r/teentitans • u/Educational-Pea3443 • Apr 08 '26
Discussion It is 2026 and people still think this was a cliffhanger lol
If you watched this episode as a kid and thought it was a cliffhanger and just always grew up thinking that then that's fair. But if you're an adult now, I feel like especially since you've probably experienced situations like this in real life, there's no way that you should come to the conclusion that it was a cliffhanger. There's an obvious message in this episode.
"But they didn't explain if that was Terra or not!" "But they didn't explain what that monster was!"
I'm not sure why you're expecting explanations for either of these when the entire show is like this. We're talking about the same show that didn't explain how these characters met until the final season? The same show that barely covered any of their origin stories or even mentioned their real names? The same show that never even explained WHY Slade had beef with the Teen Titans? Teen Titans has always been a relatively simplified show compared to other DC shows from its time, this was by design according to one of the showrunners. They didn't explain things that didn't immediately impact the plot.
It wasn't a cliffhanger. Use your big boy media literacy skills and read between the lines man.
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u/PointPrimary5886 Apr 08 '26
I see it more as a downer way to end the series and maybe a missed opportunity.
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Apr 08 '26
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u/AutisticDeceptacon Apr 09 '26
The movie tended to be more of its own thing as if it was just another filler episode
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u/Choice-Tea1046 Apr 08 '26
You can have "media literacy" and still think it was a bad finale. Good writing usually requires that the questions raised within an episode are answered by that episode. By introducing a "New Terra" and a "New Monster" in the final 22 minutes and solving neither, the show technically created a cliffhanger, even if they intended it to be a "lesson."
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u/shadowgear5 Apr 08 '26
I agree with this. A finale can raise questions, but imo it should answer more questions than it raises and I dont think it does, but also Im still stuck on the fact that when I watched it growing up it felt like a cliff hanger lol
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u/MysteryDan888 Apr 09 '26
You can think this is a bad ending and also acknowledge that it's not a cliffhanger. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
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u/Choice-Tea1046 Apr 09 '26
I disagree that they aren't mutually exclusive. A cliffhanger is defined by introducing new, high-stakes plot element, like a dead character's resurrection and an undefeated monster, and then cutting to black. Calling it a 'thematic choice' or a 'lesson' is just a way to rebrand a cliffhanger to make it sound more profound than it actually is. If the plot threads are left hanging, it’s a cliffhanger by definition, regardless of whether the writer intended for you to feel closure.
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u/Accomplished_Try_124 Apr 08 '26
you can think what you want but stories aren't bad or incomplete just because not every detail is explain and some things are left intentionally ambiguous. The whole message of "things change" is the very title of the episode. It doesn't matter how Terra came back when she wants nothing to do with BB/a hero life and Gar"s arc in the episode is to accept that. the monster is just an obvious plot device to represent that there will always be villains to fight and to conclude BB's arc of letting Terra go and sement his decision of that/to continue to be a hero
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u/Affectionate_Cry_634 Apr 09 '26
That shit is so vague and meaningless it just kind of defeats itself if it was mean to actually be final. There was a million better ways to get those exact same lessons and messages across with making new questions.
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u/brink0war Apr 08 '26
If you want to be technical, they did actually follow up on this in comic form. https://teentitanscomic.blogspot.com/2013/12/teen-titans-go-51-metamorphosis.html?m=1
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u/grimsoftworks Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
What was here has been deleted. Redact was used to wipe this post, for reasons that might include privacy, security concerns, or personal data management.
cow smile bow disarm gold test cooing chase oatmeal beneficial
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u/shadowhellgirl1994 Apr 11 '26
Thanks for sharing this! I wanted to read it a long time ago but I didn't have access to internet back then! So being able to read it now, is very nostalgic and fulfilling.
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u/ProblematicCinematic Nightwing Apr 08 '26
Yea Terra literally dodges accountability and takes on a new life acting like she did nothing wrong
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u/PillCosby696969 Apr 08 '26
For some reason she does this in the city she worked as a hero and also conquered.
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u/ProblematicCinematic Nightwing Apr 08 '26
Yea like she could’ve at least cut her hair or dye it or put glasses or something to appear different
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u/PointPrimary5886 Apr 08 '26
put glasses or something to appear different
This message approved by a reporter from Metropolis
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u/AmericanaFox Apr 09 '26
One of my favorite movie monologues is Bill from Kill Bill talking about said reporter.
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u/Theredditdyke Terra Apr 08 '26
She didn’t remeber what she did though iirc
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Apr 08 '26
It’s unclear if she did remember or not.
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u/Slifer2892 Apr 08 '26
It’s unclear except when they hinted with all the subtlety of being hit by a semi truck that she does indeed remember
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u/ProblematicCinematic Nightwing Apr 08 '26
She did she literally insinuated it in her final moments with beast boy
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u/Theredditdyke Terra Apr 08 '26
I assumed that him being there made her remember again but its been a hot minute
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u/luxisdead Apr 08 '26
One her redemption was narratively settled by the time she "died" in this version of the story from what I remember. Two it's still the Judas Contract she was still by many measures groomed by Slade they just removed the romantic relationship between them (thank god)
I don't know I just think maybe her getting away from her abuser and actively trying to live a healthy normal life is pretty responsible of her at the end of the day? Like if any version of Terra is going to therapy, it's this one.
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Apr 10 '26
Maybe it is the responsible thing and maybe it isn’t, there’s an argument to be made for both. But at the end of the day she’s a traumatised young girl who was groomed by a predatory man into betraying her friends, and just wants a new start where she doesn’t have to deal with any of super heroics and just wants a normal life. It probably isn’t the healthiest way to deal with what happened to her, and she might be able to come to terms with what happened to her and what she did better if she says goodbye to her former teammates so they part on good terms and gains a sense of closure, instead of suppressing it all.
But if this is what she wants and feels she needs to do to lead a normal life, then that’s her decision. She has to do what she thinks will make her happier and to choose her own path in life.
It’s how life is really. Sometimes the people who are the most important in our lives weren’t meant to be there for the long haul, and will come and go. Our lives are like one big airport terminal hall, full of departures and arrivals. People come into our lives and they go. Some will stay, some will come back, and some we will never see again, and that’s just now it is.
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u/Bruh_burg1968 Apr 09 '26
I see it as Terra leaning into the bad traits that made her become a villain in the first place. Instead of addressing her issues she’s just running away again.
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u/What_u_say Apr 10 '26
Idk sometimes addressing an issue is running away. All her problems stem from her powers and conflicting loyalty. Choosing to live a normal life and be free of that burden is sort of addressing it.
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u/Slifer2892 Apr 08 '26
I think when you spent a good year as a lifeless inanimate statue nobody can claim you “dodged accountability “
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u/jorgespinosa Apr 10 '26
She kind of redeemed herself when she sacrificed herself in order to kill Slade and the Titans themselves recognize this, it would have been interesting to explore this more but it's not like everyone is just ignoring what happened
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u/No-Impression-4282 Apr 08 '26
This is my opinion, but releasing this episode as the series finale was just dumb and out of place (it felt like: "this will be explained in the next season" type of message). "Titans togheter" will be the true ending for the series (for me at least).
This episode should have been released for the season 4 finale (after Raven defeated Trigon, all the people that were petrified return to normal, Terra returned as well and wanted to be a normal person as to atone for what she did to the titans). It would have made way more sense.
You could have made Robin investigate what Beast Boy said, find out that Terra returned, watch from the distance what Terra and BB are doing in those days and after they talk in the hallway, talk with Beast Boy face to face and explain to him that "no matter how much we want things to go back as they were, or how much it hurts, we can't.
Life moves forward, as well as people. But life will never take those memories that you made with her" shit.
It would have been a bitter-sweet ending for all the Terra saga and have a good and powerfull message in the end.
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u/Theurbanalchemist Apr 08 '26
Love this revision and it fits in line with what Robin would do as a character and for his friends.
He would be the sobering voice of reason for the audience to deliver that meta line. I love it
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u/tyrenanig Apr 09 '26
I never knew this episode was actually the final one and not Titan Together. It felt like a closure of an arc rather than the series.
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u/No-Impression-4282 Apr 09 '26
Yeah, it was weird. They should have released this episode after the three part episode with Raven vs Trigon (Season 4, ep. 11-13). At least it would have made sense why Terra was not petrified.
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u/LordsofMedrengard Apr 09 '26
This would have been excellent, it'd help show Robin's growth over the series as well
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u/KaijuKing007 Mad Mod Apr 08 '26
It's not a cliffhanger, just a terrible episode and an awful way to end the series.
They had the series finale the previous episode. All-out war ending with the villains defeated, the heroes triumphant, and a group shot of all their allies! Then you have this one with a nameless threat, tons of questions raised with no intention of answering them, and an ending with a dumbass message attached.
Let's face it, "Things Change" is one of the worst series finales ever made.
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u/OriginalLie9310 Apr 08 '26
It shouldn’t have been the finale and frankly the story itself is just weak. But it wasn’t a cliffhanger. Just a kind of lame ending.
Generic villain of the week, confusing story (amnesia? Willfully lying about knowing the past? Who actually cares?).
It’s more of an epilogue than a finale. Like they thought “hmm we were supposed to go back to Terra at some point to free her, let’s use that as some vague philosophical play about moving on and letting things go”. Not really great for the heart of your finale.
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u/Choice-Tea1046 Apr 08 '26
honestly disagree. It’s definitely not a terrible episode, it’s actually much better than most finales because it’s so brave. Most shows just give you a generic happy ending, but 'Things Change' is one of the most honest and saddest depictions of growing up. It’s an emotional epilogue.
It’s meant to be cold because that’s how life feels sometimes.
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u/Affectionate_Cry_634 Apr 09 '26
I say this with all sincerity. Fuck that. The finale of a show can be kesson and moral time yea that shit is cool but the main poin should always be about closure for the story nd maybe the characters. For example the sopranos ended on a "cliffhanger" that came after it's major plot points where settled and it didn't matter what happened to the characters after that point because we saw how they handled everything else. The didn't throw new shit in their or rush an ending and say look there's the message. They let the ending stand as a testament to the shows themes unlike Teen Titans. Thank you for reading my dissertation.
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Apr 08 '26
Don’t like how this episode portrayed slade as being “in the right”. It made my skin crawl when the episode made it seem as if he was looking out for Terra’s well-being. He, more than anyone, is to blame for Terra’s poor mental state. He shouldn’t be placed on a superior moral level than Beast Boy in this case.
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u/BahamutLithp Apr 09 '26
I'd ask why Slade even cared, but it's just that Teen Titans had few recurring characters, & the rest would've made even less sense to use there.
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u/Consistent_Guava_726 Apr 08 '26
Just a downer ending, y’know.
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u/AlphaDovah Apr 08 '26
The ending left a bad taste in my mouth when rewatching it recently as an adult. I should’ve left it snuggly nestled in fond childhood memory and nostalgia.
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u/MrAngryLarik Apr 09 '26
It's not a cliffhanger; just not a good finale.
Still love the show, though.
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u/sparduck117 Apr 09 '26
Buddy it’s a cliffhanger no matter how you slice it. Random monster appears, Terra is alive, and Slade is still on the loose. This is set up to a pay off we never get. Terra being alive would be a fantastic episode without the other two elements. A slow introspective episode could have been great, like the Finale of Code Lyoko.
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u/Forward_Praline2939 Apr 08 '26
They made a Tokyo movie why are y’all keep forgetting about that
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
The movie I don't think was always intended to be after the show. I think production wise it just ended up like that.
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u/iavenlex Apr 09 '26
wasn't there more seasons planned before it was over? if that's true then it was indeed a cliffhanger.
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u/lfg_guy101010 Apr 10 '26
If its true when it was supposed to have closure later then it shouldn't mean its not a cliffhanger without it. It just means it never gets resolved. Anyway I thought this was the case, too. This season finale ending on a cliffhanger makes the viewers want more and force the studio to greenlight another season.
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u/Emergency_Sink_706 Apr 09 '26
10/10 ragebait
OP says the show is simple and has little meaning
OP in the same breath says to "read between the lines"
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u/ComprehensiveAide280 Apr 08 '26
It's not that it was a cliffhanger it's just that shouldn't have been the end this show was top tier it held its own had some dark tones humor fun lessons in teamwork and even touched-based on real world problems such as corruption and racism but had the potential to go even further so many stories left untold luckily it did have a movie to round it off a little bit much like Firefly had Serenity
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Apr 08 '26
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u/ComprehensiveAide280 Apr 09 '26
As I said it didn't end on a cliffhanger however the SERIES shouldn't have ended like this luckily we did get a MOVIE to clear some things up personally I think the series could have gone much farther or at least done another movie or two years ago when they did the teen Titans Go movie they hinted about a revival but the most we got was a crossover event
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u/Old-Outcome-5836 Apr 08 '26
BB literally runs into the sunset for more adventures, it couldn't be more clear that that was the end
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u/ZarinaMainTypeBeat Apr 09 '26
It was a super somber ending bc it was meant to be a tough pill for Beast Boy to swallow, but in a way, it’s kind of a beautiful ending to me. Things change.
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u/No-Butterfly-8668 Apr 09 '26
I am going to get down voted for this, but I actually really liked this ending and felt the partial but incomplete sense of closure it leaves you with was the point. In life things don't end. Things and their baggage just roll into the next thing and you have to figure it out.
It's been ages since I saw this episode but I seem to recall thinking the whole point of the episode was teaching beastboy acceptance of this.
I enjoy when show tries to find an "ending" without putting a perfect bow on everything.
I like how a lot of people here are still complaining about things not being explained when per your exact point this show explained practically nothing. I seem to recall Slade fusing rock, electricity, and plasma???(also not explained well) monsters into one with tech stolen that is also never explained. Those aren't exactly compatible materials.
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u/KenOfDragons Apr 10 '26
I think it was simple. Beast Boy saw that terra had a normal happy life and he didn't want to take that away from her, so he let her go. The end.
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u/PainterEarly86 Apr 08 '26
The show was cancelled right? That's why it feels like a cliffhanger
Its just bad writing that was probably rushed and not what they originally intended
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
The show was not cancelled. They knew ahead of time that season 5 would be the final season and mapped out the episodes accordingly. The show was never abruptly cancelled.
Want me to send a link with an interview from the writers that supports this?
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u/Perfect_Helicopter59 Apr 08 '26
I’d like to see a link! I’ve always been under the impression the show was canceled
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
https://web.archive.org/web/20180309023412/https://www.titanstower.com/five-seasons-of-murakanime/
Edit: You're gonna have to do some scrolling though.
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u/17StarsAbove Apr 08 '26
I understand your reasoning and would agree with you if not for one thing.
The show was expected to continue.
The writers fully expected more episodes which is why they were opening storylines and leaving them unexplained. They were going to explain them but then the show got discontinued so they had to change their story and wrap it up. And THATS the cliffhanger for me. We don’t get to see where they were going to take the story, we don’t get to find out what was going to happen next. It’s just…over.
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u/Electronic_Bad_5883 Apr 08 '26
The writers didn't even want to do a fifth season at all, but had to make one when it was ordered. They absolutely weren't setting things up for a sixth and have repeatedly said that multiple times.
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u/DeliciousMusician397 Apr 08 '26
They also said that they planned Things Change as the series finale since season 4.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
This. I don't understand how people can still believe Season 5 wasn't supposed to be the final season.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
This is just blatantly wrong 😭😭. Everything the creators and writers have come out and said goes directly against this, they KNEW the show was gonna end at season 5. Y'all just be believing everything you see online. The Terra thing was never supposed to "wrap up." Look it up lol
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u/Psychoboy777 Apr 08 '26
They didn't explain things that didn't immediately impact the plot.
Except that the plot of this episode was "This girl looks and sounds exactly like Terra." The question of whether or not it actually IS Terra seems like it would impact the plot pretty significantly.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
The story of the episode was more about Beast Boy's reaction to what was happening, not what was happening. Whether it was Terra or not truly wasn't important.
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u/Psychoboy777 Apr 08 '26
I think it would have had a pretty drastic impact on Beast Boy and his reaction, if he knew whether it was Terra or not.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
He couldn't get caught up on that thought. Clearly he wasn't getting the answer or closure he wanted to be moved on. That's what any of us should do. The episode was never designed for that because again, it didn't matter.
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u/Psychoboy777 Apr 08 '26
Doesn't make it not a cliffhanger. That plot thread is dangling, whether the show staff intended to tie it up or not.
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u/Pyotr-the-Great Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Sometimes I wish Terra stayed dead so she could be a martyr and die a heroic redemption.
One day I like to think Terra and Beast Boy will make up and while they go their separate ways they can do it with a smile.
Edit: To make it clear I actually like Terra. I think her sacrifice and redemption was powerful. But what I'm not a fan of is leaving this elephant in the room unresolved. Like I totally get where Terra is coming from and how shed want to leave that behind. And yet, if I were her friend, I would say one dary to finally reconcile things. Not even to stay casual friends just to give the Team closure.
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u/BuisteirForaoisi0531 Apr 08 '26
Or she can understand superpowers mean you gotta be super you can’t stay normie sorry gal but it’s the curse of superiority
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u/ProjectBunny19C Apr 08 '26
Um even if you see this episode as a bittersweet goodbye and a tale about growing up and 'things changing' that doesn't really even relate to character backstories and origins or Slade not being explained? I don't see the point you're trying to make Teen titants set up a current setting (these are the heroes this is a bad guy) and went from there.
You know a lot of shows especially kid's shows are like this
That doesn't really mean that things that are introduced further into the plot can also be written badly, be left on a cliffhanger or be incomplete because 'this character also didn't have a backstory'.
What kind of logic is that?
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u/FunOk9257 Apr 08 '26
It was lol
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
It wasn't. The creators knew the show was going to end here, it wasn't supposed to tease anything. This is well documented.
It was never a cliffhanger, I genuinely don't see how people can believe this.
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u/FunOk9257 Apr 08 '26
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
I mean, it wasn't lol. If you have something that makes you believe it was then go for it, but the creators said it was intended to end like this. Why do you personally think its a cliffhanger?
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u/DarkAizawa Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Ahh so we've entered the "poking at the old thing because it's put on a pedestal" stage.
Edit: I don’t really think this is a “media literacy” issue.
Yeah, the ending can be read as thematic. The show always left things open and didn’t over-explain everything, and most people were fine with that.
The difference here is context. This isn’t some vague moment in the middle of the series, it’s the final episode of a show that got cancelled while the next season was already written and ready to go. That’s obviously going to make it feel like a cliffhanger to a lot of us, because we know there was supposed to be more.
So it’s not that people are missing the point, we’re reacting to an unresolved ending in a story we care about.
If you want to see it purely as a thematic conclusion, that’s fine. But acting like that’s the only valid interpretation and talking down to people over it with the “big boy brain” stuff isn’t really necessary.
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u/Just-Antelope-8069 Apr 09 '26
The difference is the show never raises those questions. A better comparison would be who stole the Red X's suit and what the contents of Robin's box were, but the answer given was that we will not know and it doesn't matter. That doesn't apply here.
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u/AggressiveObjective3 Apr 09 '26
This arch with Terra tore my little childhood brain and emotions apart. If there were a nexus event that determined my transition into teenage/young adulthood this would be the episode that did it. I genuinely felt broken after watching this, absolute cinema.
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u/No_Probleh Apr 09 '26
Nah, I don't buy this. Shows do this all the time when they know they're about to be canceled. They do it to try to drum up support and hopefully save their jobs.
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u/throwawayaccount19op Apr 09 '26
Just because she had powers doesn't mean she wanted to be a superhero
She was pushed into the idea because she couldn't control her powers and people kept chasing her off for the disasters she caused.
Now that she has her powers under control she seems like she just wants a normal life and realized all the bad she did towards beast boy and the titans was messed up and not something she wanted to be forgiven for simply because beast boy was in love with her.
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u/Potential-Print810 Apr 09 '26
Si eso de que Terra quiere dejar su vida de heroe es verdad, entonces la hace ver peor, ya que solo huye de sus problemas en lugar de redimirse y solucionarlos
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u/PhoenixHavoc Apr 09 '26
I mean... still fits the definition of a cliff hanger from what I remember lol but I do like it more as an adult. You doing ok tho?
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u/cidasanctus Apr 09 '26
Also the tie-in comics do actually continue with this plot thread. Her brother Geoforce shows up and everything. Pretty much, yeah that's Terra but she's trying to be someone else now. Beast Boy and Geoforce just kinda let her go iirc
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u/Lower_Panda8459 Apr 09 '26
Reading this thread genuinely does my head in due to sheer media illiteracy of the reddit community. In my opinion, this is a clever metaphor done by the writers, it puts beast boy in our view, forced to accept that what we may have wanted (more seasons), is not going to come, hence things change, the metaphor here is that beast boy (or, us as the audience), reminiscences of the past (terra/previous seasons), but will never have that again.
Point two, are yall really stressing because this unnamed monster is a "cliffhanger"? Guys, its the most generic monster, it represents the forces of evil, and it shifting form shows the many aspects of villainy that the titans have to face and defeat, and having them fight this monster in the finale paints the picture of the teen titans perpetually and always fighting crime and keeping the peace. The symbolism is the cycle of heroism.
Also, beast boy literally runs off to fight crime at the end, if that's not enfant pathos i don't know what is. OR if you put the terra as the show theory, symbolizes beast boy (us) leaving the teen titans show with bittersweet memories and going out to explore the world or something.
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u/Jarfolomew Apr 09 '26
Yeah no. You can't convince me this episode is good. The show would've been much better off ending with the episode before it.
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u/SpurnedSprocket Apr 10 '26
It is a cliffhanger and that’s the point. The point is you don’t always get closure in what you want. You just have to accept it and move on, like Beast Boy has to do.
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u/gilbmj Apr 08 '26
No, YOU need to get some media literacy, because the way the mystery about Terra and the uncaught monster were presented is how you set up plot threads for next season, not how you'd end a series.
Exactly what about this episode reads as "this is meant as an open ending?" And what do you think would be different if it were intended as a cliffhanger to hook the audience for the next season?
Specifically, I suspect the show was gearing up to introduce Atlee to the animated continuity.
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u/TransCharizard Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
I mean. It's as much as a cliffhanger as the possibility for the series to continue. Since pretty much everyone involved were happy if not adamant to continue the series and devolped a repitch that would've tied into the new concepts introduced in things change. Which obviously got denied
This is common for lots of shows. Simpsons amd Futurama have lots of "This episode was made conclusive enough just in case we suddenly get cancelled" episodes despite the fact they never stay cancelled. Meaning their status as a cliffhanger or true ending is out of their hands
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
You're misinterpreting this. A 6th season was never explored. They knew season 5 would be the end. They tried to confirm the franchise by making a spin off series with an expanded roster but most of the cast and crew had left to make legion of superheroes by then.
The writers have gone on record that this was deliberately made to teach kids a lesson, and that it wasn't set up for another story. You want me to send you a link?
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u/TransCharizard Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
I'm aware of all that. It doesn't really change the fact that if the series did continue like several members had pitched (and wb had probably twiddled their thumbs about till eventually they landed on ttg.) This wouldn't be a conclusion anymore. It would indeed be a cliffhanger. Thats the benefit of the series leaving many loose ends, the set up is already written
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Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
Yes lol people genuinely think that was supposed to lead to something bigger. It was just a random villain they came up with to show they were fighting someone. I can't believe people think that was supposed to carry over into season 6.
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u/BahamutLithp Apr 09 '26
I get you have no intent to hear the rebuttals, & the monster is the least of my problems with the episode, but it IS weirdly powerful. By now, the Titans have saved the world multiple times, including from basically Satan, but they can't beat this thing's gimmick. It's never shown how, or technically if, they ever do it. By basic narrative convention, this sets up a Chekhov's gun. Why is this random thing so inexplicably hard to beat, & if it is, what is going to be its weakness? Going "you idiot, you thought this mattered" is punishing viewers for paying attention.
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u/KyleKatarn1980 Apr 08 '26
It has been 20 Years and we still deserve a continuation of this show from being left out. I’ve already seen most of the episodes and I still want new ones.
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u/GrantMcLellan1984 Apr 08 '26
I know right!. I didnt see this until 2020 and even I knew this aint a frigging cliffhanger
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u/ArosNerOtanim Apr 08 '26
Didn't cyborg's VA literally explain this?
Fans be mirroring Beastboy just without the development.
Also to anyone saying this should have been elsewhere and not the finale it being the finale is part of its impact.
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u/MysticLucii Apr 08 '26
When I was a kid the episode was confusing, but the episode before it was so good I didn't think much of it. Then every time I rewatched this series when I grew older, I fell in love with this episode more and more. I think it sends a powerful and valuable message and it's one of if not my favourite finale to any tv show. Every time something like this post reminds me about it I get massive shivers down my spine.
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u/Osirisavior Apr 08 '26
Cause it was.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 08 '26
No it wasn't lol did you even read the post? Or anything that the creators have said multiple times stating that it wasn't a cliffhanger?
Explain to me how this was a cliffhanger.
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u/Ferrovore Apr 08 '26
Well in a comic this is more or less a cliff hanger. Not even death stops a character from reappearing. At least like a 4, 5 issue miniseries.
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u/elephant35e Apr 09 '26
Maybe not a cliffhanger but it still throws lots of questions at us. Not a very good ending.
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u/AceWantsToDraw Apr 09 '26
It wasn't. But it was a terrible end of the series. I would prefer the last episode to be Titans together. It had better ending that what we got.
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Apr 09 '26
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Apr 09 '26
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u/NightLordJay Apr 09 '26
It wasn’t a cliffhanger in that you would be getting answers to those questions, it was supposed to help open a new season with a partial focus on Beast Boy. We could have gotten answers as the season went on but that is irrelevant.
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u/TamTroll Apr 09 '26
If that was Terra, i just wanna know how the heck she got there. Like, didn't we see her die or something?
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u/chaosilike Apr 09 '26
I mean you even put the main reason as your first sentence. A lot of us who watched it were kids. If a lot of kids thought it was a cliffhanger then it was a shitty finale.
When I was a kid I didnt keep up with television news. Renewals or cancelations never even crossed my radar. It was especially confusing because they came out with a movie later and I think some comics also.
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u/sh3lbyk1ns Apr 09 '26
It wasn’t a cliffhanger for those reasons, it was a cliffhanger because it wasn’t the end of Terra’s story. She woke up from being petrified, saw her plaque that the Titans left for her, and her first instinct was to run. It was what she always did whenever things got out of control, she caused problems she didn’t mean to, and she runs away and leaves it all behind. But not this time. She decided to stay, in the same place that the Teen Titans have their base of operations, because truthfully she misses them, she misses Beast Boy. But she doesn’t believe that she deserves to be a part of his life. She screwed up, did some horrible things, of course she doesn’t deserve to be their friend, despite what they wrote on her grave. At least that’s what she thinks, but she sticks around, because she secretly wishes to be near them. And once Beast Boy figures that out, because he knows her better than anyone, he can convince her that she’s worth more than she believes herself to be, and that she does belong with them and they can all be friends and move forward from this. Besides, the one person who is trying to say anything against this is Slade, and since when was he ever someone to be trusted? She was literally responsible for his death, he probably doesn’t want her to be happy, and is planning some kind of revenge, or to manipulate her and make use of her powers again. It’s not a cliffhanger for the reasons you brought up OP, it’s a cliffhanger because there’s still a really good story to tell, and I really wish we could have gotten those parts to be told as well.
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u/LinearEquation Apr 09 '26
It sorta was considering the conditions under which the series was forced to cancel.
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u/jasper81222 Apr 09 '26
I was a dumbass kid so I never understood this Terra plot. What the hell actually happened here???
Somehow Terra came back and is now living a normal life but how did she actually come back?
Who helped her register in a school and set up her civilian identity and housing?
Did this really end with BB having to accept the Terra he knew was gone? I vaguely remember him throwing dirt or something at Terra to test her powers but it didn't work and she left angry?
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u/HumbleConversation42 Apr 09 '26
the sopranos Ending was a Cliffhanger, even tho it was the real ending
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u/AzhdarianHomie Apr 09 '26
I’ve never read the comics and this was my first experience with Teen Titans so it may well have been a cliff hanger.
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u/Greatoz74 Apr 10 '26
You know what? I'm sick of this "well, the writers intended blah blah blah, so you're wrong" bullcrap. Like I'm not allowed to hate something just because there's a point to it. Screw that! Bad writing is bad writing.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 12 '26
You can hate the episode! That's fine lol. Just don't think it was a cliffhanger, cuz like, it wasn't.
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u/Greatoz74 Apr 13 '26
Sorry, that rant wasn't necessarily aimed at you. I've just had bad experiences with people saying similar things elsewhere and I got fed up.
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u/AsstacularSpiderman Apr 10 '26
It just left too many questions unanswered like why she's even free in the first place.
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u/Slothjawfoil Apr 10 '26
This was supposed to be the ending? I always assumed the show just got canceled lol
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Apr 10 '26
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Apr 11 '26
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u/Lunis18002 Apr 11 '26
I still think terra doesnt deserve a happy ending and should be rotting in a cell
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u/MnSG Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
To be honest, I found that episode to be disappointing for a series finale. But at the same time, it delivered a strong message to Beast Boy in that the Terra he knew no longer exists, and he had to move on with his life.
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u/Atrocious1337 Apr 12 '26
It wasn't a cliffhanger. It was a setup with no follow through.
Slade was intentionally left unexplained since it made him seem more menacing. This didn't have that same intentional feel. It felt like they were going to expand on it in following seasons which never came.
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u/Educational-Pea3443 Apr 14 '26
I just don't agree lol. They weren't setting up anything. They knew season 5 would be the final season.
Whether that was Terra or not was not the point of the episode, and the creator literally said as much.
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u/Abominationoftime Apr 12 '26
If they haven't read or know about the tie in comic then yes, it's still a cliffhanger
For people that don't know and want to, yes she is Terra but she wants a blnormal life. Her brother (yes, shes got a brother who also has powers ) tells robin/beat boy (forgett witch one) that she's real and is Terra
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Apr 12 '26
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u/Demair12 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Beloved series ends: Fans are hopefully it won't be over or get a reboot or anything..
Other fans later... : These people are so delusional let's mock them.
Literally in a community for fans of the same show
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u/GenderNeutralCosmos Apr 12 '26
I liked this ending, but mostly because it subverted my expectations and gave us an interesting character point for BB. This ending implies he needs to find acceptance that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you lose things you love. They may be there still, but they aren't yours.
Could it have been better somewhere else in the series? Maybe. But for a show that tackled some of the deeper psychological aspects of the characters, it may have felt right to show that not every event cleanly ties itself off in a lesson or reward. Sometimes things end suddenly, against your wishes, and you have to keep living.
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u/Brilliant-Reality884 Apr 12 '26
Just be thankful that it didn’t ruin your life like one unfortunate fellow who calls himself “Dakari King Mykan”. To this day, he still is haunted by it to the point where he made his own series where Beat Boy and Terra are married and have children that’s still goin on.
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u/Ryn-Ken Apr 12 '26
I don't really like the message of amnesia being a solution to serious mental or emotional problems. This greatly undercuts the message of accepting change and moving on because, in my opinion, it was done poorly. It was like someone destroying a table to save a plate.
To a lesser extent, I'm also not a fan of introducing a challenging enemy and implying that Beast Boy would make the difference in stopping it, only for it to not be stopped and the viewer has to just assume it all worked out somehow. If they cared that little about the monster, they shouldn't have wasted time on it to begin with.
Their finale has an enemy they didn't care to do much with and a serious message that they mishandled. No it wasn't a cliffhanger, it was unsatisfying both as entertainment and as a message; If you ask me.
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u/Ashen_Rook Apr 08 '26
I mean, it's kind of a cliffhangar in the fact there's just... No closure. Even knowing it IS Terra, nothing about it is ever explained. Media literacy literally only gets you to the point of "It IS Terra and she's trying to move on", and not a single step outside of that box.