Titans Review: Blackfire (Season 3 Episode 4)
Titans Season 3 Episode 4, “Blackfire,” is the first episode after the show’s jumbo-sized premiere, and the episode calms to explore Kory and her sister’s relationship. Meanwhile, Dick seizes an opportunity to get closer to Red Hood, using Scarecrow as bait.
The episode begins an arc for Kory. However, “Blackfire” as an episode is just okay.
Kory has an interesting arc as she decides to rescue her sister, but her decision ultimately will put all the Titans at risk — a good seed for drama and conflict later on. The other main storyline throughout this episode isn’t compelling and doesn’t change much moving forward.
“Blackfire” is a decent episode, but definitely not at the same level as the three episodes that came before.
The episode starts with Dawn’s exit; one that feels almost incomplete.
She simply gets on a plane and has an emotional goodbye with Dick. However, after all the care this show has put into Dawn and Hank, my instincts tell me this isn’t it even if Titans tries to tell us otherwise.
Dawn and Hank have so much heart, it’s hard to imagine the series without the duo.
Rachel also remains missing in this episode, and it begs us to wonder why. Kory calls her friend when a more natural and connective choice would be Rachel, keeping Kory more knit with the other characters and less on the outskirts.
As a character who already is an outsider, it doesn’t make narrative sense to keep Rachel out of the show even when there are opportunities to let her pop in here and there.
While Titans does seem to flow better without her, a piece still feels missing without her presence.
The highlight of “Blackfire” was definitely its namesake along with Kory. While it’s redundant that she continues to have issues with her memory, this episode is a spotlight on her and Anna Diop’s acting chops.
It’s a little bit difficult for viewers to understand exactly where the sisters stand — Kory’s backstory is only mentioned and Titans throws us into exposition when the exposition also needs exposition.
Maybe this wouldn’t be as much of an issue if Diop and Kory weren’t underutilized, but hopefully, with the addition of Blackfire into the main cast, this problem will be solved.
Kory and Gar make an interesting team and it’s a shame that Beast Boy struggles to find his place without Rachel in the team. He’s one of the most relatable characters of Titans and is also overdue for his own story
If he is going to help prop up someone else’s, Kory is the right choice.
Honestly, there’s not much to say about the other arcs in this episode. Dick kidnaps Scarecrow because he rightly deduces he is connected to Jason.
Barbara Gordon and the Gotham PD side of things are fun. Barbara Gordon is delightful and has so far been a great character for disability representation.
Barbara is proactive in her life, and her arc is centered completely around her disability. She’s a multi-dimensional woman, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for her.
“Blackfire” serves as a breather after the horrifying (hopefully temporary) death of Hank. And while the sisterly bond and team up of Gar and Kory hit the mark, the rest of the episode does not keep you engaged.
Titans Season 3 is enjoyable and most likely the height of the series so far, but it needs to return to pulling the punches it did in the first run of episodes.
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Titans airs Thursdays on HBO Max.
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Amanda Reimer
In addition to working as a freelance writer, Amanda also works with animals and stage manages various live performances. She has an invested interest in the perspective and experience of fandoms as well as anything in the science-fiction genre. She also loves spoiling her cats, Drummer and Kiki.