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"Let's just say I have issues with my father"
- RavenOriginally aired: August 30, 2003 Written by Greg Klein and Tom Pugsley
Directed by Michael Chang
When a battle with Dr. Light pushes Raven over the edge, the Titans see a side of their mysterious friend that they've never seen before: her temper. After Raven's creepy tantrum of crackling black energy leaves Dr. Light begging for mercy, Beast Boy isn't quite sure how to treat her. And he winds up making her feel even worse about what happened. But when Cyborg takes him by her room to apologize, Raven's not there -- so Beast Boy drags Cyborg in to snoop around. Beast Boy finds a mysterious mirror. And when he picks it up, BB and Cy find themselves transported to a strange nightmare world that's somehow connected to Raven. Will Raven be able to guide the boys home -- or will her "personal issues" destroy them all?
Rodger Dumpass as Dr. Light
Keith Szarabajka as Trigon
First appearance of Dr. Light.
Producer Sam Register on Raven: "We think of her as a goth girl. She’s a dark character – but a character everyone can relate to. She’s a recluse and sort of to herself. We thought that would be a good dynamic with the rest of the team. She does have a dark background in the comic. In the cartoon, there is talk about getting more into her past in the fourth season. We touched on it with Trigon, and we might do more."Producer/Story Editor David Slack on NEVERMORE: "NEVERMORE was an idea I had before coming on board the show. That was one of the original premises I wrote. I had conceived it completely differently. By the time it got to script, the only thing that remained was that it centered around Raven. That, and the title of the episode. When we were originally working on the story, we conceived it as a literal journey into another dimension. Something on the way to Azarath - a Dr. Strange-type world."
"And when Glen [Murakami] and I were talking about it, he mentioned, "Well, if the story is about them getting to know Raven better... shouldn't they just go inside her head?" And that just cracked the whole thing wide open. That was my first undiluted taste of Glen's genius. He approaches things from this utterly unique standpoint - and creates from a sense of an internal emotional logic. From then on, the episode got really interesting to work on. And Tom Pugsley and Greg Klein did a great job on the script. It was something we were all really proud of. It had a nice balance of cool action and great character relationships. "
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on using Trigon: "It is a tricky issue. We had a good template laid out by Marv and George in the comics. Obviously, they went a little farther than we are willing or able to. But there was an example there - how to tell the story you want to tell, but still be delicate about it. My main concern with using Trigon in NEVERMORE, was that we couldn't save him for a big reveal later on. [laughs]. So we showed Trigon without actually showing him [since NEVERMORE takes place in Raven's head]. I think if we ever bring him back, he'll be a lot scarier."
Producer Sam Register on Dr. Light: "Dr. Light will show up to be defeated often, just like in the comics."
Dr. Light is a hapless villain who thought he could make a name for himself by taking down the Teen Titans. He first battled the team in Teen Titans [first series] #44 in 1976. Later, he formed the Fearsome Five [with Psimon, Mammoth, Shimmer and Gizmo] in New Teen Titans #3 [1980].Trigon is Raven's demonic father from another dimension. Her mother is an earth woman known as Arella. Raven always fights her dark side from being released and consuming her. Trigon appears in New Teen Titans [first series] #1-6 and New Teen Titans [second series] #1-5 [1984].
For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
Raven takes center stage in this suitably creepy outing.As a comic fan, it was great to see the bumbling Dr. Light remaining very true to character. And seeing 'Dark Raven' let loose was a fun fanboy moment. And Trigon in animated form was another treat for longtime comics fans.
Beyond that, the story also held together quite well - using Beast Boy's attitude towards Raven as an entry point. It's interesting because Beast Boy says what the team is thinking... So it becomes a way to everyone (including the viewer) to understand Raven better. The creepy factor is balanced with the funny, too; The multiple versions of Raven were both amusing and character revealing.
When you watch this episode, it's no wonder Raven is a fan favorite. She's possibly the most complicated and conflicted member of the team. And this episode shows that. Grade: B+