Batman Beyond
It's been a minute since I've watched "Batman Beyond" and I think I forgot that the first season takes some time to really get going. It's not the instant classic that "Batman: The Animated Series" was, but it gets there. Let's get to it.
Batman: "I have to shut that off. Thousands of people will die! Magma, Dr. Morgan, you can't that happen, you're a hero, remember?"
Magma: "No, I'm an accident. Real heroes, they make a choice. I never did."
Gotham City has a new team of heroes, the Terrific Trio, consisting of Magma, Freon and 2-D Man. This initially seems like it'll be a boon to Gotham and a help to Batman, but it isn't long before the true origins of the group are revealed and their heroic actions are replaced with villainous ones.
 |
| The Fantastic Three |
The Terrific Trio is a pretty obvious take on the Fantastic Four, right? They just have one less member. 2-D Man is Mr. Fantastic. Freon is the Invisible Woman. And Magma is the Thing. I'm not sure why they decided to go such an obvious route. I thought that maybe there would be some big commentary on Marvel's first family, but there really isn't. Maybe they didn't think that people would realize that this is who they were supposed to be? I don't know. It feels like an odd choice that is never really explained. I completely get that it could be that they just thought it would be fun, but I guess I just want more than that because I'm selfish.
One of my main problems with this episode is that it's extremely predictable. From the moment they show the fourth guy who was supposed to be part of the experiment that was conveniently not there, you knew he had something to do with it. Howard Hodges, the guy who would've made them the actual Fantastic Four, knew the particle accelerator experiment was going to go bad but he didn't say anything because he had a crush on Freon. So, he ruins three lives, including the life of the woman he supposedly loved, because he's jealous and think that he can force someone to love him who doesn't. Awesome.
The pacing of this episode is wild. It moves so fast. The episode barely gives you any time to care about the fates of these rip-off characters at all. They are heroes one minute and the next they are getting attacked by the military. And apparently, General Norman, never trusted them in the first place. Because apparently they knew from the jump that their bodies and mental states would eventually deteriorate. And yet, you still put them in sensitive, dangerous situations that could have led to the deaths of innocent people. Really smart move.
Batman is basically a non-entity in this episode. The majority of the runtime is focused on the Terrific Trio, which would be fine if this were like the sixtieth episode of this series instead of the sixth. When Batman talks to Bruce about the Trio, Bruce seems sure that what happens will happen. So, I thought we might get some old school Bruce detective action or something, but that's basically his only moment in the episode. And Batman is just there to fight off the Trio until each one of them die.
There are a couple of cool parts of this episode. I liked the news report which gives us an easily digestible backstory for the Terrible Trio. The action in "Batman Beyond" has so far been pretty unimpeachable and this episode is no different. I have noticed that they aren't afraid to inject some disturbing images in the show like Inque shoving herself in Batman's body. We get another of those when Batman is fighting 2-D Man and like presses his face into his stomach.
Otherwise, this episode isn't great. It has a semi interesting premise with a lot of potential but never does anything with it.
Grade: C-
Terry McGinnis: "Tell me something: Why were you so sure those voices weren't comin' for you?"
Bruce Wayne: "Well, first, I know I'm not psychotic."
Terry McGinnis: "I hope your other reason's more convincing."
Bruce Wayne: "And second, the voice kept calling me Bruce. In my mind, that's not what I call myself."
Terry McGinnis: "What do you call yourself?"
[Bruce gives Terry a long stare]
Terry McGinnis: "Oh yeah. I suppose you would."
[Voice sinking to Batman's tone]
Terry McGinnis: "But that's my name now."
Bruce Wayne: "Hmm. Tell that to my subconscious."
Derek Powers is not impressed with the work of Walter Shreeve. Shreeve has created a sound suit, but Powers doesn't see the point. Powers is trying to buy up Gotham's historical district so he can tear it down which includes Crime Alley. Bruce Wayne gets involved and fouls up Power's plans. Powers thinks that Shreeve and his suit could help him take care of Bruce and soon the villain Shriek is born.
 |
| You love my suit, right? |
It's become pretty clear that in the case of the first season of "Batman Beyond," the show is most successful when it focuses on the overarching narrative of Derek Powers/Blight which is the basic through line of the debut season. When they venture too far from it, then things kind of go a little bit awry.
I enjoy when the series makes Bruce Wayne a more integral part of the action. I get them wanting to minimize him at first, so Terry can be more of the focal point and become the star of the show. And I do think that they are doing a great job with that, but I think the draw is watching Bruce train Terry. And their interactions which we've been light on the past few episodes. Well, this one definitely makes up for the lack of Bruce.
Bruce Wayne may be a senior citizen and walk with a cane but he is still a charismatic sonofabitch and this episode shows it. When Bruce hears that Derek Powers is using his company to potentially destroy a historic part of Gotham, Bruce goes into action. He gives an impassioned speech to the board and it's no surprise when the majority of them side with Bruce. He convinces them to bring the decision to a vote at a shareholder's meeting which they agree too, which infuriates Powers.
I really enjoy it when "Batman Beyond" acknowledges what came before. We get to see old Gotham when Bruce takes Terry there after his confrontation with Powers. Part of what Powers wants to destroy is Crime Alley. Terry initially doesn't understand why Bruce would want to be consistently reminded of the worst night of his life, but gets it when Bruce asks if he would want to forget his own father's death. "Batman Beyond" succeeds when it acknowledges the past and incorporates it into the future of the show. I love the little nods to the past in this episode including the Wanted poster for the Joker hanging on the walls.
This episode introduces a new villain for Batman with Shriek. Shriek's sound powers are pretty cool and the way that he tries to drive Bruce mad is kind of ingenious. I love that the device was attached to the bandage on Bruce's head. It's fun to see Terry try to do some detective work and he's successful in his own way. Terry does it his own way and succeeds in finding Shreeve. I do enjoy that Terry has no idea how to use the Batcomputer.
My favorite part of the episode is the climactic battle between Shriek and Batman when Shriek removes all sound except for the sound of Batman's footsteps. It's a really cool gimmick that I'm kind of surprised none of the DCAU shows have used in the past. It's really disconcerting to watch Batman and Shriek fight in that loud factory but not hear anything. It adds a new dynamic to something we have seen over and over again in instances like this and it ends with Shriek losing his own hearing. Maybe temporarily or maybe not.
A great episode that introduces a new villain for the new Batman and show's that Bruce Wayne is still able to make a difference even out of a Batsuit.
Grade: A-
Next up, the new Batman confronts the Royal Flush Gang and Bane returns.
What do you think of these episodes? Were you as unimpressed with the Terrific Trio as I was? Do you agree the series shines when it connects to the main story arc of the season? Let me know in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment