BOP vs. Smallville

[Stupendous Man]

Is it just me .. or is BOP not living up to the promise that Smallville showed first season?

When I heard that the producers of Smallville were handling
the BOP show - I was pretty excited.

Im mostly impressed with Smallville (though as a fanboy I would fix some things here and there) . I had faith in what they would
produce in Birds of Prey.

Unlike some of the critics here , I dont mind that Batmans not prominent in the show. I love the Bat family - and to be honest I find Batmans Satelites more interesting than Batman himself.

I like seeing peoples reactions to Batman - which is why I love
Justice League.

But Birds of Prey seems to be written by people whove never
read the source material.

HUGE PET PEEVE that on the show they keep referring to themselves as SUPERHEROES. Nobody in comics - dc or marvel
uses that term. The producers should know better - it sounds silly.

And the strong emotional/moral / life lesson speaches given at the end of every episode detract from what should be a series that makes you believe your witnessing the beginning of a great saga.

Somethings just not working on this show .. and id have to say where it most suffers is in dialogue and character development.

Even the animated series werent as childish as this series is .

Wheres Paul Dini when you need him?
Why dont the hire Chuck Dixon as a consultant , the way
Leob was brought on in Smallville?

Thoughts anyone?

[Jedigreedo]

I think the biggest thing is that Smallville they know is already taken as it's own little uni and so they don't have to pay attention to very many continuity issues but Birds of Prey works on a continuity that was already set for that sort of timeline instead of being WB's own version of the story in each and every aspect.

[Stupendous Man]

True ... but its not about continuity for me.

Its about the spirit of the source material (comics) being
shown on the small tube.

I dont mind the WB "reimagining" the Birds of Prey" concept -
Its the horrible dialogue and the hokey sentimentality of Birds of Prey that turn me off a little (as much as I want to love this show).


The difference for me is -

Im a huge comic book fan, and I had no problem recommending Smallville to my non-comic book loving friends.

Birds of Prey though embarress me. I wouldnt recommend this show to someone who doesnt know comics. Id hate for anyone to think these simplistic /juvenile plots and characters represent the medium I love - comics.

[Failure]

I'm a huge fan of Smallville, but I could care less about BoP. I mean I meant to tape BoP last nite, but I completely forgot it was on. It's just not a very interesting show.

If you think about it though BoP seems to be more focused on the "superhero" aspects than Smallville. The problem is BoP just hasn't been written very well, the characters have been poorly developed and it just hasn't been very interesting overall. It definitely has a lot of potential, but right now it's all just going down the drain. Meanwhile, while critics may say Smallville is merely Dawson's Creek with supervillains, Smallville's done a great job of developing likeable characters, and there's just enough "superhero-ness" in it to satisfy most fans.

You know, I wonder why no one has tapped Dini or Timm or Burnett or anyone from the animated team to try their hand at a live action superhero show. I mean if anyone would know how to handle a superhero show, you'd think it'd be them. Maybe they're just not interested?

I think the biggest thing is that Smallville they know is already taken as it's own little uni and so they don't have to pay attention to very many continuity issues but Birds of Prey works on a continuity that was already set for that sort of timeline instead of being WB's own version of the story in each and every aspect.

I think there's more to it than that though. Smallville has arguably really screwed around with the Superman mythos as well. I mean the biggest thing of all, Clark and Lex are friends growing up? Yet in the future Lex can't tell Clark is Superman? I mean that's more significant than Batman and Catwoman having a baby, or Dinah not being the Black Canary. The thing is, the changes they've made in Smallville, they've done a good job with. They've made it work.

[Kal-el]

Well, with Smallville, we all know what will eventually happen. The story leading up to Clark becoming Superman is, honestly, irrelevant. This, I feel, makes the journey for the future Superman easier to alter. It's not like he NOT going to become Superman. Clark's developing years have been retold many times in many different ways.
BoP is different in that they've taken an already established group of characters that are already in the middle of what they have become and changed them. Batman has done something we, as fans, know he never would do...leave Gotham (the reason, be it self-exile, temporary insanity, giving up, etc., is not the point...it's the fact that he did leave that is difficult to take). Huntress is now meta-human (as Catwoman in this incarnation is said to have been a meta-human). The whole Dinah Lance situation is all screwy. Oracle is really the only character true to her origins. Heck, even the city itself is different!
So, both series have changed things around. Smallville's changes, though nearly blasphemous originally, have worked quite nicely. The changes made do raise questions for the futures of Clark and Lex, but for now they work. BoP's changes are somewhat confusing, seemingly done just for the sake of doing them. My question is why. The characters are interesting enough without giving them special powers and confusing characterizations. It seems Batman was kicked out of the picture so they wouldn't have to deal with him directly. Maybe, at this time, WB and DC don't know how they'd like Batman handled in a live action setting. It gives me the feeling they're still reeling a bit from the fiasco that was B & R. BoP has taken Huntress and made her into character like Spidey's "Black Cat." Or Dark Angel. Or Buffy. It wasn't needed IMO.

One thing Smallville has that has made the changes easier to take is Michael Rosenbaum. To me, he has become Lex Luthor. I really can't see anyone else doing a better job than he has. A young Lex isn't so easy to nail down. Tom Welling is very good as a young Clark, but really that's a fairly easy part to play. Clark has an established way about him. Same with Lana and Pete. They've really just been updated for this day and age. The choices for ma and pa Kent, and Lionel were perfect. No complaints there.

BoP thus far doesn't have a standout like Rosenbaum. Dina Meyer as Barbara/Oracle is dead on, but her character hasn't undergone a major overhaul. Ashley Scott is beautiful, but it seems to me she hasn't yet found a good path for her portrayel of Huntress. Of the BoP cast, I see her as the one in a similar position to Smallville's Rosenbaum. If she can deliver a strong, believable, and deep performance as Huntress, the show will be that much better. Doing that will make even mediocre writing much better as well.

I want BoP to be a great show. I want it to be a show I never want to miss, even during reruns. I like it now, but it can be better.

I hope I was able to explain myself well here. I'm not one to sit in an ivory tower, condemning a show just because it doesn't fit my idea of what it isn't, and not offer reasons how I see it could improve. This show has LOADS of potential, and I hope it fulfills even a fraction of what it can.

[JohnStewart-GL]

i dont like smallville its to Dawson's creek-ish to me. Birds is ok but not much better.

[czyznyck99]

Right now, I'm being more patient with Birds of Prey. I was against Smallville because out of normal continuity, but I ended up kicking myself because of the last three eps of season 1. With BoP I keep expecting the dark, edgy version I have come to enjoy in the comic books. So far, it hasn't been close, save Oracle.

However, with season 2 of Smallville I have come to the awful realization that Clark should just make the costume and go to Metropolis (remember the last few minutes of "Redux"). With BoP, I don't have to experience that, yet. (Really, Batman, stop acting like a wuss and get back to Gotham )

Later.