- Directed by Sam Liu
- Written by Mark Banker
Watch ‘Beware the Batman’ live on Cartoon Network USA, Saturdays @ 10!
BEWARE OF SPOILERS
This week the mythology of ‘Beware’ takes a massive leap forwards with another episode that focusses on the shadowy League of Assassins but Liu and Banker also take the opportunity the mix up the format and reintroduce Anarky to the show and have his interests cross paths with the League.
Up to this stage we’ve been told in interviews that Anarky is being setup to be the major villain on this season but this is only his second appearance where the League have been a lingering presence over much of the season so far.
‘Sacrifice’ cleverly mixes the two villains together perfectly, Anarky takes a leaf out of The Joker’s book from ‘The Dark Knight’ and appears unannounced throughout the episode to cause mayhem and it compares brilliantly to the overreaching nemesis that are the League.
The writers of ‘Beware’ are cleverly setting up these two villains with equal measure but such in such different ways. It would be all too easy at this stage to have villains who are completely interchangeable and lacking in their own individual voices but this show is definitely not one to go down the easy route and it is refreshing to see.
Despite the complex setup of villains in the ‘Beware’ world the story this week remains simple in nature. Anarky steals a cargo shipment from the League and setups up Shiva and her crew to steal a pathogen his desperately needs to cause mayhem on the streets of Gotham.
Banker writes a story with lots of fluid action and exposition that perfectly suits the way this show is continuing to develop. My only gripe is that Alfred has been missing from the show for two consecutive episodes which is a shame because the family unit of three with Batman and Katanna is the real heart of the show.
This aside the show has really hit its stride for solid storytelling that instead of pandering to an audience tasks them to keep up with the story and learn about its characters. There’s no information being spoon fed to us here and that’s part of why this show is gripping me so much.
The reveal of what was in the cargo container was a little obvious but then with the League involved it was always going to come up at some point and even knowing how it was going to conclude I was still excited when the reveal took place.
As always the animation is consistent and impressive. There were several security guards and cops helping to flesh out the environments helping some of the cold scenery feel more lived in and as I mentioned last week the architectural design of the show continue to impress.
There’s more of a start-stop nature to the action in this episode which is forced by the nature of the underground lab. Liu directs the action perfectly and keeps the fluidity of the episode throughout. His episodes tend to lean towards the bigger mythology of the show and he perfectly intertwines these myth moments with the story of the week. It feels like there’s some going to be some huge action coming with the League and Ra’s and I his style is perfect to take the story to its conclusion.
8/10
