Every year, several new shows are introduced and every year several of them don't last.  I have frequently enjoyed some of the shows that were ultimately canceled during their first season.  Since television shows have started to be released on DVD, I have been able to pick up some of those short lived shows that I enjoyed.  I just finished watching Birds of Prey - The Complete Series.

Birds of Prey aired on the WB network in 2002.  Only thirteen episodes were made since the show was cancelled before the end of the season.  I remember when the show started to air and I remember watching it and enjoying it at that time.  I was annoyed when it was canceled.  Since then, I have learned more about the show, so I know that some people didn't enjoy it as much as I did.

Some things I have read about Birds of Prey say that it is based on the DC comic book of the same name.  I don't completely agree with that.  I think of it more as a blending of things from that comic and from comics dealing with an alternate Earth.  For a while, DC had all kinds of alternate worlds with different versions of characters.  In 1977, some of the people at DC created a character called the Huntress who lived on Earth-Two, one of the alternate worlds in the DC universe.  On Earth-Two, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle got married and had a daughter named Helena.  When she was older, she took over fighting crime in Gotham City as Huntress.  She also worked with the Justice Society of America and even traveled to Earth-One to fight with that world's Batman.  The character was around until Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985 which did away with the alternate worlds.  A new Huntress, named Helena Bertinelli, was added to the DC world after Crisis on Infinite Earths.  She is a member of a mafia family and she eventually became a member of the group Birds of Prey.  Helena returned when Infinite Crisis and 52 restored the alternate worlds.  In the last several years, Selina has had a daughter that she named Helena.

Several years before the events of Birds of Prey, Batman and Batgirl have a huge battle with Joker and he is actually captured.  He manages to escape just long enough to send someone to kill Selina Kyle, the former Catwoman and only woman that Batman/Bruce Wayne had loved, in front of her daughter Helena.  Joker also takes the time to go after Batgirl/Barbra Gordon himself, leaving her paralyzed.  Bruce leaves Gotham shortly after those events, not knowing that he is Helena's father.  Barbara takes in Helena and the two women eventually take over fighting crime.  Barbara becomes Oracle and uses her talents with computers while Helena actually fights bad guys as Huntress.  Their secret lair - their version of the Batcave - is in the New Gotham clocktower.  Alfred is frequently at the clocktower taking care of day to day things for the women.  A young woman named Dinah arrives in town and ends up joining Barbara and Helena.  It is shared later that Dinah is the daughter of Black Canary.  Helena sometimes works with Detective Jesse Reese while still keeping certain things from him.  The three women fight various criminals and deal with the ultimate villain of the show, Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn.  

When I first started to watch Birds of Prey, I was intrigued by the show and I actually didn't realize that it had connections to various comic books other than Barbara and Alfred.  I honestly believed the whole idea of Batman and Catwoman having a daughter, as well as Barbara becoming Oracle, had been created specifically for the show.  I also hadn't heard of Harley Quinn at that point either.  I think it was a few years after the show was over before I actually found out differently.  I really enjoyed the show when it was on and I enjoyed watching it again and feel annoyed all over again that it was canceled.  I do know that some people who are more familiar with the comics and the characters in the comics didn't care for the show.  Maybe I would feel differently if I had read the comics, but I thought the show was entertaining.  Now that I know more about the characters from the comics, I mainly think of this show being set in an alternate world.  I know things have been done on the other superhero television shows that were different from the comics and those things have been accepted.

Every episode of Birds of Prey has a different villain for Helena, Barbara and Dinah to deal with.  Several of the villains are tied to Harley Quinn in some way.  She has a plan to take over New Gotham to get revenge for what the city did to her precious Mr. J.  The plots for some of the episodes can stand alone better than others.  Most of the episodes do at least briefly deal with the main story arc for the series.  A few of the episodes that don't deal so much with that aspect of the show end up being connected to each other through another story arc.  Most of the episodes have plots that build on previous things, so I think it is best to watch them in order.  There is some resolution to the main story arc of the series.  I think the show had a lot of potential at the end of the last episode for several other interesting stories.  

There is a bit of mystery to what is going on in Birds of Prey.  A couple of episodes have some surprises which were rather interesting and hinted at future potential possibilities.  Other things that happen are more predictable, which will more than likely upset some viewers.  I still enjoyed the show even with the slightly predictable aspects.  The villain of the week thing might get a bit old for some viewers and it does result in a few odd villains turning up, like a guy who can liquify his body.  That sort of thing has been done on other shows, like Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  I didn't mind that aspect of the show that much.  A few of the villains that turn up are more well known characters in the DC universe.  I think most of the others were created specifically for the show, though I might be wrong about that.

Since Helena is shown fighting some kind of villain or criminal in every episode, there is a decent amount of action throughout Birds of Prey.  She doesn't carry weapons and basically just beats the crap out of the people she goes after.  Dinah trains to learn how to fight and as the series progresses, she is more active in fighting crime.  She becomes a decent fighter.  Even though she is in a wheelchair, Barbara still manages to handle herself well in a fight when it is called for.  There is violence to what is going on, though I don't think the show is overly violent.  There is a bit of humor added every so often, usually from things that a character says or does.  The series does have a more serious tone overall, though even so often things are slightly campy.  Some people probably won't feel that the tone of the show is handled properly.

Metahumans are brought up frequently throughout Birds of Prey.  I have heard of metahumans in the DC universe before, mostly from some of the books about DC characters that I have.  Metahumans are people who are born with some kind of powers and there isn't a known cause for the powers.  The version of Catwoman mentioned in Birds of Prey is a metahuman and Helena is half-metahuman with a few different powers.  Metahumans are brought up in just about every episode.  It works as a way to explain the people who have powers.  Some time is also focused on the fact that some people are terrified of metahumans or think of them as less than human.  The way metahumans are dealt with in this series does remind me a bit of the mutants from X-Men.  I had forgotten about all the metahuman things before watching the show again.

Different relationships end up being important throughout Birds of Prey.  Helena still misses her mother and has a few lingering issues there to deal with. She also has major issues with Bruce/Batman being her father and it seems like their relationship is strained at best.  Many times she says things that make it seem like she isn't happy at all about it while other times she seems to be hoping to get his approval.  I was disappointed that it was never really said for sure if she and Bruce have met, though they do know about each other.  Helena and Barbara have a very strong friendship, though it is tested a few times.  Their friendship is very important since it is the basis for their working relationship and the two women are really like family.  That dynamic changes a bit once Dinah arrives.  Helena and Harleen have a professional relationship since Harleen is who Helena sees because of court ordered therapy.  That relationship becomes more complicated as things progress.

Dinah also has family issues that she has to face during the season.  She spends many years with a foster family who tried to force her to be normal.  When her real mother turns up, she isn't exactly happy to see her again.  They have a lot of problems that don't get fully resolved because of what happens.  That did seem to impact Dinah's behavior in future episodes.  She seems to get along the best with Barbara since she and Helena clash a bit at times.  The three do manage to work together fairly well overall.  Alfred is around doing little things to take care of all of them.  He does seem to be sort of like a surrogate father to them, kind of like the character has been for Bruce at times.  Jesse also has some family issues that pop up a few times.

There is a tiny bit of romance in Birds of Prey without that taking over the series.  Barbara and Wade are shown meeting and starting to go out in the first episode.  He is very kind and romantic to her while she is more hesitant about starting a relationship for a few reasons.  When Wade is around, he is usually only in a few minutes and sometimes is missing completely from episodes.  Helena and Jesse has a more complicated relationship.  They start out sort of working together even though he has major trust issues.  His reactions to one or two things does hurt their relationship, though they manage to work though that.  Not much is really shown, but it is made clear that there is an attraction between them.  The relationship that Harleen has with Joker is mentioned several times, and it is one of her motivations for what she is up to.

Helena/Huntress is probably featured more than the other characters.  She is good at fighting crime, but she is conflicted at times.  She has a hunger for more excitement and sometimes she wants to go further with her crime fighting.  She does act a bit moody at times which can get irritating.  Her attitude gets better as the show progresses.  It is a bit odd that she doesn't wear a mask when she is fighting crime.  Ashley Scott does fine with the part. 

Barbara Gordon is just as important even though she isn't shown doing as much.  Barbara has to find a different way to continue fighting crime after Joker attacks her.  She uses her other abilities with computers to make that possible, though she is still a very capable fighter.  She is a very intelligent, independent woman, though sometimes she makes questionable decisions.  Dina Meyer does really well with the part.  Joker is briefly seen during the first episode and is mostly just talked about through the season.  Mark Hamill did provide the voice for the character.

Dinah is a young woman with a few abilities who arrives in the city during the first episode.  She has been made to feel like a freak for being different.  She does adapt well to her new life, though she still has some issues to deal with.  She acts a bit annoying a few times, but overall she is a fine, likable character.  Dinah does act before thinking things through a few times.  Rachel Skarsten does fine with the part.  Lori Laughlin turns up as Dinah's mother Caroline/Black Canary in one episode.  Alfred Pennyworth is frequently around to take care of things since Helena is the Wayne heir.  It would have been nice if Alfred had been around a bit more.  Ian Abercrombie does well with the part.                 

Jesse Reese is a detective on the New Gotham police force.  He realizes that weird things are going on in the city, though he doesn't know what they are.  It does take him a while to understand some of those things.  The character isn't anything special, though it makes sense to have Helena sort of working with a cop like Batman did with Commissioner Gordon.  Shemar Moore did fine with the part.  Some other cops turn up in a few scenes without having much to do.

Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn is the other main character for the series even though she is missing from some of the episodes.  She is a psychiatrist that Helena is ordered to see for anger management.  Harleen is planning to take over the city as revenge for what has been done to Joker, the man she loves.  She does mention him every so often, even calling him Mr. J.  Her motivation isn't fully explained, which will bother some viewers.  The character is very unstable, though I think she makes a decent villain.  Mia Sara does go a bit over the top at times, but it mostly works for the character.  She does wear an outfit sort of like Harley Quinn's during one episode.  Some of the other DC characters, like the different Robins, are mentioned without being featured in the show.  Metropolis and the city where Dick Grayson works as Nighwing - I can't think of it at the moment - are mentioned.  Lady Shiva and Clayface are both featured in different episodes.

Main Cast
    
Ian Abercrombie - Alfred Pennyworth
Dina Meyer - Barbara Gordon/Oracle
Shemar Moore - Detective Jesse Reese
Mia Sara - Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Ashley Scott - Helena Kyle/Huntress
Rachel Skarsten - Dinah

DVD Information

Birds of Prey - The Complete Series was released on DVD in July of 2008.  All thirteen episodes are included on four discs.  There is a little brochure type thing in the case that shares some general information on the character of the Huntress from Earth-Two and the series.  It also lists the episodes on each disc along with short plot summaries.  The extras for each disc are also identified.  I found out after getting the DVD set that some of the original music, including the original theme song for the series, have been replaced for this set.  I have no clue what song is being used for the theme song now. 

All three seasons of the Flash animated web series Gotham Girls are included, one season on each of the first three discs.  There are ten short episodes for each season.  The first two seasons just have short little stand alone stories while the third season tells a longer story overall and includes a few more characters.  The episodes are entertaining and I enjoyed them.  They mainly just feature a few of the female characters from the Batman world, though a few other characters turn up at different times. 

The only other extra for the DVD set is the unaired pilot on disc four.  The plot is the same, though a few scenes are different.  Some of the things that didn't make it to the final pilot pop up later in the series.  The other difference is that Sherilyn Flynn is playing Harleen.  After watching the unaired pilot, I think Mia Sara did better with the part.  Something about Flynn in the part just didn't work.

I think Birds of Prey is an entertaining series, though I know some people feel very differently.  After watching Birds of Prey - The Complete Series, I'm annoyed all over again that the show was cancelled.  This is a good DVD set for fans of the series.

This review is part of elvisdo's 2009 Funny Pages Write Off.  It is also part of his 2009 Canadian Write Off because Rachel Skarsten is from Toronto.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD