#i am the one man ttg defense squad

[jonathanrook]

I've always been hesitant about ttg just because one of my favorite things about the original series is when it got really serious, and ttg just seems like the antithesis of that. What's the draw off ttg for someone who was really attached to the original series?

i originally decided to watch it as a way to kill time and because i’m in love with scott menville’s voice AH-HEM. i’d just finished rewatching the ‘03 series with my roommate immediately after rewatching it on my own time, so i figured, if i was in the mood for teen titans, the closest to new content i’d get was watching go!

but, as i got into the first season a bit more, i realized it’s, at least in the beginning, clearly satirizing the fanbase of the ‘original’ series. the more interested in the fan side of things you are, the funnier it is, imho. it’s less a spinoff/remake of teen titans as it is a riff on interpretations of teen titans. fan theories taken to the wildest extremes and ran with (however, i can only speak for the first two seasons, as that is as far as i’ve gotten).

the most obvious way to explain this is by examining the relationship dynamics in ttg. for instance, a common complaint i see regarding r/obstar in the ‘03 series is that it’s apparently “one sided.” well, if you want one sided, ttg is going to give you one sided. additionally, bbr/ae, which is arguably more popular in fan circles than r/obstar, is heavily played up. it even becomes canon in ttg.

if, in general, you’re not a fan of comedies, you’re probably right in thinking you wouldn’t like it. a lot of the slapstick and “toilet humor” is played up for younger audiences, too. however, references to the ‘03 series and even the comics are frequent and enjoyable. it’s not always laugh out loud funny, and some episodes are pretty bad, but i like it enough.

if you’re gonna watch it, i’d recommend starting with ttg!ttm. it’s a little less goofy than the rest of the series, and since it’s a theatrical release movie, it’s got a stronger plot, too.

if you don’t really have time for that, here’s a list of my favorite episodes to get you started (in no particular order):

colors of raven (return of the famous ‘emotoclones’)

books (which is actually more of a commentary on how over-analyzing stories can detract from their entertainment value, so, fuck me i guess)

in and out (i can’t believe scott did his red x voice for, like, 2 seconds and i cried)

mas y menos (pretty self explanatory)

dreams (contains my favorite joke in the entire series [you’ll know it when you see it])

pirates (aqualad! i love some chaotic wil wheaton)

so far i’ve watched through ‘robin backwards.’ and most episodes have their moments, but those are, as i said, my favorites.