DC's Titans Trailer Reaction: 2 Ups And 3 Downs

2. The Unusual Clash Of Styles

The trailer for Titans was surprisingly bleak. We knew to expect darkness from the show, but it's safe to say that none us expected things to get this dark. With its graphic violence and mature language, it certainly caught us off-guard. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Robin is definitely at that frustrating stage in his life where he would be justified in using that kind of bad language, while supernatural powers like Raven's are often the cause of violent attacks. It's all possible and plausible. However, there is another element to the trailer that is much more recognisable and its existence makes the mature themes rather problematic.

Dialogue from the trailer is intended to be illusive and mysterious while being so on-the nose that its not even remotely subtle. This is a lovable trait that we've come to expect from shows of this genre, particularly The CW ones. Furthermore, the reliance on Raven (and the song playing in the trailer) also helps to give the show that YA kind of feel that we were hoping for.

But the problem with these perfectly acceptable tropes is that the violence and mature themes don't really blend with them. It's almost like the series is masquerading as a gritty crime-drama - like Daredevil - when below the surface, it's one of the glossier teen superhero shows - like iZombie or Supergirl. And thus, instead of embracing what it could be, it's piling on the violence for the sake of it.

The trailer suggested that Titans is a blend of two really good potential shows. But in order for it to fully function, it needs to choose one and stick with it. Let's hope it can make the right choice.