Birds of Prey episodes
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This article is a complete list of episodes from The WB's 2002 television series Birds of Prey.
(Note: This page is a work in progress)
[edit] Episode 1.01: "Pilot"
"Pilot" is the first episode of the series proper, excluding the unaired pilot. The episode aired on October 9, 2002. It introduces many of the key plot and character elements in the series. The original premiere included ten minutes of extra footage; repeat airings of the pilot were cut down to fit a normal one-hour time slot.
- Summary: After Batman dismantles the Joker's criminal empire, the mad villain takes his revenge by killing Catwoman, his one true love - and paralyzing Batgirl Barbara Gordon. Seven years later, Barbara, now known as Oracle, and the Huntress, Helena Kyle, the child Batman never knew he had, are shown to be Gotham's protectors, fighting crime by night from a secret lair hidden in the New Gotham Clocktower. They are joined by Dinah, a metahuman with psychic abilities who drawn to the city by powerful visions of the tragedies that befell Barbara and Helena on the night of Joker's revenge. The three must then investigate a string of bizarre suicides, while Helena must contend with New Gotham Detective Reese, determined to unravel her mysterious appearances, and court mandated psychiatric appointments with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a therapist hiding sinister secrets of her own.
- Guest Stars: Chris Ellis as Larry Ketterly, Shawn Christian as Wade Brixton, Aaron Paul as Jerry, Brent Sexton as Detective McNally, Mark Hamill as the voice of The Joker. Additional, "Co-starring" actors include Amanda Michalka as Young Dinah, Maggie Baird as Mother (Mrs. Redmond), Maria Quiban as "Newscaster", Joe Lala as Crowley, and Roger Stoneburger as the Joker (physical performance).
- Written by: Laeta Kalogridis
- Directed by: Brian Robbins
- Music featured: "On a High" by Duncan Sheik; "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" by Oasis; "The Wreckoning" by Boomkat; "Kiss My Lips" by Bon Voyage; "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch.
- Other notes:
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- When explaining metahumans to Dinah, Helena jokes that there have been some 'weird things with meteors'. This is a reference to the television series Smallville, which aired in a slot next to Birds of Prey on the same night and network; the reference may or may not indicate a crossover continuity with Smallville.
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- Dinah's powers as shown in this episode are not limited to visions - the Clocktower's elevator is activated by entering the code "82591" on the keypad and Dinah reads this combination, as well as the Clocktower's location, from Helena's mind.
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- Helena's eyes in change shape twice in this episode, shifting to a cat-like form. The change is apparently a reaction to excitement, anger, or other heightened emotion. In the unaired pilot the alteration in shape granted Helena night vision; in the episode as aired this facet of the ability is not shown, though a later episode confirms that Helena does possess the ability.
[edit] Episode 1.02: "Slick"
"Slick" is the second episode of the series. The episode aired on October 16, 2002."
- Summary: A metahuman assassin who can turn himself into water is sent by Dr. Quinzel to murder Jesse Reese. Huntress rushes to his rescue, but the two become trapped, and it's up to Dinah to prove she has what it takes to save the day, and gain Helena's trust.
- Guest Stars: Shawn Christian as Wade Brixton; Silas Weir Mitchell as Silas Waters/Slick; Brian Tahash as Detective Jack Barnstone; Lise Simms as Detective Grace Tanner; Brent Sexton as Detective McNally. Co-starring Phil Abrams as "Coroner".
- Story by: Laeta Kalogridis & Melissa Rosenberg
- Teleplay by: Laeta Kalogridis
- Directed by: Michael Katleman
- Other notes:
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- Barbara uses a wheelchair with a spinal transponder in this episode, allowing her to control its movement with her thoughts. She mentions that with further development it could be used to help her walk again - something addressed in future episodes.
- Helena's court appointed therapy sessions come to a close, but thanks to some persuasive advice by Dr. Quinzel, she chooses to continue with the appointments.
- Harleen Quinzel is revealed to have only been in New Gotham for a few months.
- Barbara designed the Birds of Prey batarangs, including some with automated target seeking features.
- Barbara's background check on Dinah reveals her last name is Redmond. This is her adopted last name, which explains why Barbara's digging doesn't reveal that her mother is actually Carolyn Lance, the Black Canary.
- The Joker's fate is briefly mentioned. He was incarcerated at a high security prison following his final battle with Batman and Batgirl (this mirrors the fate of his comic counterpart, who was sent to the Slab, a high security metahuman prison located far from Gotham).
[edit] Episode 1.03: "Prey for the Hunter"
"Prey for the Hunter" is the third episode of the series. The episode aired on October 23, 2002.
- Summary: Metahumans are being murdered, killed when their own powers are turned against them, and Morton, Detective Reese's strange new partner is responsible. But Morton has Reese convinced that metahumans are dangerous. Huntress must show Reese the truth about metahumans, before she becomes Morton's final victim. Meanwhile, when Dinah's first day at New Gotham High isn't what she expected she escapes to No Man's Land, a metahuman bar run by Gibson Kafka (Robert Patrick Benedict), a metahuman himself with perfect recall of every taste, sight, sound and sensation he has ever experienced.
- Guest Stars: Joe Flanigan as Detective Claude Morton; Shawn Christian as Wade Brixton; Robert Patrick Benedict as Gibson Kafka; Callie De Fabry as Gabby. Additional Co-stars include Nathan Holland as Carl, Josh Waters as 'Frosty', Autumn Reeser as "Girlfriend" and Charlene Hall as "Kindly Teacher".
- Story by: Adam Armus & Kay Foster
- Teleplay by: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
- Directed by: Chris Long
- Other notes:
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- Metahuman abilities featured in this episode are the power to generate cold and ice, the ability to spit acid, the power to conjure balls of flame and Detective Morton's unwanted ability to detect nearby metahumans and duplicate their powers.
- This episode is largely built around the idea that no two metahumans have the same power; however Helena and her mother seem to possess the same metahuman abilities.
- Helena often refers to herself as 'half human, half metahuman', as do the series' opening credits.
- This is the first appearance of the character Gibson Kafka and his metahuman bar "No Man's Land" (an allusion to the Batman comic book story arc of the same name). Both Gibson and the bar reappear in several episodes of the series.
- Detective McNally transfers to New Gotham from Blüdhaven (another fictional DC comics city).
- Morton lists various metahumans he's encountered, mentioning "perps who can shoot electricity from their hands, perps who can jump 10 stories straight down and land on their feet, perps who can turn into bugs." Landing on their feet is there to connect the situation to Huntress, but the other two have similar powers to the first two villains in Smallville, another in-joke that may or may not point to crossover continuity between the two series.
- At the end of the episode Huntress confirms to Reese that accelerated healing is one of her metahuman gifts.
- The entrance to No Man's Land is accessed by twisting a bust of William Shakespeare's head. This is probably yet another Batman homage, this time to the original Batman television series in the 1960's, as it is the same way the Batcave was accessed.
[edit] Episode 1.04: "Three Birds and a Baby"
"Three Birds and a Baby" is the fourth episode of the series. The episode aired on October 30, 2002.
- Summary: A genetically engineered metahuman baby, masterminded by Harleen Quinzel, escapes and is taken in by the Birds of Prey. The baby is aging at an accelerated rate and the Birds race to find a cure before the child reaches old age and dies. Complicating matters is the child's built-in programming: He was created as a killer, and it's only a matter of time before he's overwhelmed by the urge to fulfill his directive.
- Guest Stars: Riley Smith, Michael Welch, Bobby Edner as Guy, Kevin Rankin as Dr. Lewis Melfin, Brody Hutzler as "Mercenary". Also Co-starring Matthew Josten as "4-Year-Old Guy", Richard Stobie as "70-Year-Old Guy", Rachel Koda as "Woman", Brad Bufanda as "Tough Kid" and Victor Bevine as "40-Year-Old Guy".
- Written by: David H. Goodman & Julie Hess
- Directed by: Craig Zisk
- Other notes:
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- The title of this episode is a nod to the film Three Men and a Baby.
- Dinah uses her telepathic powers for the first time since the Pilot.
- Huntress is revealed to have an instinctual sense for the presence of danger, triggering her eyes to shift to their feline form. This almost psychic sense for danger is shown for the first time in this episode.
[edit] Episode 1.05: "Sins of the Mother"
"Sins of the Mother" is the fifth episode of the series, and aired on November 6, 2002. It is notable for introducing the character of Carolyn Lance, the Black Canary.
- Summary: Dinah's birth mother, Carolyn Lance, returns to New Gotham in search of her runaway daughter, only to find her working with the Birds of Prey, possessed of her own metahuman powers. The two share a strained reunion, but it is not long before Al Hawke, head of a powerful crime family Carolyn infiltrated and took down during her time as the Black Canary, comes seeking his revenge. Dinah must overcome her feelings of resentment, banding together with Helena and Barbara to save the mother she never knew. Meanwhile, Dinah also manifests the power of telekinesis, Jesse Reese is revealed to the audience to be the son of Al Hawke (which the Birds of Prey are unaware of), and Huntress gives Reese a ring, featuring a 'Birds of Prey' symbol, that he can use to signal her when necessary.
- Guest Stars: Special guest star Lori Loughlin as Carolyn Lance/The Black Canary, Kristofer McNeeley as Frankie Spitz, Robert Patrick Benedict as Gibson Kafka, Brent Sexton as Detective McNally and Stephen McHattie as Albert 'Al' Hawke. Also co-starring Rainbow Borden as "Street Hood".
- Teleplay by: Melissa Rosenberg
- Story by: Melissa Rosenberg and Hans Tobeason
- Directed by: Jeff Woolnough
- Other notes:
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- Carolyn gave Dinah up when she was 6 years old, fostering her out to the Redmond's. At that age Dinah had shown no hint of metahuman abilities, though they obviously manifested soon after.
- Mention is made of the background search Barbara did on Dinah, and the fact the she didn't find any connection to the Black Canary. Presumably there was no information trail to find, as Carolyn was deliberately trying to hide Dinah from her enemies.
- Though the Black Canary is presumed dead at the end of the episode, a body is never shown, leaving the door open for a potential return.
- The Black Canary is closest to the comic book character Dinah Drake Lance, the original Black Canary, and mother of the current superheroine of the same name. Like the Birds of Prey version, her modus operandi was to infiltrate criminal organizations in order to bring them down from the inside. However the comic version does not possess super powers, while this incarnation wields the 'Canary Cry', ironically her daughter's power in the comics.
- Though it is not confirmed until the episode Lady Shiva, the friend Dinah mentions, Gabby, is the sympathetic student shown in Prey for the Hunter.
[edit] Episode 1.06: "Primal Scream"
"Primal Scream" is the sixth episode of the series, and aired on November 13, 2002.
- Summary: While undercover with a group of masked thieves known as The Animals, Helena begins to blur the line between vigilante and criminal, with disastrous consequences for her relationship with Detective Reese. Meanwhile Barbara's relationship with Wade moves to the next level and Dinah must come to terms with her grief over her mother's death.
- Guest Stars: Shawn Christian as Wade Brixton, Shane Mikael Johnson as Fox/Mick Winters, Brent Sexton as Detective McNally, Sarah Joy Brown as Wolf
- Story by: Adam Armus & Kay Foster
- Teleplay by: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
- Directed by: Jim Charleston
- Other notes:
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- Reese uses the communication ring Huntress gave him - which she calls a 'Batring' - for the first time.
- Helena tells Dinah that her mother, Catwoman, gave up her costumed identity and criminal career when Helena was born.
- Huntress' gang mask is the face of a cat. This is a nod to both her mother, Catwoman, and her undercover alias, which is "Kat".
- Dinah's fighting skills have progressed to the point that she can take on opponents in the field. She is proficient with the black, extendable, batons Barbara favors.
- This episode includes the final appearance of Brent Sexton as Detective McNally - although, following his injury this episode, his recovery is referred to in the following episode, leaving open the possibility of his return.
[edit] Episode 1.07: "Split"
"Split" is the seventh episode of the series, and aired on November 20, 2002.
- Summary:Helena identifies with a new superhero, "Darkstrike", who arrives in New Gotham, causing problems for her and detective Reese. But this nightime avenger has a secret, and it's one that could get Helena killed.
- Guest Stars: Kristoffer Polaha as John/Darkstrike, Brian Thompson as The Crawler. Also Co-starring Annie Wersching as Lynne Emerson, Samantha Streets as "Ponytail Girl", Adam Bussell as "Boyfriend" and Jonothan Fraser as "Uniformed Patrolman".
- Story by: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
- Teleplay by: Adam Armus & Kay Foster
- Directed by: James Marshall
- Other Notes:
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- When entering Darkstrike's hotel room Huntress shifts her eyes to their cat-like form, giving her the ability to see in the dark as if it were day. This is the first and only time this aspect of the change is shown outside of the original unaired pilot.
- Helena tells Darkstrike she was sixteen when her mother was killed, making her current age 23.
- Helena is stated in this episode to live above the bar where she works, though her apartment is never shown.
- Reese and Oracle speak for the first time, with he correctly identifying her as the 'invisible friend' Huntress is always talking to. Though Huntress has never heard of him previously, Darkstrike and Oracle are "old friends". As a youth he also once fought alongside the Black Canary.
- Dinah's telepathic powers are indicated as growing in strength, so much so that contact with a traumatized kidnapping victim causes her to pass out. The telepathic flashes Dinah receives are also displayed in full color in this episode, the only instance in which this happens in the series.
- After he kills The Crawler, Darkstrike develops a split identity, operating as both himself and the villain he has murdered, physically changing to match the personality in control. However, The Crawler seems to be more than a simple separate personality created by Darkstrike's mind, as he knows things Darkstrike does not - such as Dr. Quinzel's own double identity. Interestingly enough, promotional photography released for the episode showed Dr. Quinzel speaking to both The Crawler and Darkstrike at Arkham Asylum; in the episode as aired, however, she only speaks with The Crawler. Barbara's examination of Darkstrike's DNA does reveal that it has shape-shifting properties, going some way to explain the physical changes; she later calls The Crawler a parasite, but the exact nature of the two's dual existence is never explained. Nor is it ever clarified whether the constantly shifting DNA is a feature of Darkstrike's own metahuman abilities, or something external that has invaded his body.
- The Crawler calls Dr. Quinzel 'Harley Quinn', the first time the name is used in Birds of Prey.
- Central City, the hometown of the Flash, is mentioned in this episode.
[edit] Episode 1.08: "Lady Shiva"
"Lady Shiva" is the eighth episode of the series, and aired on November 27, 2002.
[edit] Episode 1.09: "Nature of the Beast"
"Nature of the Beast" is the ninth episode of the series, and aired on December 18, 2002.
[edit] Episode 1.10: "Gladiatrix"
"Gladiatrix" is the tenth episode of the series, and aired on January 8, 2003, as part of a double-feature with the episode "Reunion".
[edit] Episode 1.11: "Reunion"
"Reunion" is the eleventh episode of the series, and aired on January 8, 2003 alongside the episode "Gladiatrix" (see above). It would the series' penultimate new episode airing, as the final two episodes were also shown as a double-feature.
[edit] Episode 1.12: "Feat of Clay"
"Feat of Clay" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the series, and aired on February 19, 2003. However, it was aired immediately before the final episode, making it effectively the first part of a two-hour finale.
[edit] Episode 1.13: "Devil's Eyes"
"Devil's Eyes" is the thirteenth and final episode of the series, and aired on February 19, 2003, immediately after the penultimate episode, "Feat of Clay", as part of a two-hour series finale.
