[6.7/10] Tim Drake is annoying here. I don’t remember having any issue with him when I watched this show at an age closer to his, so hopefully it’s just some introductory hiccups. But man, if I had to hear him use the insult “Puke-Face” one more time, I might have whacked him with one of the American Gladiator mallets that Batman has on hand for some reason.
This episode basically exists to introduce Tim Drake as the new Robin, and I suppose it does a fine enough job of that. We understand the kid’s motivation. We know why his parents aren’t around (with his dad seemingly trying to do some good, or at least avoid harsh evil, in this world). We see how he helps and ends up with Batman. And we see how he’s a bundle of raw, if very rough, potential.
He’s just kind of a twerp. The premise here doesn't help much, as Two-Face tracking down some chemical bomb and holding the city for ransom is pretty generic, and Batman and his allies don’t do anything particularly clever to thwart him (beyond Batman’s bizarre knowledge of key imprints, apparently?) Tim proves his mettle and gets a touch of revenge, and it’s always nice to see Batgirl in action, especially when she’s picking up Batman’s slack. But there’s just not much to this one beyond Tim Drake and the kid’s not interesting or endearing enough to sustain an episode like this.
The weirdest scene in the whole episode though is the last one. Batman’s speech to Tim about demanding his best and making the rules just comes off weird. The same goes for Dick Grayson’s appearance which is apparently shocking for some reason. The idea the show seems to be trying to communicate is that the original Robin has finally grown up. But DIck was in college in the prior series, and never seemed particularly childish. The shift in art style makes it seem like he’s no more physically different from then to now than Bruce is.
Overall, this is a pretty mediocre start for the newest member of the Bat Family. Again, I remember liking Tim Drake well enough back in the day, so hopefully he settles down. But this is a far cry from the successes the show had with Dick in “Robin’s Reckoning.”
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-03-24T21:27:24Z
[6.7/10] Tim Drake is annoying here. I don’t remember having any issue with him when I watched this show at an age closer to his, so hopefully it’s just some introductory hiccups. But man, if I had to hear him use the insult “Puke-Face” one more time, I might have whacked him with one of the American Gladiator mallets that Batman has on hand for some reason.
This episode basically exists to introduce Tim Drake as the new Robin, and I suppose it does a fine enough job of that. We understand the kid’s motivation. We know why his parents aren’t around (with his dad seemingly trying to do some good, or at least avoid harsh evil, in this world). We see how he helps and ends up with Batman. And we see how he’s a bundle of raw, if very rough, potential.
He’s just kind of a twerp. The premise here doesn't help much, as Two-Face tracking down some chemical bomb and holding the city for ransom is pretty generic, and Batman and his allies don’t do anything particularly clever to thwart him (beyond Batman’s bizarre knowledge of key imprints, apparently?) Tim proves his mettle and gets a touch of revenge, and it’s always nice to see Batgirl in action, especially when she’s picking up Batman’s slack. But there’s just not much to this one beyond Tim Drake and the kid’s not interesting or endearing enough to sustain an episode like this.
The weirdest scene in the whole episode though is the last one. Batman’s speech to Tim about demanding his best and making the rules just comes off weird. The same goes for Dick Grayson’s appearance which is apparently shocking for some reason. The idea the show seems to be trying to communicate is that the original Robin has finally grown up. But DIck was in college in the prior series, and never seemed particularly childish. The shift in art style makes it seem like he’s no more physically different from then to now than Bruce is.
Overall, this is a pretty mediocre start for the newest member of the Bat Family. Again, I remember liking Tim Drake well enough back in the day, so hopefully he settles down. But this is a far cry from the successes the show had with Dick in “Robin’s Reckoning.”