Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. SE01 EP02 - "0-8-4"

0-8-4's a moderately generic, albeit enjoyable, second outing for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While portions are steeped in somewhat familiar tropes, the episode ends up being a fun romp further fleshing out our characters and the team as a whole.

Episode Name: 0-8-4
Original Airdate: October 1, 2013

After a quick flash-forward, teasing us with a disaster on the mid-flight the Bus (the plane of Coulson's team), we're taken 19 hours earlier, immediately following the Pilot.

Skye empties out her van, deciding to come aboard the plane and join Coulson's team as a "consultant." Neither May nor Ward want Skye there, both believing her to be a risk and liability (Ward's main concern being that Skye's a member of the Rising Tide, a hacking organization, while May's gripe is that along with Fitz and Simmons, they'll now have a third individual not fit, nor trained, for combat). Coulson defends Skye, stating that the fact she thinks differently than SHIELD is a positive, along with the fact she's extraordinarily gifted in terms of her ability to hack. 'She hacked into SHIELD twice from a laptop in a van', Coulson states. 'Imagine what she can do with SHIELD resources.'

May and Ward arguing with Coulson over Skye

FitzSimmons (technically two people, though it's hard to tell) awkwardly welcome Skye onto the Bus, and lead her to her small room. Over the intercom, May (who pilots the plane) informs everyone to get ready to go airborne, and Ward, clearly unhappy, tersely gives Skye an overview of the safety procedures of the plane, telling her to read it.

Simmons and Fitz welcoming Skye

Simmons and Fitz giving a tour of the Bus to Skye

As stated at the end of the last episode, a '0-8-4' was discovered in Peru, meaning an item of unknown but potentially dangerous properties. Skye asks Coulson what the last 0-8-4 was, to which Coulson replies, "A hammer" (for more information, see Thor).

Upon landing in Peru, we have some cute dialogue between Fitz and Simmons, along with Coulson letting Skye know that one of the reasons she's here is to, if need be, throw the people off the scent of the 0-8-4 if it becomes dangerous (or, in other words, lie to the people, which is something that, as a hacker, Skye takes issue with), Coulson reasons that panic is best avoided to allow professionals to quietly take care of the situation.

The 0-8-4 itself seems to be mechanical in nature, and lodged into a 500-year old Inca temple, though it's been there much longer than 500 years, according to assessment done by FitzSimmons. Simmons suggests it could potentially be alien in nature, whereas Fitz believes it to look almost like German engineering.

A side-view of the 0-8-4

Meanwhile, Ward briefly speaks with May, calling her the "Calvary", a sort of nickname she earned from her actions in Bahrain. May, however, seems hesitant to accept this tribute, and doesn't want to be referred to by that name. This discussion is shelved, though, as military forces from the Peruvian government converge on the temple, led by Camilla Reyes, a former colleague of Coulson's. While at first alarming Coulson's team, they claim they're here to protect the 0-8-4 from the local rebels in the area.

Reyes and Coulson

Surprised at seeing Reyes here, they talk and reminisce about their past, as Ward goes back into the temple and alerts Simmons, Fitz, and Skye of the new developments, sparking a heated discussion between Skye (who seems to support the local rebels, as they're standing up against the government's mining policies) and Ward (who doesn't like the violence caused by the rebels).

Ward's reaction to Skye's support of the rebels

When local rebels attack, Ward directs them to leave the temple, arguing with Fitz over the procedure to remove the 0-8-4. While Fitz wants a special container for it (as it has a fluctuating power core), Ward, who feels that's a waste of time in this situation, just grabs it out of the wall. After some combat, Ward and May are able to safetly get Simmons, Fitz, and Skye back to the Bus, with Coulson and Reyes close behind. Without major casualties, they're able to take off, bringing Reyes and her men with them.

Beforehand, though, Fitz explains what he's been trying to explain for the past five minutes - that the 0-8-4 seems to be fueled by Tesseract energy (think Hydra and the first Captain America movie), and it's unstable. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation, and could well be a danger to all on board.

Fitz explaining the energy behind the 0-8-4

Coulson's team taking stock of the dangers of the 0-8-4 (contained within the black bag)

Coulson unsuccessfully tries to apologize to May, as he promised her that she'd see no combat as the pilot of the Bus. May, as drenched in as much seriousness as ever, appears unmoved by Coulson's attempt at apologizing. Meanwhile, the rest of the team bickers over various things, due to their lack of communication and understanding - Fitz and Ward arguing over Fitz's inability to explain the dangers behind the 0-8-4, Ward arguing to Coulson that he's a specialist, and could have eliminated the enemy if he wasn't bogged down by non-combatants, etc. Skye chimes in with saying that given the fact the team's only on their second mission, she might as well be team leader, given the dysfunction apparent, and more so, simply that Ward and FitzSimmons "don't like each other."

Coulson's attempted apology toward May

Ward and Fitz arguing

Coulson agrees that there's work to be done, and gives them this great quote:

We still need to iron out the kinks, but Ward, you can speak six languages. Simmons, you have two PHD's in fields I cannot pronounce, and Fitz, you are a rocket scientist, so work it out.

Fitz and Simmons further look into the 0-8-4, concluding that they're lucky their electromagnetic devices didn't set it off earlier, and that it could shoot out an immensely powerful laser, giving them even more reason to worry for the safety of those on the Bus.

Skye tries to fix up her relationship with Ward, bringing him a drink, and explaining her feelings behind the Peruvian uprising: for the first time in history, the downtrodden are combining their forces and working together for a common goal, each one with one part of the solution, so the whole combined could possess the complete solution, which Skye finds both beautiful and inspiring. Ward admits that the two of them see the world differently, and that while Skye finds it admirable that each person brings a piece of the puzzle, Ward was trained to be the "whole solution."

Ward speaking with Skye

While Skye and Ward are connecting, Coulson is becoming suspicious of Reyes, especially due to the fact she's coming onto him far more forcefully than what he remembers. Ward, after noticing that Reye's men aren't drinking their alcohol, subtly tips off Skye. This is all for naught, though, as May is taken out with sleeping gas, and Fitz is caught by another of Reyes' men - effectively, Reyes has taken over the Bus.

Reyes' men prior to taking over the Bus

One of Reyes' men with a scalpel to Fitz's throat

Coulson is held captive by Reyes, as she needs him to verify the change of route to SHIELD headquarters when they call in. If he doesn't, SHIELD will blow the Bus from the sky. While Coulson suggests that maybe that's the best option, as it would keep the 0-8-4 from Reyes' hands, Reyes knows Coulson well enough that he wouldn't risk the lives of his team in such a fashion.

In bondage, the rest of the teams bonds together - Simmons apologizes to Fitz for pushing him into the field, Fitz claims he should have learned kung-fu, and from both Sky and Ward, FitzSimmons learn that May is the "Calvary," and immediately believe that they're going to be okay (as the name has legendary status among all those in SHIELD).

May (off camera), Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and Ward tied up

We learn from Reyes that Peru commissioned the creation of the 0-8-4, but it was lost during a conflict years back. Reyes wants it back so that Peru can end the rebel conflict and stabilize her country again, or as Coulson sees it, "take control over" Peru.

Reyes speaking with a tied-up Coulson

Meanwhile, working together, the five of them formulate a plan (step one, getting untied, becomes an easy one to complete, as May simply breaks her wrist to free her hands, and easily takes out the guard), and are able to set off the 0-8-4, blowing a hole in the side of the plane. Many of Reyes' men get sucked out, and Ward almost suffers the same fate, but is saved by some quick thinking on Skye's part. May is able to get to the cockpit and stabilize the plane, and Reyes is tied up by Coulson after he saves her life.

The five captors discussing how best to get free and save Coulson

Coulson saving Reyes

Ward being saved from flying out the plane by Skye's quick thinking

Coulson, Ward, Skye, Fitz, and Simmons after disaster is averted

At a secret SHIELD base named 'The Slingshot,' the 0-8-4 is flung into the Sun while the team watches. All seems well; May encourages Ward to become Skye's supervising officer, and the team finally seems united, when Skye receives a text from the Rising Tide (a hacker organization she's a member of), and after a delay, replies, "I'm in."

The team watching the 0-8-4 launch off

In a humorous ending, we get a surprise appearance by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) chastising Coulson for getting the plane blown up after only six days back in the field. He further forbids Coulson from making any additions to the original schematics, after which Coulson quietly informs Fitz that he'll have to scratch the fish tank idea.

"Don't talk to me about authority."

As a whole, 0-8-4 is a pretty fun, albeit occasionally generic, episode.

The plot in itself isn't anything overly special - what really makes it work is the team dynamics and different characters the show has to work with. I discussed my first opinions of the characters in the Pilot, so I'll examine them all again with what we learned from this episode.

Coulson continues to show himself as the type of leader you'd want to be following: he has faith in his team (even when many wouldn't), he has faith in Skye, and he stands up for the actions of his team when push comes to shove. Obviously, the team isn't functioning at it's highest level at the moment, but Coulson consistently believed that his team could work out given time, and he's proven correct. His faith in Skye is well-placed, as she really came through when she saved Ward's life. On a side-note, if she really is working with the Rising Tide, as the ending suggests, I get the sense that Coulson, while believing the best, is aware of the possibility.

His background with Reyes, which seems to be a romantic entanglement, didn't stop him from doing what needed to be done, and while he can harbor emotional feelings toward others, that doesn't make him freeze up when doing his job. At the same time, he shows that he cares about his team - his apology to May, while it ended with a comedic line, was sincere, and one could tell that he really felt bad about the fact May got into a combative situation.

Whatever plot lines down the road Coulson will have to deal with (such as his death, which was alluded to in the pilot), I feel that he'll be strong enough to overcome them, and more so, with his team, I don't see anything being thrown his way that he won't be able to deal with.

As I said in my analysis of the last episode, Ward doesn't see eye-to-eye with Skye at all, though the two of them do connect more in this episode, and if Ward does become Skye's S.O., then the two of them really might be able to connect better. Truth be told, I fully expect some type of romantic sub-plot between the two of them to develop, and it'd probably be pretty cute, given that they're two entirely different types of people, but given the same fact, I don't know if it'd end well. If anything, May's personality is far more in-line with Ward's, and if he ever was looking for some romantic company, he might go in that direction.

All-in-all, though, that wouldn't happen until much more down the road. Ward is a very serious customer, and takes his job extremely seriously. Hopefully he'll grow to have more patience when dealing with Fitz and Simmons, and they really seem to have difficultly communicating (which isn't entirely Ward's fault). Ward was trained in a specific way for a specific task, and breaking that mold will be hard. At the end of this episode, though, when he gives Fitz a friendly pat on the back, perhaps hope is to be had.

We learn a bit more about May, and why Ward looked up to her with such respect in the last episode. Whatever May did in Bahrain, apparently her reputation truly precedes her. At the same time, May seems utterly against the nickname cast onto her, and seems to likely want to forget the whole thing. I don't know if it's some tragic background that we'll eventually get to down the line, but the fact that May's a better fighter than Ward is, yet chooses to pilot the plane, tells us something about her character.

Much like Ward, May doesn't much trust Skye, though it's more due to the fact that Skye's just another untrained individual that May may end up having to protect down the line, which as aforementioned, wasn't in the job description when Coulson recruited her. Mostly, though, May's a bit of a blank slate right now. She's not shown too much of a personality outside of her silent act toward Coulson during his apology, so before much else can be said, I think we really need to know more about May and where she's coming from.

Whatever Skye's up to, I don't know if it'll be too much a concern. Sure, if she's working for the Rising Tide to infiltrate SHIELD, that's a problem, but as she was one of the focus characters of the opening episode, I don't believe for a second that she'll turn away from SHIELD or Coulson during their time of need. Skye's not going anywhere in the long-term, no matter what types of texts she may or may not send out.

Skye's willingness to work with and connect with Ward is an admirable trait. Though the two of them are about as different as can be, she's willing to smooth over their rough beginning and start again with him. If she does train under him, I suspect that she'll quickly begin to harbor romantic feelings toward him, and while Ward, as professional as he is, may avoid a relationship with her, I don't think the same could be said of Skye. She doesn't seem the type to hide her feelings toward others. This may bring an interesting element down the line, in which Ward knows that Skye cares for him, but Ward also suspects that Skye's loyalties are not entirely with SHIELD. Whatever happens between the two of them, it's bound to be interesting.

Lastly, we learn that Simmons pushed Fitz to leave the laboratories and go into the field, a move that Fitz seems to regret given the consistent danger they're in. The two of them are still insanely cute, and I hope we see more episodes in the future with them as the focus, as their mannerisms are deeply enjoyable to witness.

While neither Fitz nor Simmons seems to much care for Ward's personality, Fitz seems to have a more difficult time with him. I suspect that's due to the fact that Ward's a strong, physical man, and if, let's say, Fitz harbors some feelings toward Skye (as seemed to be mildly indicated early on in the episode) or even Simmons, then Fitz could easily see Ward as competition he'd not be able to beat. Like I said, I don't know how much romantic subplots are going to play into the show, but it's something to look out for should they rear their heads.

0-8-4 was a team-building episode, in which a dysfunctional team is given a common goal and finally works together and all become hunky-dory. It's a bit of a played out trope, and for that reason, this episode's on the more generic side, but I still think that it worked out decently well, if only due to the fact that the characters are a hoot to watch. I'd like the show to trend a more unique path down the road, but for the second episode, I think that 0-8-4 is about what one would tend to expect.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

The Streets of San Francisco SE01 EP02 - "The First Day of Forever"

Episode Name: The First Day of Forever
Original Airdate: September 30, 1972

Beverly Landau, a prostitute, was attacked by a serial killer who has killed three women already, but is able to get away when the killer is hit by a truck. Still, even though the killer has a limp, he is able to slink back into the darkness. Lieutenant Stone is adamant that this man be caught, but is also concerned about the safely of Landau, who received a threatening call after having been released from the hospital. Though Inspector Keller doesn't much respect prostitutes, he is given the task to take Landau to a cheap motel and hide out. Unbeknownst to Keller, he and Landau were being followed.

Killer limping away after being hit by car

Stone (right) trying to convince Landau to get police protection

Stone and Landau listening into a threatening call

Keller and Landau talking

While Keller is keeping watch over Landau, Stone is tracking down suspects. The first has an alibi - he was aboard a plane at the time of the attack. Loren Graham, a religious, humble, soft-spoken man, got quite emotional upon hearing about the attack on Beverly, and more so over the death of another prostitute he knew. He swears that he would never have killed or attacked these girls. Graham even offers to help in any way, but is politely turned down. As soon as Stone leaves his office, he starts limping, and stares at four names etched onto the bottom of a wooden cross, the last name being the prostitute Keller is protecting.

Stone introducing himself to Loren Graham

Names of previous victims and attempted kills

Beverly tries to bond with Keller, but still has a difficult time breaking through. Stone appears at the hotel to relieve Keller and take over guard duty, but returns hours later, with a prowler, Sonny Lane. It turns out that he's her pimp, angering Keller, and he violently throws him out of the room, and accuses Beverly of not being entirely honest with them about the names of people she knows. Tensions are high, and Stone orders Keller to take Beverly out for fresh air - they do so by going to the wharf. She does apologize for being snippy the previous night, and not giving them all the names of men she knew, and Keller apologizes also, showing her a much softer side. Again, they do not noticed being followed.

Meanwhile, Stone gets a warrant to search Mr. Graham's office, and finds both the engraved names of victims on the bottom of the cross along with newspaper clippings of articles about the murders, each one with the word "Saved" written across it, definitely incriminating Graham in the killings. Keller tries to talk Landau out of her profession after she compares the two careers - with each one, they meet the same type of people, get the same stares from others, and see much the same things. By the end of the day, the two of them feel as though they better understand the other, and Beverly goes as far as to call the two of them "friends."

Newspaper articles in Graham's desk

That night, Graham attacks Beverly when Keller's attention was elsewhere, but he's able to drive Keller away onto a nearby rooftop. Before Graham can jump to his death, Stone appears and talks Graham down - it's as though Graham has two personalities, because one minute he's raving about the dirtiness of harlots and sinners, and the next, he's shaking Keller's hand, and calmly asking the both of them what he can do for them. He's escorted from the rooftop without further incident. 

Graham spying on Keller and Landau

At the end, we find out that because of Keller's insistence, Beverly left the prostitution career and became a waitress, appearing infinitely happier and brighter than she did before.

Keller trying to convince Landau to change profession

This was a pretty solid episode, though almost completely different in tone from the previous one.

While "The Thirty Year Pin" was an emotionally-driven episode, "The First Day of Forever" was a far more suspenseful one, I feel. In fact, some of the early stalking done by Graham, with his knife out, had a thriller/horror movie feel to it. When Graham was outside of the hotel room, and Keller noticed the doorknob being toggled, it was much like what you'd see in some horror films at the time. It was certainly helped along by the fact that the hotel they were in was a cheap, run-down dump of a place - really, the aesthetics of the placed helped that feeling along pretty well.

This episode also further showed the differences between Stone and Keller; Stone's more prone to be the gentler, compassionate cop, able to relate emotionally to a hooker on a human level, whereas Keller wanted Landau thrown into jail, and had to be reminded that he doesn't work Vice anymore. Of course, Keller came through, in a way, and as Landau did switch from her prostitution profession to a more conventional one, he came out a winner.

Graham was a fantastic antagonist. The show didn't really try to keep it a mystery - as soon as Stone left the office and Graham started limping back to his desk, we knew he was the killer. Gazing at the list of victims carved into the base of the cross didn't help matters much for him either. And the ending? He sounds like an absolute madman, but seconds later, introduces himself politely to Keller (who had chased him up to the roof and threatened to shoot him) and even shakes his hand, befuddled as to what the officers could possibly want from him. In short, he was insane, and it was shown really well.

That performance, Graham's, was wonderful. Played by James Olson, Graham really did have that aura of insanity, and not all actors can pull that off. He's not the only one who stood out, though. Janice Rule is a name I don't recognize, and I suspect she was moderately well-known long before my time. She did a fantastic job playing the dual role of a jaded, yet sensitive, hooker. Hats off to both of them, as it's great to have two strong supporting characters in a single episode.

Of course, like I said, I rather enjoyed this episode. The atmosphere was far removed from the previous episode, but it fit this story overly well. Certainly a surprise, really. Glad I saw this.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

All in the Family SE01 EP06 - "Gloria's Pregnancy"

Episode Name: Gloria's Pregnancy (also known as Gloria Has a Belly Full)
Original Airdate: February 16, 1971

Gloria and Edith come back from the doctor's with good news - Gloria's pregnant. At first, Michael panics, as he has no job, he's currently going to school, and they don't have their own apartment. When Archie accuses Michael of being irresponsible for getting his daughter pregnant under these circumstances, Michael decides to quit school, get a job, and move out of the Bunkers' house.

Edith tells Archie that he should be happier about the fact he'll be a grandfather, but Archie can't get over how irresponsible he sees the whole thing. After a day in thought, Archie decides to embrace the fact he'll have a grandchild, but then learns that Gloria had a miscarriage.

Heartbroken, he talks to his daughter, resting in bed, and reaffirms his love for her.

Archie receiving the news

Gloria and Archie talking

This was a rather emotional episode, which is to be expected when dealing with pregnancies and miscarriages. That said, the vocal point was far more on Archie's reaction to the news as opposed to Gloria and Michael's plans to move out of the Bunkers' house.

We did see some humanity from Archie, which I don't know if we've seen before. Once he quiets down and listens to the news of the miscarriage, he truly does appear heartbroken. Though he's not an emotive person, he does do what he can to express how he feels to Gloria. That said, it doesn't excuse the dismissive way he consistently treats Edith or his son-in-law, as far as I'm concerned.

Michael shows here that he is willing to put his education on the backburner to make a good life for children he and Gloria may have. That said, I think things would be better should they wait until Michael graduates.

It was a pretty decent episode, though I did prefer the previous one's topic matter more. Still, this was well-done.

Quote of the episode:

Archie: "In my day, nobody went around calling themselves 'Chicanos,' 'Mexican-Americans,' 'Afro-Americans.' We was all Americans. After that, if a guy was a jig or a spic it was his own business."

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

Captain Planet and the Planeteers SE01 EP03 - "Beast of the Temple"

Episode Name: Beast of the Temple

Original Airdate: September 29, 1990

Villain: Hoggish Greedly [2nd appearance]

In Thailand, villagers are being terrorized by a fire-breathing dragon, destroying both their rice paddies and causing fires throughout the jungle. The villagers believe it to be the evil spirit Phi Pok, a legendary dragon beast. Even Gia doesn't know the full extent to the misery going on, and sends the Planeteers to check the situation out.

Phi Pok

The Planeteers, Wheeler especially, are skeptical of the existence of the dragon, but the villagers are scared, some even deserting their homes. We learn soon that somehow Greedly is behind this, and his plan is to scare off all of the villagers so he can surface mine the land for rubies. Sooner than they expect, the Planeteers face Phi Pok - the dragon starts a fire that, try as they might, they simply can't put out. Calling Captain Planet by combining their powers, the fire is soon dealt with, but the dragon got away.

Rigger and Greedly watching the environmental destruction

And so they decide to split up into three groups, making Wheeler happy as he's teamed up with Linka. He's found her attractive for some time, and apparently Linka feels the same, as they almost kiss before being attacked by Phi Pok. Linka gets her foot stuck in tangled roots, and despite her telling Wheeler to go get help, he distracts the dragon, leading it to a patch of water. He gets caught in the beast's mouth, and the both of them are picked up via airship by Greedly.

Wheeler letting Linka know he's happy they have alone time

Linka about to let Wheeler know she's happy also

The Planeteers free Linka, but find no trace of Wheeler - the footprints of Phi Pok end in the water mysteriously, and Linka miserably blames herself. Ma-Ti tries to find Wheeler through his thoughts, and while he knows Wheeler's surrounded by evil, and he saw the temple in which he was being held, it's from a local they get the help they needed, as he leads them to the temple that Ma-Ti described.

The temple where Wheeler is held captive

Meanwhile, Wheeler learns that Phi Pok is actually a strip-mining machine - made to both destroy the land and to ward off the villagers. Greedly plans to bring hundreds of these machines into Thailand and make the whole country a gravel pit, keeping the rubies for himself.

Gi is able to enter the temple through a secret, underground entrance. She frees Wheeler and floods out the base. After the Planeteers reunite with Wheeler, the robotic Phi Pok again begins to cause mayhem, and they must call Captain Planet a second time. He's able to destroy the creature, and with the mechanical parts left behind, form a plant-cropping machine to restore the lost paddies. The villagers thank them for their help - the Planeteers claim it's simply their job.

Linka and Wheeler's hug after reuniting

The planting machine which Captain Planet is (somehow) able to contruct

Of course, at the end, we're encouraged to recycle and bring attention to the potential environmental damages caused by some forms of mining. As the power is ours, we can make a change if we simply try.

This was a surprisingly good episode. Not surprising in that it was pretty decent, but surprising in that it was actually quite better than the first two episodes.

Greedly's the only problem with this episode, as far as I'm concerned - we were introduced to him back in the pilot, and two episodes later, he appears again. Don't get me wrong, he's a perfectly fine villain, but I feel this first season should introduce more than two enemies before bringing back repeat customers. It's like if there was a Spider-Man series, and they had Doctor Octopus as the first enemy, then Electro as the second. But instead of bringing in, say, Rhino or Kraven, they bring back Doctor Octopus. It just doesn't ring of high creativity.

But like I said, that's the only problem with this episode.

The idea to scare villagers away and strip mine the whole of Thailand is like the goals of a Scooby-Doo villain on steroids. Instead of scaring a few townsfolk away from an armored car containing money by dressing up as a witch and a zombie, Greedly built a dragon based off an old legend to scare away multiple villages for his own personal gain. The guy's a dick, in short. Still, as it was reminiscent of old Scooby-Doo episodes, especially the beginning, I rather enjoyed it.

We also see increased uses of Ma-Ti's powers. Before Gi dives into the water to check out the footprints of the dragon, Ma-Ti uses his power to ensure that no crocodiles are nearby in the water that could pose any harm. That seems a very useful power to possess, especially if he can use it to check for people nearby on more covert operations (if the Planeteers are ever given such an operation, of course).

Of course, the best portion of this episode in my eyes was the Linka/Wheeler romance. Despite Linka laughing it off at the end, leaving Wheeler rather consternated, the two of them do feel a spark, and had it not been for Phi Pok's untimely attack, would have shown each other they do care by sharing a kiss.

I said that last episode, Wheeler didn't seem to have much of a chance with Linka, but I've decided it's more that Linka's likely to keep her feelings close to her chest, especially since those feelings seem to be for a "capitalist pig," as she called Wheeler back in the first episode.

Truth be told, I have no idea if this cartoon would go the direction of having some of the Planeteers date. It's hard to tell. But I definitely didn't really think that anything above playful flirtations would occur, and it seems I was shown to be mistaken. Maybe this show will go in that direction, and if so, I can't say I wouldn't be pleased.

This episode was so close to getting a 'superb' rating. If not for Greedly appearing again as soon as he did, it definitely would have. Still, this has been the best episode so far, so I'm moderately interested to see where this show is going for the episodes to come.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode

Batman SE01 EP04 - "The Penguin's a Jinx"

Episode Name: The Penguin's a Jinx

Original Airdate: January 19, 1966

Villain: Penguin (Burgess Meredith)

Bruce Wayne is able to escape from his fiery predicament, but Penguin's not too bothered, because he reasons he won't go to the police as Wayne tried to bug his shop, making him a crook himself. At the Batcave, Robin worries about Batman's absence, but Batman returns, though his clothes worse for the wear. He and Robin study the umbrella they brought back last episode for clues of Penguin's next crime.

What they don't know is that there's a secret radio transmitter built into the handle of the umbrella, and Penguin can hear everything Batman and Robin say. 

This plays into Penguin's plan - they'll overanalyze the umbrella, and once they discover what crime Penguin's likely to commit, Penguin will actually commit that crime, ensuring that he won't be caught. Batman and Robin focus on the colors of the umbrella - Batman's sure that they are the clues to the crime Penguin's going for. That's when this beautiful exchange occurs:

Robin: "They're [colors of the umbrella] so pretty - it's like a beautiful dawn."

Batman: "Beautiful dawn? Dawn Robbins, the beautiful movie star. She's on location here in Gotham City."

Robin: "Holy popcorn! Could he be planning to kidnap her?"

Batman: "Dawn Robbins in a picture called The Mockingbird produced by Ward Eagle, and she's staying in the penthouse at The Pelican Arms!"

Of course, since there are multiple references to birds, Batman believe it to be Penguin's plan, and then say exactly how Penguin is likely to do it. Penguin, of course, is listening in, and writes down the plan as Batman says is. And of course he kidnaps her.

Dawn Robbins

Penguin gliding to Robbins' penthouse

Batman and Robin, who knew about the attempt (and unknowingly planned it), got there first to protect Dawn Robbins and her manager, but once Penguin used a "Penguin magnet," magnetizing Batman and Robin's utility belts, Penguin is able to escape with the actress.

Batman and Robin's magnetized utility belts

Penguin does slip up, though - he repeats a phrase that Batman used in the Batcave, and so with the knowledge that the umbrella contains a radio transmitter, he sets a trap for Penguin. The trap, of course, works, and Penguin is sent back to prison along with his minions.

Dawn Robbins and her agent attend a social function at Bruce Wayne's manor, and Bruce, put off by Dawn's dismissive attitude, is told by her agent that ever since she laid her eyes on Batman, she was deeply in love, causing Dick Grayson to give a knowing smile.

Bruce Wayne speaking to Dawn Robbins

This was a fine finish to the first part. You had some classic exchanges, amusing quotes ("Batman never lends himself to commercial enterprises"), and a great villain in the Penguin. As I said last episode, Burgess Meredith is a fantastic actor, and his portrayal of Penguin is extraordinarily well-done.

Worth mentioning, I actually thought Penguin's plan of having Batman come up with the crime and the plan to commit the crime unknowingly was pretty interesting. Had Penguin been smarter about it, it would have actually worked, too.

All around a solid episode, though truth be told, it's hard to imagine this series not producing an amusing time.

Rating: Above Average

Previous episode

Next episode