Birds of Prey is available now on DVD and digital. The series can be streaming on DC Universe in North America.
Synopsis
Helena is thrilled when her best friend from high school, Sanda (Sung Hi Lee), returns to New Gotham, but the crimefighters are troubled by a series of murders with the unmistakeable mark of Barbara’s nemesis, Lady Shiva.
Review
“Lady Shiva” is the episode which I have been waiting to review all season. Historically this has been my favourite episode alongside the pilot and the season finale.
Interestingly they are perhaps the three episodes with the most connection to the DC Comics source material which may be why they appeal to me the most.
“Lady Shiva” absolutely does what it says on the tin by bringing us the first live-action incarnation of the assassin from the comics. Even better is that writers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Adam Armus and Kay Foster decide to shift focus from Helena (Ashley Scott) to Barbara (Dina Meyer) for a moment.
Interestingly there is still a pull to tie the villain to Huntress albeit in a way which feels very odd to the narrative of the episode. Considering she is setup as a villain for Batgirl through flashbacks, Sandy is aged in a way that she was in high school with Helena.
The series has never put a stamp on the age gap between Barbara and Helena but it feels like a slightly stretch of the concept given that Barbara was able to take Helena in and become her legal guardian.
Setting aside the strange high school reunion and Helena not being able to identify that her “best friend” is a world-famous assassin, this episode has a lot for DC Comics readers to enjoy.
First off, the Batgirl costume is excellent translated to the screen. I understand it’s a re-sprayed version of the design used for Alicia Silverstone in Batman & Robin. Simply adding the full cowl and spraying the belt and Bat gold immediately make this feel like a more comic book accurate version of the character.
It’s also great to see that Birds of Prey was able to dip in to the histories of its characters and show so strongly who Barbara was before she was paralysed by The Joker.
Herein the episode approaches a moral dilemma and I’m proud to say that Birds of Prey handles it well. Whilst Barbara does lament her time as Batgirl with Alfred (Ian Abercrombie) she is NOT represented as a lesser person for being in a wheelchair, neither does she see it as a disadvantage.
Whilst she does use some miraculous tech to walk for the first time it doesn’t immediately become a crutch for the series’ plot lines moving forwards. Barbara remains in the chair and remains one of the strongest characters on the show as Oracle in her own right.
This kind of positive representation is a really welcome addition to a series from this era. In many ways it’s similar to the character of Alec (Michael Weatherly) on Dark Angel. Both took their trauma and used it as an inspiration and not an obstacle.
At this stage in the season, with only five episodes to go, it does feel like the series is still not sure what to do with Dinah (Rachel Skarsten). She’s been suspiciously absent from my reviews since her mum passed away in episode five and is still not tasked with much to do.
Had the series survived further than this first season it needed to find a better balance between the three leads. Even in “Lady Shiva” the show is able to strike a balance between Helena and Barbara, it is only Dinah who continues to be relegated to high school storylines rather then heroic action.
Verdict
“Lady Shiva” brings the Birds of Prey as close to the source material as possible. It entices viewers with a glimpse at Barbara Gordon’s former life and shows the true strength of her character.
7/10
Birds of Prey stars Ashley Scott as Helena Kyle/Huntress, Dina Meyer are Barbara Gordon/Oracle, Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Redmond, Shemar Moore as Detective Jessie Reese, Mia Sara as Dr Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn and Ian Abercombie as Alfred Pennyworth.
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