[7.8/10] I do love me a good crossover! And this one works, both on the hero side and the villain side. There’s something that does feel a tad contrived about an all-female skirmish happening when both Batman and Superman are out of town, but it’s a comic book story; a little convenience is more than acceptable.
The Batgirl/Supergirl team-up works especially well. Barbara and Kara have a good vibe together, and Livewire makes sense as a villain whom Batgirl couldn’t handle on her own without some “sepcial help.” It’s not the most important moment in the episode by any stretch, but I particularly like Batgirl flying on Supergirl’s back and remarking on how amazing it is, with Kara responding that it’s her favorite part. It adds texture and detail to their friendship, and it’s just a little human moment.
The same goes for the slightly blunt but still endearing “grass is always greener” conversation. There’s something well-observed about how Batgirl, who’s grown up in the city dreams of being in wide open spaces and a bucolic life, where Kara yearns for the excitement and freedom of the big city. It is, again, a nice character moment for each of them amid all the fisticuffs.
The villain dynamic is pretty entertaining as well. Livewire isn’t my favorite Superman villain, but she has one of the more outsized and rambunctious personalities, which makes her a good fit for Poison Ivy and Harley. Their team-up works well not only because it plays on an established partnership between Harley and Ivy, but because Harley feels squeezed out by Livewire’s arrival and a sort of quick rapport that Livewire and Ivy develop. (Honestly, I kind of expected this one to end with Harley turning on Livewire for that reason.)
That works for humor and the old “villains can’t work together” shtick. There’s something really funny about Ivy breaking the cash out of an ATM using her vines, Livewire using her electricity, only for Harley to just hammer away at it with a giant mallet the same way she was trying to break into the mall. But there’s also some natural bristling between Ivy and Livewire that works well, particularly in the climax where fire from Livewire’s electricity ignites one of Ivy’s living topiaries, requiring a deluge to save her “babies” that wipes out Livewire, in a rube goldberg machine of ironic villain neutralization.
Those types of skirmishes are well-done here, Supergirl’s powers and Batgirl’s anti-conductive silicate making for a good match against the villainous trio. Ivy using her spores to threaten Batgirl and distract Supergirl is clever, and Livewire’s electricity powers create some good challenges.
Overall, I don’t know if we really needed to see Kara and Barbara painting their nails in front of their TV, but as crossovers go, this was another quality one from the DCAU.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-25T18:24:40Z
[7.8/10] I do love me a good crossover! And this one works, both on the hero side and the villain side. There’s something that does feel a tad contrived about an all-female skirmish happening when both Batman and Superman are out of town, but it’s a comic book story; a little convenience is more than acceptable.
The Batgirl/Supergirl team-up works especially well. Barbara and Kara have a good vibe together, and Livewire makes sense as a villain whom Batgirl couldn’t handle on her own without some “sepcial help.” It’s not the most important moment in the episode by any stretch, but I particularly like Batgirl flying on Supergirl’s back and remarking on how amazing it is, with Kara responding that it’s her favorite part. It adds texture and detail to their friendship, and it’s just a little human moment.
The same goes for the slightly blunt but still endearing “grass is always greener” conversation. There’s something well-observed about how Batgirl, who’s grown up in the city dreams of being in wide open spaces and a bucolic life, where Kara yearns for the excitement and freedom of the big city. It is, again, a nice character moment for each of them amid all the fisticuffs.
The villain dynamic is pretty entertaining as well. Livewire isn’t my favorite Superman villain, but she has one of the more outsized and rambunctious personalities, which makes her a good fit for Poison Ivy and Harley. Their team-up works well not only because it plays on an established partnership between Harley and Ivy, but because Harley feels squeezed out by Livewire’s arrival and a sort of quick rapport that Livewire and Ivy develop. (Honestly, I kind of expected this one to end with Harley turning on Livewire for that reason.)
That works for humor and the old “villains can’t work together” shtick. There’s something really funny about Ivy breaking the cash out of an ATM using her vines, Livewire using her electricity, only for Harley to just hammer away at it with a giant mallet the same way she was trying to break into the mall. But there’s also some natural bristling between Ivy and Livewire that works well, particularly in the climax where fire from Livewire’s electricity ignites one of Ivy’s living topiaries, requiring a deluge to save her “babies” that wipes out Livewire, in a rube goldberg machine of ironic villain neutralization.
Those types of skirmishes are well-done here, Supergirl’s powers and Batgirl’s anti-conductive silicate making for a good match against the villainous trio. Ivy using her spores to threaten Batgirl and distract Supergirl is clever, and Livewire’s electricity powers create some good challenges.
Overall, I don’t know if we really needed to see Kara and Barbara painting their nails in front of their TV, but as crossovers go, this was another quality one from the DCAU.