BEWARE THE BATMAN “Safe” Review


After the previous episode, which I was not a fan of, I was hoping that “Safe” would be an improvement. Luckily, it was! Spoilers.

In this episode, Bruce Wayne (Anthony Ruivivar) tasks Tatsu (Sumalee Montano) with the job of guarding brilliant but flirtatious scientists Jason Burr (Matthew Lillard) from ninjas sent by the League of Assassins. They want Jason Burr due to the fact that the man knows how to build the Ion Cortex for some reason or other.

But who cares about the plot, right? I’m sure that I had most of you at “ninjas” and”League of Assassins”. And with Katana here, you know this will lead to some epic stuff.

First off, yeah. The whole episode is just plain more exciting than the last one. For one thing, the plot is more engaging, seeing as how the League of Assassins work smoother than Anarky’s random bouts of petty destruction. Not to mention that when you start an episode with ninja action, you know that you’re doing something right!

Speaking of, Katana finally gets to fight! Against Silver Monkey (James Remar), who has some skills, but also doesn’t mind fighting dirty. She even briefly gets to use the Soultaker Sword (which only the most hardcore DC readers will know). And Batman is involved in one of the coolest chase scenes in recent memory.

The dialogue is also much better than last week’s episode. Remember Anarky’s juvenile whining? Yeah, none of that here. Some fans might object to the comedy of Jason Burr trying to flirt with Katana, but….it is actually funny, and not forced, unlike some other comic-book shows I could name!

The voice acting remains excellent. Ruivivar nails Batman, Sumalee makes for a great Katana, and Matthew Lillard (the current voice of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo) gives Burr a high-energy, likeable feel.

Anyway, a really top-notch episode with plenty of sweet action, DC-level dialogue, and new plot threads. A must watch.

Some notes: Jason Burr, having read the comics, might have a sad fate. Lady Shiva? I wonder when Ra’s al Ghul will inevitably appear.