2x05 Hidden Agenda

[7.3/10] I’ll be frank -- I don’t know why I didn't like this one better. It’s got a lot of things I like in a superhero show: well motivated characters, believable conflicts between allies, and even some creative villain plots (or at least villain attacks). It just lacked a little bit of a spark that I can’t quite put my finger on.

Still, the nuts and bolts are good. I appreciate that Terminal, the bad guy here, is a smart and successful kid from a (seemingly) well-off family, whose mom has unreasonable and harsh expectations of him that have helped driven him to both acting out as a member of the Jokerz, and targeting Max because she’s ahead of him in the Hamilton High pecking order.

I also like that this episode establishes Max as smart and capable ahead of her becoming an ally for Terry. The Robin/Alfred line at the end is cute, but much of the point of this episode is not necessarily introducing Max (since we’ve seen her before), but showing why she’d be a useful compatriot in the fight against the bad guys and someone good to have on your side.

We get that in her Batman/Jokerz guessing program. I’ll admit, it feels a little like false tension when the program psits out that Terry is a Joker rather than Batman. It could be an interesting development, but the episode barely plays it for anything. Still, it’s a nice way for Terry to be on his back foot with his erstwhile friend, and I like how the program makes Terry want to form an alliance with the Jokerz, if only on this issue. That sort of pragmatic character-motivated conflict is the stuff that good drama is made of.

Still, the various fights and vandalism aren’t much to write home about. There’s some neat stuff when the Jokerz are harassing that poor schlub on the train with their bag of tricks, but otherwise there’s just a lot of the standard punching and kicking here.

By the end of it all, though, Terry has a new ally, one who even proves convenient in explaining away his missed appointments with Dana. I remember liking Terry and Max’s friendship quite a bit, so while this episode didn’t light my world on fire, I appreciate it as a first big step in their partnership.