[7.6/10] The title gets your attention here. (And for Futurama fans it conjures memories of “DON’T DATE ROBOTS!”). This is another one that feels more like a Twilight Zone story than a Batman episode, but it works! I like the idea of Howie (World War Z writer Max Brooks!) wanting to use a beautiful robot date to raise his social standing in high school, and having his request that she be utterly loyal to him turn into a “be careful what you wish for” situation.
Paul Dini is the writer for this one, which means that there’s not just good nuts and bolt storytelling at play, but the dialogue and characterization works better than on average. It’s a tough thing to put your finger on, but the interactions between the characters feel realer and funnier, and even accents to the episode, like the random guy who compliments Howard on his “cheese dangles” make the episode feel more complete.
It’s also nice to get some cameos in the form of Riddler, Two-Face, and Killer Croc showing up as robotic adversaries in the Batcave as a fun throwback to the prior series. I also enjoyed the archetypal scummy guy in the robot factory, willing to cut deals on the sly and having a sort of seedy, Steve Buscemi quality to him. He feels like a tempter out of a Chick Tract in some way, but that’s part of the fun.
The one major flaw in this episode is that the action feels kind of shoehorned in. Sure, it’s fine enough to see Terry fighting a robot, but there’s not much of a physical challenge, and it’s not like he comes up with some clever way to beat her. Also, Terry’s kind of a dick for letting Max stay trapped in a locker in the boy’s room, but whatever.
My favorite part of this one centered on Howard doing something wrong, suffering ofr it, and ending up having the party of the year in a different way than he imagined. The “loyalty goes bad” idea with the robot is a fun, abstract way of dramatizing high school social anxieties and shallowness, and there’s a kind of bizarre teen comedy vibe to this one that helps.
Overall, not a true stand out for the show, but an enjoyable lark with a cool concept and moral at the center of it.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-05-24T20:31:16Z
[7.6/10] The title gets your attention here. (And for Futurama fans it conjures memories of “DON’T DATE ROBOTS!”). This is another one that feels more like a Twilight Zone story than a Batman episode, but it works! I like the idea of Howie (World War Z writer Max Brooks!) wanting to use a beautiful robot date to raise his social standing in high school, and having his request that she be utterly loyal to him turn into a “be careful what you wish for” situation.
Paul Dini is the writer for this one, which means that there’s not just good nuts and bolt storytelling at play, but the dialogue and characterization works better than on average. It’s a tough thing to put your finger on, but the interactions between the characters feel realer and funnier, and even accents to the episode, like the random guy who compliments Howard on his “cheese dangles” make the episode feel more complete.
It’s also nice to get some cameos in the form of Riddler, Two-Face, and Killer Croc showing up as robotic adversaries in the Batcave as a fun throwback to the prior series. I also enjoyed the archetypal scummy guy in the robot factory, willing to cut deals on the sly and having a sort of seedy, Steve Buscemi quality to him. He feels like a tempter out of a Chick Tract in some way, but that’s part of the fun.
The one major flaw in this episode is that the action feels kind of shoehorned in. Sure, it’s fine enough to see Terry fighting a robot, but there’s not much of a physical challenge, and it’s not like he comes up with some clever way to beat her. Also, Terry’s kind of a dick for letting Max stay trapped in a locker in the boy’s room, but whatever.
My favorite part of this one centered on Howard doing something wrong, suffering ofr it, and ending up having the party of the year in a different way than he imagined. The “loyalty goes bad” idea with the robot is a fun, abstract way of dramatizing high school social anxieties and shallowness, and there’s a kind of bizarre teen comedy vibe to this one that helps.
Overall, not a true stand out for the show, but an enjoyable lark with a cool concept and moral at the center of it.