[7.8/10] This is another good villain introduction episode. Shriek’s costume isn’t as cool as Spellbinder’s, but his look is still a good one. His motivation is solid enough -- put up to it by Powers after his experiments lost money. (Though I have to admit, I’m getting pretty tired of Powers as a low-grade substitute for Lex Luthor pretty quickly here.)
But where he soars is in the gimmick. A baddie who uses soundwaves as their weapon of choice turns out to be a boon to the series. I’ll admit, despite remembering this one from childhood, I was a little nonplussed by his initial reveal. Somebody who can use soundwaves to shatter foundations or do concussive blasts on foes is decent enough, but not all that different from a villain who shoots energy beams or what have you.
The episode, however, uses hsi sound-based technology in really interesting and diverse ways. It’s a well-built story, where the details like Shreeve using a tiny two-way radio or having a sound-dampening device are set up early on before they come back in big ways later.
I also like how the episode puts Bruce and Terry outside of their usual roles, which makes things interesting. I like Terry having to play detective for once, trying to use the Bat computer and pretending to be a pizza boy to learn more about Shreeve. It’s clumsy and, inevitably, goes awry, but it’s neat seeing him try to fill out that part of becoming The Dark Knight.
It’s also a good episode for Bruce. I like him crusading to protect Crime Alley, which puts him in line with his efforts to save the neighborhood in “Appointment in Crime Alley” from B:TAS. The idea that he doesn't want to forget what happened to his parents and is willing to come out of his seclusion to make a stand at Wayne-Powers is a good reason to put him in Powers’s crosshairs. Plus the efforts to make Bruce think he’s gone mad, using that little receiver, is a good trick, with Bruce’s explanation for why it didn’t work being the icing on the cake.
I also enjoyed the final confrontation between Terry and Shriek. Shriek using the sound dampener and turning up his own listening device was both sharp as a way to give him the advantage over Terry, but also a nice way to show him hoisted by his own petard when Terry destroys the silencer. It’s a little Twilight Zone-style cruel irony when he ends up deaf, but it’s a clever way to neutralize him that beats the old “punched him harder than he punched me” routine
Overall, this was a nice way to introduce one of the show’s big original villain, giving both Terry and Bruce good plot threads to follow, and finding interesting ways to use Shriek’s gimmick.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-05-07T21:29:37Z
[7.8/10] This is another good villain introduction episode. Shriek’s costume isn’t as cool as Spellbinder’s, but his look is still a good one. His motivation is solid enough -- put up to it by Powers after his experiments lost money. (Though I have to admit, I’m getting pretty tired of Powers as a low-grade substitute for Lex Luthor pretty quickly here.)
But where he soars is in the gimmick. A baddie who uses soundwaves as their weapon of choice turns out to be a boon to the series. I’ll admit, despite remembering this one from childhood, I was a little nonplussed by his initial reveal. Somebody who can use soundwaves to shatter foundations or do concussive blasts on foes is decent enough, but not all that different from a villain who shoots energy beams or what have you.
The episode, however, uses hsi sound-based technology in really interesting and diverse ways. It’s a well-built story, where the details like Shreeve using a tiny two-way radio or having a sound-dampening device are set up early on before they come back in big ways later.
I also like how the episode puts Bruce and Terry outside of their usual roles, which makes things interesting. I like Terry having to play detective for once, trying to use the Bat computer and pretending to be a pizza boy to learn more about Shreeve. It’s clumsy and, inevitably, goes awry, but it’s neat seeing him try to fill out that part of becoming The Dark Knight.
It’s also a good episode for Bruce. I like him crusading to protect Crime Alley, which puts him in line with his efforts to save the neighborhood in “Appointment in Crime Alley” from B:TAS. The idea that he doesn't want to forget what happened to his parents and is willing to come out of his seclusion to make a stand at Wayne-Powers is a good reason to put him in Powers’s crosshairs. Plus the efforts to make Bruce think he’s gone mad, using that little receiver, is a good trick, with Bruce’s explanation for why it didn’t work being the icing on the cake.
I also enjoyed the final confrontation between Terry and Shriek. Shriek using the sound dampener and turning up his own listening device was both sharp as a way to give him the advantage over Terry, but also a nice way to show him hoisted by his own petard when Terry destroys the silencer. It’s a little Twilight Zone-style cruel irony when he ends up deaf, but it’s a clever way to neutralize him that beats the old “punched him harder than he punched me” routine
Overall, this was a nice way to introduce one of the show’s big original villain, giving both Terry and Bruce good plot threads to follow, and finding interesting ways to use Shriek’s gimmick.