Friday, August 31, 2018

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 29-32 Reviews

With this batch of episodes, there's a delightful three part crossover event while a certain Doctor also makes the rounds in Metropolis.

Episode 29: World's Finest, Part 1



Let's be honest, we all wanted to see both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight share some screen time together and now we're at the latter half of the former's second season, the timing seemed perfect. The episode opened with the Joker and Harley Quinn breaking into an antiques place and stealing a dragon made of Kryptonite. They soon traded Gotham City for Metropolis and didn't waste time in striking a deal with Lex Luthor in order to kill Superman. It also didn't take long for Batman and Superman to initially butt heads over dealing with the Joker while figuring out each other's identities. There's also a romantic subplot with Bruce and Lois that I'm less keen on but overall doesn't spoil the enjoyment of this trilogy. 8/10

Episode 30: World's Finest, Part 2



The middle part of the trilogy sees Lois and Bruce's date getting interrupted as the Joker and Harley actually make a move, kidnap Lois and use her as bait to lure in Superman. Yep, the Joker has fun taunting the Man of Steel and even gets to weaken him with Kryptonite before he realises that Batman has actually followed him to Metropolis. There's a delightful fight in the background between Harley and Mercy (their rivalry in this trilogy is pretty amusing) as both Lex and the Joker try to deal with their superhero problems as the ending of this one puts both our heroes in various predicaments. 8/10

Episode 31: World's Finest, Part 3



The final part of the trilogy had both Batman and Superman's team up/rivalry strengthened as the two banded together to save Metropolis from being destroyed by the dissolved Joker/Lex partnership. It wasn't too shocking to see the two baddies turn on one another and while this episode ended with the Joker lost to the waters, Lex under hot water with Bruce Wayne and the media, at least Mercy got to have the last laugh with Harley being sent back to Arkham Asylum. I did like that Lois actually figured out that Bruce and Batman were the same as well as being content with her and Bruce calling it quits too. Now, does this mean she's not far off from learning the truth about Clark and Superman? 8/10

Episode 32: The Hand Of Fate



After a trilogy with the Dark Knight and his Clown Prince nemesis, I'm actually surprised the next episode featured another famous hero to be paired with Superman. This time around it's Doctor Fate (George Del Hoyo) who needed a bit of motivating from his wife, Inza in order to help Superman save the city from a demon named Karkull. It's a solid enough set piece as both Superman and Fate work well enough together but I think after the big trilogy we had just gotten, this episode feels a little underwhelming by comparison. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Bizarro's World, Prototype, The Late Mr Kent and Heavy Metal.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

What's Your Emergency?

A round up of some of the more recent shows I've been watching.


911: The latest Ryan Murphy series that I've been playing catch up with (I will catch up with Pose at some point) and it's a pretty madcap one as we see the likes of a 911 operator in Abby (with a nice backstory with an elderly mother), firefighters Buck and Bobby along with policewoman Athena (who has a gay husband). For a show, there's certainly some of Murphy's trademark moments and there's definitely a nice diversity too along with a subtle burning relationship with Abby and Buck as well.


Jessica Jones: I don't think this second season has been bad as such but it's certainly lacked the focus of the first season. Alisa is a different type of antagonist, what with her being Jessica's mother but unlike Kilgrave, she's too sympathetic to actually be a true baddie while IGH have been largely faceless, Karl also rather sympathetic (due to his love for Alisa) and Pryce being downright ineffectual to pose any real threat. I have liked the subplots with Malcolm, Trish and Jeri but again, there is a lack of focus here.


Killing Eve: This is due to air on both BBC3 and BBC1 next month but in an odd twist, RTE2 have managed to a) air it before both channels and b) given it a primetime slot as they started off with a double bill. While I could never get into Fleabag as a series, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has done wonders with adapting the Villanelle books for the small screen with Jodie Comer giving a bewitching performance as psychopath assassin Villanelle while Sandra Oh (who has bagged herself an Emmy nod) is similarly as captivating MI5/6 agent, Eve Polastri on the hunt for Villanelle. The first two episodes have set the cat and mouse antics with the two up well and there's an engaging bunch of supporting players to match. I can see why this show has generated quite the fanbase to be honest.


Krypton: Of all the prequel shows we could have had, I don't think there was a single Superman fan out there who was clamouring for a series centred on the Man of Steel's grandfather, Seg El but SyFy and David Goyer seemed to think there was an audience for it. Given that it's already gotten a second season, perhaps they were on to something but watching the first two episodes on E4, I'm still a little indifferent on the show. The acting is fine, the writing is somewhat average at best, there's an attempt to make the show a little Game Of Thrones lite and the reliance of characters such as Adam Strange and Brainiac does make me wonder if this show is actually necessary. It's nicely shot though I am lukewarm on the love story between Seg El and Lyta Zod.


Orange Is The New Black: I'm now eight episodes into this season and yet we need to see both Carol and Barb actually make moves and show why they're running the max everyone is in. I've had more than enough screen time for Badison and she still bores me as a character. I hate the new guards (except for the two ginger ones) and I'm neutral on the Daya/Daddy thing as well. Red's potential team up with Carol to get back at Freda should be interesting and it's amusing that Piper is now starting to think of a memoir. There's also been some good stuff with Black Cindy/Flaca being paired up for a radio station, Tiffany going to Florida with Suzanne and Freda but other than that, something big really needs to happen now.


- Tyler Hoechlin will reprise his Superman role for the upcoming Arrowverse crossover featuring both Batwoman and Lois Lane.
- The Big Bang Theory will end after it's upcoming twelfth season.
- True Detective's third season will premiere in January on HBO and SkyAtlantic.
- A second season for Sharp Objects isn't off the table it seems.
- Viewers can expect Bane to appear in the final season of Gotham.
- Roseanne will be killed in upcoming spin off series, The Connors.
- Courtney Cox and Katey Sagal will be in the ninth season of Shameless.
- Brendan Fraser will now play Robotman for the upcoming Doom Patrol series. Diane Guerrero will play Crazy Jane and Jovian Wade will be Cyborg.

Monday, August 27, 2018

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 25-28 Reviews

In this batch of episodes, we go into a different dimension, Lois catches up with a childhood pet after two decades and both Brianiac and Darkseid return to cause trouble.

Episode 25: Brave New Metropolis


A different world. One minute, Lois and Jimmy are looking at an Kryptonian experiment of Dr Hamilton's and the next one, Lois gets sent to another Metropolis where both Lex Luthor and Superman are working together in a dictatorship and everything else has gone to a handbasket in hell. In this world, Angela is on the street, Jimmy is a resistance leader of sorts and Mercy is still her rather mean self. I do think they could've explored a darker Superman a little better and Lex in this other world was no different to what he usually is but other than that, I really enjoyed this one. 8/10

Episode 26: Monkey Fun


This is the second Lois focused episode in a row and it's a pretty great one, beginning with a flashback of her and Lucy owning a pet monkey named Titano, who then was sent into space by her father for a mission that didn't quite go well. Twenty years later, Superman brings Titano back to Metropolis, Lois realises that looking after a pet as an adult is more stressful than as a child and Titano winds up growing quite a bit and causing chaos in the city before Lois is the one to save the day. Aside from a missed opportunity to introduce Lucy as an adult (though I'm sure we'll see her later on in the series), this was another enjoyable episode. 8/10

Episode 27: Ghost In The Machine


It's been a while since Brainiac has caused some trouble and this episode had him sabotage one of Lex's experiments before forcing the latter's hand in rebuilding him a new body. It's not the greatest episode for Brainiac as he doesn't seem to do anything really that earth shattering aside from trying to kill Superman when the latter catches up with him. If anything, the episode's strength is the grudging team up between Superman and Mercy as the latter revealed a bit more on her loyalty to Lex and even seemed to soften a little to Superman at the episode's end. 7/10

Episode 28: Father's Day


One of the weaker episodes for me but still it had it's good points. I did like seeing both Martha and Jonathan Kent show up in Metropolis and get acquainted with Lois over a spot of lunch. Then there was a second trip to Apokolips where after being doubted by his father for the last time, Kalibak arrives on Earth with the intent to kill Superman and win over his father's approval. Needless to say, he ultimately fails in this task but at least both Superman and Darkseid finally meet with each other, even if nothing exciting emerges from it as well. There's a brief update on Mannheim, who quickly managed to get himself into Darkseid's bad books but other than that, a somewhat weak episode. 6/10

Next blog I'll delve into World's Finest Parts 1-3 and Hand Of Fate.

Friday, August 24, 2018

Superman: The Animated Series - Episodes 21-24 Reviews

Sorry, it's been a little longer than I wanted since my last blog but I've just sat through an interesting selection of episodes with a nice selection of returning baddies and the arrival of a new one.

Episode 21: Action Figures


The return of Metallo. I didn't mind his opening story and this one was rather interesting as it began with Angela Chen talking about some past baddies like the Toyman and Parasite before referencing Metallo being at the bottom of the ocean. Of course, it didn't take long for him to resurface on a volcanic location, befriend a few children, play nice for a bit before regaining his memories and going after Superman again. This led to an interesting scene where the Man of Steel got his face shoved into lava but it also ended on a slightly chilling note as an entrapped Metallo desperately tried to retain his memories this time. 7/10

Episode 22:  Mxyzpixilated 


The guy with the name even I have difficulty pronouncing but whose voice actor I largely recognise as Iago from Aladdin and who also has appeared in Superboy TV series  as well - Gilbert Gottfried. Here Mxy does his best to get the best of Superman and repeatedly gets humiliated, only to keep coming back every three months and you can see where I'm going with this. It's a fun episode, with Mxy being an amusing pest while his bored paramour provides some snarky background commentary but going by the end of the episode, a rematch is clearly inevitable between Superman and the interdimensional pest. 8/10

Episode 23: Double Dose


Livewire and Parasite. It's a great idea for a team up as the former tricked an unsuspecting janitor to give her a little charge while convincing the latter than the two of them could take down Superman together. However it didn't take much for Livewire and Parasite to actually turn on each other. I did like that Superman took some extra measures like covering himself in latex to deal with this double act but once again, it did seem like Parasite is back to square one, memory wise while Livewire found herself a little juiced out. 7/10

Episode 24: Solar Power


Another return as this time, Luminus is back but it's Superman rather than Lois he's out for revenge. I have to give the episode credit for the use of LexCorp and even Luminus finding a way to have a red sun in order to depower Superman for most of the episode while Lois and Jimmy were used as pawns in his game. The fight scenes with Superman and Luminus are pretty good in this episode as well and overall, it's not a bad returning episode too for the guy. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into Braver New Metropolis, Monkey Fun, Ghosts In The Machine and Father's Day.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Batman 66 - Episodes 61-64 Reviews

It's been a few weeks but now in my rundown of episodes, one villain wants to go to prison and the other is keen on a bit of voice snatching.

2x27: The Penguin's Nest


In the space of five minutes, two things are surprising in this episode. First of all was seeing the Penguin owning his own restaurant and attending to some of our regular and then the second bit was stealing Aunt Harriett's bracelet with the intention of being sent back to prison. Actually, the Penguin's continued attempts to be incarcerated (including an unconvincing fake out shooting of a henchmen) are hilarious until he actually gets sent to prison, rescued by his gang and the cliffhanger ends with poor O'Hara locked in a trunk set to be drown in the pool. Is this the first time the cliffhanger hasn't involved Batman and Robin in danger? Does make a change though. 7/10

2x28: The Bird's Last Jest


With the Penguin's motives for wanting to go back to prison becoming clear - he wanted the aid of an expert forger, it's up to Alfred to go undercover yet again and be a spy for Batman and Robin. Except that it all goes horribly wrong as the Penguin realises who Alfred actually is, bakes him into a pie and tries to blackmail Bruce Wayne out of a million before the dynamic Duo save the day. There's a nice moment where Aunt Harriet gets to take out Penguin's female companion while O'Hara makes another reference to his Irish heritage. 7/10

2x29: The Cat's Meow


It's always nice to have Catwoman back for a two parter and while this one isn't her best one, it's still a lot of mad fun nonetheless. This week she decides steal the voices of a local TV host and Commissioner Gordon before coming up with a unique variation of the old Chinese Water Torture method to deal with the Dynamic Duo. There's even a hilariously daft moment where she infiltrates Wayne Manor as a dancing instructor called Miss Klutz - an apt name, considering her lack of rhythm when dancing with Dick Grayson. 8/10

2x30: The Bat's Kow Tow


With Batman and Robin released from their noisy fate, it's up to Catwoman to steal the voices of British singing duo Chad & Jeremy (appearing as themselves here) and hold their dulcet tones to a ransom. It's a decent plan, it almost worked but instead of bringing Britain to it's knees (you probably should've gone for another male act of the time, Selina), Batman is able to bring Catwoman's plan to a halt. There is a delightfully charged moment where Catwoman finds herself incapable of killing her infamous foe that shows the mutual attraction between the pair, with Robin somewhat spoiling the moment but either way, this was still a fun two parter for the Princess of Plunder. 8/10

Next blog I'll delve into The Puzzles Are Coming/The Duo is Slumming and The Sandman Cometh/The Catwoman Goeth.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

The Jungle Cruise Casting "Controversy"


A few days ago, Disney announced that Jack Whitehall had been cast as a gay character (and brother of Emily Blunt's leading character) in an upcoming movie of theirs named The Jungle Cruise. Not a huge amount of details was revealed other than Whitehall's character being somewhat camp but the little information we got was enough to ignite a moderate shit storm on social media with some fans less than enthused with Jack's casting, including the Guardian writing a patronising hot take on how Whitehall being cast in the role is erasing "queer culture". Yeah, I'm not linking that one.

Yeah, this is bullshit. First of all, while I do think Disney missed a good opportunity by not casting a gay actor for the part, the role itself doesn't really sound that alluring and even though I'm not a fan of Jack Whitehall myself, this growing sense of entitlement within the LGBT media over who gets cast in roles is starting to piss me off to be honest.

First off all we had woke social media castigating Scarlett Johansson over being cast in Rub & Tug, which she later stepped away from. This is a movie that now will unlikely be ever made. Last week, Ruby Rose - an actual lesbian actress got ripped to bits over being cast as Batwoman for the upcoming CW series that she deleted her Twitter and now it's Whitehall's turn it seems to bear some of this tedious online faux rage.

Now, there's nothing wrong with being critical with casting choices and even I've mentioned not being a fan of Jack Whitehall but LGBT media while being right in the "representation matters" take on things do need to ease up a bit though. These growing levels of hostile articles over casting news are starting to do more harm for our community than good.

Casting News: https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/jack-whitehall-disney-jungle-cruise?utm_term=.mgVdrqGKK#.lak9ROoQQ

Thoughts on Whitehall's casting, anyone? Anyways, Jungle Cruise is scheduled for released October 2019.

Monday, August 13, 2018

Mommy's Home Again

It's been several weeks since I've did and to give you guys a deserved break from DC related content, here's a catch up of some things I've been watching.


Jessica Jones: I know I'm several months behind here (and I'm still debating whether or not to bother with Luke Cage and Iron Fist's seconds seasons), but six episodes in, I have to admit that while this season isn't quite as gripping as the first season, it's not actually bad either. The reveal of this season's baddie being Jessica's mother might have been obvious but can we applaud the show for not clinging onto Kilgrave though? Other than that, both Trish and Jeri are getting darker arcs, Malcolm is still the best written male character on the show, Oscar makes for some decent guy candy and the IGH stuff is interesting enough. I just have another seven episodes to go.


Orange Is The New Black: Only started this last week, so I've got a bit to go here but so far, not too bad. The opening episode was a little too Suzanne focused for my liking (have slightly gone off the character a bit) and there are several characters that I know won't be appearing this season, which disappoints me but some of the newbies have promise like Badison and Daddy I guess. I also like the ginger officer, Alverez who seems like one of the nicer guards in Max but the first two episodes were very much treading water as some of our main characters adjust to their new surroundings. Like I'm going to have to with the remainder of this season to catch up.


Sharp Objects: This year's Big Little Lies if we're being honest. Or the one where Lois Lane ventured into something more grimdark than a Zack Snyder movie (kidding: I do like the guy). Yeah, everything about this mini-series, starring Amy Adams and spearheaded by Marti Noxon (who also has UnReal and Dietland on her roster) virtually screams "gimme a freaking Emmy" as the first five episodes have had alcoholic journalist Camille come back to her old stomping ground to help investigate the murders of several girls while dealing with her insufferable family (Patricia Clarkson being gold star levels of irritation as Camille's drippy mother Adora) while also battling personal demons and an attraction to a hot detective named Willis (Chris Messina). Most of the performances are good but a part of me can't shake the feeling that this would've worked with less episodes or as a two hour movie for HBO rather than an eight episode series.


Will & Grace: Yeah, it's been months since I've actually commented on this one and with Comedy Central actually airing Season 9 for UK viewers (and Season 10 back on NBC next month) but the last few episodes have been fun to watch. The show hasn't been as addictive as it was first time around but it has at least felt consistent to what it was before and it's been rather nice to dip back into that world. I did love the handling of Grace's mother's death and even Jack's relationship with Officer Drew was nice to see unfold. The Karen/Stan/Malcolm triangle didn't really do too much for me, though it was amusing in spades and we did have the Will/Michael thing along with a fun nod to Jennifer Lopez's now cancelled show, Shades Of Blue.


- Showtime are producing a miniseries on actress Hedy Lamarr with Gal Gadot earmarked for the leading role.
- David Schwimmer will be appearing as a love interest for Grace in the upcoming tenth season of Will & Grace.
- Homeland's upcoming eighth season will be it's final season.
- Rhona Mitra has been cast as Mercy Graves for Supergirl's fourth season along with Robert Glover as her brother, Otis.
- Star Trek fans will soon have a series focusing on Patrick Stewart's Jean Luc Picard to look forward to.
- Toby Onwumere has been cast as a love interest for Jamal for the upcoming fifth season of Empire.
- Kiana Madeira will recur in The Flash's fifth season as a female version of the character, Spin.
- Paul Rudd will star in clone comedy series, Living With Yourself for Netflix.
- Jovian Wade will star as Cyborg for the upcoming Doom Patrol series on DC Universe.
- Shameless's upcoming ninth season will be split in half and has an extended episode run.

Friday, August 10, 2018

EastEnders - Can Kate Oates Bring The Magic Back?

In the last few days, it was reported that Kate Oates will be overseeing EastEnders along with both Casualty and Holby City for the BBC. For a lot of fans, this is hopefully a sign of good times.


In the last few years, Kate Oates has done wonders for rival soaps, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, generating some provocative and exciting storylines as well as popular romantic pairings that when news came that she was stepping down from the latter soap, fans were hoping the BBC would tempt her in order to give EastEnders a much needed shot in the arm and given the hatchet job that both Sean O'Connor and John Yorke have managed between them in the last two and a half years, Kate certainly can't do any worse but here are a few suggestions/things I'd like to see happen within Oates's upcoming era of the soap.


Axings: I don't think Kate will make too many major axings, not early into her tenure to be honest. There isn't much deadwood on the show at the moment for her to get rid of such, except maybe Stuart and I wouldn't be surprised if he's gone before her era even kicks off to be honest.

Rebuilding Families: In particular the Beales, Masoods and maybe the Mitchells as well. Also possibly the Foxes too. Also do more with the existing families like the Slaters/Fowlers and Taylors as well.

Spread The Love: Instead of overly focusing on particular sets of characters, the show does need to spread out the storylines so that everyone is getting something worthwhile to do. This was something DTC did excel at as well, so hopefully Oates will follow suit. Given her previous track record, I think she will do her best to make sure the show doesn't overly depend too much on certain characters.

LGBT Characters: I actually don't want Ben and Johnny back. Ben has had some of the worst, borderline homophobic writing we've ever seen on the show and he's just too divisive as a character who seems to be played by very inconsistent actors to boot. Similarly Johnny's potential was long drained away that he became such a non entity of a character. No, right now we need new gay/bi male characters to boot. Give them decent links to the square and build a relationship organically rather than trying to recapture a RobRon or Kana type of thing. Oh and make them likeable/interesting. It shouldn't be hard to do.

Better Baddies:  The Willmott-Browns, Aidan and Stuart all had the potential to be compelling baddies but all have failed big time as characters. I'm hoping the show can break the bad trend with Ray and make him a credible antagonist because they've got a really talented actor with Sean Mahon, so let's not waste his talents.

Returns: I'd love Janine back but only if she's still rich and they have enough storylines to justify a proper return. Likely returns though should be the likes of Jane, Peter and Zainab in order to rebuild the Beales and Masood families.

The Vic: We could get new owners for the place and I wouldn't be against that as such but at the same I'm indifferent as to whether or not the Carters stay in the Vic. Saying that though, the show does need to dial things back a little bit with them as well.

A Sense Of Excitement: Kate did this effortlessly with both ITV soaps and fired up the viewing public's anticipation for storylines. I really want her to do that with this show, especially as the show hasn't really had that wow factor since it's 30th anniversary in 2015.

Press Release: http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/news/a863452/eastenders-casualty-holby-city-new-producer-kate-oates/

What would you like to see happen with EastEnders under Kate Oates run?

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Batwoman - Ruby Rose Cast In Title Role

I was hoping that SDCC was going to be the place to reveal this casting but when that didn't happen, my next hope was that we wouldn't have to wait long for the reveal and we didn't considering we now know who will be playing Kate Kane for the CW DC universe.


Ruby Rose, best known for her roles on Orange Is The New Black and recent films such as John Wick Chapter 2 and The Meg has bagged the role of lesbian superhero, Kate Kane/Batwoman and given that the CW themselves wanted a lesbian actress for the role, they kept to their word with the casting here. A synopsis for the upcoming series, scheduled to air in 2019 has also been released ....

Batwoman revolves around Kate Kane, who, armed with a passion for social justice and flair for speaking her mind, soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet — in a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.


My thoughts on this casting? I'm going to be honest. I like the character of Batwoman fine enough but not to the point where I had a fantasy casting list in my back pocket and to be fair, I just assumed the role would've gone to an actress who has previously worked on a CW show. I'm not the biggest fan of Ruby Rose and there are undoubtedly better actresses that the CW could've landed for the role but some of the online opposition for her casting has been a bit much. I'm gonna keep an open mind for now and wish her well in the role. As for the synopsis, it seems simple enough though I do hope the show doesn't go overboard with the preachiness as Supergirl has done at times.

Press Release: https://batman-news.com/2018/08/07/ruby-rose-is-batwoman-on-arrow-and-the-cw-series/

Batwoman will make her debut in the upcoming Arrow universe crossover event due to air in December on the CW before her own show debuts in 2019.

Friday, August 03, 2018

Batman 66 - Episodes 57-60 Reviews

I'm back for another batch of episodes to review, which include one of the best female antagonists the show has ever done and a little of a Western piece to boot.

2x23: Marsha, Queen Of Diamonds



There are probably two guest baddies on this show that arguably could've been precursors for Poison Ivy. The obvious one would be Louie The Lilac (and I'm a bit off getting to him) while the other would be seductress, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. Played delightfully by Carolyn Jones (who would go on to play Hippolyta in Wonder Woman 77), Marsha's ambition moves beyond diamonds as she successfully manages to get Commisioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara and Robin under her love spell and when she fails to snag Batman under her control, she's quick to use Robin as a means to get into the Batcave. Except Batman won't let anyone in that's a stranger so Marsha's genius solution is to become Mrs Batman. It's a genius cliffhanger moment as Batman is inches away from giving up his bachelor lifestyle. 9/10

2x24: Marsha's Scheme Of Diamonds



Once again, the show demonstrates that when they put the effort, Aunt Harriet really can come up with the goods. It's her that Batman ends up having to thank when both her and Alfred come up with a fake previous marriage to stop Batman from having to marry Marsha. There's some great comedy with Marsha's scatty Aunt Hilda (Estelle Winwood) - the world's least effective witch and another amusing moment where the Dynamic Duo are 'frogs's (they're really not) before Marsha's great scheme comes undone. One of the best two parters we've had on the show and even better in the knowledge that Marsha and her delightfully dotty aunt come back for three more episodes later in the season. 9/10

2x25: Come Back, Shame



I'm not the biggest of Western fans (though I do like the genre) but the diversity in original baddies this show is it's biggest strength. Cliff Robertson gives a good performance as bad cowboy Shame, complete with his own motley crew to cause headaches for the Dynamic Duo. It's a decent enough run around, but also distracting in parts given that we get a fair amount of scenes with a little boy named Andy, who is fixated on getting his radio back. 6/10

2x26: It's How You Play The Game



Again, not a hugely compelling second part to this story, though we did get a moment where Robin was shot in a scuffle, took some bat pills and did some sums in order to assert he was better after getting hit by one of Shame's bullets. The end scene where Andy decides to trade in his cowboy costume for a Batman one is a little twee for my liking but I did find Shame giving the kid back his radio rather amusing. 6/10

Next blog I''ll delve into The Penguin's Nest/The Bird's Last Jest and The Cat's Meow/The Bat's Kow Tow.