[7.2/10] This one rises on the strength of the Bruce/Max pairing. Frankly, I wish we had less of Terry in it, not because I have anything against the character, but because the concept promised by the title -- of an absent Batman and his allies having to hunt for him -- is more interesting than seeing both sides of that equation. (Notably, The New Batman Adventures did well with a similar idea.)
But the parts of it we do get are quite good. Max and Bruce have a good dynamic -- him the prickly loner, her the equally pushy and determined ally, which makes their interactions fun. Few people talk back to Bruce like Max does, which helps cut him down to size a bit, and Bruce’s ruse to make Max the distraction (while simultaneously keeping her out of harm’s way), is a winning sequence. (That said, him subjecting a black woman to the authorities takes on an unpleasant context, though maybe society is more advanced in the 2040s).
The other half of the episode just isn't as interesting. There’s something to the idea of Terry running into a runaways kid who idolizes villains because they get what they want. There’s something even better about the notion of him changing the kiddo’s heart by showing him that caring about other people is a noble trait. But the dramatization of it is pretty lame, with Terry running into a random kid in a hidden pocket of the subway and the pair having pseudo-philosophical conversations while they try to escape a cave in. The kid’s pretty stock and annoying, and his “pint sized Mad Max” look is pretty silly. Still, there’s something neat about Batman risking his life to save the kiddo and slowly earning his respect, even if the path to get there is rocky.
My only other complaint is that this is pretty much a waste of Shriek. He and his henchman at least provide a good reason for Terry to stalk his way into the subway. But the random earthquake disruptions and Bruce whooping him with a few knocks from the cane feel like a nerfing of one of the show’s more interesting villains (or at least a villain with one of the show’s cooler gimmicks).
Overall, the Max/Bruce material here works like gangbusters, and everyone looking for a missing Terry is a great concept, but the episode largely fumbles the ball on the elements beyond that.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-06-08T19:02:13Z
[7.2/10] This one rises on the strength of the Bruce/Max pairing. Frankly, I wish we had less of Terry in it, not because I have anything against the character, but because the concept promised by the title -- of an absent Batman and his allies having to hunt for him -- is more interesting than seeing both sides of that equation. (Notably, The New Batman Adventures did well with a similar idea.)
But the parts of it we do get are quite good. Max and Bruce have a good dynamic -- him the prickly loner, her the equally pushy and determined ally, which makes their interactions fun. Few people talk back to Bruce like Max does, which helps cut him down to size a bit, and Bruce’s ruse to make Max the distraction (while simultaneously keeping her out of harm’s way), is a winning sequence. (That said, him subjecting a black woman to the authorities takes on an unpleasant context, though maybe society is more advanced in the 2040s).
The other half of the episode just isn't as interesting. There’s something to the idea of Terry running into a runaways kid who idolizes villains because they get what they want. There’s something even better about the notion of him changing the kiddo’s heart by showing him that caring about other people is a noble trait. But the dramatization of it is pretty lame, with Terry running into a random kid in a hidden pocket of the subway and the pair having pseudo-philosophical conversations while they try to escape a cave in. The kid’s pretty stock and annoying, and his “pint sized Mad Max” look is pretty silly. Still, there’s something neat about Batman risking his life to save the kiddo and slowly earning his respect, even if the path to get there is rocky.
My only other complaint is that this is pretty much a waste of Shriek. He and his henchman at least provide a good reason for Terry to stalk his way into the subway. But the random earthquake disruptions and Bruce whooping him with a few knocks from the cane feel like a nerfing of one of the show’s more interesting villains (or at least a villain with one of the show’s cooler gimmicks).
Overall, the Max/Bruce material here works like gangbusters, and everyone looking for a missing Terry is a great concept, but the episode largely fumbles the ball on the elements beyond that.