Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Titans episode 4, "Doom Patrol".
In the wake of Titans season 1 episode 4, "Doom Patrol," it seems clear that the series should have introduced Beast Boy and his adopted family (the titular Doom Patrol) into the series sooner and held off on bringing in the dynamic duo of Hawk and Dove until later. While the characters of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger were perfectly handled in their appearance in Titans episode 2, "Hawk and Dove," their story only served as a distraction from Titans' main storyline at a time when the show should have been focused on establishing its core cast.
The story of Titans so far has centered on Rachel Roth - a teenage girl whose disturbing prophetic dreams and waking nightmares led her to police detective Dick Grayson (who was once the vigilante Robin) following her mother's murder. Grayson takes Rachel to stay with his friends Hank Hill and Dawn Granger (aka Hawk and Dove) while he investigates the case, only for the three heroes to be beaten by a mysterious family of assassins and Rachel abducted. Thankfully, Rachel is rescued by an amnesic woman named Kory Anders, who takes Rachel back to the convent where Rachel lived for a time as a young girl. After experiencing her most violent episode yet, Rachel flees to the woods behind the convent and meets Gar, a boy with shape-changing powers she briefly met at a local arcade, who takes Rachel to his home and introduces her to his adoptive family.
Related: How DC's Titans Sets Up 2019's Doom Patrol Spinoff
By the end of "Doom Patrol," all of Titans' four main characters have joined forces and are heading off together to investigate the strange forces that are plaguing Rachel and why the teenage girl is so important to at least two conflicting groups. The episode also sets up DC Universe's upcoming Doom Patrol series, having introduced the characters of Robotman, Elasti-Woman, Negative Man, and The Chief.
Given all of this, it's hard not to wonder why Hawk and Dove were brought into the series so early. Their inclusion adds nothing to the overall storyline and their removal from the action after one brief scene in the third episode doesn't seem to take away any elements of note. Indeed, their presence seems to act as a distraction from Rachel's storyline at a point when the series was still setting up its central heroine.
Given the complaints many viewers had over the pacing of Titans' early episodes, it seems that it would have been more effective for the Doom Patrol to be introduced sooner. The team is an essential element of Beast Boy's background in the comics, with Garfield Logan having first appeared as a supporting member of the Doom Patrol's cast before going on to become more famous as a member of the New Teen Titans. Bringing them into play sooner would have done much to speed Gar's introduction into the series, which didn't truly begin until episode 4.
It should be noted that it's highly possible that the presence of Hawk and Dove in the second episode will pay off later. Unfortunately, Hawk and Dove's presence in Titans so far seems like little more than a glorified Easter egg. Hopefully, they will be returning soon, because, as disconnected as they seemed from the main story, they have both been one of the strongest elements of Titans to date.
More: Titans: 8 Questions After (And About) Doom Patrol
Titans season 1 continues Fridays on DC Universe.
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