#Titans Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Troubled Water

Is there a way forward for the Titans?

On Titans Season 3 Episode 10, the heroes became known as pariahs in Gotham City, all thanks to the water being dosed.

I know COVID-19 impacted production, but would it have hurt to show more of the unrest in the city?

All of these people were drinking water filled with the Scarecrow’s hallucinogenic that made them feel invincible.

Surely there should have been more death and destruction.

We knew the Titans would be deemed the villains in this narrative, and when you consider Crane’s previous moves, it made sense.

Crane wants the city to fall and for the people to look to a new hero, played by — you guessed it — a villain.

The brutal fight between the law enforcement and the Titans went about as well as could be expected.

Barbara gunning down Fletcher before he managed to shoot her lover was not a surprise.

There had to come a tipping point between the law and the Titans, and now that Barbara is on the outs with the law, the Titans face an uphill battle.

Dick will also feel somewhat responsible for whatever happens to Barbara, but if what she did isn’t love, then what is?

My issue with this particular development is that it will only serve to drive a wedge between Barbara and Dick.

Whatever happens now, she’s always going to resent him for costing her the job she loved so much.

Being in a position of power comes with various drawbacks, and maybe these two just aren’t fated to make it as a couple.

Then again, I can’t shake the feeling that Donna and Rachel’s returns will also bring Bruce back, and together, everyone will join forces to restore some order.

It’s easy for some members of the gang to want to let Gotham rot. Their return set the stage for Hank’s untimely death.

Nothing good has happened since they stepped foot back in the city, and they might have set off a deadly chain of events that will culminate with everyone in the town dead.

Blackfire being harmed in the line of fire exposed a major flaw in the dynamic of the team.

Connor went on what can only be described as a rampage after witnessing his girlfriend (are they official?) being shot.

The series has proven to kill off characters when we least expect it, and after the journey for Blackfire throughout Titans Season 3, it wouldn’t have been a shock.

Her arc was given a much-needed jolt of life when we learned that her actions on Tamaran have been the best in the grand scheme of things.

Her bond with her sister also returned in a big way, but even I squinted when Blackfire took her sister’s powers.

Then again, Starfire’s powers have been all over the place throughout the current season, so how do we know the powers didn’t jump to Blackfire?

Is it possible that whatever is going on with Starfire has a conscious of its own and wants there to be unrest between the sisters?

Starfire immediately blaming her sister was par for the course. Kory has welcomed her sister back into her life with open arms of late, thanks in large part to what she’s learned about her.

There are only so many times Blackfire will want to be called the villain before she realizes that nobody on Earth will believe that she has genuine feelings about the planet’s fate.

For that reason alone, I wouldn’t be shocked if the show sets Blackfire up as the next villain and we take a trip to Tamaran in some capacity.

Gar’s reunion with Rachel fell flat for me. Their friendship was such a strong aspect of the series at the start, so we deserved a much more exciting reunion.

The only good part about it is that we know Rachel has a much better grip on her powers, so maybe the team will be able to function well in the final episodes of the season.

The beauty of Titans has always been in how this team of superheroes functions, and I hope we’re about to find them all in a good place, but it will come with some significant caveats.

Donna’s test with Lydia came out of the left field and seemed like yet another bump in the road as she tried to return to the people she left behind on Titans Season 2 following her untimely death.

Donna has some information about the afterlife, and of course, Bruce following his suicide attempt, but it will be hard to watch her return to such a fractured team.

They may be together but the recent events have had a profound effect on them and their ability to proceed.

Jason is being set up as the true villain, but he strikes me as a teenager struggling at being left out in the cold by his father.

In this narrative, Bruce is Jason’s father. He was his mentor, his everything, and Jason’s path of revenge has been largely governed by Bruce deeming him the black sheep every step of the way.

The flashes of Bruce discounting Jason’s emotions as the latter destroyed the family portrait was telling.

“Troubled Water” was a transitional hour that set up the final conflicts of the season.

There’s a lot of conflict to unpack, fasten your seatbelts, Titans fanatics.

What did you think of Barbara gunning down Fletcher?

Do you think the Titans will truly ditch Gotham and go elsewhere?

Did Donna’s test feel like a way to keep her from returning to the group sooner?

Hit the comments below.

Titans continues on HBO Max every Thursday.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.