Pilot

Birds of Prey Episode Review

In which we meet our heroes. Birds of Prey, the WB's attempt to follow up Smallville starts off predictably with an introduction to the characters and situation. Meanwhile, I try and fail not to be annoyed everytime they use the word "meta-human," as if "mutant" is copyrighted or something.

What Happened

Dinah, a young woman who sees other people's lives in her dreams, goes to Gotham City in search of two women: former Batgirl Barbara Gordan and Helena Kyle, also known as the Huntress.

They team up, forming the quintessential superhero trio: Dinah is the spunky youthful one who has no experience. Barbara (now called Oracle) is in a wheelchair after being shot by Joker, making up for her physical disability by becoming the resident techno-geek. Huntress, meanwhile, is the tough girl, resenting the whole hero gig.

Since the premiere was so predictable, I thought I'd take a stab at some of the other episodes before they air.

I Predict...

___ Dinah will screw up; Huntress will over-react. Dinah spot a bad guy and warn the others. No one will believe her, so she'll go out on her own. Huntress and Oracle will follow and get caught. Dinah will save them both and they will tell her how much she has to offer to the team.

_X_ Huntress will come face to face with the man who stabbed her mother. Oracle and Dinah will warn her not to flip out, but Huntress will go after him. Huntress will come thisclose to killing the guy, but Oracle will talk her into handing him over to the police.

___ Oracle will fall for a serial killer. She'll almost become his next victim, but will save herself.

___ Dinah will fall for a kid in a gang. She'll insist that he's a good person; he'll go along with their plans, then have a change of heart and nearly get shot. Dinah will dump him so that he won't get hurt.

___ Huntress' old boyfriend will come to town (probably on a motorcycle), in trouble with the law. Reese will look concerned. He'll get her in trouble; she'll smack him around. He might sacrifice himself for her, or might roar off into the sunset.

___ Oracle will try to go out on a date with Wade (the teacher hitting on her at the start of the show), but a bad guy will surface and she'll have to keep putting him off. Dinah and Huntress will be less than sympathetic (or oblivious), but will come through in the end at get her to the restaurant on time.

___ Dinah's high school crush will come to town, in trouble with law. She'll insist that he's a good person; he'll go along with a bad guy's plans, then have a change of heart and nearly get shot. Dinah will dump him so that he won't get hurt.

___ Come Halloween, Wayne Manor will be haunted. Everyone will have to face their deepest fears.

___ A serial killer will be preying on women; Huntress will play bait. He'll get his serial killing butt kicked.

___ Everyone will get hit with a love gas and go all gooey. Huntress will most likely wind up on top of Reese before it's all sorted out.

_X_ Huntress will wind up in an illegal steel-cage death match ring.

___ A man obsessed with his wife/girlfriend will try to kill her; the trio will stop him.

___ Huntress imagines what life would be like if her mother had lived. And/or Oracle imagines what life would be like if she could still walk.

_X_ The trio gets trapped at a ball when crooks take over and threaten everyone. They have to sneak around the air ducts, setting traps and taking them out one by one. ("Reunion" sort of.)

___ A vigilante takes justice into his own hands, forcing the trio to question what they do.

___ Oracle has to cure a deadly disease spread by a bad guy. Dinah will wind up doing all the legwork when Huntress gets infected.

___ A meta-human keeps his youth by draining the life forces of beautiful young women.

___ Someone is stalked by a meta-human who appears in dreams.

___ The werewolf episode.

___ The vampire episode.

___ Someone is gains an evil clone.

___ Someone loses her eyesight.

___ The episode that rips off "Groundhog Day."

_X_ Three super-heroines and a baby. ("Three Birds and a Baby")

___ Someone is possessed.

___ The one where everyone switches bodies.

And many more...

What Did I Think?

Not so many more, after the WB cancelled the show after half a season. Oh well.