Titans S3E2 Red Hood, breakdown with Easter Eggs

Titans S3E2, Red Hood Episode breakdown with Easter Eggs

Do not proceed if you haven’t watched yet. Spoilers ahead, you are warned.

Episode 2: “Red Hood”

This episode is all about Red Hood rasing havoc in Gotham City and using clues and tricks to play people. While Batman is out of comission after killing the Joker, Nightwing tries to uncover the Red Hood’s Identity and stop his games. Meanwhile, the Titans enter Gotham City.

Jason Todd as Red Hood

In this episode, we see Jason Todd fully embracing his Red Hood persona. The viewer gets their first look at him in the full Red Hood costume. The Episode opens at Hobbs, where a bunch of Mob leaders are surrounding a table wondering who called the meeting. Then, a dufflebag drops onto the table, with the command, “Open it.”

The scene is a direct mirror of the comics of Red Hood.

Red Hood makes his entrance, guns blazing demanding they take him seriously. Jason then makes them a proposition that sounds almost as similiar as one the Joker would make but with less chaos.

Red Hood: “All your number-twos are in there.”

Who the f*ck are you?

“I’m the guy you want on your side. I can protect you.”

From the Bat?

“Batman’s gone. I retired him. Check the sky every night. No more Bat Signals. The nightmare’s over. Any problems with cops or other masks, I take care of it from now on. It’ll cost you 40% of what you make. And trust me, you’re about to make a lot more.”

Hank’s Whereabouts

On the other hand, Hank is working in Washington DC as a bicycle cop . After quitting his job as the hawk because of his drug addiction to numb the pain. Then, Hank has this hilarious exchange with another cop.
How long you been on the force?

How long you been on the force?

You ask a lot of questions, Tod-with-one-D.

No, I… It’s just funny, you know. You show up a few months ago, nobody knows from where, people are whispering… IA?

I’m not IA. I was with a special branch of law enforcement before this.

Like Secret Service?

I was a bird, Tod. A big, red bird with latex talons and a composite beak-like helmet.

This scene shows Dove doing a bust with Hank. Somehow, they still are partners from time to time, even though Hank gave up the suit. Still in love with her, Hank asks her to coffee which she rejects as he reminds himself, “Oh yeah, the broker.”

Yes, Joker is dead.

Female reporter on TV: Late breaking news: Confirmed by several sources, the man who terrorized Gotham for a generation, known only as “the Joker,” is dead. He was brutally murdered last night in Arkham Asylum. Prison staffers have unofficially speculated the assailant was the Batman, but police have yet to confirm.

Assuming that Dick must know more than he is offering, Barbara and Dick have a conversation about Bruce murdering the Joker:

Barbara: last night, Bruce’s jet took off. Changed IFR in mid-air. Nobody knows where he touched down. Except maybe you?

Dick: ( scoffs ) I wish I did.

BarBara: What happened?

Dick: I was asleep. Bruce came into my room and dropped a bloody crowbar on the floor. Said it was over with him and the Joker. That he ended it. Then he said he was done with Gotham, the Bat, all of it. Told me to be a better Batman.

Barbara acknowleges how insane that sounds and tries to convince Dick that Batman is using that to keep him in gotham. But, Dick counters that he’s’ not leaving until he discovers what Jason was up to. Then, he informs her that he’s bringing the Titans in.

Titans arrive in Gotham:

male reporter: Arriving from San Francisco, the Titans have been spotted in Gotham City just one day after the Joker was murdered in Arkham Asylum. The Titans did not answer questions, but sources say that the timing of their appearance is not coincidental.

Dick rallies the Titan Troops to Wayne Manor as he takes on the role as “Batman” and leader of the Titans. Then, as he asks for their help, He warns them, that they aren’t in San Francisco anymore.

Dick: “I should warn you, you’re not in San Francisco. This city breeds a special class of criminal. People die here. Not just regular people. People like us.”

Wayne Manor Easter Eggs

Back at the manor, Beast Boy, Connor, and Starfire explore their new temporary quarters. Beast Boy examines the books which he notes one by Carl Jung and the second by Marxist Aurelius.

Starfire sees the Flying Graysons poster and a contract that Bruce drew up for Dick.

Red Hood: “I Need to Talk to Nightwing

Then, Jason reaches out to Dick as Red Hood drawing him out with a note scribbled on chess paper. Using Anne Williams, he carved the following number on her arm: 735-720-2660. (If you call it, comment with what happens)

When Dick has them call the number, a drug swarms her veins from a mechanism inside her arm. Instead, of dying from the poison, she snaps her own neck.

Jonathan Crane, Profiler Advisor to GCPD

Barbara informs Dick that they have been using Jonathan Crane best known as the Scarecrow as a profiler and that he has been helpful. So, he enters Arkham Asylum to see him and test his helpfulness. Then, Scarecrow discovers that the paper is on chess paper and that it was the Birds opening strategy which sets Dick on his way.

Birds Opening

Chess movement in which the king moves in while the pawns sacrifice themselves so that he can advance. Red Hood thinks himself to be the King and made it clear that it’s just the start where he will sacrafice whatever pawn he needs to for his own gain.

Since he deliberately used this as a way to communicate to Dick, Dick commands everyone to find out bird street names. Further, hoping to track a location as the use of bird wasn’t coincidental since both were robins to Batman. The Titans began to list off the street names and examine the location for clues. Blue Bird Way (Nightwing), Condor Court, Finch Street, Falcon Way, and Eagle Crest.

Hobbs Gambit Defense

Chess defense to Birds opening. While, discovering the Birds opening move, Dick and Beast Boy realize they needed to explore defenses to the move. Thus, a name that stuck out to Dick was Hobbs for Hobbs Power Building, where Red Hood made his episode opening.

Dick convinces Barbara (using their history as her weakness) to go in to the bank where a heist was occuring with the idea that Red Hood was using parents to exploit their love for their children.

While the others were inside, Beast Boy and Connor look outside and find the children. As a result, Dick thinks they have this one solved. But, then, Connor discovers the parents. Now, they know they are dealing with a street gang that cannot be reasoned with. The bandids are able to escape. Realizing that he was played by Red Hood, Dick goes after him and in their fight Robin vs. Robin, Dick discovers his identity. Red hood is Jason Todd. Jason was alive.

–DC Comics