[7.7/10] This one feels like a spiritual successor to “Over the Edge”, which is a good space to be in. “Eyewitness” doesn’t quite hit those heights, but it still has the thrill of a Commissioner Gordon taking on a Batman, and the same twist of a mind-bending villain being behind it all. While this one doesn’t have the same emotional throughline the previous episode did, centering this one on Bruce trusting Terry after all they’ve been through works well for this one’s purposes.
In truth, the twist here comes off like a cheat. There’s not really any setup that the image of Terry killing Mad Stan is an illusion, or that Spellbinder’s able to fool the whole police force through all of this. His motive for all of this is also suspect (just revenge on Batman, I guess?). But it’s a fine enough answer to the central mystery.
Even better is just the emotional stakes of Barabra wanting to collar Terry while Bruce is trying to protect him. The show sets it up nicely in the opening scene when Terry breaks up what he thinks is an illegal deal in what turns out to be a police sting. That gives Barbara good reason to be tired of his interference, coupled with her already-established disillusionment over Batman’s style of vigilante justice.
That, combined with her earlier warning to Bruce that Terry is a hothead, makes it that much easier to believe that Terry has violated Bruce’s most important rule when trying to neutralize Mad Stan. The show doesn’t quite earn Barbara being willing to expose Terry, Bruce, and her own involvement in the Bat-family over it, but it’s a good fulcrum for the show to use for her convictions and motivations here.
Terry having to hide out and run from the cops is a good setup, and I like him having to worry about Bruce potentially turning him in, only to find that their trust is a two-way street. The whole “enhance video” shtick is a little too CSI, but that’s probably the least of this show’s “science as magic” exaggerations.
Overall, this one has plenty of holes if you think too hard about it, but the core emotional contingent of the story, between Bruce, Barbara, and Terry, works really well, which boosts it considerably in my book. While not quite to the levels of past Batman vs. the cops stand-offs, there’s still a lot of good, meaty stuff here.
Great episode, i liked how when Terry was running from the cops he still needed some of bruces guidance. He's not a fully formed batman yet but he sure is a great batman for his age.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-05-25T21:17:35Z
[7.7/10] This one feels like a spiritual successor to “Over the Edge”, which is a good space to be in. “Eyewitness” doesn’t quite hit those heights, but it still has the thrill of a Commissioner Gordon taking on a Batman, and the same twist of a mind-bending villain being behind it all. While this one doesn’t have the same emotional throughline the previous episode did, centering this one on Bruce trusting Terry after all they’ve been through works well for this one’s purposes.
In truth, the twist here comes off like a cheat. There’s not really any setup that the image of Terry killing Mad Stan is an illusion, or that Spellbinder’s able to fool the whole police force through all of this. His motive for all of this is also suspect (just revenge on Batman, I guess?). But it’s a fine enough answer to the central mystery.
Even better is just the emotional stakes of Barabra wanting to collar Terry while Bruce is trying to protect him. The show sets it up nicely in the opening scene when Terry breaks up what he thinks is an illegal deal in what turns out to be a police sting. That gives Barbara good reason to be tired of his interference, coupled with her already-established disillusionment over Batman’s style of vigilante justice.
That, combined with her earlier warning to Bruce that Terry is a hothead, makes it that much easier to believe that Terry has violated Bruce’s most important rule when trying to neutralize Mad Stan. The show doesn’t quite earn Barbara being willing to expose Terry, Bruce, and her own involvement in the Bat-family over it, but it’s a good fulcrum for the show to use for her convictions and motivations here.
Terry having to hide out and run from the cops is a good setup, and I like him having to worry about Bruce potentially turning him in, only to find that their trust is a two-way street. The whole “enhance video” shtick is a little too CSI, but that’s probably the least of this show’s “science as magic” exaggerations.
Overall, this one has plenty of holes if you think too hard about it, but the core emotional contingent of the story, between Bruce, Barbara, and Terry, works really well, which boosts it considerably in my book. While not quite to the levels of past Batman vs. the cops stand-offs, there’s still a lot of good, meaty stuff here.