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"Robin, you are my best friend and I cannot live in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil, then do as you must."
- StarfireOriginally aired: Oct. 11, 2003 Written by David Slack
Directed by Michael Chang
With no signs of Robin since Slade's "Chronoton Detonator" turned out to be a fake, the four remaining Teen Titans search the city for their missing leader. But their search is cut short when the Titan signal alerts them to a new villain in town. And when they arrive on the scene at a High-Tech defense lab, they are shocked to discover that this new villain is none other than Robin himself (wearing a sinister new Slade insignia villain costume.)Unaware that Robin is only serving Slade to save his friends from the Nanoscopic Probes inside them, the bewildered Titans think Robin has gone over to the other side. And it's Titan versus Titan as our unwilling new villain goes up against our reluctant heroes. Can Robin fight his friends without hurting them? Will he find a way to stop Slade without triggering the probes? Will the Titans find out what's wrong in time to help? Is this really the end of the Teen Titans?
Ron Perlman as Slade
Two Batman references this episode:
- Robin tells Slade "I already have a father" as bats fly through Slade's hideout
- Slade forces Robin to steal from Wayne Enterprises
Producer Sam Register on Slade: "Yeah, I think at the time it was to make him a father-figure to Robin but as the things you don’t like about your dad."Producer Sam Register on the mystery of Slade's identity: "Yeah, it’s a mystery thing. It’s fun. It keeps you guessing. Just like you never saw who Dr. Claw was on Inspector Gadget. Same thing. A lot of things in these decisions, there isn’t some master grand plan why we do things and why we don’t. [...] I’ll put it this way: I think Slade Wilson is Slade Wilson. And I don’t know what his reasons are."
Producer Glen Murakami on the mystery of Slade's identity: " I just think it’s cooler. My same theory about no doing secret identities. I just think it’s cooler – to keep the bad guy a secret. I just don’t think that’s ultimately what the stories are about."
Producer Glen Murakami on the theory that Slade is Bruce Wayne: "[Laughs] That’s funny. I think I can say exactly what stuff is and people would still come up with different theories."
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on APPRENTICE: "APPRENTICE... I still love that episode. The trick we've run into since APPRENTICE is that was out first big season finale. So since then, we've tried not to tread that same ground. Yeah, but I told you about the problems we initially had breaking that story and some of the dead ends we went down. Finally we came up with something I think has a nice sense of poetry to it. Robin literally can't talk to his friends. It's a metaphor for a custody battle to a certain extent."
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on Batman references in APPRENTICE: "But the thing about Batman is: If we ever bring him in the show, Robin becomes a kid. We put a lot of energy into getting Robin out of Batman's shadow. A lot of out younger fans think of Robin as a leader, not a sidekick. And that's a good thing for them."
"Those Batman references weren't to say "We'll never do Batman". But we felt, if we were going to do an episode where someone was trying to become Robin's father, we had to make some reference to his adopted father. So we didn’t want to mention him outright, but we did the cool thing with the bats flying out there. It's a nice thing in there for the fans. Same thing with that 'easter egg' where he's stealing from Wayne Enterprises. We thought it made the story mean that much more... he's not just betraying his friends, Slade is making him betray his father."
Many people tried to guess 'the identity' of Slade when his mask cracked. In the comics, Slade Wilson is Deathstroke, an assassin for hire. Slade Wilson is his actual given name.For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
Robin is pushed to his limits as the Titans try to save him. APPRENTICE part two lives up to the first part in terms of story and theme. It's heartbreaking to see Robin take a stance against his friends. The exchange between Robin and Starfire on the rooftop is particularly poignant.Another treat is the reference to Batman as Robin's 'father.' Even though Batman may never appear on TEEN TITANS, it's nice to see he hasn't been ignored. Plus, Robin stealing from Wayne industries also shows how far he will go to protect his friends.
APPRENTICE also nicely brings things full circle from a thematic perspective as well. From the first episode, the viewer has seen the recurring themes of trust and friendship. APPRENTICE deals with these issues once again - and head on. The Titans are also able to destroy Slade's headquarters and initial plans. A fitting end to season one. Grade: A-