Birds of Prey Review – “Three Birds and a Baby”

Is anybody watching this show for anything other than Ashely Scott and Dina Meyer?

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

Written by David
H. Goodman
and Julie Hess.
Directed by Craig Zisk.

Original Airdate


The Birds and a Baby

originally aired on Wednesday,
October 30, 2002.

Synopsis

The trio find themselves caring for a boy that grows up several years
every time he goes to sleep. Harley Quinn wants him back.

High Point

The battle sequences in this show are some of the best on television.

Low Point

The scene that started right after the last commercial. It just
didn’t work for me at all.

The Review

They knew how unoriginal this story was, or they wouldn’t
have named it after an unoriginal movie that has been parodied dozens
of times since. 2 out of 6.

The effects were few, but decent. The aging sequences looked
more like morphing than actually aging, but they were otherwise
great. 4 out of 6.

The story was predictable and uninteresting. The only part
of the ending that I wasn’t expecting was the information Huntress
provided that Oracle repeated. (I knew the info, as does the viewer,
but I hadn’t noticed Huntress pick up on it.) I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting ranged from bad to average. Mia Sara is digging
far deeper into camp than she needs to. (Her acting and material
was so much better in the pilot.) I don’t mind camp, but it looks to
me like they’re trying to be serious half the time, so neither
approach really works. Dina Meyer, Rachel Skarston, and Shemar Moore
were all acceptable or better, but Ashley Scott and Mia Sara need
either practice or better directors. I give it 3 out of 6.

This generated very little emotional response. Alfred was
worth a laugh, but he seemed so out of character that the advantages
were undone. I was not drawn in at all. I give it 2 out of 6.

The production is even slipping. I noticed three editing
errors in which characters and/or props moved when the camera angle
changed. The lighting and cinematography was competant, but
uninspired. I give it 3 out of 6.

Overall, this was, sadly, one of the better episodes so far.
In the likely event that I stop watching a show because I don’t have
time for that much TV, this will be the first to go. I give it 3 out
of 6, because the fights were well done, and because of the hints of a
tighter storytelling arc on the horizon.

In total, Three Birds and a Baby receives 20 out of 42.

6 replies on “Birds of Prey Review – “Three Birds and a Baby””

  1. Is anybody watching this show…
    …at all? i think the TV franchise is due for a cancellation and hiatus a la ST:TOS.

    • Re: Is anybody watching this show…

      …at all? i think the TV franchise is due for a cancellation and hiatus a la ST:TOS.

      ok just ignore me, for some reason, i keep seeing birds of prey and thinking star trek. i’m totally embarassed. (but my comment is still honest, just about the wrong show).

  2. Issues
    The fight scene at the beginning was so faked. Not that I think it was real, it simply looked fake, which is a cardinal sin for an action show. The dummy baby that Huntress was holding onto was flopping around so much I was waiting for it’s head to pop off.

    Oh, didn’t Dinah say she was shunned in her old community, treated like a freak for her gifts? So how did she get to be the old-school babysitter like she said? Most people don’t trust the local freak to watch their kids.

    Then there’s the writing. I think the biggest failure for this series so far is the crappy assed, lame, cheap writing that these characters are having to spew out. They are in no way making me feel anything about their developement because so far any lessons are contained in the brief moments between fight seqeunces. Huntress distrusts Dinah? Don’t worry, we’ll resolve that issue by the end of the hour, after Dinah pops a bad guy on the head thus earning Huntress’ undying loyalty. Bleh.

    Harley Quinn has been reduced to an annoying schizo rather than an endearingly psychotic arch-villain (Batman Beyond had Harley down cold). It’s like the writers can’t decided whether to go black and white, good vs. evil archetypes to the hilt or to build some depth into the characters with some shades of grey, so they’re just throwing it all out and seeing what sticks.

    • Re: Issues
      And the Batmobile…. where is the Batmobile? Up on blocks at Wayne Manor? Cause the BatMini-Van just ain’t cutting it.

  3. Deleted From TiVo Season Pass
    I watched the first couple of eps, thought it was OK but it was a paint-by-numbers script/plot/show so who cares. They need more than a babe for each hair color to keep me around.

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