Birds of Prey (TV series)

Synopsis

The series is set in New Gotham City, several years after it has been apparently abandoned by Batman. In his absence, Oracle (Barbara Gordon) and the Huntress (Helena Kyle) have taken over his war on crime. The two are joined by Dinah Redmond (Black Canary), a telepath (after she assists them in defeating Larry Ketterly); Alfred Pennyworth, who serves Helena as she is heiress to the Wayne estate; and Detective Jesse Reese, a police officer confronted with crimes and abilities he cannot explain.

A central feature of the series is the concept of metahumans: individuals born with powers that cannot be explained. No two metahumans have the same abilities (unless hereditary), and there exists a whole subculture of metahuman society that the outside world knows nothing about.

Detective Reese reluctantly teams up with Huntress and the other Birds of Prey to defeat metahuman criminals. At first, he disapproves of Helena's vigilantism, even trying to arrest her, but eventually he realizes there is a need for the Birds of Prey to take down criminals the police cannot handle.

During the course of the show, the Birds of Prey often confront schemes masterminded by Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn), though they are unaware of her involvement until the final episode of the series. Quinzel's attempts to discover what Helena is hiding, and the duplicitous nature of their therapy sessions together, form a large part of the series arc, beginning in the pilot episode and being resolved in the series finale.

Characters

Main

• Ashley Scott as Helena Kyle / Huntress The daughter of Batman and Catwoman. She is half-metahuman, with cat-like abilities inherited from her mother (also a metahuman in the Birds of Prey continuity): enhanced agility, strength, healing and a sixth sense for danger, as well as the ability to shift her eyes to a feline form. This change is usually triggered by strong emotion, but can also be used to grant Helena enhanced night vision. She was raised by her mother without ever knowing who her father was until the night Catwoman was murdered in cold blood on the street, right in front of her by an unknown assassin hired by the Joker (eventually revealed to be Clayface). After this, she was taken in by Barbara Gordon, who raised and trained her.
• Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl / Oracle By day, Barbara is a teacher at New Gotham High, but, by night, she fights crime from a secret location in the New Gotham Clocktower. Originally one of Batman's apprentices and the daughter of his trusted ally Police Commissioner James Gordon, Barbara was shot by the Joker as revenge for Batman's dismantling of his criminal operation, leaving her paralyzed and forced to give up her life as Batgirl. She began using her expertise in computer hacking and weaponry to fight crime and renamed herself he Oracle. She maintains her superhero contacts and calls upon Huntress to handle the field work she is no longer capable of doing. Barbara works to develop a cybernetic implant for her spine in the hope that one day she will regain her mobility.
• Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Lance-Redmond Also a metahuman, Dinah is drawn to New Gotham and to Helena and Barbara by visions of the tragedies that befell them on the night of the Joker's revenge. She proves herself to the two and is taken in as a member of their team, with the condition that she train in the use of her metahuman abilities. In addition to her precognitive dreams, Dinah is a touch-telepath, able to read the thoughts of anyone she comes in physical contact with and later manifests the power of telekinesis. During the course of the series, Dinah discovers that her mother is actually Carolyn Lance, the Black Canary, also a metahuman and legendary superhero, who gave Dinah up for her own safety when she was a child after she did not display any metahuman potential. Unbeknownst to Carolyn, Dinah's abilities manifested while in the care of her foster parents, who reacted with fear and physical abuse towards the young Dinah. This prompted her to run away where she was found by Barbara Gordon. The discovery of Dinah's relation to the Black Canary leads Oracle to believe that she may also have inherited her mother's hypersonic ability, although it is never demonstrated. Under Barbara and Helena's tutelage, Dinah becomes a skilled combatant.
• Shemar Moore as Detective Jesse Reese-Hawke An honest police detective who encounters Huntress while investigating a rash of bizarre suicides, Jesse is simultaneously drawn to her and disapproves of her disrespect for the law. Nevertheless the two are thrown together by cases involving metahuman abilities. Reese's birthname was revealed as Jesse Hawke, and his father is Al Hawke, head of a powerful crime family and sworn enemy of Carolyn Lance, Dinah's mother. When he turned 16, after nearly being arrested when a police officer found traces of blood found all over the trunk of his father's car while he was driving it, Jesse's relationship with his father became estranged. He forsook the name "Hawke", took his mother's surname, and dedicated his life to find justice for his father's victims. He pursued a career in law enforcement to atone for his family's sins. Reese and Helena ultimately bond romantically towards the end of the series.
• Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth Faithful butler to the Wayne family, Alfred transferred his services to Helena and Barbara in Batman's absence, and is often present at the clock tower, taking care of their day-to-day needs. He shares a close bond with Barbara, often listening to her problems or giving her advice on personal situations, whether she wants to hear it or not. He secretly remains in contact with Batman, updating him on the status of the Birds, in particular, that of Helena.
• Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn A psychiatrist Helena is ordered to see after being convicted of vandalism while chasing a thief. Harley Quinn was Joker's lover and accomplice prior to his incarceration, unbeknownst to Helena and the other Birds of Prey, and has come to seek her revenge on New Gotham for what it did to her 'Mr J'. Though she presents herself as a respectable professional, once called upon by the authorities to work with violent and dangerous felons, Harleen Quinzel is herself insane, using her contacts with the criminal world to mastermind her revenge.

Recurring

• Shawn Christian as Wade Brixton The guidance counselor at New Gotham High. He and Barbara meet in the pilot and subsequently begin a relationship.
• Brent Sexton as Detective McNally A New Gotham detective and partner of Jesse Reese. He is skeptical of all things strange and unexplainable. He first appears in the pilot.
• Rob Benedict as Gibson Kafka A metahuman with perfect photographic memory. He can recall every taste, sight, sound and smell he has ever experienced (since before birth) and knows, to the second, the amount of time that has passed since he last saw someone. He is the proprietor of No Man's Land, a bar and safe house for metahumans. He first appears in the third episode, "Prey for the Hunter".

Episodes

Absent: Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth and Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Absent: Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth and Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Absent: Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth

Absent: Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Absent: Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth and Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Absent: Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Absent: Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the show has a 52% rating based on reviews from 25 critics.

Home media

Birds of Prey was released on Region 1 DVD on July 15, 2008. The four-disc collection includes the thirteen episodes that were broadcast plus the unaired pilot, which features Sherilyn Fenn as Harley Quinn, and all three seasons of the Flash-animated series Gotham Girls. The episodes are presented in letterboxed widescreen format. Some music differs from the original televised version including the theme song ("My Remedy"), which in the original airing was "Revolution" by Aimee Allen, as well as additional songs such as "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5 in the second episode, and the fight music "All the Things She Said" by t.A.T.u. in the final episode which was replaced with "Beautiful Freak" by Dirty Children.

Arrowverse

Ashley Scott reprises her role as Helena Kyle for the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which retroactively establishes the world of Birds of Prey as Earth-203 before the Anti-Monitor (played by LaMonica Garrett) destroys it. Dina Meyer additionally reprises her role as Barbara Gordon, though only in an uncredited vocal capacity.

Notes

References

References

1. Kurland, Daniel. (17 January 2018). "16 Superhero TV Shows That Have Aged Terribly".
2. "''Birds of Prey'' TV (2002) Long promo".
3. "''Birds of Prey'' TV (2002) Long promo original".
4. Adam Poncharoen sub. (August 16, 2014). "Artist Joe Jusko Releases Unused TV Guide Cover for 'Birds of Prey' TV Series". Dark Knight News.
5. Mon. (November 18, 2002). "'Birds of Prey' wings clipped by WB". [[Comic Book Resources]].
6. Albiniak, Paige. (November 24, 2002). "Here's How to Take Care of the Backend". NextTV.
7. Beasley, Tom. (February 8, 2020). "'Birds of Prey': The twisted history of Harley Quinn, from animation to comics to the big screen".
8. Sachs, Mark. (November 11, 2002). "In the world of TV casting, nothing's set in stone". [[Los Angeles Times]].
9. (October 16, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 7-13)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
10. (October 23, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 14-20)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
11. (October 30, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 21–27)". Los Angeles Times.
12. (November 6, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
13. (November 13, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 4-10)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
14. (November 20, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 11-17)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
15. (November 27, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 18-24)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
16. (December 4, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 25-Dec. 1)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
17. (December 25, 2002). "National Nielsen Viewership (Dec. 16-22)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
18. (January 15, 2003). "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 6-12)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
19. (February 26, 2003). "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 17-23)". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
20. "Birds of Prey".
21. (April 23, 2008). "Birds of Prey – Studio Updates Us About the DVD Set's Aspect Ratio & Unaired Pilot". [[TVShowsOnDVD]].
22. "Birds of Prey: The Music". Gotham Clock Tower.
23. Ausiello, Michael. (September 26, 2019). "Birds of Prey's Ashley Scott Will Bring Huntress to the Arrowverse 'Crisis'". TV Line.
24. Anderson, Jenna. (December 10, 2019). "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Birds of Prey TV Show's Role Revealed". ComicBook.