Jason Todd and the Misadventures of Reality TV (DC Comics/Batman)
Jason needed a date.
Okay no he didn't, Jason didn't really care about the family dinner - and Alfred's disappointed stares stopped working on him when he was 12. Frankly, it's one of his proudest achievements.
The reason he needed a date was actually mostly because the thing was going to be filmed.
Bruce caved very little when it came to privacy - but being a celebrity means occasionally doing things that you'd genuinely rather never do. Jason didn't have a big part in the reality show situation Bruce somehow signed on - but his 'character' on the show had some stuff going on.
Reality shows are scripted - yeah everyone knows that, but the extent of it is kind of blurred. Jason's job from what he's gathered is to just sit still, look brooding, make some cutting remarks - then dramatically storm out at the end of the episode after some staged argument. Said argument was to be, of course, not too emotional. Prior producers made the mistake of letting Jason have too much creative control before, and it led to a lot of shit and at least three different cancelled reality show attempts made way back when he was still only known to the public as 'oh yeah, Bruce's other son.'
Bruce also stressed, several times to not actually put too much emotions into it because there was enough people on the internet to notice something as clear as green eyes popping up mid episode on the typically blue-eyed ward of Brucie Wayne.
Generally the only topics he was allowed to get upset about as per clearance from Tim - who was a little micromanaging dickhead by the way - were conversational ones. He can't get annoyed at how the food was prepared, though he can add it onto his 'final straw' thing as a bonus breaking point if he goes for the 'you never consider me! I'm fucking allergic to fish you dickhead, you served me salmon! Salmon!' route. He can't bring up his death - not even as a passing joke. Mostly because gotham was very content to pretend it never happened when not on conspiracy boards, and Barbara works very hard to make sure it stays that way.
He can't start drama with Damien himself - no matter how bratty the kid, to the general populace he was just a maladjusted nine year old with a questionably mysterious violent upbringing. Not that off, but still annoying as hell - god knows the demon brat could handle anything Jason had to say to him. Though if he wants to get angry at Bruce, he can partially include Damien in it - only as an indirect source of his ire though.
He's allowed to drop some jokes - but if he makes too many he'll be 'too likable' for a mini antagonistic role, so he has an eight joke cap. He only has eight - he'll improvise, but he hopes to get the full extent out of those eight just to piss Tim off. Additionally he isn't allowed to get angry at any of the guests outside of the family - as apparently that'd make him too unlikable.
Basically, the show wants Jason to be a sympathetic disney villain. They probably have a resolution arc planned for the fifth season and everything.
Gross.
But he rarely gets the chance to mindlessly fuck around on live television - the replacement was a perfectionist, but he wasn't stupid. If he put anything too restrictive he wouldn't even show up. He managed to make it so that okay fine I can't go 'blackout drunk at a college party' mode, but I definitely can throw a bear can at someone's head if I time this right.
So yeah, he had to show up. Unfortunately though - this was a family dinner. And that meant it was highly encouraged (read: asked by the producers) he find a date for it to stir up the pot.
Jason did not infact know anyone he'd feel fine with inviting to a family dinner - especially not to eat food Alfred himself made.
So yeah, he's in a bit of trouble. All circles round and shit.
Jason needs a date, and he preferably needs one before he's meant to show up at the manor for preparation about two hours from now.