<BATMAN BEYOND>
TERRY'S FRIEND DATES A ROBOT
Written by Paul Dini
Teleplay by John McCann
Directed by Dan Riba
Original Air Date: January 15, 2000
Rating: *** out of 5

 

I'll admit that I was skeptical about this episode like many others when I first saw it's name. Unlike the short but meaningful titles of those before, this one just didn't flow. Plus it sounded like a pretty corny premise, so I cringed at the thought of reviewing this. But thankfully the only thing ridiculous about this episode is its name.

 

The opening sequence was...amazing! We see Terry in the middle of an intense training session, facing off against robotic replicas of the Riddler, Two-Face, and Killer Croc. Bruce's voice rings in the background, giving the younger fighter advice on how to deal with these situations. It was cool to see Terry in a 20th century Gotham facing off against classic Batman foes, even if it was only a simulation. However, Terry seems to be hitting to kill here...some of those tactics he uses are quite lethal, such as knocking a live grenade back to the Riddler, and kicking the head off of Croc.

 

The story centers around a boy at school named Howard Groote. He's a geeky overweight fellow, but seems to want attention. He's hosting a party this weekend, and invites popular kids like Nelson, Chelsea, and Blade. Naturally they turn him down, but he can't seem to get that.
Fortunately, Terry and Dana willingly accept Howard's offer and attempt to remind him that popular kids aren't necessarily good friends.

 

Terry gives Howard a ride home, but stops by at a local factory to pick up some synthoids (highly advanced robots). While Terry is preoccupied with paperwork, Howard discovers a shady employee designing a robot for a customer...except this one looks just like a woman, and a good looking one at that. The man is willing to offer his services illegally, and Howard jumps at the chance to get a hot girl devoted to him, even if she's fake.

 

As a result, Howard's popularity rises dramatically at school. Now everybody wants to come to his big party. Nelson Nash tries and fails to get a date with "Syn-thia", as Howard names her.
Nelson makes an insulting comment about her, and she gets quite angry. Later, as Nelson enters the locker room after sports practice, Synthia uses her artificial strength to push over a row of lockers, crushing the jock underneath. The hockey pads save his life, but he's badly injured. The next day as the students discuss Nelson's injury, Synthia's lack of sympathy cause Terry and Max to become suspicious. Terry and Max notice a set of handprints on the lockers in the boy's room, but they lack fingerprints.

 

From here on, several more incidents cause Terry to conclude that Synthia is a robot. His investigation leads him to the illicit employee and an interesting battle takes place there.
Meanwhile at Howard's party, the relationship is falling apart. Synthia's getting far too possesive, but she can't see the problem with that, since she was programmed to be totally dedicated to Howard. A major battle ensues and his house is trashed before the synthoid finally goes down.

 

I felt that this episode was in the middle of the pack. Nothing particularly deep or important, although it was quite funny in some circumstances, like Max in the boy's locker room. The ep also explores popularity issues, although way too many episodes have been about some kind of teen problem. That trend needs to stop in my opinion.  But right now, I suppose we could use a lighthearted break from the dark revenge-laden stories like "Babel".

 

By Justin Chen, aka The Overseer
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EDITORIAL
(by Kelly Tindall)

 

THE DEREK POWERS ARC

 

As I finally sat down to watch "Ascension" (whereas I finally finish last season's crop of Batman Beyond episodes), I had a strange sense of completion.  This was it.  I knew that the producers were adamant that Blight/Powers was not going to appear this season, so I realized that this was it.  The end, as it were, of the Big Villain.  Unlike the Joker or Lex Luthor, Blight/Powers was done for, at least for a while.

 

And what an episode it was!  As I watched Powers be done in by his own son and saw his fragile empire crumble to ashes around his feet, I noted that the story arc was almost Shakespearean in nature.  A grandiose man, on top of the world, done in symbolically by his own power-madness and greed.  Like King Lear, Powers was ruined by a child he was convinced would help save him. 
Like Hamlet, Powers found himself in a court of lies.  And like Iago, he found his evil manipulations of weaker souls such as Fixx, Inque and Shriek to factor into his own undoing.

 

The most tragic element of it all was when Miss Winston, the only one of Powers' people still loyal, gave him a single sandwich.  He shot her a hostile glance, and she shrank back as he consumed it.  One can only imagine the pain, the rage, and the indignity that Powers must have felt.  Trapped in a submarine, no better that a common thief.  Trapped in a prison of his own design, in more ways than one.

 

The question I find myself asking is, "What has this betrayal done to him?"  Will Powers re- emerge in one year's time, a stronger menace and a natural force, his radiation powers more deadly than ever?  Or has the trial of facing his only son clad in rotting skin and tarnished clothing changed him? Will we see a man beaten by circumstance, who lives only for petty revenge?

 

Will we ever see Derek Powers again?

 

Powers' descent into madness was handled very well, with a discipline and maturity like I've never seen in a children's animated television show.  Sherman Howard certainly deserves an Emmy nomination for a man whose oily confidence slowly and deliberately slid into raging fury.  It's some of the best work I've ever heard.
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AND THAT'S THE FACTS
(by "Reliable Source")

 

(Yes, I understand that the title is grammatically incorrect. So sue us.  Actually, nix that. Don't sue us.)

 

(DISCLAIMER:  For those of you who are not yet familiar, Reliable Source is an anonymous character who first surfaced on Batman: The Animated Message Boards, spewing forth ridiculous predictions about the future of Batman Beyond under the guise of spoiler warnings.  His controversial posts created quite a buzz, and have landed him a temporary column with this newsletter.  The thoughts and ideas expressed by this shady character are in no way officially connected to Kids WB, Batman Beyond, this newsletter, or anything that is decent or holy.  That said, on with the show.)