Raven's demon dad, Trigon, comes to visit, and wins over her friends in an effort to get her to embrace dark magic and become evil like him.
Plot[]
The episode begins with the Titans noticing Raven, who has been acting more moody than usual. They
Raven is Outraged.
ask her what is wrong, and she answers that her inter-dimensional demon-father, Trigon, will visit her. When Trigon arrives, he is in his big, intimidating form, but then shrinks down to a more accessible size and enters the Tower. Despite his reputation, he appears very friendly to the Titans, and is also seemingly caring to his daughter. He tries to convince Raven to follow
Excuse me, are you my mother?
the family legacy. When she fails to do so, he cozies up to her four best friends. He gives the other four Titans and Silkie each a new special ability of their own according to their wishes.
Starfire is now speaking just like an Earth teenager, using teenage slang; Beast Boy can now transform
Cyborg has a hand.
into any object he wants; Cyborg has a dog's head for his left hand and Robin is extremely robust and muscular. Trigon also grants Silkie's wish, transforming him into a beautiful butterfly. The Titans begin commenting that Raven should be more like her father. Raven, to prove a point, accepts her father's request as her friends cheer her on.
Raven starts following the steps to become a complete demon.
The Dog Hand Bites Trigon.
The first is to take the children's nightmares, which causes Raven's black energy to turn red, making her energy more powerful. The second is to opening an inter-dimensional portal, she then obeys him when. The third and final task Trigon requests for Raven is for her to kill her friends (suggesting that she should make an example out of Beast Boy first by telling the Titans to join their alliance, and then kill them anyway). Realizing Trigon's true intentions, the other Titans finally understand why Raven doesn't want to be like her father. Satisfied with getting through to her friends, Raven denies Trigon. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Trigon grows into his all powerful form, taking it upon himself to kill the Titans. The Titans fight Trigon with their new abilities, and defeat him.
In the end, Raven sends Trigon through the inter-dimensional portal she created, and closes it. The other Titans and Silkie sadly return to their normal selves, and Raven's red energy turns black again. The episode ends with Raven saying, "He's gone for now, but he'll be back... probably for Thanksgiving," while a laughing noise is played in the background (making this the first time it was mentioned that Trigon would be back for Thanksgiving).
This is the first episode in which the title has little to do with the plot.
This episode was originally titled "Raven's Daddy Dearest". Some of the TV listings still call it that.
Trigon owns a Pretty Pretty Pegasus kite, a show that Raven watches when no one is around.
The other Titans also watch it.
Unlike the original Teen Titans series, Cyborg's wish was to have a dog for a hand, where in the original series, he wanted to be fully human again.
This is Trigon's first appearance on the show, with Kevin Michael Richardson reprising his role from the original series.
Much of the episode is similar to the "New Teen Titans" segment if the DC Shorts, "Bad Dad".
Trigon shows up at the Tower next to the window.
Trigon is friendly to Raven, while she repeatedly rejects him.
Ultimately, his true intention is revealed and he wishes to devour someone's soul.
Each of the Titans, except for Raven, wish for something, which is granted by Trigon:
Starfire wished to speak like an Earth teen.
Beast Boy wanted to transform into literally anything he wants.
Robin wanted big muscles.
Cyborg wanted a dog for a hand (hence the episode title Dog Hand).
Silkie wanted to fly.
Raven says that her dad will probably be back for thanksgiving. This actually foreshadows the episode "Thanksgiving", in which Trigon pays a visit during the holiday.
Continuity[]
Beast Boy transforms into a green form of the exact same hatchback used by Ed in the previous episode.
Trigon's claim that Raven can grant any power is true when Raven grants Robin superpowers later in "Super Robin."
References[]
Starfire describes Raven's mood at the beginning of the show as "ungood", a Newspeak term used in George Orwell's 1984.
This episode has qualities of a sitcom. There was a laugh track, along with sighing and cheering, when Trigon meets the other Titans, and at the end when Raven says "...probably for Thanksgiving."
The music that plays at the start of the sitcom scene is frequently used in various MAD sketches.
When flashing back to Beast Boy as a baby, he asks a series of different animals: "Are you my mother?". This is a reference to the P.D. Eastman book "Are You My Mother?".
A zoo warthog that appeared in Beast Boy's flashback from when he was a baby resembles Pumbaa from Disney's The Lion King.
Beast Boy being able to change into anything he wants, may be a reference to the original series episode "Bunny Raven... or …How to Make a Titananimal Disappear" where Beast Boy's powers are altered to include only inanimate objects.
In the bedroom of the child who Raven is stealing nightmares from, there's a Plastic Man doll, a poster of Doomsday, and a plushie of Batman.
Errors[]
When Cyborg and Beast Boy are having flashbacks about their childhood, Cyborg was shown to already been a robot as a baby but was actually involved in an accident. The accident was so bad he had to have half of his body replaced with mechanical parts. Beast Boy was bitten by a monkey as a baby and developed a life-long disease that gave him his current powers. However, this was probably done for a comedic effect.
However, in "Tower Power", Beast Boy had stated Cyborg had undergone an accident requiring several robot supplement parts.
These statements are now all proven to be false as "Flashback" reveals that Cyborg, as a human, was beaten horrendously before being sent to the hospital and getting his robotic parts implemented.
The water on the floor suddenly disappears when Beast Boy changes into a beanbag.
Running Gags[]
Starfire talking like an earth teen.
Trigon getting called a weiner.
Beast Boy transforming into inanimate objects.
The other Titans minus Raven showing off their powers.
Starfire: Have you witnessed Raven's mood? It appears to be un-good.
