, telling her she's special and they could use someone like her and if she's interested all she has to do is say the three words on the back of the card: Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. She does but nothing seems to happen, but the mystery man seems pleased.

Her story jumps ahead to 1997 where she has joined The Organization, which seems more like a cult with everyone in a 'uniform' of beige overalls and white turtlenecks. The unnamed man, by the way, is Dr. Adamson (Reed Birney), who we last saw in Season 1's seventh episode 'Asylum' (which, looking back, I didn't even write about because I was so bored by it, and ironically most of the plot of this week's episode directly references the events of that episode!). You might need a refresher of that episode after watching this one. The man makes no bones about who May, Gina and the others are serving -- it's Trigon (he even refers to the flavor of the strawberries they're growing in the greenhouse as 'Trigonic'). For some reason 'He' has taken an interest in May and Gina and wants to meet them face-to-face with the promise of showing them their capabilities. May pipes up that she's in and tells Gina to come with her and she will take care of her.

A month later a group of women at The Asylum are blindfolded, holding hands standing in a circle with their backs to a large hole in the ground. Adamson is trying to get one or more of them to basically do a 'trust fall' into the hole as a sign of their conviction for the honor of 'His' impossible love. Let him catch them. May and Gina take the plunge but from the look of it, they just hit the bottom and then have to climb out of the hole on a rickety ladder. Gina is first but she begins to freak out. May calms her, but Gina was playing, kicking May off the ladder. Gina then finds herself prepared to wed her master but a pretty badly beaten May shows up, impressing Adamson to the point that he says they can both be 'His' brides ... but May had heart, and he presents her with a goblet from 'Him'. She takes a drink, is overcome and drops it, spilling what looks like blood across the floor, then looks up and smiles saying, 'He's here.'

Jumping ahead again to 1998, May is pregnant but when she gives birth there is one little problem -- she has a boy and 'He' expected a girl as it was prophesied. The doctor orders her muzzled, and 18 years later May is in a large cell, chained to the floor, holding something as if it were a baby. A man comes in and has the muzzle removed. She tells the man she has nothing but love in her heart so he doesn't have to worry about her doing anything crazy. She says it's love for her son, he's her strength, but the man tells her that her love wasn't enough to make the prophet. She spits at him that her son is the prophet, but he needs time to grow (so ... she's holding her long dead baby?). The man says this is blasphemy but she can go back and live with the others. May says her son will ascend under the Blood Moon to join his father, his power will have no equal, together they will take the world. She lays on the floor and the man releases a large, black snake (like the one that exited Lex Luthor's mouth) that slithers toward her. She holds out her hands and says 'Sebastian'. Cut to 2019 and the Asylum is in flames, but Gina comes to rescue May, and as they leave May gives her gas mask to the man who unleashed the snake on her.

© HBO Max

Meanwhile, in the present, there is a Blood Moon in the sky and Kory and Dick are unsure of what to do with Sebastian, but Rachel is doing what she can to get information from him. He asks Rachel why they did what they did at the police station, and she says he needed help but he wonders if he truly did. She assures him he did. One thing they find they have in common at the moment is that the Blood Moon is making them unable to sleep. It's giving Rachel bad dreams when she does sleep. Rachel asks Sebastian about the woman at the police station and he tells her how she said she's known him since before he was born and that she'd help him if he'd let her. She asked him to say three words that made him feel something strange. Rachel asks him to tell her just one of the words and he says 'Azarath'. She seems almost compelled to respond 'Metrion' but before he can say the last word she stops him. Rachel tells Dick and Kory what had happened and is sure this has something to do with The Organization, but Kory says there's no one left because the Asylum had burned to the ground (as seen back in that Season 1 episode). Dick also adds that they dealt with Trigon and he's gone (as seen in the Season 2 premiere). Rachel wants them to consider the possiblity that The Organization is back in operation, and while Kory insists that everyone died, Dick now isn't so sure.

So they take the RV, give Sebastian and Tim a Cliffs Notes version of Trigon's story, and head to the site of the Asylum and find ... a Super Super Mart, which oddly does not show up on Dick's GPS. All he can see is a 'black hole'. Gar just thinks it's a superstore, but Rachel points out something is there as they see a large flock of ravens in the air. They walk about the building and find a weird little door hidden between two dumpsters, what Gar assumes is a portal to Hell. Of course they need to go in, but are unaware that May(hem) and Gina are watching. Gina thinks Mayhem is playing with fire, but she says they are all part of the story, except the Tamaranian might not like her part so much. It's already been written, they can't change their fate. Gina reminds her that they did. Mayhem says it was because they were stronger. She says they have old friends who have been waiting for this day and when she says they words they will rise up and fight for them, obviously referring to those who died when the Asylum burned down (which the Titans may have had a hand in). She calls out the Hounds of Hell and says it's time, and the people inside the Super Super Mart start grabbing tools and various other instruments that could be turned into weapons and they make their way to the little door.

Inside the Titans have found the large cell area where May had been chained up, amazed that somehow this place remained intact after the fire. Sebastian says this was the room of the woman at the police station. Kory wonders how he knew that and he shows them a picture he found on the floor on May and Gina, pointing to the young May but he says he doesn't know her. However he does know the other woman and tells her she is Gina, his neighbor from across the hall which makes it clear that The Organization has been monitoring him. But what do they want? Dick says it could be a blood type or genetic marker. Kory finds something else, a book that she calls a 'creepy fairy tale' and they notice that all of the characters in it appear to be them, including one image in which they all appear to be dead. Dick says the fire probably knocked out the security system and Kory believes they were the ones who unwittingly released her.

Tim found a control room of sorts elsewhere in the facility and it was filled with cassette tapes. Playing one, the actually hear the recording of that moment when the snake approached May and she said 'Sebastian'. Which, naturally, freaks him out a bit but Rachel asks him if he has 'the mark' and she shows him the symbol on her shoulder. He, in fact, does have the same mark on his shoulder. Kory says he's the one in the book who makes the hole in the sky. It's part of the prophecy. Sebastian continues to get agitated and says he doesn't know anything about this prophecy, he's nobody. Rachel tells him they want him to be. What, he asks, a killer? Rachel tries to assure him he doesn't have to be. Sebastian says they have to stop this, they saw the book, Kory dies, they all die. Jinx says he's right, they've got to stop it. Unfortunately, her solution is to kill Sebastian ... which no one is on board with, but Gar has some good news -- the Blood Moon is going to expire in about 8 hours, so all they have to do is keep Sebastian safe until then and the prophecy is over.

© HBO Max

But they may not have 8 hours as Mayhem's zombie horde descends into the Asylum's prison, their sights set on the Titans. Nothing seems to stop them as they engage in battle, but Jinx uses her head when she tells the Titans the invaders have to lose theirs. At least one of them is up on her zombie lore. Rachel takes a chainsaw to one which seems to give Jinx great joy, but she can see they are badly outnumbers so she does a little bit of magic to freeze the horde in place. She can only hold them for a few more seconds so time to make tracks. They exit and lock the door behind them but they have another foe blocking their way out -- Deathstroke, or rather a zombie version of Deathstroke. Everyone takes cover when he starts firing and Dick asks Jinx to do something but she says she needs to recharge. 'What are you, a fucking iPhone 7', he asks. Sebastian is feeling some type of way, saying this is all his fault so he's going to take one for the team but the second he steps in front of Deathstroke, he stops firing. Whoever is controlling him does not want to kill Sebastian. Conner grabs him and gets him back to safety as Deathstroke starts firing again, the bullets bouncing off of Coner's back. He tells Dick he's got this and Dick finally allows him to let loose. Conner rushes to Deathstroke and knocks his block off like a 'Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robot'. Unlike the others, this does not stop Deathstroke as his body strolls over, picks up and reattaches his head. Everyone takes cover with Conner as their last defense, but Deathstroke surprises him with a stab to the gut -- and the blade pieces his flesh. It's not Kryptonite, it's Mayhem's magic doing the damage. Everyone, including Conner, is surprised to see him bleeding.

Dick manages to give the team cover with some tiny smoke bomb balls, allowing them all to leave while Dick goes head-to-head with Deathstroke. Sebastian is also still in the room, perhaps as insurance, but Deathstroke manages to take down Dick ... or does he? As Deathstroke leaves with Sebastian, Dick watches as if he knows there is more going on here than meets the eye. And there was. As Deathstroke is in his van preparing to leave with Sebastian, the voice that comes out of Sebastian's mouth is decidedly not his own. In fact, it's not Sebastian at all, it's Jinx who has used her magic to look like Sebastian. She uses her magic again to freeze him in place and then sabs him in his good eye, which causes Mayhem to feel a dull pain. She's not happy they defeated her ... this time. They all return to STAR Labs and Conner excuses himself as he's not feeling well. He enters a rest room and vomits blood. When he looks in the toilet, there is also a large snake swimming around. It's not clear if he flushed but hopefully he did, or at least fried the snake like he did that other one. Fitzmartin takes the team to a large room they've prepared to keep Sebastian safe. It's stocked with everything he needs, but as the Titans leave Rachel asks if there is room for one more. She stays with Sebastian, and Gar asks Conner if he's okay. He says he is but ... is he?

New episodes of Titans premiere Thursdays on HBO Max.

What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!

Titans S04E03: Jinx

© HBO Max

It's witchcraft, wicked witchcraft...
by Chuck Duncan

Let's Talk About 'Jinx':

• Rachel lives but she isn't quite herself.
• Mother Mayhem extends her powers with her victims' blood and some stolen magic, specifically Rachel's.
• The videogame company seems to have a change of heart about Sebastian's game.
• Dick and Kory visit Bludhaven prison to seek assistance from Jinx, a witch and former associate of Dick's.
• Gar hears voices from Najavo spirits calling him Skinwalker.
• Tim and Conner are sent back to STAR Labs so Tim can finally begin his Robin training.
• Jinx draws Dick and Kory into a very rocky situation.
• The victims of the bloodletting are all found to possess a genetic mutation linking them all to an ancient Assyrian tribe.
• Kory encounters someone from her past who tells Kory her destiny has arrived.
• Dick finds out he really can't trust a trickster like Jinx.
• Sebastian is confronted by his own destiny.

Rachel is alive. She can’t feel anyone. She says she feels empty, like something is missing. Her soul is gone. Dick says they’re all alive so that’s what matters, but whatever Kory did during their battle with who they now believe is a witch shows the woman is not invincible so they will be ready for her the next time the see her. Dick wants Gar to look after Rachel, and he's sending Tim back to STAR Labs with Conner … to start his Robin training. That made Tim's day. Kory and Dick has an errand to run, to meet someone who can help them should they encounter the witch again. Conner wants to stay with the Titans saying he knows there’s a way he can beat the woman, he just needs a chance. Dick insists that he accompany Tim back to Metropolis.

Meanwhile, at a supposedly secure facility belonging to the MPD, some workers are moving heavy barrels. One of them notices something leaking from his, and a puddle of what looks like blood comes alive and turns into some little creature that scurries up his body and enters his ear, apparently killing him. The co-worker checks on him, she feels something on her neck, sees blood on her hand and starts convulsing, blood coming from her mouth and she collapses. A woman in a long black jacket enters and takes their keys. The woman quickly returns to the Temple of Azarath with Mother Mayhem. Mayhem talks about the blood and having the power, and she transfers Raven’s power from her staff into another vessel and says that nothing else matters now.

Dick and Kory's errand was visiting Bludhaven State Penitentiary to meet with a prisoner named Jinx, who is also a witch. She's also a thief and grifter Dick knows from Gotham. As the guards bring her out to the yard, Kory says she looks harmless. Dick notices Jinx is taking her shoe off and he warns the guards to not let her foot touch the ground, but before he can stop her she does and creates a dust devil and she’s gone. Dick tells Kory Jinx once tried to steal a valuable artifact and there is an auction in Geneva where she is most likely to appear if there’s money to be made. Kory says she’s returning to the scene of the crime so off to Geneva they go.

© HBO Max

Gar is cooking pancakes for Rachel. She says she now feels light instead of empty. Smelling the maple syrup without everyone’s pain flowing through her is amazing. She likes this feeling, saying this is like living a normal life, but she feels like she’s not handling her responsibility of being a Titan now. Gar asks if it was her responsibility to begin with if it wasn’t her choice. Good question. Gar then hears sounds from outside which Rachel can't. He goes to investigate, and Rachel follows. Gar tells her he just needed a break. She feels she upset him making him think about his responsibility of being a Titan. He says he’s been having weird flashes ever since they were in Metropolis, hearing voices before the attack the day before that called him 'Skinwalker'. They kept saying, 'Join us', but he doesn’t know who is calling to him. He explains to Rachel that in Navajo culture, skinwalkers are those who can change into animals, and he thinks they’re trying to tell him something about 'her'. Rachel asks if he means the witch who attacked them, and he says if he can get them to talk to him again, maybe they can help take her down. That's all well and good but Rachel doesn’t like being 'normal' in the middle of the woods. Gar says something is coming. He tells her to look at the sky, but she can’t see anything unusual. He taker her hand and they can both see the sky has turned orange. She wants to go back to the RV. Gar says he’ll take her back but then he’s coming back out alone. She says they will do this together. Gar and Rachel approach the tree he saw in his vision. Bones hang from the limbs, trophies collected by a dark force, he says. The voices are telling him when the blood moon is full, the world will fall.

At STAR Labs, Tim and Conner are training with the bow staff. Tim is whacking Conner with the staff, the Bernard Fitzmartin tells Conner to let Tim tire himself out and then they can really get started. Conner isn’t thrilled about being a punching bag but he stands there and let's him do his thing. After the first round, Tim is given some attachments to allow him to feel the hits in their VR training. A bulletin comes through about a break-in at the MPD evidence warehouse, two people are dead, 40 gallons of blood was stolen. Tim continues his VR training, getting beaten badly by the simulation. After hearing about the stolen blood Conner is doing some online research and notices a symbol on the milk canisters of blood from the slaughterhouse that he believes is an occult symbol but he can’t find any matches in the database. He asks Bernard to check the blood samples because all of the people they had found at the slaughterhouse were obviously not chosen randomly. After some digging, Bernard finds the blood analysis shows that each victim has a genetic mutation that traces its origins back to an ancient Assyrian tribe. Conner found a matching symbol for the one at the slaughterhouse, a screengrab from a videogame by Sebastian Sanger. Conner finds a file on Sebastian, currently employed at Wolfmen’s Taxidermy. Bernard says they need to find Sebastian fast because he has the same genetic mutation as the other victims. Could he be the next victim?

They may be too late, however. We find Sebastian who seems to be scattering his mother’s ashes. He gets a call from the man at the videogame company who says they want to buy his game. But it’s actually Mother Mayhem. Sebastian goes at the videogame company, but the guy who he thinks called him has no idea why he’s there. They already told him they are not interested in his game. He says he never called Sebastian, but Sebastian says he can show him the call in his history. The man starts hearing chanting, which Sebastian cannot, and he suddenly plunges scissors into his eyes before Sebastian can stop him. Sebastian calls for help and the police are already there, aiming their guns at him. Conner gets in touch with Dick to tell him about the common marker in all the victims, that Sebastian has just been arrested for murder and the cops showed up almost right as the murder was happening. Odd. Dick says it has to be a set-up, the witch is orchestrating the whole thing. Sebastian is being held at Metropolis PD so Conner believes that’s where she’ll be next and he can stop her there. Dick says this is not the time for Conner to be rushing blindly into a situation, they need to know more about her. Their mission at the moment is just to get Sebastian.

And that will have to wait until Dick gets back because he and Kory are currently trailing after Jinx, who is now at a vault, using her powers to move the laser beam security out of the way. She opens the vault door with her magic and approaches a box but before she can take it, it flies off the podium into Dick’s hand. He and Kory are right behind Jinx. He says they need her help and the box is her payment if she accepts. She tells him it’s very valuable ... and very dangerous. Kory says the sooner she helps them the sooner she can have whatever is in the box. Kory opens the box and sees a beating heart ... and then she turns to stone. Oops. Dick tells Jinx to undo the spell now but she says there’s nothing she can do, it’s not her spell, but Kory will be fine. Maybe. She claims she doesn’t know how to fix this, telling Dick the box belongs to Lironne, a dark elf. The heart was stolen from her and there is a hefty reward for its return. When Jinx takes it back to her, maybe she’ll unlock Kory. Dick doesn’t trust Jinx to go alone and she agrees to take him but she collects the finder’s fee. Dick doesn’t want to leave Kory there but Jinx says she’s not going anywhere.

Jinx and Dick reminisce about old times in Gotham, seems they had bit of a romantic past along with their thievery, but Dick reminds her that it was just business between them and she played him. She wants to know that if he doesn’t trust her why did he come to her now? He tells her about the woman who attacked them with the red waves, tall, dark hair, a staff. Jinx asks if it was a magical staff. She doesn’t know her but she tells Dick to not fuck with her, he’s way out of his league. He knowns, and if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have come for her. They’ve arrived to meet the elf. Dick thinks it’s like Santa’s elves but Jinx said they’re like Lord of the Rings elves, and she needs $200 to get into the club where they are to meet.

Back at the vault, one of Kory’s eyes lights up. In her mind, she is back at the diner. She meets an old friend and asks if she’s dead. The woman says she’s not dead. She also say that only Kory can save them (from the witch, apparently). Kory says she already did the queen thing, she did the 'go to Earth to save Tamarind' thing. But Kory has all the answers, all she has to do is listen. So Kory plays a song on the jukebox, her destiny has arrived, time to be the warrior. Yeah but she can’t because she’s been turned into an over-sized paperweight by a witch. The woman says her friend will help her out of that. Dick is part of her destiny. She’ll understand more when the time comes. Kory wants to know now, but she’s told to have patience, it’s all how it was meant to be.

© HBO Max

At the club Jinx orders drinks. The bartender said there was a rumor she busted out, and now she’s working with humans again? Dick says they need to speak to Lironne, but the bartender says he doesn’t know who that is. Dick puts the box on the bar and the bartender tells them to stay there. Jinx wants to handle this because Dick is an outsider, but he says he can take care of himself. Dick is summoned to meet with Lironne.  In elvish she says, 'It stinks, what does It want?' The bartender responds that It has something that belongs to her. She asks Dick, in English, what he has and he says he’s always happy to recover stolen goods. But first he needs a favor, he wants the spell to release his friend. She says he's the one who could have stolen the box and now he wants favors? He says he’d ask someone else but was told only she could do it. She called him impudent and naive, and tells the bartender to take It outside and kill It. That doesn't go as she planned as Dick takes down one henchman after another, so she says she’ll kill him herself. She’s almost as skilled as he in hand-to-hand combat but she uses a little magic to turn one dagger into four and flings them at Dick. He dodges them, grabs one and throws it back at her, she catches it and tries to go for him but he sweeps her feet out from under her.

Jinx is in another part of the club opening a box, but Dick enters and announces that Jinx could have removed the spell herself, she just used him as a distraction to get to whatever is in that box she's planning to steal. Dick says she must have a death mark, and she wouldn’t try to get anyone else killed unless her life was on the line. She says he’s earned his gold star for figuring that out. She's in debt to the tune of $5 million. Dick puts the money in escrow (Bruce's money?), to transfer in seven days, and if she frees Kory and helps the Titans the money is hers. She says she can help with her magic powers and it’s a deal. They get back to the vault and Jinx thinks Kory would look good on Bruce’s terrace. She tells Dick to undo the spell he has to kiss her. He's not sure if she's pulling his leg, but she just wanted to see if she could make him kiss a rock. She performs the spell and releases Kory. She’s a bit freaked out after what she just experienced, nor is she thrilled that Jinx is going to help them, and warns that if she does anything like that again Kory will fuck her up. Jinx says she can see why Dick likes her.

Sebastian is in an interview room at the police station. Mother Mayhem appears in the room out of nowhere. He asks who she is but she says it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that she’s here now and she’s going to take care of him. Is she his lawyer, he asks. No, she says she knows him, she’s known him since before he was born, she knows what’s in his heart, and she knows he didn’t do the things they said he did. She knows about his game, all the years, the dedication and passion he spent on it, he is going to change the world and she’s there to help him do it. She can make all this go away if he lets her. Will he says yes to the offer? Yes. Shall they do it now? Yes, he says. She tells him to say the words 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos'. He says the first two but before he can say the third Conner breaks through the wall and snatches Sebastian away, taking him to Dick’s car. He asks who Conner is and he says, 'We’re the Titans, buckle up.' Mayhem walks out and watches them drive away, smirking.

New episodes of Titans premiere Thursdays on HBO Max.

What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!

Titans Season 4 Premiere: Lex Luthor / Mother Mayhem

© HBO Max

The Titans return and finally function as a team, but dark magic may tear them apart.
by Chuck Duncan

 

Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Mame-Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Joshua Orpin, Jay Lycurgo, Franka Potente, Joseph Morgan, Titus Welliver, James Scully, Kyana Teresa, Tim Post, Emma Ho

 

Let's Talk About 'Lex Luthor':

• The Titans are finally united as a team ... a bowling team. Baby steps.
• Lex Luthor is introduced and he hopes to find more power at the Temple of Azarath.
• A young taxidemist named Sebastian believes he has the power to change the world.
• The Titans are called to Metropolis so Conner can meet his dad, one of them, Superman at STAR Labs, and the rest of the team gets some gifts as well.
• Lex Luthor uses the old high pitched dog whistle trick to summon Conner and friends back to Metropolis yet again.
• Kory shows up on Lex's doorstep instead, hoping to get some intel the group can use but Conner ultimately agrees to stay with Lex.
• People are randomly coughing up blood, and Conner and Lex get a huge surprise.

 Here we are at Season 4 of Titans and I can't believe I'm about to write this but ... the Titans are finally acting like a real team. The ordeal they went through at the end of Season 3 has changed them for the better. Past seasons have just felt so oppressive with all the bickering amongst the group but Season 4 feels fresh and new, and best of all they're digging into the comics, bringing a major name into the premiere and introducing more magic into the show. The episode kicked off with everyone glad to be out of Gotham City and heading home to San Francisco. Enjoying a little bowling to bond more -- even though Gar tries to cheat by transforming -- all is good. Until they get a call to make a stop in Metropolis because Superman himself wants to meet Conner. A boy can't say no to meeting his super-dad so Dick makes a U-ie and they head to STAR Labs ... but Supes isn't there because he had to fly off to a distant galaxy to save a civilization from destruction. Because of course he did. But the team also gets some nifty gadgets from the lab.

Gar is given a device that will allow him to transform without having to strip down first but something goes wrong when he gives it a spin, transporting his mind to some kind of dream realm out of Black Panther including a big tree with things hanging from it, while in the real world he's transforming from a gorilla to a velociraptor to an armadillo, destroying the lab in the process. Back to the drawing board. Kory is taken to another area where she uses her power to shatter a rock of the hardest known element on the planet ... because it was cheaper for her to do it than for the lab to pay for it! And in the process she learns she only used 8.1% of her kinetic power. Dick had the lab build Tim something new -- and it wasn't a Robin suit as he'd hoped (Tim, you've been with the Titans for like three minutes, don't be so thirsty), it was a ... retractable bow staff that Dick will teach him to use. But the biggest surprise was a brand new RV for the Titans complete with a compartment that holds a fancy sports car. Not too shabby, but it's time to hit the road again and off they go. Except ...

© HBO Max

Remember in Superman - the Movie when Lex Luthor summoned Superman using a high pitched audio signal only he could hear? Yep, he did the same thing with Conner, asking to meet with him at Lexcorp Tower. Fearing it is a trap, no one wants to go but since Conner didn't get to meet one of his dads he may as well take the opportunity to meet the other one, and back to Metropolis they go. What they don't know is that Lex has been messing around with some dark stuff, hiring a team to locate the Temple of Azarath and then, as Lex Luthor does, screwing over the people who helped him, namely a woman named Miss Bennett. And that may come back to bite him in the ass. Literally. But instead of Conner, Kory bursts into Lex's penthouse apartment and he doesn't seem surprised. In fact he knows quite a lot about her, her sister and everything they went through in Season 3. So he's a fan. Conner, Gar and Rachel are at the Daily Planet going through the archives trying to figure out what Lex wants with Conner, and Dick and Tim are staked out at a building across the street. Kory has her own gadget, a flying USB flash drive, that she releases to hack into Lex's laptop while they make small talk about Conner. But Lex knows Dick is watching and has sent a team of ninjas to the other building to take care of the former and future Boys Wonder. Dick in his Nightwing gear has no time for ninjas and takes them all out. Lex is disappointed because he liked those ninjas, but he wants Dick to let Conner decide if he wants to stay in Metropolis or leave with them.

With access to his files, Dick is able to tell Conner the real reason Lex wants to meet him -- he's dying. Lex had asked for Conner to stay with him for six months to learn how to run Lexcorp, and that is the amount of time he has left on this planet. Going through photos, they notice one man in almost all of them -- Dr. Arthur Holmwood, a leading expert on Kryptonite poisoning, and Lex was diagnosed two years ago. Conner assumes Lex maybe wants a blood transfusion, and while Dick warms him not to get involved, he wants to know from the horses mouth why he was created. Dick tries to play the 'this will hurt our family' card, but Conner chooses to stay. When Conner faces his father, his creator, he tells him that he's only there for himself. He wants to know if Lex is dying and if he wants to use Conner as a cure. Lex says that's a great idea ... but he has an ample supply of Conner's genetic material and it didn't work. Lex tells Conner he's sorry he created him in his own image because people might like him now, but one mistake and they will look at him differently (prophetic words). So then why did Lex create Conner? The answer will determine if Conner stays or leaves. Lex admits that he created Conner to see if his dream of becoming Superman could come true. His dream was for a child to become both man and Superman. He sees, like the world, what Superman has given him, but what Lex has given him is more subtle. Lex doesn't want Conner to become him, but to choose what and who he will be. And Lex has a project that may no longer see death as a final answer, but he fears his partners may have darker ideas than even his own and he may need Conner's help.

Lex may be more correct than he knows. When he screwed over Miss Bennett, she warned that the power Lex seeks comes with a price, someone will have to pay, someone always does. And somehow, Rachel is beginning to have odd feelings, and seeing blood pouring out of different objects. There's also a young man, a taxidermist named Sebastian who believes that he is going to be able to change the world. There are also apparently random killings, first a young couple watching Riverdale and enjoying some Chinese food. Except the food is suddenly full of blood, and there is a large figure in their apartment in a hooded robe, wearing a bird mask. The figure kills the woman. At the same time, Sebastian sees blood pouring out of a stuffed fox's eyes and mouth, while Rachel sees a milkshake turn to blood, but everything quickly snaps back to reality. Now as Connor and Lex are 'bonding', Sebastian begins to cough up blood. He sees his reflection smiling back at him from the mirror. Lex also begins coughing up blood, and Rachel also begins to choke and scream. Dick stops the RV as they try to calm her, but Conner doesn't know what to do for Lex especially as a huge snake starts exiting his mouth. Conner grabs it and fries it with his heat vision, Sebastian's reflection is covered in blood, and Rachel is hysterical but ... she's calm again like nothing happened. Sebastian backs away from the mirror, Conner rushes to Lex but ... Lex Luthor is dead. Security rushes in, guns drawn, Cut back to 'Miss Bennett' who again says out loud to Mr. Luthor that someone always pays.

Something tells me this Miss Bennett isn't the archaeologist Lex thought she was, but how is she connected to Sebastian and Rachel?

© HBO Max

Let's Talk About 'Mother Mayhem':

• A young girls hears a voice say 'Metrion' and suddenly the bird mask man appears and kills her mother, then he comes after her.
• Conner is arrested for the murder of Lex Luthor.
• Kory learns that Lex had been observing her, but why?
• Gar is attempting to train Tim to hone his tracking skills, but suffers another unfortunate incident while attempting a transformation.
• Dick and Rachel try to find out what happened to Lex, and she confirms magic was at play.
• Sebastian tells his mum he's got a meeting about his interactive experience that will change the world, but it ultimately does not go well.
• The Titans assemble as Rachel has tracked the source of the magic -- the house where the mother was killed earlier, and they find a lot more than they bargained for.
• The mysterious Miss Bennett finally reveals herself to the Titans.

The second episode of the premiere moves firmly into the realm of magic. We've already been introduced to the Temple of Azarath and now in the opening scene a young girl hears an ominous voice say 'Metrion' as the power in her house fluctuates and she sees blood dripping down the outside of her windows. Her parents downstairs notice the light in the room turning red as they also see the blood. The girl runs downstairs as the Bird Mask man appears and kills her mother, and she heads back upstairs hoping to keep the creature out of her room. But he's already there as she sees in the mirror.

Meanwhile Tim is out in the woods practicing with his bow staff but he's not quite there when it comes to locating sounds out in nature, as Gar points out when he sneaks up on the trainee. Gar tells him he has to keep his senses open when he's tracking, and then Gar hears a voice from an indeterminate direction ... but Tim hears nothing. Gar's senses become overwhelmed by the sounds and he begins to transform and then collapses.

Conner is still in custody, held in place with Kryptonite and chains, and Kory assures him that the authorities just want to know what happened and he's not in any trouble. Conner fears that people will see him as the weapon Lex intended him to be, but Kory tries to shut down those thoughts by telling him that he doesn't owe anyone on the outside a fucking thing. But for Kory, the question is why was Lex observing her? She makes her way to a Lexcorp facility, easily melting a lock, and finds a man inside trying to access a computer. She tells the man she wants to know what Lex knows about her, and he introduces himself as Nelson Blake. She tosses him to the floor and said that's not what she asked for, and he explains that the whole Lexcorp inner circle died the previous night, choking on their own blood. Perhaps Lex thought that Kory could help them, especially after he became a changed man with his illness. No one ever had contact with him and they believed he was caught up in the occult, no longer fighting the disease but fighting death itself. The man suddenly hears chanting, 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos', but Kory can't hear it and doesn't know what to do when blood starts pouring from the man's mouth, which is accompanied by a giant snake. Kory has no choice but to use her powers and incinerate the both of them.

Dick and Rachel are in Lex's penthouse and have discovered the crime scene has been completely cleaned up, but Rachel says they can't hide things from her, and she in fact confirms that magic was used because it leaves a trace as things in the physical world pass beyond the veil, they leave echoes behind. She can see where Lex died, and touching the floor she goes into some kind of realm but Dick quickly pulls her back to reality. She has seen where the people who killed Lex have been, so Dick calls the Titans together for a meeting and they set a plan of action. First Rachel takes them to the house from the opening scene. Dick sees a bloody apple on the floor, Rachel finds the dead mother, Tim is freaked out so Gar takes him to watch the front door. They hear a sound upstairs and find the girl, possibly having a seizure but Rachel says she's stuck in a dream. She uses her powers to enter the dream and finds herself in what looks like a basement. She finds the girl and learns her name is Aria and Rachel says she is Raven. They hear a sound and see the Bird Mask man pouring blood out of what look like milk canisters (are they in a barn?), then he sharpens a machete and vanishes ... and appears behind Raven. He grabs her and Aria shrieks while Raven attempts to remove the mask. He draws a dagger but Raven uses her powers to get herself and Aria out of the dream state, and Rachel knows the man is not far from where they are. Tim says he's never heard a sound like the one the girl made, but Gar says he has -- it was the sound of dying animals, which suggests that the location of the Bird Mask man is a slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, Sebastian is seen with his mum in a nursing home, and he tells her he is having a meeting about his interactive experience, and she tells him that he will succeed in everything he does. But the meeting does not go well as the game company execs don't understand his vision, of how the world is full of people smashed up against one another but we're all so alone. All they see is a game with shapes just moving around, it's not competitive. He tries to explain it's meant to build community, and while they appreciate his passion it's not a good fit for them. As his emotions begin to boil, he sees all of the board members with blood pouring down their faces, but in reality they are just sitting there waiting for him to leave. When he returns back to the nursing home, Sebastian learns that his mother has died. But the nurse who gave him the news is not a nurse at all, it's the mysterious 'Miss Bennett', which raises all kinds of questions. She leaves Sebastian in the room while he has an emotional meltdown.

© HBO Max

The Titans are indeed at a slaughterhouse now looking for Bird Mask man, and it is the place Raven saw in Aria's dream. As four go up, Raven goes down. The four members find a horrific sight -- people strung up as their blood is being drained into the milk canisters. And they are still alive, including Aria's father. In the basement, Raven knows the man she's looking for is there but he is able to sneak up on her from behind, knock her down and attempts to stab her again. She uses her power to lift him up in the air and Dick hears the commotion. Raven is trying desperately to remove the Bird Mask but just as she does the man bursts into flames. She assures Dick that she did not make that happen, he did it to himself. She hears more voices chanting, thinking others are there, but the voices stop and she knows they are alone.

They get Aria and her father, and the others, to the hospital. No one will tell Aria what happened to her mother, but she says she knows because she saw it happen. Dick tells her about losing his parents when he was a child and how cold the world felt at that time, but a strong man wrapped his jacket around him and took care of him. Time will make things better, he tells Aria, and he wraps the jacket around her that Bruce Wayne wrapped around him. Aria also knows that Rachel has magic like the 'nightmare man' but Dick assures her it's nothing like his. There is good magic and bad magic, and the good magic always wins (although he may find out that's not sure sooner rather than later).

With Conner exonerated, Dick is certain now that Arthur Holmwood killed Lex. He had promised Lex more than just a cure for his illness but he trusted a madman, and whatever power Lex was buying, Dr. Holmwood wanted to keep it for himself. Conner didn't want to believe what people had always said about Lex, that he could commit such atrocities, and Dick reiterates that Conner is not Lex, no matter how much Lex wanted him to be. Conner says he never wants to come back to Metropolis, so into the RV they go back to San Francisco. Again. As they drive and Dick promises no more stops until they get home, Rachel says they are not alone. And there is 'Miss Bennett', now recognizable as Mother Mayhem, standing in the middle of the highway, red lightning bolts shooting out of her staff, holding up traffic. Kory wants to go home so they need to finish this. The Titans suit up ... except for Tim who still has no suit. Conner is the first to recklessly charge in, taking flight toward the woman, heat vision blazing. Mother Mayhem deflects the rays with her staff, sending Conner crashing into a car windshield. Raven uses her powers but the staff absorbs it, knocking Raven unconscious. Mayhem also takes down Nightwing and prevents Beast Boy from transforming. Tim is pretty much useless at this point, so Kory is the last Titan standing, pitting her powers against whatever Mayhem has in her staff. Kory is almost no match for her but the combined powers causes an explosion and Mayhem is gone. Everyone rushes to Raven and as they try to tend to her the jewel on her forehead vanishes and her hair turns white as snow.

© HBO Max

Mother Mayhem has returned to the temple, her acolytes chanting 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos' over and over. She plants the staff in the ground and the jeweled eyes of the twin statues in front of them begin to glow. Has Mother Mayhem collected Rachel's magic in her staff? Elsewhere, Sebastian can hear the chanting in his head as he watches blood bubble up out of his coffee cup.

And that's it for the two-episode Season 4 premiere. I have to say I think things are on a good track for the season. Everyone in the Titans has finally put aside their differences and can now work together, so it will be interesting to see where things go with Mother Mayhem, Sebastian (who will become Brother Blood) and the cult of Azarath. Most of all it will be good to see the Titans back in San Francisco at their home base, and maybe they'll get to battle some other villains throughout the season. 

New episodes of Titans stream Thursdays on HBO Max.

Warner Bros. & HBO Max Reveal New Movie Release Dates

© Warner Bros. Pictures

While things have been looking dire at Warner Bros. and HBO Max since the merger with Discovery and the complete trashing of Batgirl and the Scoob! sequel, things are starting to look a little less bleak when it come to movies, both theatrical and for the streaming service.

Warner Bros. Pictures has shifted the release dates of several films including two A-list DC Comics films. Needing more time in post-production, the studio is shifting Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from March 17, 2023 to December 25, 2023 which now brings it in line with the first movie which also opened during the Christmas holiday season. To fill the March 17 spot, Shazam: Fury of the Gods is vacating its December 21, 2022 spot. This takes it out of the way of Avatar: The Way of Water in December, and also gives it the opportunity to play on IMAX screens which would have otherwise been occupied.

In a surprise move, WBD head David Zaslav has revealed some HBO Max films aren't as dead as they first seemed. Case in point - the House Party reboot, which had been pulled from the streamer for which everyone assumed was a Batgirl-like tax write off, will now get a theatrical release on December 9 of this year. In addition, Evil Dead Rise has been dated for April 21, 2023. Warner Bros. has also returned to the Labor Day weekend for a big horror release, setting September 8, 2023 for The Nun 2. The big screen version of Stephen King's Salem's Lot is moving off of April 2023 to a date to be determined.

On the HBO Max side, the streamer has set dates for four holiday films. A Christmas Story Christmas, with original star Peter Billingsley, will drop on November 17, followed by Holiday Harmony and A Christmas Mystery on November 24, and A Hollywood Christmas on December 1.

There is also some interesting movement on the Batgirl front. Multiple sources have confirmed a special screening of the workprint of the film -- which includes temp music and unfinished visual effects, essentially the version that was screened for a test audience to decent results -- will be held on the studio lot this weekend for invited cast and crew so they can at least see a version of their hard work on the big screen. Could a very positive reaction to the screening ultimately make Zaslav change his mind? Will they also screen the Scoob! sequel which was nearly finished, and also recorded the film's score after it was cancelled because the musicians and studio had already been paid for? Probably not, but it would be nice to see.

Hotchka Movie Review: Tom & Jerry

© Warner Bros. Pictures

 

The film’s style immediately reminded me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit but less appealing.
by Justin Moore
Rating: ★

Every Friday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, between the years 2011 and 2015, I watched classic Tom and Jerry cartoons. The daycare I worked at was obsessed with the Hanna-Barbera pair and so was I. I spent hours and hours laughing at the cat and mouse trying to hurt each other. We never watched the countless straight to DVD Tom and Jerry movies, just the old cartoons. The movies never reached the enjoyment level I had for the show and unfortunately that is how I feel about the new film from Tim Story.

The legendary rivalry returns as Jerry the mouse moves into New York City’s finest hotel. Chasing Jerry throughout the hotel is Tom the cat, who threatens to destroy the wedding of the century. Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz), who recently started working at the hotel, is tasked with getting rid of the mouse and hires Tom to help her out.

Tim Story, director of Fantastic Four, Think Like a Man, and Barbershop, brings the rivalry in an animated form in the human world. The film’s style immediately reminded me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit but less appealing. Story is a fine director but honestly, anyone could have directed this movie. Story doesn’t provide any flair or style to the movie, which leads to the movie feeling bland, despite the crazy antics of Tom and Jerry.

With many animated characters getting live action films (Garfield, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo), it is often a problem for them to get lost in the mix. While I did laugh at Tom and Jerry trying to hurt each other, I found myself constantly irritated by the abundance of human characters. Besides Moretz, Michael Pena, Ken Jeong, and Colin Jost round out the cast with pointless storylines. In the beginning of the film we are introduced to Kayla, who lies about her qualifications when she applies for a job at the famous hotel. Right away she is a character who is hard to understand or root for because of the way she manipulates people. As the movie moves along, the characters enter in the story when they have no reason for being there. If I was forced to not look up the characters names, I wouldn’t be able to name them for you, they are that forgettable.

© Warner Bros. Pictures

When it comes to Tom and Jerry, it’s entertaining. It feels as though they were swept under a rug and not given a proper story in the film for them to feel like the main part. Their interactions feel brief but still put a smile on my face. There are a few movie references such as Batman and The Shining that made me laugh. I personally would have loved to see most of the human characters cut out of the film. I understand that most people wouldn’t want to see Tom and Jerry run around a hotel for 90 minutes, so some human characters would have to be written in. I think the movie would have worked better if the only main character was Kayla and she kept getting in trouble for things at work but it was Tom and Jerry causing all the problems and she tried to capture the two.

The film isn’t terrible but it isn’t memorable by any means. Tom and Jerry have been around for years and are considered to be iconic cartoon characters and they deserve better than this. They got lost in the numerous human stories that had no need to be there. But it is still nice to know that after all these years, people still have interest in the pair and want to revisit it.

Tom & Jerry is in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max through March 28.

The Dog House UK - HBO Max Trailer

Finding forever homes for rejected dogs isn’t easy – but that’s exactly what the staff of Wood Green do every day. Set inside a rural British animal rescue center known for its commitment to matching homeless dogs with eager owners,

The Dog House: UK captures the joy and complexity of the human-dog “dating” experience. Each episode introduces tearful tales of abandoned dogs, while also touching on relatable backstories of families, couples, and singletons all hoping their lives will be changed by a new four-legged friend. It’s up to the center’s dedicated staff to match pet with potential new owner – and to arrange an all-important first date that will determine if the adorable pups and hopeful humans have that fated connection.

The entire eight-episode season drops Thursday, July 23 on HBO Max.

DC and HBO Max Announce New Original Digital Comic Series

© HBO Max

Published By DC With Exclusive Cover Art By Jim Lee, Amanda Conner And Jorge Jimenez
from HBO Max Press Release

Three new comic book superheroes are taking it to the “max” in the brand-new original digital comic book series titled To The Max, published by DC, in collaboration with HBO Max. To The Max features stories about ordinary people achieving their maximum potential when they transform into extraordinary superheroes with the help of another new character, Max the dog.

These new comics also celebrate the recent launch of the new HBO Max and are chock-full of 'Easter Eggs' and fun nods to much of the ten-thousand hours of premium content currently available on the streaming platform such as Friends, HBO’s Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, HBO’s Sex and the City, Scooby-Doo and more. Can you find them all?!

Free to download starting today, this initial launch of the digital comic includes three 8-page chapters featuring everyday people, Hector, Brian and Olivia (HBO), who meet Max the dog, gain access to different superpowers and become able to teleport, shape shift, fly and save lives around the world. The comics embody the theme that HBO Max has something for everyone and that everyone can be their own superhero and take themselves to the max!

“We are thrilled to partner with the amazing team at DC to present this creative, personification of HBO Max as a team of powerful comic book superheroes,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer. “These fun, original stories depict a diverse range of ordinary individuals who are symbolic of the depth and breadth of programming that is available on the platform, driving home the message that HBO Max has something for everyone.”

“DC and HBO Max both share in the belief that great storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to engage and connect with people,” said DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee. “We are excited to share these new and original stories of Hector, Brian, Olivia and Max with the DC fans, and all fans of great entertainment content. These are superhero stories at their core, but they are also a pop culture scavenger hunt for the most media savvy!”

© HBO Max

To The Max Comics Available for Free on Digital Retailers Starting on June 15:

• To The Max: Hector - When a schoolteacher finds a mysterious device, it sends him flying into an incredible outer-space rescue mission. Cover art by Jim Lee, penciled by Scot Eaton, and written by Ivan Cohen.
• To The Max: Brian - A scuba instructor is transformed into a superhero who must save innocent people from a deadly storm in Singapore. Cover art by Jorge Jimenez, penciled by Hendry Prasetya, and written by Ivan Cohen.
• To The Max: Olivia - A down-on-her-luck standup comic is all that stands between her audience and gun-toting criminals who plan to rob a Las Vegas casino. Cover art by Amanda Conner, penciled by Laura Braga and written by Ivan Cohen.

To The Max digital comics will be available for free with participating digital retailers, including DC UNIVERSE, DCComics.com, Apple iBookstore, Google Play Store, Kindle, Nook, Hoopla, Overdrive, and in the DC Comics app, ComiXology app and Madefire app for iOS and Android.