Dick Grayson and the girl he is protecting, Rachel, are on their way to someplace safe. We hear clanking of chains unite we see the chains holding up a prisoner in front of thugs in a garage. This is Hawk played by Alan Ritchson who played another superhero, Aquaman, in Smallville (2005-2010). One of the thugs thinks he’s dressed up like an eagle, but he gets a knee smash and is corrected. Their boss, Bronson (Jordan Pettle) is looking to interrogate him and has his legs bound with more chains. Bronson takes a metal object, stabs Hawk’s mid-section, and recites some salty phrases. He removes the tool and then asks his men to remove Hawk’s pants while he takes out clippers. The lights suddenly go dark. Dove goes into action. She is played by Minka Kelly who also portrayed Detective Valerie Stahl in Almost Human (2013-2014). Washington, D.C., in his bath tub, Hank covered in bruises, injects himself with a needle. Then, he downs some pills with a beer. Dawn Granger, in a Superman t-shirt, takes a sip of Hank’s beer. He hopes to finish ending an operation, retiree to Wisconsin, and get a replacement hip. She holds out a towel as he struggles to stand up. Hawk and Dove are interesting here, the duo first appeared in Showcase #75 (1968) by Steve Skeates and Steve Ditko, Dove was originally Don Hall, Hank’s pacifist brother. He died, I’m not certain if this is maintained here, and Dawn Granger took the role.
Later, Dawn finds a gift on the bed for their three and a half years together, it is a key. They head to the rooftop with a bird house for doves. He gives Dawn a dove then kisses her. We get the couple in bed and he apologizes to her. Dawn goes to check the medicine cabinet, she passes a photo got them with a woman, and Dick Grayson. We flash back four years ago with Hawk and Dove fighting together. They are joined by Robin who is on his own without Batman. Hank checks on Dawn breaking the flashback. She hugs him and we get a close-up of the photo. We return to the road trip, Rachel and Dick are at a diner, she orders black coffee. A body is pulled out in a morgue, the mortician, Charlie, explains to Detective Rohrbach, that the victim’s organs exploded. He pulls up the body to show a raven tattoo on his back shoulder. Night, Dick pulls her Porsche into the Interstate 80 Motel in Michigan. He flips through his contacts, one of them is Donna Troy! (also known as Wonder Girl), and calls Alfred Pennyworth for help. Rachel is watching Game of Thrones. Dick tells Rachel he is going out for pizza while she munches on a pile of candy on her bed. Alone, she finds Dick’s briefcases are not easy to open. She goes to his laptop and goes a Google search on her name coming up with news articles on her disappearance. Then, she looks up Bruce Wayne caring for the survivor of the circus deaths. The road trip is fine, we get to know both characters, but we are missing Kory and Garfield.
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THE TITANS -- “Hawk and Dove” -- Steve Wilkie/ @2017 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Dick gets a call from Detective Rohrbach who tells him there was an officer at the scene where Rachel was kidnapped and Dick wants the details. Rachel watches the video of the young Dick Grayson, suddenly the police files are printed out including the autopsy photo and the man screams from the photo! Dark Rachel pounds on the mirror to let her out. Dick arrives with a large pizza, he sees the police file, and then hears Rachel praying in the bathtub. She has been drawing crosses or X’s on scraps of paper and hugs him again in fear. St. Louis, Missouri, a game of Monopoly is played by a teenager girl, Nuclear Sis (Jeni Ross) and boy, Nuclear Biff (Logan Thompson) while their parents are there in the kitchen. This is the Nuclear Family that first appeared in Outsiders #1 (1985) as a family of super-powered androids. There is a ring at the doorbell, the father, Nuclear Dad (Jeff Clarke) goes to answer it and has to drop a bill into the swear jar. A man in a coat tells him that “they are activated” and shows the police photo of Rachel. The father returns to say they have a family trip. The Nuclear Mother (Melody Johnson) gets a tray of syringes with blue liquid. The kids injected themselves with the liquid. This is a family out of the same neighborhood as Get Out (2017). While driving, Dick asks Rachel about the doomsday cult looking for her. She asks him about being raised by a billionaire and he says it was “complicated.”
Dick drives the Porsche to Washington D.C. and pulls up to an apartment building. They go to Apartment 301, Dawn opens the door, and is stunned to see him. Rachel introduces herself and shakes Dawn’s hand getting visions of Dawn and Hank that are intimate. On the rooftop, Rachel looks at the doves while Dawn wonders how a teenage girl killed someone. Dawn asks about Bruce and Dicks says, “He’s no good with kids.” She goes over Hank’s injuries and his plan to retire after they stop gun runners. They are interrupted by Hank who is not happy at the reunion. In their apartment, Dawn tells Hank they could use Robin’s help. Dick settles Rachel to sleep and she asks about Dawn, he says it’s in the past. Dick is wakened by his briefcase and Alfred on his phone has arranging a meeting. He heads to the Federal Reserve in the morning, has an envelope which he places underneath bed sheets, as Rachel and Dawn return. Dawn breaks down the case for Dick Grayson. It involves a supplier named Bronson, Hank is staking out a warehouse, there is a van with Ditko Movers, which is a nice nod to Steve Ditko. Dick does a full analysts of Bronson’s building including guns with his briefcase. He had Alfred send money so Hank and Dawn could take care of Rachel because he isn’t good with kids which is nonsense. She takes his hand worried about his comment that she doesn’t know what he has become.
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THE TITANS -- “Hawk and Dove” -- Steve Wilkie/ @2017 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Hank walks in thinking he has caught them in a moment, Dick slams around Hank, and they stopped by the scream of Rachel that shatters glass. Everyone is shocked at her power and Rachel apologizes. Detective Rohrbach returns to her apartment, she finds a girl in the corner who rises up, it’s Nuclear Sis, with scissors and slices her thumb. She asks where is Dick Grayson while her brother strikes her with a baseball bat. The parents arrived and the Nuclear Mother pulls out a knife. Later, Dick checks on Rachel in her room, and he is joined by Dawn. She apologizes for Hank and heads out on the mission. Rachel says he has to go help them. Dicks says he fell to the dark side trying to help. Rachel sends him on his way with his own words. Hawk and Dove check the Ditko van, he is shot, and they take cover. The gun men surround them as Bronson wants to pick up with removing Hawk’s pants. He is pulled backwards and given the same treatment with the clippers used on his own crotch! Another gunman gets the Robin wing ding in his eye! Robin bloodily takes out the rest of the gunmen! Rachel finds the envelope with the note and money. Dick and Dawn return and she says he has changed. He finds Rachel on the rooftop knowing he broke his promise. Hank and Dawn join them and Rachel hands him the envelope. Rachel takes Dick’s hand from her shoulder knowing he was going to abandon her. Nuclear Mom then says hello as her brutal family is assembled. Hank gets a rope around his neck by Nuclear Biff while Nuclear Dad throws Dawn off of the roof! Rachel is by herself when the Nuclear Family surround her, Nuclear Mom reaches out. Dick is hanging from the rooftop edge and pulls himself up. Hank is collapsed and can only mutter, “Dawn.” Dick races down the apartment staircase to check on Dawn. A raven flies to the apartment staircase and then flies away. I hope Dove is able to recover, I understand that a loss might be like the comics, but this is not cool. My guess is that Starfire arrives to save Rachel because Dick can’t save her alone!
Three Wing Dings out of Five!
#TheTitans, #HawkandDove, #AlanRitchson, #MinkaKelly
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