#Titans Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Lady Vic

Did anyone else roll their eyes the moment Titans Season 3 Episode 6 took to the past?

What seemed like an origin story for another new character was actually a nuanced, deep dive into Barbara Gordon and her relationship with Dick Grayson.

We already knew they shared a past, but witnessing the finer details of their relationship was the perfect way to highlight why the pair stare at each other like they want to rip each other’s clothes off.

There’s burning chemistry between them, but when in Gotham City, things are never easy.

Out of all the newer characters on the show, Barbara deserved an origin story. She’s a badass character with many layers, and peeling back the onion on some things we didn’t know helped elevate the character to new heights.

Lady Vic trying to kill her was just par for the course. Barbara was instrumental in the death of Lady Vic’s lover all those years ago, so there was always going to be a revenge mission.

As a villain, Lady Vic is very one-dimensional, but it’s hard to see why when you consider she’s taking orders off Jonathan Crane, who is dead set on bringing the city of Gotham to its knees.

The bust-up between Barbara and Lady Vic in the alley was breathtaking. Barbara knows how to defend herself, and maybe that explains the stupid decision to meet someone she thought was Bruce in the dead of night.

Dick: Barbara?

Barbara: Security here is a joke. It’s my way of keeping my dad on his toes. Wanna grab a drink?

Nothing good happens in the daylight in Gotham, never mind in the dark. This could have been a fateful decision that could have resulted in her death, but out of all the newer characters, Barbara is the one I want to learn the most about.

Savannah Welch gives the character a certain dynamic that seems worth exploring.

Dick leaving her in the apartment was a bigger surprise, but it’s clear the past still haunts him. They seemed poised to share at last a kiss in those final scenes, but it just wasn’t in the cards for them this time.

Maybe they’ll be able to put the past behind them when they save Gotham.

Still, it was evident Dick was messed up by the order from Barbara to take the shot at Red Hood, which in turn, harmed him.

Now that Barbara has made a big mistake, maybe she won’t hold the Titans to the same standard.

Barbara has been vocal about not wanting the Titans in the city because of what it could mean for the crime rate, but let’s face it, there’s no saving Gotham.

I’m intrigued by Barbara and Dick’s connection enough to take a wait-and-see approach, and this is coming from someone who has wanted Dick and Starfire together since the beginning.

Superboy: I thought your idea was good… about getting intel from the people on the street.

Blackfire: Why are you sitting next to me?

Superboy: I could use the company. I don’t like lapse, bad memories.

Blackfire: Ditto.

Superboy: So, what’s Tamaren like?

Blackfire: It’s not like Earth. No open skies, flowing water. The very air burns your skin. I miss that burn.

Superboy: Why would you miss that?

Blackfire: We made life prosper from nothing but dust. Kori never appreciated Tamaren when she had it.

But the show appears to be forgetting about their connection. Anna Diop and Brenton Thwaites light up any scene they’re in together, but the creatives clearly want to move on to something else.

The addition of Blackfire is welcome. She brings a different energy to the Wayne Manor, which, quite frankly, has been used too much throughout Titans Season 3.

I know COVID-19 hit the series, but the manor should only have been used sparingly because it’s such an iconic location. You don’t want to be sick of quickly, and unfortunately, the rooms seem to be temporary.

Everyone who lives there either dies or leaves town quickly.

That being said, Blackfire was fun. She shares a lot of similarities with Superboy in that they’re both trying to fit into a world that feels foreign to them.

I don’t know whether they can nurture those similarities into a friendly bond, but the allure of Blackfire is that she’s unpredictable.

She can be your friend one minute and plotting your demise the next. She will either help or hinder the Titans, and her hypothesis that she has to be the bad sister to make Starfire good made a lick of sense.

Starfire has been so caught up in the perils of Gotham that she thinks her sister is a villain. Yes, she killed her boyfriend and blew up her spaceship, but she was obviously looking for something more.

It’s possible for the sisters to mend fences, but it will ultimately come down to whether they can tolerate one another.

At this moment in time, they liked being against each other. But Blackfire could turn into a crucial part of the team, especially in this battle against Jonathan.

As a villain, Scarecrow was, well, scary at first.

Unfortunately, he’s just taking up valuable screentime at this stage. Jason going rogue was not a surprise. That kid’s middle name is “Rogue” at this stage.

Blackfire: Have you heard stories of Krypton?

Superboy: Wait, how did you know?

Blackfire: I can see the strength of Krypton running in your blood … and something else.

The fundamental issue with Jason is that he’s never been able to follow orders. He needs to be his own boss. That’s what almost got him killed on Titans Season 1 and what got him killed on Titans Season 3 Episode 1.

He appears too far gone at this stage, and his reliance on the concoction will not end well.

His actions with the goons who invaded the diner Tim Drake’s family worked in was something, and it looks like we can thank Jason for beginning Tim’s transition into Robin.

Every hero needs an origin story, but seeing so little of Tim to date makes it hard to decipher how he will fit into things.

My annoyance with Titans Season 3 so far has been the lack of Rachel and Donna. Let’s hope there’s a full episode devoted to their time away before the season is over.

“Lady Vic” was a decent episode of this superhero drama. I appreciate a show that shows you the action instead of telling, but we need to start advancing the storylines at the wheel of the show to secure its future.

Titans continues Thursdays on HBO Max.

We have just four episodes left this season!

Look out for my interview with Joshua Orpin (Conner, aka Superboy) early next week.

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