Paul Dailly
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Conner and Sebastian made an unholy alliance to usher in a new era at Lexcorp, but neither was interested in remaining loyal to one other.
By the end of Titans Season 4 Episode 10, the conflicts have reached new heights, preparing us for the series’ final two episodes in a big way.
Conner’s journey since Titans Season 2 has been mesmerizing because he’s been such a rich character, and while it’s obvious he’s embracing a more villainous streak thanks to his Lex Luthor DNA, there are still some shades of good.
At the end of Titans Season 4 Episode 8, he successfully fooled me into thinking he would be one of the big villains as the series wrapped up.
With Mercy Graves in his ear, that remains a possibility, but without his meddling, the Titans wouldn’t have been able to destroy Abraxus.
Watching Conner test the extent of his abilities while simultaneously fooling Sebastian added some levity to the subject matter.
The truth is that Conner is unsure of what Sebastian is capable of, and it could be his ultimate undoing.
Mother Mayhem: You’re now at the end of the journey. Tonight we trumpet the Horn, let your father arrive, in the center of their gleaming city. I would love to see Metropolis be the first brought to its knees.
Sebastian: You never asked me what I wanted.
Mother Mayhem: What?
Sebastian: How come you never ask me what I want? We don’t need to summon Trigon. I have power. Mother, I have power.
Mother Mayhem: Ah, you have power?
Sebastian: Yeah.
Mother Mayhem: Oh. You’re nothing. Without Trigon’s power, you will always be nothing.
Sebastian: Nothing?
Mother Mayhem: I gave you destiny. And now you want to shame me? Pathetic child.
Sebastian: Don’t, Mother.
Mother Mayhem: Don’t call me that. My son would not be a coward. My son would embrace this power.
Sebastian: I am trying. I’m trying. What do you want from me?
Mother Mayhem: You are so… desperately, disgustingly weak. Oh. Are you gonna cry, Sebastian? Are you crying, Sebastian? Piss yourself and cry all you want, but tonight you’re gonna use that Horn and you’re gonna bring him back to us.
Sebastian has spent his whole life being counted out, and as a result, he’s lived his life with little hope, always expecting the worst.
We’ve witnessed throughout Titans Season 4 how that has shaped him into the villain he is today, and you could tell he loved the grip he had on the players of Abraxus.
When people have vied for power and influence for so long, watching what they do with it is always interesting.
Sebastian is growing tired of having to explain his motivations to others, so it was inevitable Conner’s seeds of doubt about Mother Mayhem would lead to something big.
Sebastian “killing” Mother Mayhem at the top of the hour would never stick.
It didn’t land with an emotional thud and was oddly placed in the narrative. It would have been far more believable if it happened at the end of the Caul’s Folly arc.
For that reason alone, watching her come back to life and send a message to her son was highly satisfying.
The big question is, what will Sebastian do now that his mother is coming for him and he’s lost his game?
Sebastian has a lot of emotional trauma, but he’d rather mask his insecurities with power and influence. What will he do when he loses all credibility and is forced to awaken Trigon?
Also surprising was his reaction to losing his link to Rachel. Despite them both being on opposing sides, Sebastian does care for Rachel.
She was the one person who managed to soothe him when Mother Mayhem’s reign of terror got underway.
Despite trying to kill his sister on Titans Season 4 Episode 8, I’m not ruling out Sebastian’s ability to live a normal-ish life when this is all said and done.
Dick: Hey, Rach. You got a second?
Rachel: I’m not that little kid at the police station anymore. You don’t need to give me a jacket and tell me, “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Certainly, he has villainous traits, but his humanity shone through when he realized he couldn’t feel Rachel anymore.
Going by the reaction on his face, he thought she died, which could make him more unhinged until he finds out the truth.
Speaking of Rachel, I wasn’t fond of her and Dick’s quest to extinguish the darkness inside her.
The storyline was needed in the grand scheme, but the resolution was too easy.
You gotta give it to him. He does the whole bald-headed, charming psychopath thing very well.
Bernard
The parameters the witch told them to follow were also murky, and it would have been much more impactful if Kory and Gar had been along for the ride.
Kory and Gar’s near-death experience with members of Doom Patrol didn’t feel like it belonged in this episode, either.
We just had Gar unlocking his full potential on Titans Season 4 Episode 9, so to have him with limited power again, one episode later, was just frustrating.
Kory being thrown into the overgrown mansion to help him was a mere plot device to illustrate to viewers how much she cares about Rachel, Dick, and the rest of the Titans.
Larry: Finally. You’ve been asleep for three days.
Gar: What is going on?
Vic: We was hoping that you could tell us. Everything was a hell of a lot less George of the Jungle around here until you rolled up.
Larry: Oh, Gar, meet Vic. There’s a 50/50 chance you’ll kill each other.
Gar: Nice guns.
Cliff: So you gonna tell us why we’ve been mowing Mother Nature’s bush for the past 72 hours?
Larry: First of all, so wrong. Second, it’s not just that the house is blooming. It’s also not our house.
Larry: And just to make the madness complete… there’s apparently no way out.
Vic: So? Any answers, Broccoli Top?
Kory understands the severity of the mission ahead and knows she might not survive the fight with Trigon.
The series has laid a lot of groundwork this season to return the show to its roots, and I fully expect the Titans — minus some casualties — to be alive by the final scene of the series finale.
Unfortunately, one of those casualties might be Bernard. However, Bernard hasn’t had nearly enough development to be the unlucky candidate to be in a coma due to Sebastian’s video game.
I understand the intent is to propel Tim to suit up as Robin and fight alongside the Titans to either save his life or honor his legacy, but the writers are so much better than doing that to Bernard and Tim.
It’s very predictable how this will go, but if the show does switch things up and kills Bernard, it will taint the show for many viewers.
With two episodes left, we still have much to look forward to, but I’m starting to grow concerned that we don’t have enough time to end Titans satisfyingly.
What are your thoughts on Conner’s dilemma about helping the Titans?
Are you surprised he and Sebastian aren’t exactly on the same side?
What’s your take on Mother Mayhem dying and returning from the dead?
What do you think of Bernard’s life being on the line?
Hit the comments.
Catch new episodes of Titans Thursdays on HBO Max.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.