Friday, June 03, 2016

Batman Beyond - Episodes 5-8 Reviews

Into the second batch of recaps and we've got immortality for an icy customer, the debut of a prominent villain and another glimpse into Bruce Wayne's past rivals of sorts.

Episode 5: Meltdown


It was only a matter of time before one of Bruce's rogue gallery members showed up in Neo Gotham and the welcomed return of Mr Freeze was a delight. First appearing as a head in a jar and then in an abled body, it seemed like Victor was finally going to get the chance to atone for past crimes and move on with his life. Sadly being a pawn of Derek Powers and scientist, Stephanie meant that Victor soon reverted to his chilly ways but along with his return, Terry also had to contend with Powers alter ego, Blight and this was an impressive debut for that character. Right now, it looks like Freeze perished again but I don't doubt we'll see him once more. 8/10

Episode 6: Heroes


Another episode that heavily centred on Powers, though without too many complaints of his current Blight. This time around we has three scientists become Magma, Freon and 2D Man and while initially both Terry and the city thought they may have been allies,the Terrific Trio soon took a dark path when they realised how their recent transformation came about the place. I have to admit that Magma certainly seemed to be a hothead prior to his betrayal and the design for him isn't that dissimilar to Clayface's look from Batman: The Animated Series. It's an okay episode though. 6/10

Episode 7: Shriek


A slightly better episode as for a third one in a row, Powers is somewhat pulling the strings with the main threat. This time he's got a volume themed one called Shriek (how original, lol) doing his best to knock down buildings while at the same time, take Bruce Wayne out of the picture as well. I did find Powers underhanded way to drive Bruce insane quite interesting and also like the growing closeness between Bruce and Terry along with the scenes with Ace. Shriek is a decent enough villain who ended up with an appropriate comeuppance as well. Great use of silence in parts too. 7/10

Episode 8: Dead Man's Hand


Easily one of the best episodes so far. While Terry's fleeting romantic with Royal Flush Gang member Melanie Ten was deliberately attempting to parallel Bruce and Selina's volatile relationship (something which Bruce even acknowledges at the episode's conclusion), it actually worked rather impressively. I liked the Royal Flush Gang as an ongoing menace for Neo Gotham and I definitely think they made the members diverse enough to be engaging while at the same time I also appreciated the show having Terry not wanting to end up isolated like Bruce has become. Overall, this episode had so much to offer and delivered on it so well. 9/10

Next time I'll look into The Winning Edge, Spellbound, Disappearing Inque and A Touch Of Curare.

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