The first half of Titans' fourth and final season concluded with Gar Logan being whisked away into the Red, the extra-dimensional force connecting all animal life in the multiverse and the source of his powers. This plot thread is picked up in the final season's ninth episode, cheekily titled "Dude, Where's My Gar?" and written by series co-creator Geoff Johns, his first writing credit on the show since the Season 3 premiere. What starts as a journey of self-discovery for Gar quickly escalates into a shocking revelation from his past before becoming a full-on celebration of the possibilities of the wider multimedia adaptations of the DC Universe in one of the best episodes Titans has ever had.
After surrendering to the Red, Gar finds himself by a campfire in a remote cave with a strange masked man who knows the truth about Gar's animalistic powers. After ingesting a mysterious elixir, Gar finds himself on an adventure across time and space as he embraces his destiny while setting out to join his friends in their impending final battle against Brother Blood. Along the way, Gar crosses paths with several fan-favorite familiar faces as he learns firsthand just how extensive and far the Red's reach is across this cosmic odyssey as he makes the ultimate ascension into the hero he was always meant to become.
"Dude, Where's My Gar?" lives and dies by Ryan Potter's performance. Fortunately, he is more than up to the challenge as his character learns all the inconvenient truths about himself. Gar has to reconcile with the unresolved trauma from his past, deal with being separated from the Titans in his present, and face his own uncertain future. The spotlight shines solely on Potter, and he knocks the material out of the park, demonstrating an impressive emotional range.
What really makes "Dude, Where's My Gar?" stand out, however, is that it's not-so-secretly a love letter to the wider DCU through Gar's eyes as he delves deeper into the possibilities presented by the Red. Titans had already solidified its place in the pantheon of DC-based multimedia with the Arrowverse's "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and this episode doubles down on that multiversal connection. There is so much going on in the episode's final act that it will leave any major DC fan grinning from ear-to-ear as Gar's cross-dimensional odyssey expands and accelerates.
The most divisive part of the episode is the reinvention of obscure DC superhero Freedom Beast -- not to be confused with B'wana Beast -- who helps Gar understand the nature of his role within the Red. Guest star Nyambi Nyambi does an excellent job capturing all the facets of Freedom Beast. It's just a character that is tricky to pull off for modern audiences; some will appreciate his role here, and others may not. As DC lore is concerned, the presence of Freedom Beast, given his history with Animal Man and the Red, certainly makes narrative sense.
Brother Blood still doesn't quite feel formidable enough to serve as the final antagonist on Titans, but with character-centric interludes as good as this, who really cares? "Dude, Where's My Gar?' is one of the finest episodes of Titans in recent memory and, ironically, only features Gar and Rachel Roth from the main ensemble. There are only three episodes of Titans left and still a lot of ground to cover, but at least Gar and, by extension, Potter -- have been given the space to shine as Titans nears its grand finale.
Developed for television by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti, Titans releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.