Episode 03: Final Exam
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"Who is Slade?"
- Robin
Originally aired: July 19, 2003
Written by Rob Hoegee
Directed by Michael Chang


The HIVE Academy unveils its top graduates: three teenage supervillains known as Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx. But before Slade will hire the new Hive Agents, he requires that they pass one 'final exam' -- they must destroy the Teen Titans. And much to the Titans surprise, the well-organized, strictly-disciplined Hive Agents nearly accomplish their mission. Will our tattered heroes regroup and come back strong -- or is this the end of the Teen Titans?


Lauren Tom as Jinx and Gizmo
Kevin Michael Richardson as Mammoth
Ron Perlman as Slade
Andrea Romano, the show's voice director, provides the voice of Hive Academy's headmistress


First appearance of Gizmo, Mammoth and Jinx.
This is the third episode produced although it is the first aired.


Producer Glen Murakami on FINAL EXAM: Besides action and humor, interaction will be an important part of the series. "Every story has a moral that I think kids can relate to," said Mr. Murakami. "The third episode, 'Final Exam,' is kind of about being bullied. 'Sisters' is about sibling rivalry and Starfire learning about herself. And I think the Titans' problems are something that kids have to deal with."

Producer Glen Murakami on developing Gizmo and Jinx: "We talk about the villains being all adults. We talked about different ways of doing it. I dunno… Gizmo as a little kid seemed funnier. Making them relatable just seemed more interesting. It wasn’t like “Oh, we’re going to change it just to change it.” We wanted to talk about the story and figure out how it works. I think it’s the essence of everything."

"Same thing with Jinx. Let’s make her more goth. It’s this blend of how to make it a little more anime… how to make it a little more contemporary… how to make it more iconic… I think we wanted to make Jinx similar to Raven but different than Raven. It’s a back-and-forth process that – after awhile – I forget exactly why we made a decision."


Gizmo, Mammoth and Jinx are all members of the Fearsome Five, a villainous group that plagued the Titans from time to time. Gizmo was a middle-aged midget, Mammoth was a slow-witted behemoth and Jinx was an elemental sorceress who hailed from India. The Fearsome Five first battled the Titans in New Teen Titans [first series] #3 and #7. Jinx joined later in Tales of the Teen Titans #56-58.

The H.I.V.E. was formed by the H.I.V.E. Master - who gathered together seven other criminal scientists. The H.I.V.E. would try to gain world domination through terrorism and political manipulation. Later, the H.I.V.E. sought to destroy the Teen Titans, who they perceived as a potential threat. The H.I.V.E. appeared in New Teen Titans [first series] #2 and plagued the team until they were finally defeated in Tales of the Teen Titans #45-47.

The H.I.V.E. Recruited a bitter young man, Grant Wilson, and granted him powers. Wilson became the Ravager and tried to kill the Titans. However, Ravager died in battle and the contract he signed to destroy the Titans was taken over by his father, Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke, the Terminator in the comic books). This started an ongoing fued which began in New Teen Titans [first series] #2, and continued in #10, 34, 39 and Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44 and Annual #3. In the cartoon, he is known as Slade.

For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.


This is another episode that suffers a bit from its simplicity. The bullies of the Hive Academy successfully oust the Titans from their tower. The Titans reclaim it. The end.

Beyond its simplicity, Robin's disappearance was handled in a strange way. They wanted to hint that he was presumed dead - but this being a kid's show, they danced around it. And then he later reappears without an explanation. The vagueness of this side-plot served to lessen its impact.

That said, plus points go out to the Hive members Gizmo, Jinx and Mammoth - all who have been 're-imaged' from their comic book personas. Gizmo and Jinx work particularly well - and are actually improved upon. The bookend sequences with Slade also keep the episode grounded - and help remind the viewer there is a more serious threat looming ahead. Without Slade, the episode would have been a typical kiddie-action-toon caper.

Decent episode, but a bit too simple it its execution. The series is still finding its legs. Grade: C+

 
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