If you're going to borrow, borrow from the best - and Titans season 3 does exactly that by taking heavy inspiration from The Dark Knight's iconic interrogation scene. Now streaming on HBO Max, Titans season 3 begins with Jason Todd being killed by The Joker and transforming into Red Hood the very next episode. Under this new supervillain persona, Jason begins a reign of terror over Gotham by forcing innocent civilians to don red hoods themselves and commit crimes while their loved ones are kidnapped. Red Hood blackmails the various criminal gangs of Gotham City into compliance, and soon becomes the prime target of both the GCPD and the Titans.
One of Red Hood's pawns - a mother and marketing consultant called Anne Williams - carries out a bombing, then asks for Nightwing when she's taken in for questioning. Commission Barbara Gordon promptly gives Dick Grayson a call, and Nightwing suddenly appears in the darkened interrogation room, startling Anne as he appears from nowhere. Dick starts asking the right questions, but Anne only reveals a phone number and a fresh scar upon her left forearm. The GCPD call the number, and this triggers an implant placed in Anne's arm by Red Hood, forcing the prisoner to snap her own neck in agony.
Many Batman fans would've noticed the clear parallels between this Titans season 3 scene and The Dark Knight's interrogation between Christian Bale's Batman and Heath Ledger's Joker. Similar to Anne Williams, the Joker is taken into GCPD custody as part of his grand plan. Joker was clamoring for an audience with Bruce long before his capture, meaning both he and Anne seek a superhero parlay instead of a traditional police interrogation. The real similarity between the two scenes, however, is the Caped Crusader silently appearing in the interrogation cell behind Joker, taking him by surprise as he slams the villain's head into the desk. Titans riffs heavily on this for Nightwing's entrance (though Dick obviously stops short of slamming an innocent woman into a table). Both scenes also move from dark to light as their respective heroes emerge from the shadows. The two rooms are shrouded in black until Batman/Nightwing make their presence known, after which the lights turn on brightly.
One final element Titans borrows from The Dark Knight's interrogation sequence is the phone call. In the HBO Max TV show, the GCPD call a number that activates a drug delivery system under Anne's skin. In The Dark Knight, Joker uses his one legally permitted call to trigger a cell phone bomb crudely sewn into the stomach of a fellow prisoner. Alongside Nightwing's ninja-like arrival and demanding to speak to a hero rather than the cops, it's clear that Titans took more than a dash of inspiration from Christopher Nolan's classic showdown between Bale's Batman and Ledger's Joker.
Undoubtedly a great Easter egg, the Nightwing-Bale comparison serves to further one of Titans' slow-burning storylines in season 3. Before departing Gotham City, Bruce Wayne told his first Robin to "be a better Batman," and Dick has been grappling with the meaning behind this mission statement ever since. In Batman's absence, Dick Grayson is rapidly assuming his mentor's position as Gotham's protector, and by directly comparing his Nightwing to Christian Bale's Batman (who was in his prime in the middle installment of the Dark Knight trilogy), Titans subtly shows viewers how close Dick is to reaching Batman's level. Certainly, he's got the "sneaking up on people in an interrogation room" part of the job description down perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment