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"Masks" is the ninth episode of season one and the overall ninth episode of the Teen Titans series.

Synopsis[]

Slade is back again and he has his sights set on gaining microchip's for his newest plan. Robin also has his sights set on catching him and figuring out what he is up to, but this causes him to isolate himself from the team. However, the Titans soon gain more problems as a new villain by the name of Red X shows up and he appears to be working for Slade. Will the Titans figure out the identity of the mysterious Red X or is there a bigger surprise in store for them.

Plot[]

One night, a thief wearing a uniform whose markings and style match Slade's approaches a pedestal holding a computer microchip, only to find the Teen Titans waiting for him. But the culprit has brought backup, and in the ensuing struggle the thieves manage to get away with the microchip, despite the Titans' best efforts. As they split up during escape, one of them is caught by Robin and Starfire; but as Robin proceeds to questioning him, he has to find out that this Slade lackey is really a robot. Once again, Slade mocks Robin through his robot commando, raising his ire even more, and tells him to be patient, as they will soon meet face to face.

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A new villain enters the scene

Back in Titans Tower, the Titans are having a discussion about what had just happened. Starfire invites Robin to join in, but he declines saying that he is too busy about finding information about Slade. Starfire persists in inviting him, but Robin departs, brooding. A few nights later, the Titans are hiding on the rooftop of the company building. Robin calls Cyborg and claims that he is on the far side, picking up a lead, and asks the others to handle the security job without him. Soon afterwards, a supervillain in black and a red X mark appears, grabs the computer chip and then disappears from the vault. The Titans face him, but the mysterious villain, calling himself "Red X", takes out the Titans with uncanny ease and a precise knowledge about their weaknesses and then teleports away into the night.

When the Titans return to the Tower, they meet Robin, who says his lead on Slade was a dead end and walks back to his room by himself again. Starfire tries to approach him but once again gets rejected. Soon afterwards, Red X calls up Slade and offers the stolen chip in return for a partnership, but Slade instructs him to recover two additional computer chips first before there can be any further negotiations.

Masks (250)

Robin's cover exposed

The Teen Titans are about to go to sleep when Robin contacts them, informing them that he has spotted Red X stealing a computer chip downtown. The Titans hurry to the location, where they see Robin chasing and getting netted by Red X. The Titans chase Red X to a subway station, where the villain engages them in combat. Strangely, during the fight Beast Boy falls onto the subway rails and is about to be overrun by an approaching train when Red X inexplicably saves his life before departing, leaving the Titans thoroughly puzzled.

When the Titans once again return to the Tower, they try to pinpoint X's next target. However, the search filters Raven enters calculates that there are literally two dozen potential targets. Starfire walks to Robin's room and requests that they talk. Nobody responds, so she enters. When she accidentally bumps a small metal ball lying on a table, it falls to the ground and projects a holographic image of Robin being trapped under Red X's net; it is then that Starfire realizes what had been going on with him lately. Meanwhile, Red X once again contacts Slade, who expresses his satisfaction and agrees to a meeting to discuss Red X's future. When the transmission is finished, Red X takes off his mask, revealing himself as Robin.

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More alone than ever

Red X once again sets out to steal the final chip, but after he nabs it, Slade appears and reveals that he had always known that Red X was really Robin. Right after this revelation, Slade grabs the chips and the other Titans crash in, going for Red X first. Robin unmasks himself, giving his teammates a major shock, and chases after Slade while a large platoon of robot commandos appears and surrounds the Titans. Robin chases Slade across the rooftops and engages him in combat, with Slade all the time taunting Robin about his obsessive drive to catch him and having now broken the trust of his friends. Robin finds himself outclassed, but Slade strangely seems reluctant to let Robin come to harm. Finally, Robin manages to overpower Slade - only to discover that this, too, is just a robot, leaving him back at square one and worse.

Later, Starfire visits Robin in his quarters to try and understand his motives after the other Titans reprimanded Robin. He justifies his actions by arguing that he could not tell them his plans for fear that they would not play their parts convincingly. When he bitterly states that he still has not found out anything about his opponent all the same, Starfire replies in sad solemnity that there is something Robin and Slade have now in common: that they do not trust anyone.

Characters[]

Main characters[]

Supporting characters[]

Villains[]

Credits[]

Trivia[]

  • When Robin catches up with robot Slade, the billboards behind them says "Read comics" in Chinese (Traditional) characters. However, the first character (看) has an extra stroke at the top.
  • When Robin wears the X costume, he becomes taller.
  • This episode is seen having a major point, in Robin being a type of enigma, not 100% good or evil, showing him having a dark side that he always tries to keep suppressed.
  • It is entirely possible that Slade never actually wanted the chips for anything, and that the tension the team felt throughout the episode was part of his plan to psychologically break Robin and push him into becoming his apprentice.
  • This episode foreshadows the events of Apprentice by having Slade trick Robin.

Title[]

  • The title refers to Robin masking his identity as Red X.

Continuity[]

  • This episode features the first appearance of the Red X costume, and the only time in which Robin dresses up in the costume. The suit makes a reappearance in the episodes "X" and "Revved Up", in which it is worn by an unknown user.
  • The red microchip at the beginning is 3D animated. This is one of the few episodes to use 3D animation.

Cultural references[]

  • As Beast Boy says, "All work and no flicks makes me a dull Beast Boy.", it sounds like in the movie, The Shining. His story says, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
  • When Beast Boy suggested the second video Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids for the team to watch, that movie is clearly a spoof of Godzilla, all the way down to his trademarked roar.
  • When Red X introduces himself to Slade as he said, "X. Red X.", the way it's said is a reference to the famous "Bond... James Bond." Red X in and of itself is kind of an odd name... It's what you see when a picture doesn't load on the internet. It's some nice symbolism, even if it is hard to explain well...

Goofs[]

  • When Starfire goes to ask if Robin would like to join her and the rest of the team in watching a movie on the couch, her top is not colored in, more specifically when he declines in joining them.
  • After Robin tells the team that he went to the library and saw Red X, when Cyborg grabs Beast Boy's shirt, there is no circuitry in the blue part of his arm.
  • When Robin first releases the hologram of himself caught in a net shouting "I'm fine! Get X! Go!", the hologram is pointing on the general direction Red X ran. However, when Starfire accidentally sets off the same device in his room, both of "Robin's" hands are on the ground.
  • When Robin says, "I'm fine. Get X. Go," and they go to the shot of the Titans, Raven's hood is down.
  • When Robin walks in while the Titans are trying to locate where Red X will attack next, the bottom half of Starfire's legs are missing.
  • When the Titans find out Red X is Robin, and Cyborg grabs his cape of the Red X costume, Robin tells him to let go so he can catch Slade. When Robin gets to Slade, he was in his regular 'Robin' clothes instead of the Red X costume.
  • When Robin knocks Slade over, and he lets go of the chips, there are two blue ones and one red one, but no green one.
  • After Robin said "This ends now!" and pulled the mask off of the Slade robot, the four Titans already appeared and they are right behind the Boy Wonder.
    • It's unknown if the Titans already defeated and destroyed Slade's robot henchmen.
  • As Beast Boy was giving chase on the Titans' first encounter with Red X, his protruding tooth turned blue for a short moment.

Gallery[]

Titans GO
Click here to view the gallery.

Transcript[]

ForReal37
Click here to view the episode transcript.

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