Let's get down to business and see if this episode was worth the hype.
Episode Synopsis: (Spoilers Ahead)
Introducing the prototype of his newest product to the entire world – the Ion Cortex, a powerful device capable of solving the world’s energy crisis – Bruce Wayne hires brilliant scientist Dr. Jason Burr to work on the project. The announcement also draws the attention of one of the most dangerous groups in the world – the League of Assassins. When one of the League’s deadly assassins called Silver Monkey attacks Wayne Manor to kidnap Dr. Burr while Batman’s in Gotham, it’s up to Alfred and Tatsu to keep the assassin at bay until Batman’s return. But Tatsu is armed and ready for the task with her legendary weapon the Soultaker Sword (a sacred weapon she stole from the infamous League of Assassins back when she used to work for them). Though Jason Burr did grow attached to her to the point where he tended to her wounds after Batman repelled Silver Monkey. After Silver Monkey's mission was a failure, Lady Shiva told Silver Monkey not to go after him for they will obtain the Ion Cortex another way.
The Verdict:
This episode is easily my favorite to come out of this season so far, mainly for the mere fact that we have been treated to the introduction of the League of Assassins. Savvy comic book fans will be quick to inform you that they are tied to one of Batman's most infamous adversaries, Ra's Al Ghul, but others will be quick to forget that group is more than just him and his daughter, Talia. The League of Assassins consists of the world's deadliest assassins. I still say that WB Montreal will be VERY stupid not to include their members among the assassins out for the bounty that was placed on Batman's head in the Batman: Arkham Origins video game.
Back on topic though... it was interesting to see that Lady Shiva is calling out the shots for the League of Assassins instead of Ra's Al Ghul. Lady Shiva is the ultimate martial artists master of DC Universe. She is known for killing her opponents with her bare hands with deadly efficiency. Hell, she would make Iron Fist look like Spongebob practicing karate in comparison. Even more interesting enough, Lady Shiva has constantly bounced back and forth from being one of Batman's allies to one of his most dangerous opponents.
Silver Monkey proved to be a worthy adversary for this episode as he continued this series' tradition of establishing more lesser known Batman rogues. What was more intriguing was the tied history between him and Tatsu Yamashiro in this episode. We found out that Tatsu used to be a former member of the League of Assassins and departed their ranks after faking her demise. I have to wonder why Silver Monkey withheld the information about the Soultaker Sword from Lady Shiva in his report. Does he have his own motive concerning it? In the comics, he was known as a mercenary for hire so his allegiance was to the highest bidder. Only time will tell if that's the case here.
Another thing I found interesting on this episode was the introduction of Dr. Jason Burr. In DC Comics, he is the second individual to don the costume of the Kobra. At this time, it doesn't seem like he is going to be villain, but only time will tell if he is going to be a bigger player in this series in the future.
Last but not least, I would like to applaud this series for not racing Tatsu's in-costume debut. She had her first taste of action in this episode, but they didn't just sped up her tests with Bruce and went ahead and allowed her to don her inevitable transformation into a costumed heroine as Katana. Their decision to not rush Bruce's tests shows that this series is willing to sacrifice to tell a bigger, broader story over the course of this season. I had to laugh at the outlandish looking guns on this episode, but then I remembered that Cartoon Network promised that they would go out of their way to replace traditional firearms for a fantasy replacement in wake of the numerous school shootings over the last year.
From the action-packed nature of this episode from top to bottom to the new revelations about Tatsu Yamashiro's background and the impressive debut of the League of Assassins, Safe definitely delivered this past week for Beware The Batman fans. I'm definitely anxious to see where they go from here.
Safe gets a well-deserved 4 out of 5.
Post a Comment