Teen Titans/Final Exam

Final Exam
Season 1, Episode 1
Airdate	July 19, 2003
Production Number	385-903
Written by	Rob Hoegee
Directed by	Michael Chang
← 1x01 Final Exam	1x02 → Sisters
Teen Titans — Season One

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Final Exam is the first episode of the first season of Teen Titans.

Starring Scott Menville (Robin), Hynden Walch (Starfire), Greg Cipes (Beast Boy), Tara Strong (Raven), Khary Payton (Cyborg), Ron Perlman (Slade)

Guest Stars: Andrea Romano (Headmistress), Kevin Michael Richardson (Mammoth), Lauren Tom (Jinx / Gizmo)

Plot Overview

The episode opens with a promotional video from an organization called the H.I.V.E. Academy for Extraordinary Young People. The H.A.E.Y.P. trains future supervillains, and the presentation showcases their top students: Gizmo, a mechanical genius; Jinx, a lithe magician; and Mammoth, a musclebound heavy. The video is narrated by the academy's headmistress, and the presentation is directed at Slade. Slade agrees to hire the students, but only if they prove their competence -- by destroying the Teen Titans.

In the operations room of Titans Tower, Cyborg and Beast Boy are searching for the TV remote, which Cy accuses BB of losing. The two argue over who lost it, much to Raven's annoyance. Robin and Starfire enter the room; Robin tries to calm them down, while Starfire heads to the refridgerator. All the food inside is rotten, however, and when some of the mold rears up threateningly at her, she retaliates with a starbolt, showering the Titans in blue muck. Robin suggests that they go for pizza instead.

At the local pizza place, as the team argues over toppings, the HAEYP students put their plan into action. Jinx causes a the brakes on a nearby bus to fail. The bus hurtles downhill; waiting at the intersection is a baby carriage. As Cyborg and Raven bring the bus to a halt, the others rush to the carriage. Once the bus is stopped, however, Cyborg sees that it is empty. Meanwhile, Robin notices that the carriage contains only a teddy bear. Suddenly, Gizmo's voice comes over a speaker in the bear, and beams come from its eyes, blasting the Titans away. Meanwhile, Mammoth picks up the bus and brings it down on Cyborg and Raven.

As the HAEYP students are celebrating their victory, Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire emerge from the alley where they landed, and Cyborg blasts the bus off himself and Raven. The two teams proceed to go at it. At one point, Gizmo attaches a rocket to Cyborg's back, and Starfire goes after him. The other Titans steadily lose ground, until a combined attack by the academy students cracks the street wide open. Robin falls screaming into the fissure, as Raven and Beast Boy can only look on.

Beast Boy and Raven return alone to the tower, dejected over the loss of Robin. After having searched everywhere for him, all they could find was his utility belt. Cyborg and Starfire arrive soon afterward, having been delayed by Gizmo's attack. Cyborg berates himself for having let Gizmo take him from the fight, while Starfire demands that the team continue to search for Robin. The Titans are interrupted by a knock at the door. Starfire, overjoyed, flies over to the door -- but it explodes in her face, revealing the HAEYP students, there to finish what they started.

The Titans scatter to defend the tower. Gizmo uses a holographic projector to fool Cyborg long enough to jump on his back and hack into his systems. Mammoth takes down Starfire and Raven, and Jinx causes the ceiling to collapse on Beast Boy's head. All four Titans are ejected from the tower, and Jinx causes a tidal wave to crash down on them. Defeated and irritable, the Titans make it to the opposite shore. Cyborg has lost a mechanical arm during his fight with Gizmo, and his other systems are malfunctioning from the damage. Starfire offers to help repair him, but is angrily rebuked, touching off an argument among the Titans. Suddenly, Robin comes up behind them and assures them that all is not lost.

The HAEYP students have started converting the T-Tower into a H. Inside, Gizmo has mounted Cyborg's arm on the wall. Jinx is trying on Robin's belt and one of Raven's cloaks, and Mammoth is helping himself to the moldy food. While Gizmo rummages through the tower's CD collection, Cyborg's arm, under his remote control, sneaks over to a computer console and activates the intruder alert. When Gizmo goes to investigate, the arm grabs him with several metallic tentacles and uses its rocket boosters to drag him away. A huge black hand grabs Jinx and pulls her through the ceiling, and a starbolt knocks Mammoth through a nearby door.

On the roof of the tower, Raven's "soul self" rises through the roof, depositing Jinx (without Robin's belt) on the way. Cyborg's hand drags Gizmo out through a vent, and Mammoth smashes through a door. The Titans, newly regrouped and energized, do battle with the HAEYP students. Gizmo leaps onto Cyborg's back, trying to hack him again, but Robin throws a device onto his electronic backpack, shorting it out. Beast Boy, as a monkey, jumps onto Jinx's face, causing her to fire wildly, bringing a section of tower down on her. A combination of attacks from Robin and Starfire sends Mammoth flying, and he lands on the other two students, ending the fight. Gizmo attempts to contact Slade, and Robin demands to know who they are working for.

In Slade's headquarters, the headmistress apologizes for the students' poor performance, and promises that they will be punished for their failure. Slade, however, replies that the students have served their purpose -- the Titans are aware of Slade's threat.

Notes

Comic Book Parallels

• Gizmo was an adult, though still a dwarf, in the comics. Jinx was an Indian elemental sorceress whose powers had nothing to do with luck.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Slade: Although he doesn't appear to the Titans personally, they learn his name and that he has some kind of vendetta against them.

Characters

• The other Titans are not yet able to fight effectively without Robin to lead them.

Trivia

The Show

• What Academy?: In the comics, HIVE stands for Heirarchy of International Vengence and Extermination. However, it seems that it has been shortened into just the word Hive for the show because the coat of arms says H.A.E.Y.P. or "HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People."

Behind the Scenes

• Continuity: This episode originally aired first, but it was meant to be third in continuity.
• Andrea Romano, the casting director, cast herself as the HAEYP headmistress.
• Kevin Michael Richardson played the Joker in "The Batman" and General Wells in "Justice League Unlimited", as well as minor roles in "Superman: the Animated Series", "Batman: Gotham Knights", "Batman Beyond", and "Static Shock".
• Lauren Tom played several minor roles in "Superman: the Animated Series", "Batman: Gotham Knights", "Batman Beyond", and "Justice League Unlimited".

Quotes

• Cyborg: Well, how am I supposed to watch TV without a remote?
  Raven: Simple. You just get up and change the channel.
  Cyborg: Don't even joke like that.

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