Brother Blood
Rachel and Kory are back at S.T.A.R. Labs, considering their options after losing Sebastian. They’re worried about what to do about their current situation, and given that they’ve now lost Sebastian, that’s not good news. However, Sebastian is actually in the process of transforming, with Mother Mayhem enticing him to drink from the Well of Blood, with a number of flashbacks to flesh out more of Sebastian’s backstory and upbringing in the process.
The Titans cling to a thin shred of hope, wanting to make sure the ritual hasn’t begun yet. However, Conner is all badass baldy now, after shaving his hair off and determined to track down the Cult himself. Conner’s big idea includes finding and killing the Cultists. The others remind Conner they’re not in the business of killing but he’s having none of it, seeing it as the best course of action. Although Mother Mayhem is not one to be trifled with, Conner’s sudden heel turn is quite surprising given it’s happened out of nowhere.
Gar has returned to being a human, but his biology is still not right and he’s still experiencing frightening visions. In fact, he’s hearing voices in the hallway, specifically that of Conner before he’s actually said the words. He’s also given some advice too, “When the tower splits in half, go to the Red.” ..
Lex Luthor is turning more and more into Lex Luthor this episode. We are told this from some of the characters. Lex comes up with the idea of turning the LexCorp satellites and reflecting light onto the moon, preventing the Blood Moon ritual from going ahead. It may just be crazy enough to work, but it is!
Dick speaks to Conner and points out that this isn’t the end. Conner is getting a bit cocky and Dick confronts him about his sudden attitude change. Conner calls them all useless and fractures the team, and even starts being rude to the employees too. He figures out where Mother Mayhem and the Cultists are hiding, thanks to a hacking attempt on the mainframe, and heads out alone. Dick speaks with Conner about his recent attitude changes. He points out that this isn’t the end, but Conner is getting cocky. Dick decides to confront him about it, but Conner breaks away from the team and goes on his own to find Mother Mayhem and the cultists. ..
Back in the lair, Mother Mayhem manages to convince Sebastian to drink from the Well, with all these flashbacks working to contextualize just why this will make him become somebody rather than nobody. Unfortunately this is unbeknownst to the Titans, who band together and work to stop Mother Mayhem and the others. However, Conner gets there first and walks right into a trap, because of course he does!
Dick Grayson and Lex Luthor engage in a brutal fight that leads to Conner tied up and knocked out. The rest of the Titans figure out where Conner is being held, but Kory has a feeling that everything could go wrong. In her visions, she’s been seeing a little girl with a red balloon. ..
Jinx and the others make it inside the Cult but unfortunately, Jinx is stabbed for her efforts by Mother Mayhem. Kory’s powers are easily thwarted too, but with White Raven there – thanks to an earlier power-channeling session with Kory – the pair find their efforts are all for nothing.
Sebastian drinks from the cup, sending a massive shockwave reverberating around. He’s done being a nobody and now intends to embrace his destiny. “My son, you’re finally home.” Mother Mayhem whispers, as Sebastian drops into the Well.
The Episode Review
Overall, the writing in this novel has been a bit of a mess. Conner’s sudden evil turn came out of nowhere and the entire plan with Mother Mayhem hasn’t had great build-up. The sudden shift for White Raven, not to mention the numerous flashbacks for Sebastian, should have been a much bigger part of earlier chapters. ..
It’s disappointing because some of this season has had great ideas, especially that involving Gar being given more urgency, Rachel’s more mature stance and Kory’s visions taking shape, to name a few. Beyond that though, most of this first half has felt a little lazy and this mid-season finale confirms as much. However, there’s plenty of time to fix this and hopefully the second half improves. ..
