Birds of Prey Review – “Gladiatrix” and “Reunion”

The WB aired two of the remaining four hours of Birds of Prey in a double-header tonight. The episodes are pretty unrelated, but the scores would be pretty similar, so I’m doing a combined review.

Cast

Dina Meyer as
Oracle/Barbara Gordon.
Ashley Scott
as Huntress/Helena Kyle.
Rachel
Skarsten
as Dinah Lance
Shemar Moore as
Detective Reese
Ian
Abercrombie
as Alfred Pennyworth
Mia Sara as Harley
Quinn

Gladiatrix written by David
H. Goodman
. Reunion written by Edward Kitsis and
Adam Horowitz.
Gladiatrix directed by David Carson.
Reunion directed by Chris Long.

Original Airdate

Gladiatrix and Reunion
originally aired on Wednesday, January 8, 2003.

Synopsis

Gladiatrix featured a man who kidnapped metahuman women for
entertainment. Reunion was about a killer who went to high
school with Huntress.

High Point

The high point of the night would be Alfred adjusting his tie and
winking.

Low Point

The low point has to be a dangerous, corrosive gas that could kill two
people affecting a person, his clothes, and nothing else in the room,
including the device next to the gas that was being produced.

I suppose the low point could also have been going from having no idea
how a power would work to deducing a major side effect in seconds.

Miscellaneous Comments

It took them a while, but they’ve got a great team dynamic here that
was particularly obvious early in Gladiatrix. I also like
the fact that it took time for Huntress to warm up to Reese as a team
member, which makes more sense than her rapid acceptance of Dinah
earlier in the series. Once Reese and Alfred were beefed up to larger
roles, the dynamic of the group really started to work.

The Review

How original can it get when you follow a Mad Max
Beyond Thunderdome
rip-off with an episode that was remarkably
similar to an episode of Special Unit 2 of all things? I
give it 3 out of 6.

The effects improved, including a new animation of Huntress
running across the rooftops. The fireballs and lasers looked a little
out of place. The shimmering effects worked well. I give it 5 out of
6.

The stories were a little weak in plot, and the mysteries
were trivial, but they did manage to do a good job with the character
work. My biggest complaint is that they knew the end was coming at
this stage, and didn’t use this time to develop the Harley Quinn
plotline. I give it 4 out of 6.

The acting was the Birds of Prey usual; Dina Meyer
and Shemar Moore turned in very good work, while Rachel Skarsten and
Ashley Scott were uneven. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was a few laughs, mostly
from Alfred, and some interest in the lasting implications of the
character work. The epsiode’s plotline didn’t do anything to string
me along. I give it 3 out of 6.

The production had its low points. Somehow, jumping around
an opponent can give her bruises where she hasn’t been hit, for
example. There were a couple of other minor things, such as using the
click-click door closing sound that you get when you close a
door with a doorknob for the sound effect when closing a bathroom door
that is a push/pull door. I give it 3 out of 6.

Overall, this was a decent two hours of TV that was better
than some past episodes. It sets up the team well for a coordinated
effort to face off against Harley Quinn in the last two hours of the
series, assuming they are ever broadcast. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, the Gladiatrix and Reunion double header
receives 26 out of 42.

One reply

  1. The usual
    My usual BoP commentary, in condensed form:

    Sucks *grumble* total crap *moan* lost potential *whine*

    Dina Meyer!! Woooot!

    The end.

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