Snowblind

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"Snowblind" is episode fifty-seventh of the Teen Titans series and the fifth episode of Season 5.

Synopsis

While in Russia, the Titans face off against a radiation monster that is terrorizing a local town. The monster is extremely dangerous as the Titans aren't even able to touch it. Starfire goes off alone to track it down, but becomes lost a snowstorm, luckily she is saved by a man who goes by the name of Red Star. However, Red Star has dangerous powers that aren't controllable and that has forced to isolate himself so that he may not harm anyone. Could Red Star possibly be the monster the Titans are searching for?

Plot

In Northern Russia, a figure cloaked in green approaches a bear caught in a trap and frees it. The hunters responsible for the trap chase the mysterious figure to the edge of a cliff, where the mysterious person warns the hunters that he doesn't want to hurt them. When they ignore him and attack him, he glows red and explodes with energy.

The Teen Titans arrive in their T-Ship in response to a distress signal and find a devastated town. A local retired general, Raskov, reveals that one of them, an "abomination", has caused the destruction. Some of the locals are wary of the alien Starfire, who assures them the one responsible will stopped. The Titans see a glowing red energy-burst in the distance and rush there to investigate. As they fly there, an energy burst takes the T-Ship down. They spot the attacking figure in a snowstorm and close in on him, but despite their initial best efforts, are blasted aside effortlessly. Raven enshrouds them in a black dome to shield them, winning the Titans a brief respite, but the figure blasts it apart soon after. Cyborg picks up radiation levels that are off the scale, but Starfire deflects the next blast, informing the other Titans that she's immune to radiation. She pursues the figure into the woods and is soon lost in the snowstorm. Robin wants to go after her, but he knows that there no chance of finding her.

Starfire is trying to make her way through the storm, but is soon brought to the ground where the freezing temperature take their toll on her. The green-robed figure comes to her aid. When she awakens she finds herself in some kind of factory. Starfire is unable to contact the others and the man shows up, introducing himself as Red Star. He also informs her that she is free to leave any time she wishes. Red Star, however, has to confine himself to a glass-lined radiation chamber and is trapped there.

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The stranger rescuing an unconscious Starfire from the blizzard

While the Titans search the area, Cyborg picks up a radiation signal and they track the signal. They soon at a stream full of green radioactive isotopes. Knowing that the radioactive isotopes will lead them to Starfire, the Titans follow the stream back to its source.

Red Star warns that he is filled with radiation, but Starfire assures him she is immune to radiation, so he invites her in. Starfire tells him that she and the others were sent to find the creature, but Red Star reveals he is the creature, although he hasn't been out of his complex. Starfire is skeptical of this and leaves to find the Titans, but she can't make out anything in the storm. She returns to the complex, where she and Red Star share a dinner together. During their meal, they are interrupted by a proximity signal. Red Star advises them to stay inside and he seals down the complex rather then go out and face the dangers outside. Starfire confronts him over his cowardice and Red Star reacts, then runs off to a containment chamber to release his energy into two storage jars.

Red Star decides to release her and opens the complex, where the Titans are waiting outside. They come in and share a meal, where Red Star explains how he was a soldier chosen as part of an experiment to create perfect soldiers. The experiment succeeded, giving him increased stamina and musculature, but he soon began to glow with radiation and he had to contain himself in the facility. Red Star reveals that he has stored all of his excess energy into jars and that there is a chamber filled with storage jars in the complex.

They're interrupted by the proximity alert and the radiation creature breaks into the facility. All of them attack but the creature is resistant to their long-range powers and they can’t touch it without harming themselves. Starfire pleads to Red Star to help them and when the creature goes for Beast Boy, Red Star attacks it. However he is overcome with pain while his energy builds up again, and goes into the containment chamber to bleed off the radiation. The radiation creature feeds off the storage jars, growing even larger and renewing itself. The creature then flees into the night, with Robin revealing to the others that there is a leak in the complex and the creature was created in the green isotope stream.

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Red Star releasing his energy and exploding in space.

Red Star regrets his causing the situation but Starfire suggests that he needn't worry but instead embrace his power and become what he was meant to be. Red Star directs them to some snow mobiles he had built and they head off into the storm to catch the creature. The radioactive monster is attacking the nearby town but Red Star is reluctant to proceed. Starfire convinces him to go in, although the villagers are afraid of him, General Raskov tells him to leave, but Starfire defends her friend and reminds the general it was him to authorized the experiment that made Red Star what he is. General Raskov reluctantly accepts Red Star's help as the creature heads for their power plant. Red Star engages the creature while the other Titans hit it from a distance, but the creature sends them flying with an attack. Red Star tries to hold the creature off but it begins to go critical – Starfire manages to grab it, shattering its outer body and causing a massive release of energy.

Red Star destroys the creature but he is altered, overflowing with energy. Starfire has no choice but to take him into space and launch him out into the cosmos. A few seconds later Red Star, happy that he has finally found brief companionship, explodes with the energy trapped inside his body. Starfire returns to the village and hopes that Red Star may return one day.

Characters

Main Characters

• Red Star (debut)
• Starfire

Supporting Characters

• Robin
• Cyborg
• Beast Boy
• Raven

Villains

• Radiation Monster (debut)
• Professor Chang (flashback)

Others

• Raskov

Trivia

• It is revealed that radiation cannot hurt Starfire.
• The hat that Beast Boy was wearing was called an "ushanka" and is traditionally made of rabbit or muskrat fur. So, if he was looking for a fake fur hat, he didn't get his wish.
• Red Star's story is very similar to Terra's in Season 2: both have a destructive power they can't control, both are distrusted because of it, and both end up being destroyed by their power to prevent it from hurting anyone else.
• In this episode, all of the Titans (except Starfire) have cold-weather outfits.
• Raven creates a much bigger force field in this episode. She also shows us the inside of it, which is very dark.

Continuity

• Despite being able to withstand the extreme coldness of space at the end of the episode and in ""Transformation", Starfire freezes when caught in the blizzard.

Cultural references

• While in the nuclear power plant, Red Star offers Starfire a bowl of Pokhlebka. This is a traditional Russian soup made with barley and several vegetables, the most common ingredients being potatoes and cabbage.
  • Starfire likes Pochlebka, but not Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. It is not shown whether or not Robin likes it.

Gallery

Click here to view the gallery.

See also

Snowblind (Transcript)