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BIRDS OF
PREY: PILOT REVIEW
By Craig Byrne (PlanetKrypton@aol.com)
May 12, 2002
I was able to
see a screening of the Birds of Prey pilot this week and I can definitely
say it's a show I would watch on a weekly basis.
The show starts
with a look at New Gotham, seven years ago. The way the camera flies
through the town to establish the place it almost reminds me of
Spider-Man swinging in his recent movie. That really was a good
way to set things up, it made me think "this is a roller coaster
ride." Unfortunately there was a voiceover from a reporter
at the same time and she was far from exciting, which slowed it
down from the fast pace that I liked so much.
We see the death
of Helena's mother and the paralysis of Barbara Gordon. The best
part here, of course, is flashbacks to Barbara as Batgirl. The costume
is *great.* It actually reminds me more of the 1960's TV series
but not in a bad way at all. It's loads better than the one Alicia
Silverstone wore when she was coming to visit "Uncle Alfred."
We also at that time meet Dinah Lance at a very young age, and immediately
we can tell something's just not right with that girl.
The show then
moves to the present, with Dinah on a bus on her way to Gotham.
There she meets a "nice guy" named Jerry, whom you would
think "okay, cool, Dinah has a pal already" because he
really fit in. Rachel Skarsten surprised me in that I almost expected
to be annoyed with Psychic Dinah. But this young lady really made
it work.
There's some
establishing on Barbara Gordon and the lack of her social life outside
of teaching and her "other life." I liked this too, but
it really was something that I think they need to expand more on
in the future to really make it sink in.
Ashley Scott
as Helena/the Huntress totally had a cat-like look to her, and she
kind of moved in that way too. Truly the daughter of Batman and
the Catwoman. Unfortunately, it is with this character that I think
I had the most reservations.
I wasn't a big
fan of the costume, for one. It's explained why she dresses why
she does, and obviously showing cleavage is good for ratings, but
what I think bugged me was this almost-clear jacket she had on.
Plus, I really think the Huntress should wear a mask when she fights
crime. I find it a little hard to believe that here she is fighting
crime, and then we see her as a bartender and yet no one recognizes
her? Although the lack of secret identity does lead to some fun
situations -- like Helena being sent to psychiatrist Dr. Harleen
Quinzel, played *perfectly* by Sherilyn Fenn. I really hope Sherilyn
sticks around for at least a while, so she can be the show's "Big
Bad" much like the Master was in the first season of "Buffy."
I hope we would get to see her in costume somehow, in some way,
at some point. I also am still quite curious if her "Puddin'"
is still out there someplace. You can't REALLY get rid of the Joker,
can you?
Shemar Moore
also rounds out the cast as Detective Reese and it is in scenes
with him that the Huntress has the most chemistry. He also has a
partner who is somewhat of the Scully to his believing Mulder. The
"man on the street, looking in" type approach really worked
for him, and this is another character that I hope spills into the
regular series.
I was surprised
that they were able to use as much of the Joker as they did, but
I am not complaining. The Joker is an important part of the backstory,
and believe me, they got the paralysis of Barbara Gordon down. Another
character from the Bat-lore who shows up is Alfred, butler of Wayne
Manor. Played dryly by Ian Abercrombie, the scene he shared with
Dina Meyer is the stuff that will make people think "this is
a great show."
Now for the
downfalls, because, not every pilot is perfect. In some bits the
dialogue got a bit too cheesy, especially in lines from the Huntress.
I don't know if it was the way Ashley Scott presented it, or just
the way it was written, but it almost gave the feeling that the
character was thinking "I feel like I'm a moron in a comic
book show, so I'm going to come across that way." Dr. Quinzel
also has a monologue toward the end and that too sprung of cheese,
but then again, she's insane so she has an excuse. Sometimes, however,
that approach works, like in a scene where Dinah asks where metahuman
powers come from and a certain other WB television series is half-jokingly
referred to.
Brian Robbins
proves with this pilot that the best directors are often former
actors. Look at Ron Howard's films or even the recent X-Files directed
by David Duchovny and you'll see what I mean. Robbins always seemed
to get the best shots to keep it entertaining, make the actors look
their best, and make the show look its best, and the fact that he
was on the other side of the camera for many years could have only
helped him. Laeta Kalogridis, writer and executive producer, should
also get kudos because she really understood the relationships with
many characters and could keep people interested. She also managed
to establish every character in a strong way in the pilot, which
is a quality that not every television pilot ends up with.
All in all the
plusses far outweigh the minuses. There was mystery, there was action,
there was fun. And I have to say that Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon
might be he best comics-to-film translation yet. The show's twists
really left me at least wanting more at the end. And to be honest,
sad to say for the fans of the comic book, the show didn't have
the "Birds of Prey" feel to me so much as "if there
was a TV series about Gotham and Bruce Wayne wasn't in it, this
is what it would be." Which is not a bad thing at all; it's
actually an improvement. I really hope the show lands on the fall
schedule. By the time you read this, it probably has.
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