Birds of Prey – Pilot Episode

Categories: Comic News|Published On: July 26, 2002|Views: 4|

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The Cast

Background
If you’re not familiar with the comic this new series
is based on, it’s part of the Batman family of titles from DC Comics and
features the characters Black Canary and Oracle (and various guest stars)
fighting crime in Gotham and around the world. Black Canary is the same Dinah
Lance most Silver Age, Bronze Age and contemporary fans are familiar with, while
Oracle is the former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, who has been confined to a
wheelchair since the events of Batman: The Killing
Joke.

The “advertiser version” (shown to potential advertisers,
that is) we viewed did not have opening title or end credits, but it played in
what one would expect to be very close to the finished version, with the well
publicized exception that Sherilyn Fenn will be replaced by Mia Sara by the time
the episode actually airs (more about this later).

With cameos by Batman
and the Joker, and with flashbacks to Barbara as Batgirl, the pilot has a little
something fans of just about every era in Batman lore, ranging from Batman –
The Animated Series
to the pre-Crisis Huntress of Earth-II back in
All-Star Comics and Batman Family.

On With the
Show

As a show itself, sans the 60-plus years of Batman continuity, it
actually seems to work. It’s not as smoothly polished yet as Smallville
(which comes from the same executive producers) and there are definitely
some rough spots to smooth out, but it really stands a good chance of
entertaining comic book fans and the wider television audience.

Helena
Kyle is the daughter of the late Selina Kyle, Catwoman. Barbara Gordon is the
former Batgirl, now Oracle, confined to a wheelchair and operating a complex
information system that keeps her up to speed on the world around her and in
touch with Huntress, who more or less serves as her field agent. Dinah, who
shows up as a runaway teen, joins them first as a tag-along and then as a new
recruit to their war on crime.

We’re still at the beginning of the age
of female action heroes, but it’s already clear that just as audiences tired of
over-the-top unrealistic male action heroes, they’ll probably do the same with
their female counterparts. Dina Meyer’s Barbara comes across as very human, a
formerly active participant now trapped in a wheelchair, with all the
frustrations one would expect to come with it. While Helena/Huntress (Ashley
Scott) is a meta-human with some powers and Dinah (Rachel Skarsten) definitely
has displayed precognitive abilities, the pilot spends a good bit of time on the
more realistic aspects of their relationships.

Ian Abercrombie has a
slightly-longer-than-a-cameo scene as Alfred, who is maintaining Wayne Manor in
hopes of Bruce Wayne’s eventual return, and in hopes that his daughter might
want to move up to the family abode. Batman wasn’t only Batgirl’s partner, he
was Helena Kyle’s father. (The old DC Earth-II fans saw this one
coming).

The pilot does an intriguing job of setting up their world,
pitting them against a foe, foreshadowing the recurring menace of Harley Quinn,
who as it turns out is a pretty nasty short of shrink.

The loss of
Sherilyn Fenn is no loss for the series. Physically she was perfectly cast, but
her wooden performance was the weakest in the pilot. She reportedly bowed out
because she couldn’t commit to the recurring appearances, but replacing her with
Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) is a great piece of work (or luck)
for the show.

The only truly irritating item for fans of the comics is
this: Why “New Gotham” and not just “Gotham” or “Gotham City?” It’s a typical,
silly Hollywood-knows-best kind of change.

Otherwise, while some comic
book purests will no doubt be up in arms, this show should be given a chance to
work. It has great potential and could open the world of comics to a lot of new
readers. Onward!

The Cast

Barbara Gordon/Oracle – Dina Meyer
Helena Kyle/Huntress – Ashley Scott

Dinah Lance – Rachel Skarsten
Alfred Pennyworth – Ian Abercrombie

Detective Jake Reese – Shemar Moore
Dr. Harleen Quinzel – Sherilyn Fenn
(will be replaced by Mia Sara)

More About the Show

If you want to know more about the series, check out Rob Worley’s
Comics2Film or GothamClockTower.com, which
is already dedicated to the series and has all sorts of interested
behind-the-scenes items, including spoilers.

Special thanks to WB 54 in
Baltimore, our local WB affiliate.


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