[6.2/10] I have such mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, this is one of those goofy episodes that I kind of loathe from Teen Titans. THe whole idea of the gang getting into a road race with a gimmick-y villain who insists they be in some kind of vehicle to bet him and get the macguffin is pretty dumb. The tone is muddled, as the show can’t seem to decide whether they want us to take this seriously as an important matter or if it's just a series of wacky hijinks. And neither half of the equation is pretty great.
But I also can’t deny the charm of throwing all your heroes and villains into a Wacky Races-style contest. (Something Batman: The Brave and the Bold would do better with.) I find Ding Dong Daddy and his little colorful gremlin pit crew pretty stupid, but seeing an array of other gimmick villains in their silly cars has a kind of whimsy I can appreciate.
I also love love loved the humor segments with Starfire and Raven. It’s a pairin we don’t get enough of on the show and the two characters play off of one another brilliantly. I got a particular kick out of Starfire’s “Dr Amazing Mungon the Terrible” efforts to be a bad guy to get on the villain bus. But the two are overall far and away the best thing in the episode. (Were that the same could be said for Beast Boy and Cyborg’s antics in this one.)
Then there’s Red X! I seriously wondered if the show was ever going to address the character again before the end of the series. It’s...odd, that this is where they choose to ring him back. It’s mostly a comedy episode, and it doesn't really resolve anything the show set up in his first appearance. But he does save Robin’s behind and get “even” with the boy wonder, so that’s something.
Overall, this is the definition of a mixed bag episode. Its quality changes drastically from element to element and moment to moment. Ultimately, it left me wishing the show had gone full blown comedy with it, rather than taking this semi-seriously.
(As an aside, I feel like not showing the audience what’s in the briefcase is a little cheap after building to it all episode. You’re not Pulp Fiction, Teen Titans; you can’t pull that off.)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-08-29T19:13:31Z
[6.2/10] I have such mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, this is one of those goofy episodes that I kind of loathe from Teen Titans. THe whole idea of the gang getting into a road race with a gimmick-y villain who insists they be in some kind of vehicle to bet him and get the macguffin is pretty dumb. The tone is muddled, as the show can’t seem to decide whether they want us to take this seriously as an important matter or if it's just a series of wacky hijinks. And neither half of the equation is pretty great.
But I also can’t deny the charm of throwing all your heroes and villains into a Wacky Races-style contest. (Something Batman: The Brave and the Bold would do better with.) I find Ding Dong Daddy and his little colorful gremlin pit crew pretty stupid, but seeing an array of other gimmick villains in their silly cars has a kind of whimsy I can appreciate.
I also love love loved the humor segments with Starfire and Raven. It’s a pairin we don’t get enough of on the show and the two characters play off of one another brilliantly. I got a particular kick out of Starfire’s “Dr Amazing Mungon the Terrible” efforts to be a bad guy to get on the villain bus. But the two are overall far and away the best thing in the episode. (Were that the same could be said for Beast Boy and Cyborg’s antics in this one.)
Then there’s Red X! I seriously wondered if the show was ever going to address the character again before the end of the series. It’s...odd, that this is where they choose to ring him back. It’s mostly a comedy episode, and it doesn't really resolve anything the show set up in his first appearance. But he does save Robin’s behind and get “even” with the boy wonder, so that’s something.
Overall, this is the definition of a mixed bag episode. Its quality changes drastically from element to element and moment to moment. Ultimately, it left me wishing the show had gone full blown comedy with it, rather than taking this semi-seriously.
(As an aside, I feel like not showing the audience what’s in the briefcase is a little cheap after building to it all episode. You’re not Pulp Fiction, Teen Titans; you can’t pull that off.)