TITANS season 2, episode 9 recap – “Atonement”

Welcome back to another recap of Titans Season 2 streaming on DC Universe! Last week saw a pretty harsh flashback to Deathstroke’s son Jericho’s death and Dick’s involvement in what happened. But after confessing everything to Jason, and later to the rest of the team, it’s uncertain what the future holds for the Titans. Luckily, that’s what we’re here for! So strap in for what is undoubtedly going to be a very emotional showdown of the Titans Season 2, episode 9 recap – “Atonement”.

And if you want to catch up and properly fill your boots with Dick Grayson’s guilt from last week, you can find that right here. We won’t judge you.

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The Breakup: Pt 2

Our episode opens on Dick assumed to have just finished telling the entire present-day Titans crew about what happened with Deathstroke and Jericho. He lets them all know that the reason he lied was because he was afraid that everyone would leave him. Everyone in the room seems to take a while to process, but Hank gets up, approaches Dick, and clocks him right in the face. The punch sets off an avalanche of emotional outbursts as Donna asks what other half-truths Dick has managed to keep from them. Rachel remarks that at least the old team got half truths, and Rose rises from her seat and heatedly tells Dick that her brother is dead all because of him. She announces that she’s leaving, and soon everyone from the team starts making their exits. The one members left are Gar and Kory; but as soon as Kory’s phone begins to ring, she tells Dick she has loose ends to tie up, and leaves. Before she goes however, she tries to comfort Dick by telling him that at least the truth is out.

The team is officially split again and each pair of members gets into a cab to drive off. All except for Kory, who gets into a car driven by her previously-imprisoned bodyguard, .

Taxi cab confessions: The bummer version

We come back to Kory talking to  about how he managed to escape from her ship after she had locked him in. His face covered in cuts and bruises, he tells Kory that the ship was much less of a problem than her sister Blackfire was. He also tells her that Kory’s extended “field trip” to earth now has bigger consequences as Blackfire has sent her guard to come and kill the both of them. More importantly, Blackfire now wears the crown on Tamaran after killing the entirety of Kory’s court.  tells Kory that her best option of the stay away and run as far away as possible. She tries to push back against the idea by asking to go to her ship, but  informs her that it has been completely destroyed. How’s that for sibling rivalry?

In another cab, Rachel and Donna are trying to process everything that Dick had told them. Donna in particular seems very hung up on the idea that Dick had been using them as soldiers. Rachel counters that Donna and the original team all played their own part in it because they were aware of what Dick was doing to manipulate Jericho in the first place. The idea is almost entirely dismissed by Donna who then goes on to talk about how terrible the traffic is in the city. Rachel doesn’t seem to take that so kindly, and uses her powers to hold Donna down long enough that she can get out of the cab.

Meanwhile! at the Hall of Depression!

Dick is packing his bags to leave and Gar is trying to talk him out of it by telling him that everyone else had the right to leave because they’re angry; but if they left, that means that Dicks shouldn’t have to. Dick doesn’t accept that logic and tells Gar that he fucked up entirely too much. Gar tries to tell him that at least he told the truth and apologized, but Dick still insists on leaving. Before he goes though, he tells Gar that Conner — who is still recovering in the medical bay — is his top priority, and to call Bruce Wayne when Conner wakes up. Dick promises Gar that he’ll be back, gives him a hug, and leaves.

Gar’s alarm wakes him up the next morning and he starts the day by recording a Captains log (like in Star Trek) about Operation Save The Titans. He gets himself together, slides his way into the kitchen to make some coffee and a disturbingly green smoothie, does some training, cleans the apartment, and, finally, goes to read A Tale of Two Cities to Krypto and a still-unconscious Conner.

The next day begins the same with a motivational Captain’s Log and the same routine he’d carried out the day before — only this time with notably less zeal.

Day three of Gar being in charge of Titan Tower goes the same as the first two but he’s definitely gotten more lazy; ending the day by half-heartedly reading a children’s book to Krypto and Conner.

So many scene jumps you’d think this was Quantum Leap

Hank and Dawn seem to have settled back in to their ranch in Wyoming. Hank is putting in the elbow grease on fixing up the house and Dawn is prattling on about smudging away bad energy with sage. They both agree that they need something good to happen and that it’s time to have some fun for a change, and Dawn sets out to make a plan.

Gar seems to have completely given up on his plan to by hyper-vigilant in up keeping the Tower. But if there’s one thing that can change things around, it’s a very naked Conner showing up in the kitchen. He gets him his clothes and makes a massive bowl a of cereal while Gar explains what happened and where he is. Conner still seems delightfully confused about who the Titans are, and Gar explains to him that they’re a group of people with special powers and abilities just like him. Conner seems more than pleased with the idea that he’s allowed to help people again, so Gar sets off to call Bruce Wayne to set things up. As the phone rings, however, Gar has a change of heart and hangs up the phone.

The scene jumps back to  and Kory stopping at a small gas station in rural America. Kory goes inside to get food and  is left alone to pump gas. That’s clearly a mistake though, because suddenly a small black glob jumps onto  and squirm into his ear. His eyes white over briefly and then return to normal.

Back with Conner and Gar, however, Gar is giving Conner the tour of the Tower. Conner asks where the rest of the Titans are, and Gar decides to just tell him that they’re on a break and that they had other things to take care of. In the meantime, he offers Conner a chance the train on the heavy bag…and Conner clumsily punches straight though.

Why yes, there is an entire karaoke scene. Thanks for asking.

In Wyoming, Hank and Dawn have tried to find something fun to do and end up at a cowboy karaoke bar. After listening to a terrible rendition of “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen, Hank and Dawn take the stage themselves for a duet of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. There is no way in hell that they’re really singing in this scene, but bless them for trying because it ends up being very cute.

As Marvin Gaye is wont to do, the two leave the bar to make out and try to get down in their truck. Before they can get down to business though, a woman approaches them to tell them that she can’t believe they’d show their faces again. Dawn and Hank can’t place her, but it’s pretty clear to see why she’s angry when she announces that she is Ellis’ sister. Dawn tries to apologize, but the woman refuses to listen; saying that they up and disappeared when the rest of Ellis’ family can’t even scrape up enough money to buy him a headstone.

Hank raises his hackles a bit at that accusation and asks where she was when Ellis was in recovery from his addiction the entire time he was training with them. He accuses her of being in jail on a possession charge and tells her that they were the ones that took care of him before she informs him that, regardless, she plans the make their life a living hell.

Sweet Boys Club™

In Titans Tower, it has become a regular bro-fest as Gar and Conner in the living room playing video games. Gar calls game over when he dies, but Conner seems pretty determined that the game isn’t finished yet. He uses his super-speed to smash the buttons on the controller unreasonably fast; which is just fast enough to keep up with the game. Gar looks on in awe as Conner beats the final boss. After celebration and generally being adorable, Gar offers Conner a spot on the Titans. Conner seems sad when he tells Gar that that may not be possible. He explains that the person who made him is not a nice guy, and that he has a more destructive side. Gar tells him he understands, and that everyone has that side before the two return back to playing video games.

Dick Grayson: perpetual bad-time haver.

Elsewhere, Dick pulls up to a nice house in the suburbs. After going to the door and Jericho’s mother answers, he introduces himself and asks if they can please take. After she invites him in, they sit for tea and he offers her an apology. When she asks about why he’s apologizing now, he explains that he had taken advantage of Jericho to get to Slade. She asks why he had just happened to be hanging around the son of his enemy, and Dick meekly admits that he used Jericho as his target. She tells Dick that Jericho really loved Dick and his team, and Dick tells her that they’ve all broken up now.

Despite Dick’s heartfelt apology, Adeline refuses to forgive him. Not only that, she tells him that his apology is as self-serving as his manipulation of her son, and that he’s only there to make himself feel better. Dick is sad, but accepts what she’s said and begins to leave. Before he can go, Adeline stops him and offers him a different solution for ways that he can atone for the pain he’s caused. She sends him down the hallway to a room where he finds Slade Wilson sitting in an easy chair. Slade tells him that he’s won because he took away everything from Dick in the same way Dick too everything from him. Dick stands stoic in the doorway and tells Slade that he’s the one that murdered Jericho; but Slade tells him that the only way Dick can properly pay is by spending a life alone to deal with his guilt.

Dick stares at Slade, taking in what he’s said, and tells him that he never deserved Jericho. Slade seems taken aback by that, and Dick explains that Slade never deserved a son as good as Jericho. Adeline enters the room and tells Dick that he needs to leave just as Slade begins to struggle with his breathing. She tells Dick to leave, but Slade stands and angrily tells him that if he ever joins up the Titans ever again — “even for a weekend” — that Slade will hunt down every last one of them and kill everything they love.

Conner Kent, accidental poster child for All Cops Are Bastards

Back in San Francisco, Gar is trying to explain living in the city to Conner as they walk around. He tells Conner that being alive is kind of like being in a 3D multiplayer video game, but that his job as Player One is to make sure that everyone around them is safe. Conner tries to ask if that’s what the Titans do, and Gar tells him that the old team did, but that Dick mostly keeps the new team locked up in the Tower. He seems to be trying to convince himself as well as Conner that the team will be getting back together soon, but is interrupted by Conner asking to see Gar’s powers. Since they’re in public, Gar says that he can’t really show him right then, but he does tell him about his ability to turn into a tiger. Conner seems mighty impressed, but that’s mostly because he has no clue what a tiger is. That’s enough to convince Gar to show off, and he morphs his face into tiger form.

The fun soon gets cut off though as Conner hears someone yelling for help — a man being arrested by the police and struggling against his handcuffs. Conner tells Gar “game on!” in passing as he jumps into action to help the man. The bad guys, however, are the police, and Conner takes them all down. That doesn’t go over too well (as you can imagine), and more and more squad cars approach. The police begin shooting at Conner with bullets ricocheting off his body left and right, and Conner has a flashback to when the agents were shooting him back at Luthor Sr.’s farm. The sense memory takes affect, and Conner rips the door of a nearby police car to throw at his opponents; followed by using his super speed to thrash them against the car. The more officers get taken down, the more show up in squad cars which Conner blows up with his laser vision. It’s a full-blown massacre with poor Conner having no realization of what he’s done wrong.

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters

Elsewhere along their travels, Kory and  have stopped at a bar. Kory comments that he’s hardly eaten anything since the gas station, but he brushes it off as not having much of an appetite. She starts to eat his food as he begins to push for a conversation about Blackfire. Kory tells him that he doesn’t know her like she does, and that she has always been a climber.  tries to convince Kory that she hasn’t always been so nice either, and Kory looks on, knowingly. She smirks a bit, and admits that she has been hard on Blackfire about how hard it must been living in Kory’s shadow.  speaks up to defend Blackfire and foster peace between the two sisters, but Kory says that she would be much happier going back to Tamaran to incite a revolution.

Back in Wyoming, Hank is sitting by himself in the truck. Dawn comes out of their cabin and approaches him to ask where they plan on going, but he says nowhere. Hank admits that he’s not slept since the confrontation with Ellis’ sister; but moreso that he never wanted to come back to their cabin in Wyoming.  Dawn tries to tell him that this was them trying to start the happy part of their life over from before Doctor Light showed up, but that if Hank wants to leave that he can pick a place and they’ll go. Hank is too deep in a self-pity pit though, and explains how it doesn’t matter where they go anymore because the problem isn’t the place — it’s them. He tells Dawn that their version of helping is hurting people, that maybe their relationship is the thing continuing the cycle of pain, and that they should split up to see if the world gets better without each other. Dawn, shocked, tells him that he’s welcome to leave and storms back into the cabin as Hank pulls away in the truck.

Switching back to Kory and  — their car pulls into an empty mining field. Kory exists the car and unveils ’s hidden ship. He tells Kory that it’s a shame she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive her sister, and Kory finally gives up the charade. She addresses Blackfire and asks if they can finally just end their fight. Speaking in ’s voice, Blackfire asks how Kory knew it was her speaking through him, and Kory explains that  wasn’t at any of the events they had talked about back at the bar. Kory speaks to  and asks for forgiveness for what she has to do next. His eyes white over one again and — speaking as himself trapped under Blackfire’s control — tells her that it’s alight and to quickly do something.

Kory summons her powers and disintegrates ’s body, leaving only a hologram of Blackfire in his place. Kory asks her what she wants, and Blackfire tells her that she wants them to rule together as co-Queens. Kory asks her if their parents know what is happening, but quickly realizes that Blackfire has already killed them. Kory tells her that she will be coming for her, and Blackfire’s hologram disappears, along with the ship that Kory was about to take.

She gets back in ’s car alone and sets off.

Oh wow, literally no one knows how to deal with feelings.

At the airport, a ticket counter representative asks Dick if he has a reservation. He says no, but asks if they can get him a ticket to anywhere remote and far away from people. The woman says that the farthest and most remote place that they go is Greenland, and Dick buys a one way ticket. Puzzled, the woman asks Dick for his credit card and passport, and Dick sadly smiles as she sets up his flight.

Meanwhile, at a bar somewhere in middle America, Hank sits down at the bar and asks for a Diet Coke. The bartender gives him his drink and Hank turns to the man next to him to ask where a man can go to get some “real shit” around these parts.

Back at Titans Tower, Gar has holed himself up in the former costume room as he listens to a frantic news report regarding Conner. He tries to call Dick to ask for what to do, but Dick’s phone goes to voicemail. He leaves Dick a voicemail and apologizes for all the bad things that have happened because of how he screwed up.

Dick, however, is at the airport and listening for the last call for his flight to Greenland over the intercom. He stays completely still until — for no discernible reason — Dick drops his bag, walks across the thoroughfare, and punches out two police officers. Another group of police enter the airport, and Dick gives a thousand yard stare straight ahead as he puts his hands behind his head to be arrested.

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And that’s all she wrote for the Titans season 2, episode 9 recap! Make sure to return next week to follow up and find out if there’s anything that can be done to bring the Titans back together.