We're Off to Get Awards

"We're Off to Get Awards" is the tenth episode of the sixth season, and the two-hundred-seventy-first episode overall episode of the series.

Summary[]

During an awards ceremony, Robin is swept up by a tornado and arrives in a magical land to get an award of superiority from the Wizard of Awards.

Plot[]

After a long time of waiting, it is the much-awaited Superhero Award Show! To the boys and Starfire, this opportunity is highly sought after. Beast Boy believes it is the perfect timing to express his political opinions in such an inappropriate platform, Cyborg desires to make his parents proud (even though it seems that they are dead), Starfire wants to use the award to enlighten the cats, and Robin simply wishes to use it rub it in someone's face to demonstrate his superiority. However, Raven finds such a ceremony worthless and would rather get paid in money, flabbergasting the four other Titans.

At first, all the Titans are ecstatic when the award show first begins, but their excitement (except for Raven who only cares about getting paid in money) is quickly superseded by disappointment and frustration. Basically, Beast Boy thinks he is supposedly better than Vixen, Cyborg is jealous about Robot Man being elected, Starfire is salty about her evil sister Blackfire winning, and Robin has his last straw broken when he sees how Chief is chosen instead of himself. Robin is unable to contain his temper and tosses Chief off the stage, then shouts how he wishes to have a tornado to rip down this place. His wish comes true and he is subsequently swept to a magical land.

Upon arriving at the magical land, two paparazzi immediately gather around Robin and start snapping photos about him so that they can make a living by spreading the news of him finishing off the Sassy Sorcerer of the North. However, this instigates the Sassy Witch of the South's wrath and thus she tries to eliminate Robin, only for the paparazzi to flash camera lights at her, which gives Robin a chance to get to the Golden City to find the Wizard of Awards. The Witch vows to capture him after recovering from the flashlights.

On his way, Robin recruits three members who share the same goal with him: getting an award. They are the crow, who wants to have an inappropriate political platform; the tin man, who wants to get acknowledged by his parents; and the friendly cat, who simply wishes to give joy to her kindred. They all sing a cheery song together, until they reach the deepest part of the forest. There, they are targeted by the Witch (who firmly believes money is real power), and the Witch's flying moneys are commanded to attack the four adventurers! Nevertheless, the heroes are way stronger than those fragile moneys, and this causes the Witch to blow her monthly budget and melt. Disgusted by the Witch's death, the four heroes instantly run out of the forest and head to the Wizard's palace.

However, contrary to the four adventurers' expectations, the Wizard of Awards is merely a ploy concocted by Birdarang behind the curtains. Birdarang nonetheless tells them that they don't need awards to prove themselves, since they already have the power of awards within them. It turns out it is just Robin's fever dream, though, and of course four out of five Titans are completely ticked off when Birdarang declares Titans East as winners of the best team instead of themselves. Raven is instead flummoxed at her foolish friends' fixation on awards.

Characters[]

Main[]

Robin (Dorothy Gale)
Starfire (Friendly Kitty)
Cyborg (Tin Man)
Beast Boy (Scarecrow)
Raven (Sassy Sorceress of the South)
Birdarang (Wizard of Oz)

Minor[]

Batman (cameo)
Wonder Woman (cameo)
Flash (cameo)
Blackfire (cameo)
The Brain (cameo)
Aqualad (cameo)
Speedy (cameo)
Sticky Joe
Chief (cameo)
Hawkman (cameo)
Vixen (cameo)
Robot Man (cameo)
Krypto (cameo)
Detective Chimp (cameo)

Trivia[]

This is the first episode to premiere in 2020, and in the 2020s decade.
Birdarang can be regarded as the antagonist of this episode due to refusing to acknowledge the Titans' hard work.
This is the second Academy roasting episode, the first one being literally "The Academy".
- This time, it can be considered a roast of Grammy and other showbiz award ceremonies in general.
Beast Boy wanting to give a political speech if he wins the awards is an indirect jab at how the Academy has become more and more political over the years.
This is the first time Blackfire is seen wearing a dress/formal attire other than her normal outfit.
Raven is the only Titan who can't care less about awards, and would rather get money.
Sticky Joe appears as a nominee for "best team leader". However, it’s unknown what team he leads.

Continuity[]

Raven is seen unhooded for the 106th time in the series.
- She also wears her golden dress from "The Academy".
  - This is second time that she is unhooded for the entire episode. The first time this happened was in Season 3 episode, "The Art of Ninjutsu".
Starfire wears a cat costume like she did in "Scary Figure Dance", "Thanksgetting" and "What's Opera Titans".
- The one she wears in this episode most closely resembles the outfit from "Thanksgetting".
Starfire also wears her bright green dress from "The Academy" and "Demon Prom".
Robin wears his dark red tuxedo from "The Academy" and "Demon Prom".
Beast Boy and Cyborg also wear their suits, dark green and bright gray, from "The Academy".

References[]

The entire episode is a parody of the MGM's 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
- The title itself is a reference to the song We're Off to See the Wizard and the song.
  - Although, it could also be referring to the song in the middle of the episode.
- Munchkin Land is renamed "Paparazzi Land" due to the dozens of Munchkin-like Paparazzi people of the mystical realm Oz.
- Robin's golden tuxedo is a reference to Dorothy's magical ruby slippers (silver in the books).
- Cyborg is the Tin Man.
- Raven is the Wicked Witch of the West (renamed the Sassy Sorceress of the South).
- Robin is Dorothy Gale
- Starfire is the Cowardly Lion (renamed the Friendly Kitty)
- Beast Boy plays the Scarecrow, but appears as a crow.
- The flying money is similar to the flying monkeys working for the Witch of the West
- Robin gets picked up by a tornado, just like Dorothy. But, unlike Dorothy, he arrogantly wished for a twister.
- The way Robin wakes up from his dream by patting his back on the magical golden tuxedo while saying "There's no one better than me" is similar to how Dorothy clicks her heels with the magical Ruby Slippers while saying "There's no place like home" to return to Kansas.
- Robin says the Titans were in his dream, just like Dorothy Gale did with her Kansas friends.
When the male paparazzo reporter says "Mamma Mia!", it may be an indirect reference to the ABBA song or the 2008 jukebox movie with the same name.
Raven the sassy Sorceress of the South melting after losing all of her flying money may be a reference to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic season 8 episode 13, "The Mean Six". In a particular scene, the Tree of Harmony disintegrated the Mean Six one by one (with the Mean Twilight Sparkle slowly and visibly melting away), just like how the witch melted in this episode.

Errors[]

Both Speedy and Aqualad appear as nominees for "best team leader" despite them both being members of Titans East and neither of them being the leader of the team.
- It's possible that Bumblebee is no longer leader of the Titans East based on the ending of "The Viewers Decide" and that either one of them took over as leader. However, that doesn't explain why they're both nominees and not just one of them.
  - However, it's also possible that Aqualad could be representing the Aqualad of Young Justice, who is the leader of the team.
Cyborg and Robot Man are friends, but for unexplained reasons he is ticked off at Robot Man being chosen.
It would be impossible for Blackfire and The Brain to attend, let alone win any awards at the Superhero Award Show since they are villains.
The Titan Robot can be seen as a nominee, even though it usually isn’t sentient without the Titans controlling it.

Running Gags[]

Starfire and the boys wanting awards for different personal reasons, but are outmatched by fellow superheroes or supervillains possessing their abilities and status but much better.
The Teen Titans, all except Raven, getting furious at not getting awards.