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<< season one guide
Robin: "Do you have a problem, Tin Man?"
Cyborg: "Yeah, it's about four feet tall and smells like cheap hair gel."Originally aired: August 2, 2003 Written by David Slack
Directed by Ciro Nieli
Cinderblock busts into prison -- and the Teen Titans show up to stop a jailbreak. But when Robin and Cyborg's big "Sonic Boom" maneuver goes awry, the bad guy gets away -- and the boys blame each other. An argument erupts; and when the shouting stops, Cyborg quits! Meanwhile, Cinderblock returns to his mysterious boss Slade with his prize: a sleeping inmate who becomes the monstrous Plasmus whenever he is awakened. With oozing Plasmus running amok at a Chemical Factory and Cinderblock toting a laser cannon downtown, can the four remaining Titans handle it all without Cyborg at their side?
Ron Perlman as Slade
Dee Bradley Baker as Plasmus
This was actually the first episode produced, although it was the third aired.
Producer Glen Murakami on Developing TEEN TITANS: "We picked the characters that we thought were the most iconic and the most symbolic," explains Murakami. "I wanted it to be very, very clear to understand them. Robin's the leader. Starfire's the alien, but she's also the metaphor for the foreign exchange student or outsider. Cyborg's the strong man. Beast Boy's the funny one, but he's insecure. He can be all of these animals, but at the same time he's still really insecure. Early on, my whole thing was I wanted to understand their flaws because I thought that's what will make them human. I think sometimes with the Justice League, all the characters are in some ways so perfect it makes it hard to relate to them!'Producer/Story Editor David Slack on Developing TEEN TITANS:"I think that's something that Marv Wolfman wrote it the comic book series that definitely carried over for us. Marv writes from character more than any writer I've worked with. It's really incredible. And I remember talking with him when I first started working on the show. I remember I was a little nervous because of how we were changing his characters. And he said, "No, if I was doing it today I'd do it completely different. I don't know if I would do it like you're doing it... but it needs to change"
Writer/Story Editor Rob Hoegee on Developing TEEN TITANS: "The comics become a great source material to get a general sense of the stories and who the characters are. But again, I think we sorta created our own spin on things. And while the comics are great, I think they sort of exist on their own. I would never want to compare what we've done to the great work that has been done before."
Writer/Story Editor Amy Wolfram on Developing TEEN TITANS: "I think we were given a gift. We had five characters that were very different from each other. And that has given us a lot to play with and a lot of places to grow. The two girls aren't the same. The three boys aren't the same. Each of them has their own thing and their own issues. We draw a lot from that. "
Producer Sam Register on Developing TEEN TITANS: " I was a huge fan of the Wolfman/Pérez Titans and when my job was moved to development the first project I wanted to do - before I did anything in my new development role - was to see if the Teen Titans were available. I was still living in New York at the time so I called Paul Levitz and I went over to DC Comics. I asked him about Teen Titans and he said it was available and that was it. It was the first thing I always wanted to do and the first thing I did." [...]
"Also, I thought that Robin – one of the A characters in the DC Universe – was both an A character and a sidekick at the same time. I thought that he – in animation – was never anything more than a sidekick. It was also a good way of introducing new characters like Cyborg, Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire – who I knew through the DC Universe but many kids seeing the show for the first time would have no idea who they were. Robin was sort of an entry-character. Kids know who Robin is.. so through Robin we are able to meet these new characters."
Producer Sam Register on the anime look of the series: "That was Glen [Murakami]. I told Glen that I was a huge fan of the Bruce Timm look and feel but I really felt they had done that so well and for so long that it was time for something new. And I was ready to switch things up. My big rule was that I wanted it to look completely different from a ‘house [style] action show’ from Warner Brothers."
"Glen came to me and showed me some anime and said “Hey, we’re thinking of doing something like this” and he kind of looked at me like I was going to hate it. And I said “If that’s something you feel passionate about and you think this is a cool way to do it, you should do it.” You want guys to come into work and enjoy what they’re doing. And it was something that Glen and his team of artists really wanted to try."
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on DIVIDE & CONQUER: "DIVIDE AND CONQUER was about introducing the characters and introducing Slade -- and also the style of the show. The story where Cyborg quits and the comes back in the end... that was a story that Glen [Murakami] had in mind. It's a classic anime plot. Early on in one of our first meetings, Glen had said, "Howcum nobody just does simple stories anymore?" So DIVIDE AND CONQUER became an exercise in me telling the simplest story possible. I originally had more in there; I was going to do something with Cinderblock using that cannon against Titans Tower. But Glen suggested pulling that out. In hindsight, I think we've all agreed that maybe that episode was a little TOO simple [laughs]. But it was really about constructing something to show the members of the team, give a sense for the show and give a taste of who Slade was."
"[...] In the end, it's a show about family. About friendship... and not being isolated and alone. So in a way, that episode set that theme for the whole show. So right off the bat, we played the "What if the Titan break up?" card. We knew we didn't want to do an origin episode, because that felt very explanatory. We were trying to avoid explaining things. But we still needed to establish the importantance of the group and what they all meant to each other. So we focused on Robin and Cyborg... and the very relatable issue of what it's like to get in a fight with your friend."
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on inside jokes: "Yeah -- there are names all over the place. There were the hungry Murakamis [a reference to producer Glen Murakami] in DIVIDE AND CONQUER, which Glen didn't like. So he made me the guy in the Plasmus tank. The guy who turns into Plasmus is supposed to be me. I don't know how much it looks like me and I'm certainly not letting these guys see me in my underwear."
The Teen Titans themselves have been in print since the mid-sixties and originally consisted of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy. Conceived as a "Junior Justice League", the teen sidekicks struck out on their own to battle crime. The Teen Titans animated series borrows heavily from the 1980s New Teen Titans era by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, notably in the cast, which consists of Robin, the Boy Wonder, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy (a.k.a. Changeling).ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER: Batman's trusted partner and ward, Robin acts as the Teen Titans leader. Utilizing his superb technical training, computer skills and high-flying acrobatics to reach the heights of human potential. Dick Grayson became Robin in DETECTIVE COMICS #38 [1940]. He later became Nightwing in TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #44 [1984] while Jason Todd asumed the Robin mantle. Jason was later killed by the Joker in 1987. It wasn't long before a new Robin replacement was found in Tim Drake in 1989.
BEAST BOY: After undergoing an experimental medical treatment to save his life, Gar Logan (also known as the Changeling in the comic series) gained the ablity to transform his physical structure into any animal he could imagine. Beast Boy first appeared in THE DOOM PATROL #99 [1965], where he became a junior member. Beast Boy changed his name to Changeling and joined the New Teen Titans in NEW TEEN TITANS #1 [1980].
CYBORG: A promising star athlete, Vic Stone was injured in an explosion at STAR Labs. His father replaced the ruined parts at his body with cybernetic implants, which gave him super-strength, enhanced speed and a wide variety of special weapons, including lasers, sonic disruptors and advanced computer hardware. Cyborg first appeared and joined the New Teen Titans in NEW TEEN TITANS #1 [1980].
RAVEN: The daughter at an Earth woman and an other-dimensional demon, Raven possesses vast empathic and healing powers, can travel in-between dimensions and has the ability to unleash her "soul-self" which can force an enemy to be overwhelmed by his or her worst fears. Often an outsider and thought of as a witch, Raven had to control her emotions, lest the evil side of her nature would burst free. Raven first appeared and joined the New Teen Titans in NEW TEEN TITANS #1 [1980].
STARFIRE: Koriand'r hails from the proud warrior planet of Tamaran. where all of her race can convert solar energy into flight. But when she was kidnapped by the evil Psions, their experiments granted her the ability to store untold amounts of energy and unleash devastating blasts. Starfire was rescued by the Titans and settled on earth - where she was often confused by customs she did not understand. Starfire first appeared and joined the New Teen Titans in NEW TEEN TITANS #1 [1980].
SLADE: A hard-edged mercenary, Slade Wilson [known as Deathstroke the Terminator] would fulfill any contract he undertook. His son Grant set out on the same path as his father. The evil H.I.V.E. organization gave him great powers as the Ravager and sent him to kill the Teen Titans. Ravager's powers ended up killing him, and Slade accepted the contract to kill the Titans on his son's behalf. It all happened in NEW TEEN TITANS #2 [1980]. Slade mellowed in later years after he abandoned his contract to kill the Titans. He even became their ally on occasion. Recently, Slade has returned to his violent ways - and has clashed with the newest version of the Teen Titans.
In the comic books, Otto Von Furth's body changed into unstable protoplasm, and he was brought into the newly reformed Brotherhood of Evil, where he took the name Plasmus. Plasmus was not a shape shifter, but had the ability to bring fiery death to whoever he touches, and to reduce any living matter to its protoplasmic state. Plasmus first appeared in New Teen Titans [first series] #13-15 [1981-1982].
Cinderblock was a villain created for the animated series and has not appeared in the comics.For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
First episodes are a tricky thing. You need to establish characters and premise while you're telling a story. But it shouldn't come across as a big expositionary piece. Some series are lucky enough to hit it out of the park in the pilot [I'm looking at you, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Alias"]. Most series take some time to discover what works well, and what works maybe... not-so-well.There's a lot of nice elements in DIVIDE AND CONQUER. It sets up the characters and situations while establishing the look and feel of the series. The best bits are during the Cyborg/Robin argument - which includes some inventive super-deformed shots and chibi Titans. There's also some nice dialogue bits in the episode (I particularly liked the line about Cyborg's phone being in his arm).
The episode's downside is its simplicity. The show is obviously created to be kid-friendly, so the plot is kept simple. What's lacking is another 'level' to enjoy the plot. The emotional complexities of SISTERS are missing here; Robin and Cyborg are friends - but we don't get much insight into their friendship... so their argument and reconciliation have no resonance. Are they best friends or just video game buds? We don't really know. So when the have that argument, it seems to come out of nowhere. It is interesting to note that the Cyborg/Robin rivalry becomes a touchstone in WINNER TAKE ALL as well as the entire arc of season three.
The first episode also nicely sums up the series' coda: "We can accomplish more working together as friends than we ever could individually." That sentiment is echoed throughout the series run. The episode is a bit too simplistic to praise, but the writers are able to let loose later in the season. Grade: B-
