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For the character, see Mad Mod.

"Mad Mod" (aka Detention) is the tenth episode of season one and the overall tenth episode of the Teen Titans series.

Synopsis[]

The Titans find themselves trapped inside a weird labyrinth-like school where Mad Mod is the teacher.

Plot[]

Robin wakes up suddenly to find himself and his fellow Teen Titans captured and imprisoned in chairs which neutralize their powers. Shortly, their captor introduces himself: Mad Mod, a British-accented villain who has become disgruntled about the youthful Titans playing do-gooders and opposing "hardworking villains" such as himself. He has kidnapped them by filling their tower with knockout gas and brought them to his school to teach them to stay out of villain business once and for all. For this purpose, he separates the Titans, dumping each of them in a different classroom fitted with hypnosis screens to brainwash them into submission.

Mad Mod b

The hazards of Mad Mansion

Robin manages to get free from his chair, but finds that getting out of Mad Mod's school is another matter entirely. Filled with optical illusions, robot sentinels and various other tricks, this place turns out to be a regular madhouse in which Mad Mod can appear and vanish as he pleases. Nevertheless, Robin manages to recollect Starfire and even Beast Boy, who has, however, already been affected by the hypnoscreens; they are soon rejoined by Cyborg and Raven, who have managed to free themselves on their own. Based on their experiences, they decide that the only way to escape is to apprehend Mad Mod for good.

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Beast Boy in trance

As soon as they spot him, the Titans set out after Mod, but as before the villain proves to be very elusive, and whatever way they take, they always end up walking in circles. Finally, Mad Mod confronts them about being 'uncooperative' and declares that they have to undergo the entire brainwashing procedure all over again. The Titans attack him to get his ruby-tipped cane, which appears to be his control device for the entire school, but a number of traps and an army of robot busts move in to stop them, and one by one the Titans are recaptured. Only Robin makes it to Mod, but as he dives at him, he passes straight through the cane - and yet Mad Mod handles it as if it were the real thing!

Mad Mod e

The Titans freed

Realizing that not only the entire school, but also the Mad Mod they've been chasing are not real, Robin decides on a different approach. Jumping through a rent cut into one of the walls by a robot bust, he makes his way behind all the illusion and proceeds to rip up delicate circuitry as he goes, eventually disabling Mod's technical tricks. Finally, he comes to the command room and has no trouble apprehending the real Mad Mod, a bitter old man with no exceptional fighting skills. The Titans emerge triumphant from their captivity, even though Beast Boy's susceptibility to hypnosis initially gives them some minor trouble before the end...

Characters[]

Main characters[]

Villains[]

Others[]

Credits[]

Trivia[]

  • During the chase scene where the Teen Titans chase Mad Mod, the song "K2G" by Puffy AmiYumi is played. Puffy AmiYumi are also the ones that sing the Teen Titans theme song in Japanese and English.
    • Another song, Mad Mod World, was originally planned to be used for the chase scene, before being replaced by "K2G". This song was never featured in the animated series.
  • In the science lab where Beast Boy was held, a periodic table is shown. It is mostly correct other than that La (Lanthanide) and Ac (Actinide) are not marked as a group of elements.
  • Starfire was in the library, Beast Boy was in the Science Lab, Cyborg was in the Computer Lab, Raven was in the Gym, but it is unknown what class Robin was in.
  • During recording of the episode, Khary Payton recorded the major-league belch his character Cyborg used to get Beast Boy out of his trance. The producers handed him a carton of beer and asked him to try it, and he did by drinking the whole carton before his burp happens.
  • This is the third episode to have the theme song is sung in Japanese.

Continuity[]

  • This is the first official episode where all five Titans are main characters in one episode.
  • This episode features the first appearance of Mad Mod in the series.

Cultural references[]

  • Mad Mod's theme sounds very similar to The Mar-Key's song "Last Night".
    • It should be noted The Mar-Keys were very popular among mod crowds and at mod nightclubs.
  • At one point, Robin flips up the head of a bust of Mad Mod, turning on a switch underneath. This is a reference to the original Batman TV show.
  • There are several obvious references to the animated Beatles film Yellow Submarine, including the Sea of Holes.
  • The chairs that hold Robin and Starfire's eyes open to make them look at the hypnosis screens is a reference to the Ludovico Technique from Stanley Kubrick's movie adaptation of the Anthony Burgess novel, A Clockwork Orange. In fact, Malcolm McDowell, who voiced Mad Mod, played the role of Alex in Kubrick's movie adaptation.
  • One of Mad Mod's optical illusions was drawn from one of M. C. Escher's works.
  • Most of his hypnoscreens are some form of Op art.
  • The chase scene involving Mad Mod and the Titans is reminiscent of the recurring chase scenes from the Scooby-Doo TV shows.
  • The chase scenes are also similar to a scene from Yellow Submarine.
  • The scene of Robin chasing Mad Mod through a maze of black and white tiles is inspired by a scene from Richard Williams' cult animated film The Thief & The Cobbler.
K2G10

Mad Mod in 1960's mod scooter fashion

  • Mad Mod himself is a reference to 1960's British Mod culture, and makes several references including:
    • Wearing two different "mod suits" each with a pair of Chelsea boots.
    • Riding a scooter while wearing a fishtail parka and a helmet with the Royal Air Force roundel, a mod symbol.
    • The Royal Air Force Roundel appearing on the missile used to attack Robin.
  • A Mad Mod parody of the statue, David of Michelangelo can be seen during the chase scene while the song K2G was playing, with the circular British flag appearing to cover its pubic area.

Goofs[]

  • While Mad Mod said "I didn't go to all the trouble of building this school and filling your tower with knockout gas just to finish you off lickety-split.", Raven's hood is not up.
  • While Mad Mod said "You lot are nothing but a bunch of troublemakers!", the saltires on his Union Jack jacket shifted underarm.
  • As Robin says, "We will get out. And when we do--", Mad Mod's glasses lens is the same color as his skin, not blue.
  • The desks in Starfire's class would change from a 7x4 arrangement to 5x5.
  • As Starfire is carried up from a giant hypnoscreen, her armband disappears briefly.
  • In the screenshot where Raven picks up Beast Boy from his third hypnosis, there are 2 doors stuck on the background, one of which appearing in front of Cyborg.
  • When Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy make a plan as Beast Boy walks away, Cyborg turned his head and his left ear quickly turned human.
    • When Cyborg fell behind Robin, we can quickly see his left ear turn into his real human ear.

Gallery[]

Titans GO
Click here to view the gallery.

Transcript[]

ForReal37
Click here to view the episode transcript.

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