Fury
Episode #16 - Fury, Part 1
Original Airdate - April 7th, 2002
When a renegade Amazon named Aresia takes over Lex Luthor's old gang,
Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl must team up to stop her from destroying Man's
world.
Episode #17 - Fury, Part 2
Original Airdate - April 14th, 2002
With the man's population quickly dropping, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman
rush to stop Areshia from unleashing her plague upon the world.
Media by
Review by Bleu Unicorn |
Credits:
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Story by Dwayne McDuffie
Directed by Butch Lukic
Music by Kristopher Carter
Animation Services by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD.
Voices:
Kevin Conroy as Batman
Maria Canals as Hawkgirl
Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman
Phil LaMarr as Green Lantern
Carl Lumbly as J'onn J'onzz
George Newbern as Superman
Michael Rosenbaum as Flash
Julie Bowen as Aresia
Susan Sullivan as Hippolyta
Olivia D'Abo as Star Sapphire
Mark Hamill as Solomon Grundy
Stephen McHattie as Shade
Karen Maruyama as Tsukuri
Jose Yenque as Copperhead
Maggie Wheeler as Antiope
Vanessa Marshall as Lipstick Lady
Julianne Grossman as Philipus
Maggie Wheeler as Fireffighter
Vanessa Marshall as Paramedic
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Review
Plot/Story: ****
Dialogue: *****
Voices: ****
Animation: *** 1/2
Music: ****
Overall: ****
My first impressions of “Fury” comes from the opening scene. While, this
is one of the better examples of the series’ action scenes, I was left
slightly bewildered at how Batman was able to take down almost every
member of the Injustice Gang. Having had to watch this episode before
“Injustice for All” is most definitely the cause, as we learn in that
episode that Batman was quite capable of this feat. While, there is no
actual link between the two episodes, there are some rather obvious
references to “Injustice for All” and obviously as I just stated, some
of “Fury” would have been a bit more believable and understandable, had
the episodes aired in order. Regardless, there is little harm and the
fact does no damage to the plot of this episode.
Aresia, a rogue Amazon, has decided that all the men of the world need
to be wiped off the planet and so she assembles some of the members of
Luthor’s Gang to accomplish this. From years of studying, unbeknownst to
her Amazon sisters, she gathered enough knowledge to create a virus that
would affect only men – and she plans to unleash it upon the entire
planet. What makes Aresia such a great villain for this episode is the
interaction between her and Diana. Which is both good and bad, as
Aresia’s development and history somewhat overshadows Wonder Woman, whom
this episode is showcasing. Aresia’s history, fleshed out in two
poignant flashbacks told by Hippolyta, gives us a background that some
of the Leaguers are lacking in. We learn about how she came to
Themiscyra, became an Amazon and, subsequently, how she twisted the
lessons taught to her into her diabolical plot. Hawkgirl sums it up
perfectly.
Wonder Woman: ”Even when she was a child, I sensed a bitterness
within her. She was never really one of us.”
Hawkgirl: “I think she fits in pretty well.”
Wonder Woman: “How can you say that?”
Hawkgirl: “Aresia is just taking your precious Amazon code to its
logical extension.”
Wonder Woman: “We don’t teach hatred.”
Hawkgirl: “Except when it comes to men.”
Which at the time seems to be right over Diana’s head, but in some ways,
even she has shown how Amazonian teachings can lead to misconceptions.
The pairing of Hawkgirl and WW, while obviously essential, as all the
men are incapacitated due to Aresia’s virus, is priceless. The two share
very little in common when it comes to their fighting styles and their
beliefs – leading to some very memorable dialogue.
Hawkgirl: “Who wants to live in a world without men.”
Wonder Woman: “They can’t possibly be that essential.”
Hawkgirl: “Don’t knock it, till you’ve tried it, princess.”
Of note is the fact that either Diana does not have a secret identity
yet – or she is very willing to walk around as Wonder Woman all the
time, as evidenced when she walks around in Bergdurf’s. Aside from
learning about how Diana feels about the male population, we also get a
glimpse at how shortsighted and stubborn she can be. For instance, when
talking with Batman, she holds true to the fact that Amazons “never
leave the island,” while obviously she did just that. Batman, for his
part, fittingly gives her a look.
The animation in this episode is very inconsistent, wavering between
some very nice moments, to some extremely poor ones. For instance,
Batman’s initial fight with the Injustice Gang is extremely fluid and
well-paced. Some nice points are Tsukuri swinging her sword at Batman
and slicing off part of his cape. Also, if you watch very closely, you
can even catch him relieving Aresia of her necklace – something I didn’t
notice on my first viewing of this episode until the close-up of him
dropping it after Aresia leaves. On the other side, some animation goofs
that I noticed centered around the highlights on characters. Generally,
a highlight, or the shine of on an object – such as Batman’s cape –
should not move with a character’s movement, as it’s a reflection of
light it should remain somewhat stationary. Throughout this episode,
though highlights move as if they are the coloring of a person’s
clothing. We have some wonderful fire and smoke animation, but then we
get some interesting interpretations of how water comes out of a hose –
and here again is evidence of some very choppy movements of characters,
specifically the firefighters.
Continuity is done very well in this episode. As mentioned, there are a
few references that tie this episode in with “Injustice for All.” This
episode also fits in with “Secret Origins” very well, with the unspoken
reference to Diana leaving Themiscyra. Also some linkage to “Paradise
Lost,” specifically for Hawkgirl, who was absent from that episode.
Being the only female other than Wonder Woman on the League, Batman
sends her to Themiscyra. The Amazons, who think she is the thief that
stole their gold, while in fact it was Aresia, promptly attack her. As
she has never been to the island, it’s fitting that none of the Amazons
should recognize her as a friend of Diana’s, until she fills them in.
Star Sapphire’s double double-cross is also a nice touch. One that even
I was surprised at. One is at first led to believe she really does
believe Aresia’s gone off the deep, as evidenced by her shocked look
when Aresia explains her plan and later when she helps Hawkgirl and WW.
Then suddenly she’s admitting it was a deception to lure them to Aresia
so she can try once again to persuade her Amazon sister to help her rid
the world of men. Although, I get the feeling, when Star Sapphire
talking to Aresia on the aircraft, that she doesn’t fully understand the
ramifications of Aresia’s virus until right then.
Star Sapphire: “I can say goodbye to some very unpleasant men I’ve
known over the years.”
Aresia: “You can say good-bye to all of them.”
As evidenced, the dialogue in this episode is what truly shines.
Hawkgirl especially has some very nice dialogue here – of note is her
one-sided conversation with Batman about the trauma of losing one’s
parents. Hippolyta as well has some very nice dialogue, voice-acted by
Susan Sullivan. Olivia D’abo using her British accent for Star Sapphire
is also a treat. For a character that is not British, it suits her
perfectly and D’abo herself is just a wonderful actress to listen to
Probably the biggest letdown with this episode is the absolute ignoring
of who Tsukuri is. Granted, we learn a lot about Aresia and Diana is
fleshed out a bit more. But other than her name and the fact that she’s
a phenomenal fighter with a sword, we don’t know anything about her.
Another fact that seems to boggle my mind is Aresia hiring Grundy, Shade
and Copperhead. If she had planned to kill them, why did she hire them?
There services did not seem as essential as one would think. Either
Aresia ignores their abilities as the episode progresses, or she pretty
much is able to handle their tasks with her own abilities.
The great anticipation for this episode is quite possibly its biggest
downfall. All the hype that surrounded it could not possibly have been
met, but still one of the more enjoyable episodes of the first season.
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