Terra begins the episode with an internal monologue, saying that she has done terrible things: having eliminated the Teen Titans, brought an entire city to its knees, and concluding that she has no regret for it (although the way she says it suggests otherwise)
She is patrolling the dusty, deserted city making sure it is clear of the Teen Titans and stationing swarms of Slade's robots everywhere when suddenly the Titans appear and ambush her. Terra tries to fight back but she is overwhelmed as they attack from all sides with an unrelenting ferocity. Left with no other option, Terra retreats to another part of the city. Slade berates her for fleeing and commands her to stay and fight. The Titans hone in on her location and resume the attack. Despite her best efforts, Terra is effortlessly defeated. She calls Slade for help and he sends Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus to the scene, where they fuse into a gigantic hulking monster named Ternion. Terra runs back to Slade's hideout, thinking she is safe, but Slade begins to beat her savagely, saying she has failed her mission. It finally dawns on Terra that Slade never actually cared about her, and tells him that it's not too late for her to walk out the door. However, when she tries to rip her suit off, she discovers that it is fused to her skin. She then tries to leave, but the suit becomes fully integrated into her nervous system, giving Slade complete control over her actions.
The Titans continue to fight Ternion and Slade's minions, and they eventually bring the monster down. Beast Boy slips away during the fight to go after Terra, unaware that the rest of his team is tracking him. He arrives in Slade's underground base and witnesses Terra being tortured. She begs him to kill her, saying "Isn't that what you came for?". Slade attacks Beast Boy through Terra, who has resigned herself to his control. Terra continues to plead with Beast Boy to destroy her, while he insists that she is strong enough to take control and that Slade has never had any hold over her. Beast Boy successfully dodges Terra's attacks until she catches him in a rockslide, trapping his foot and pinning him in place.
Slade forces her to move in and finish him off. Beast Boy implores her to fight back, saying she can still do the right thing. Terra solemnly replies that it's too late. The other Titans arrive as she forms a pointed rock to finish him off. The Titans beg her not to do it and poise to attack her. Beast Boy tells her that it's never too late to change, and Terra earnestly apologizes to Beast Boy for what she has done.
Terra then turns on Slade, effortlessly driving him back. They fight one on one until Terra unleashes a vicious wave of earthly energy on Slade shouting out, "You can't control me anymore!" The attack sends Slade flying backwards into a pool of lava below, ending his rule over the city, temporarily. Unfortunately, the power of Terra's attack awakens a volcano powerful enough to annihilate the entire city. Beast Boy approaches her and asks her to come with them and evacuate the city before the volcano erupts, but she says that she's the only one who can stop it. Beast Boy says it's too late, but Terra smiles and quotes him by saying "It's never too late." She puts her arms around him and they share one last loving embrace before she tearfully tells Beast Boy, "You were the best friend I ever had." She then pushes him away towards the exit on a rock. The Titans escape and Terra gives a scream as she absorbs all her power and manages to stop the volcano, but in the process turns herself to stone. The next day, the Titans visit the site where she stands as a statue and put a plaque saying "Terra. A Teen Titan. A True Friend." They all vow to bring her back...someday.
The title refers to the aftermath of "Terra", "Titan Rising", "Betrayal", and "Aftershock (pt.1)" and later, the events of the entire episode (Terra's "death"). An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. This relates to Terra's powers to control and move the earth.
Continuity
Though it is never confirmed, Terra may have been freed from her stone form following the events of The End - Part 3, as Beast Boy finds a girl who looks, behaves, and sounds like her, and discovers her stone tomb empty in Things Change.
Goofs
Throughout the episode, Terra's Slade insignia changes from black on orange to orange on black.
In the scene where Terra is surrounded by the Titans who are shrouded in fog, Beast Boy's wolf form growls, even though his silhouette is changed back to his human form.
Before the Titans leave the chamber so Terra can stop the volcanic action, Raven shields herself from a magma burst with an energy construct. When she does this, the aura is a rippling white, similar to when she uses her healing powers.
Terra's suit is completely attached to her skin, and she is unsuccessful at trying to remove it when trying to pull her "shirt" off near her neck. However, when Terra and Slade start fighting, he grabs her underneath this "shirt", with his fist all the way underneath it and his fingers appearing over the part at her neck that she couldn't pull off. This is likely due to Slade's brute strength being far superior over Terra's.
In a far-away slightly angled view of the Titans walking to Terra's statue with her in the scene, it appears that there is already a rectangular stone board at the top part of the rock she is on before Beast Boy puts the board there.
Towards the beginning of the episode, when Raven takes Terra in her soul-self's claw, the bird-like soul-self's eyes are red instead of white or black. This likely symbolizes Raven's anger and hate at Terra's betrayal.
Robin's left sleeve is red instead of green.
Memorable Dialogue
Terra: (narrating) My name is Terra and I have done horrible things. I have sworn to serve a dark master. I have obeyed his every command and committed crimes in his name. I have betrayed and attacked everyone who used to be my friend. One by one, I have destroyed the Teen Titans. And with no one left to stop me, I have brought an entire city to its knees. My name is Terra. I have done horrible thing and I have absolutely no regrets.
Beast Boy: (finds Terra kneeling on the ground, crying) Terra? Terra: Destroy me! Quick! Beast Boy: What? Terra: Come on! Isn't that what you came for? Do it! Now! Beast Boy: Terra? (the suit makes Terra send Beast Boy flying)Slade: Forgive my apprentice. As usual, she can't seem to control herself. So from now on, I will be controlling her every move. (Terra tries to hold back Slade's control over her suit, but couldn't as she attacks Beast Boy. Beast Boy tries to attack Slade but Terra under his control keeps attacking Beast Boy)Beast Boy: What have you done to her? Slade: Nothing she didn't want me to. Terra came to me seeking control of it. And that's precisely what I've given her: my control, her body. (Beast Boy stares angrily at Slade for what he did to Terra) I think you'll find I make far better use of her powers. (Slade takes control of Terra and makes her attack Beast Boy) That's my good little girl.
Slade: (after Terra traps Beast Boy's leg under a pile of rocks) Very good, my dear. Now, shall we finish him off? (Terra walks stiffly towards Beast Boy as he tries to free himself. Terra's hand glows)Beast Boy: Terra, no! Terra: (straining to hold back) He's too powerful! I can't stop him! Beast Boy: Yes, you can! It's your power, not his! You can still control it! You can still do the right thing! Terra: It's too late. (Terra forms a huge stalactite in an attempt to kill Beast Boy) Robin: (Just as Terra is about to kill Beast Boy, Robin and the other Titans step in the scene) STOP!!!! Slade: Strike, apprentice! Now! Robin: (poses to attack Terra as does Cyborg and Starfire) Terra, no! Raven: (comes up behind Terra and poses to attack her) It'll be the last thing you'll ever do! Slade: I gave you an order! Do it! Starfire: Please, Terra, no! Cyborg: Don't do it! Don't do it! Robin: Listen to us, Terra! Cyborg: You're not playing around here! Raven: Fight it! Starfire: You're still our friend! Robin: You don't have to do this! Starfire: We want to help! Beast Boy: It's your life, Terra. Your choice. It's never too late to change. Terra: (finally begins to regret her actions) Sorry, Beast Boy -- for everything I've done. (Beast Boy looks sadly at Terra, realizing how sorry she is for the wrongful things she's done. Terra then hurls the stalactite at Slade and flies off the fight him. Cyborg runs up to Beast Boy and frees him)
Slade: (beats up Terra) You've failed me, apprentice. I ordered you to eliminate the Titans. You did not. I commanded you to fight and you ran. Terra: (gets up) You can't treat me like this! Slade: Can't I? (smacks her) Who else would have you, my dear? You've done horrible things. Unforgivable things. Where else could you possibly go? Terra: Anywhere but here! I'm sick of fighting and I'm sick of you!(tries to take off her suit)Slade: You'll find that quite impossible. The suit's neural interface is integrated into your nervous system. Into your skin. It's part of you and so am I, Terra. Terra: (gasps) No! Slade: You've chose this life, apprentice. It's too late to change your mind now. Far too late. Terra: But it's not too late for me to walk out the door. (Terra turns and tries to leave)Slade: I'm afraid it is, my dear. You see, you no longer have any control within the matter. (activates a button on his arm. The suit begins to control Terra. Terra tries to resist the suit's power but fails when it made her walk back to Slade) You promised to fight at my side forever, and that's a promise I intend to make you keep.File:TeentitansAFTERSHOCK2c.jpg
Starfire: (About Terra) She seems quite scared. Raven: Scared isn't the same as sorry. Robin: I don't care how she feels. Terra's a dangerous criminal and she has to be stopped. Beast Boy: She will be! I'm gonna make sure of it! Cyborg: (scanner beeps) Got her locked. She's heading east.
Terra: (Realizing that the Titans are still alive) No! I destroyed you! You're all...
Terra:(Beast Boy in wolf form growls viciously at her) Beast Boy! Beast Boy! Stop! Aren't you even going to talk to me? (Beast Boy continues growling at her) Cyborg: There's nothing left to say. Starfire: You attempted to annihilate us! Raven: Did you think we wouldn't take it personally? Robin: It's over, Terra! (Terra flies off)
Terra: (fleeing from the now merciless Titans) Slade, help! I can't do this alone! Slade: Dear child, you are never alone. (As Terra escapes, Overload, Plasmus, and Cinderblock emerges from the ground and fuse into one gigantic monster, Ternion)Cyborg: And I thought they were ugly before. Robin: (having no choice but to fight Ternion instead of going after Terra) Titans, go! Terra: (makes it back to Slade's hideout) Slade, I made it! I'm alive! I can't believe they almost beat me! Slade: (angered at Terra's cowardice and failure of destroying the Titans, Slade begins to attack her abusively) That was nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you.
Beast Boy: (after saving Cyborg from one of Slade's robot minions with his T-Rex form) Where's Terra? Cyborg: What's the matter? A robot army and a giant franken-thingy not enough for you? Beast Boy: I don't care about them! I want Terra! (ferociously attacks one of the robots in his gorilla form. Cyborg becomes shocked at Beast Boy's behavior and Beast Boy runs off to find Terra)
Robin: (tosses one of his explosives in the air) Raven, now! (the explosive explodes and the robot army is destroyed. Raven uses her powers to shield her friends from the explosion)
Raven: (after the Titans defeated Ternion) We're gonna need a bigger jail. Starfire: Where is Beast Boy? Robin: (checks his Titans communicator) Five kilometers east and eight-hundred meters below the surface.
Terra: (Beast Boy pins her down in his gorilla form) You have to stop me Beast Boy! Please! I don't want to fight anymore! Beast Boy:(reverts to his orignal form) Then don't let Slade control you anymore! Terra: I have no choice. Beast Boy: That's a lie! You've always had a choice! (Slade regains control over her and makes Terra send Beast Boy flying backwards. Beast Boy then gets up) It's all been your choice! You chose to work for Slade, you chose to betray us, and now you've chosen to give him control. Slade isn't doing this Terra, you are! Terra: No! (continues to fight Beast Boy while under Slade's control until she traps his leg in a pile of rocks)
Slade: (Angered with Terra's betrayal, Slade charges at Terra ready to attack her) You ungrateful little....
Terra: (As Slade picks her up and is about to finish her off, Terra's hair expands and her eyes glow) You can't control me anymore!!!!!!!
Robin: (After Terra used her powers to send Slade to his firey doom in the lava pit, the place begins to erupt) Terra's power! It's triggered a volcano! Cyborg: (Looks at his scanner) Big enough to take out the whole city! And WAY too big to stop! Raven: (Uses her dark powers to shield her friends from the lava) We have to get out of here! Beast Boy: (The Titans begin to retreat, but Beast By turns around to get Terra to come with them) Terra! (Terra floats down in front of Beast Boy) Come on! We gotta go! Terra: I have to stay.(The place continues to fall apart) Beast Boy: No! Terra: I'm the only one who can stop it. Beast Boy: Please, Terra! You can't! It's too late! Terra: It's never too late. (hugs Beast Boy as she says good-bye and cries) You were the best friend I ever had. (Terra then lets go of Beast Boy and the rock that Beast Boy and Terra was standing on splits in two halves. Beast Boy and Terra watched on with sadness in their eyes as the Titans along with Beast Boy leave. Slade's mask melts into the lava. Terra then uses up all of her powers to stop the eruption from destroying the city and was turned to stone in the process.) AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beast Boy: Her name was Terra. She was gifted with tremendous power and cursed with it as well. She was a dangerous enemy and a good friend. And she was one of the bravest people that I have ever known. Starfire: (places a boquet of flowers on Terra's stoney tomb) I shall miss you friend. Raven: We'll be searching for a way to reverse the effect. Robin: We'll bring her back. Cyborg: Someday. Beast Boy: (places a plaque on Terra's tomb) I'll never forget you, Terra. (The Titans then turn around and leave. As they left the screen scrolls down to reveal the plaque saying: 'Terra. A Teen Titan. A True Friend.')
