So, it seems Warner Bros. is getting better about remembering that they own DC Comics.
Following last year's small-screen successful Superman-based SMALLVILLE TV show, this Fall will see a new series
based on the comic characters from the DC series called...uh, "Birds of Prey". Okay, maybe this isn't the most
obvious choice for a TV show, considering the assortment of characters at their disposal, but when you recall
how the John Wesley Shipp version of THE FLASH did a few years ago, well, this might make more sense.
And, after all, it's based on a comic that features three beautiful, crime-fighting women. There was a lot of
scuttlebutt about this show, and fears that it would be more CHARMED than BUFFY (I think the mid-summer show
SHE-SPIES, which sounds like "Fox Force Five" come to life, will fill that bill). Well, after viewing the pilot,
I'd say Warner Bros. seem to be on the right track with this.
The show stars Dina Meyer (formerly seen cavorting in a coed shower in STARSHIP TROOPERS or with Brandon Walsh on 90210)
as the crippled ex-Batgirl, Barbara Gordon. Ashley Scott co-stars as the Huntress, the grown-up daughter of Batman and
Catwoman, and Rachel Skarsten portrays a Dinah Lance who is here de-aged in the same fashion as "Rogue" in the X
-MEN movie. This was the producers' way of not just offering another variation on CHARLIES'S ANGELS. Now,
the two more seasoned crime-fighters have a young protégé to teach and to keep from harm.
But I'm going too fast. The basic premise of the show, cleverly shown in quick-cut flashbacks, is that the Batman has disappeared. The Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill and seen only enough to spot the chalky skin and green hair, killed Catwoman, Batman's lover, which, in turn, drove Batman from Gotham City. The Joker then proceeded to live out his origin story from the comic "Batman: A Killing Joke," and cripples Barbara Gordon. But not before we get to see Dina Meyer running around in the spandex Batgirl suit.
Crippled but still resolved to fight crime, she pairs up with the Huntress, and they take on the rampant criminal element in Gotham. Batgirl, now calling herself Oracle, operates from behind a large clock tower, and has all kinds of computers and gadgets at her disposal. She sends the more angry Huntress out to fight crimes, helping with information and in any other way she can.
Meanwhile, a city away, young teenager Dinah Lance has fevered dreams about these two women. She runs away and heads to Gotham to seek them out. In doing so, she (of course) runs intro trouble and sees a man suddenly become so scared he runs in front of a bus. Touching his hand before he dies, she gets a precognitive burst that the man was up to no good, which drives this first episode.
Dinah is taken in by our two crime-fighters, and after the requisite argument over whether or not she should be allowed to join the team, she's soon in, holding her own as they seek out what's causing people to lose their lives. I won't get into the actual story any more, so as to leave you some small bits of non-spoiled show when it airs in the Fall (on Wednesday nights, I believe). But what about the minutaue of the show? Well, starting a character at a time, Batgirl/Oracle is nearly perfectly played by Dina Meyer. She makes a credible Oracle, and even looks good sitting in her high-powered wheelchair. The producers thus far have made solid attempts to show her in costume in flashbacks, too, which can never hurt.
Ashley Scott as Helena Kyle, the Huntress, is the "angry" member of the group. In her spare time, she tends bar in a crowded nightspot, and yet, thus far, hasn't been recognized as the Huntress, even though she wears no mask in her heroine role. She is outfitted in leather, de rigeur for big- and small-screen superhero costumes.
Dinah Lance, as mentioned, is played by the 16-year-old Rachel Skarsten, and she bears no resemblance to the comic character other than the blonde hair. It remains to be seen if she'll one day "wash the dishes" in the kitchen with Oliver Queen, as she did in Smith's comic run. Her powers are also changed to further differentiate her from the other martial arts expert on the team. Thus far, she was a bit of a cypher, but will serve as the link to the audience, the outsider looking in at this crazy city and the women who fight crime there.
Sherilyn Fenn is also a regular on the show, portraying Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. Of course, any fan of the Batman Animated Adventures show (or Kevin Smith's own daughter) knows that she also goes by a code-name, and will no doubt appear as such as the season goes on.
Not every question is answered in this pilot (nor should they be)-was the extreme fear these people felt caused by, say, the Scarecrow's gas? Unlike SMALLVILLE, this show is set in the current DC Universe, meaning any character has potential to make an appearance. Including a Mr. Alfred Pennyworth, played here by Ian Abercrombie.
And, of course, the stage is set for a Sweeps appearance by ol' pointy-ears himself, if Warner Bros. is feeling particularly bold. Here, he makes a very brief appearance, from behind, in a flashback fight scene with the Joker, and then is gone.
All in all, a fun if unremarkable show, anchored by Dina Meyer's strong performance. If DC lets this show stretch a bit more than the very one-note SMALLVILLE, it could really develop into something worth checking out each week.
Chris Ryall
Counter-Point: One Fan's Opinion
There's a story I read once about the making of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE After many rewrites by diverse hands, a script was finally arrived at that was satisfactory to all. All, that is, except Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Of his own volition, Roddenberry "improved" the story by adding his usual dose of half-baked philosophy, feebleminded explorations of religion and '60s-style free love. As the story goes, a smug Roddenberry was met at the next script meeting by an irked Michael Eisner, then-honcho at Paramount, who flung the script on the table and exclaimed "Gene! You don't piss all over something to make it better.!"
Are you listening, Warner Brothers?
Oh, where to begin with this travesty, this "Dawson's Creekization" of one the finest books put out today by the good people at DC Comics. An early example of the program's ham-fisted approach can be found in the opening moments, as a news report details the latest goings-on in "New Gotham." Yes, that's right, it takes place in "New Gotham." Why? Because it's THE FUTURE!
As detailed above by the charitable Mr. Ryall, the entire series hinges on the premise that a grieving Batman abandoned his city and his mission when his beloved Selina Kyle was murdered and Barbara Gordon crippled. The show's producers have apparently hit upon the groundbreaking theory that Bruce Wayne may not adjust well to the loss of a loved one. Stop the presses!
So we're to believe that the Darkknight Detective abandoned his crusade in the face of adversity? Not my Batman. Here's a helpful hint: if the success of your show depends upon the tearing down of a beloved national icon, perhaps you should rethink your plans. Indeed, the absence of Batman hangs over this series like a shadow inked by the late great Bob Kane himself, reminding the viewer that the show is a sorry substitute.
While the basic concept of Chuck Dixon's fine series remains, the producers have needlessly mucked about with much of the underpinnings of the characters. The strong, sisterly interplay between crimefighting contemporaries Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance, which most fans would consider the heart of the series? Gone entirely. Instead, we're treated to an adolescent approximation of the Black Canary, similar only in hair color and first name. Oh, there's no Canary Cry here - instead, Dinah is gifted with conveniently vague psychic powers, allowing the show's undoubtedly lazy and non-comics-reading writers to use her as the catalyst for future stories, a la Deanna Troi.
While I applaud the inclusion of the original, pre-Crisis version of the Huntress, here Helena Kyle (not Wayne, as originally conceived) is not the competent, able successor to the Batman's legacy, as created by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton in the pages of ADVENTURE COMICS, but instead a whiny, unstable bully traumatized by abandonment issues. Even more mystifying, the producers have seen fit to give her some sort of undefined animal powers, including cat's eyes and, for some reason, a panther-like growl that seems to come from nowhere when she goes into action. I only wish I were joking. Nor do we get the Huntress in her original costume, aptly designed as tribute to her father's cowled legacy. Instead, Helena sports some sort of leather prom dress, no doubt designed to strike fear in the hearts of, well, Mr. Blackwell, I suppose. Even more mystifying is the decision for Huntress to fight crime sans mask. While the real reason is apparent ("Keep the hot girl's face uncovered so we can get her on magazine covers..."), it makes no sense from a narrative standpoint. Granted, criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot, but I think they'll remember the supermodel who just gave them an ass-kicking, especially when she's TENDING BAR IN THE SAME OUTFIT!
Surprisingly, the Oracle character is handled well, despite being wounded in flashback by the most shoddily made-up representation of the Joker since we were subjected to weekly viewings of the bleached hairy upper lip of one Cesar Romero. Why, oh why not simply hire Mark Hamill to fill the shoes of the Clown Prince of Crime? As his bravura turn as the Trickster in the otherwise odious CBS THE FLASH series evidenced, Hamill can easily pull off the mix of hilarity and horror that the part requires. But no, instead we get a blurry extra in whiteface while a thespian the caliber of Hamill is relegated to mere overdubbing. Feh.
Once again, Hollywood raises the hopes of comic book fans, only to dash them once more on the rocks of mediocrity. All of the pieces were there to create a televised masterpiece of superhero suspense and action; it's a shame Warner Brothers lacked the capacity to simply assemble them. As for BIRDS OF PREY, I'm praying for an early cancellation.
Lester Aloysius Carmichael
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