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Review
Strangely going back to the days of WW2, this teaser involves Batman – in present day garb – serving alongside the military during what seems to be D-Day. It doesn’t really make much sense considering “The Golden
Age of Justice” pretty much told us that Batman was too young for that, so this would require further time-travel shenanigans. However, given that we just recently had an episode in which Batman scorned Booster
Gold for not understanding how time travel works. While he may be more responsible about it, it doesn’t seem in the timeline’s best interest for him to insert himself into an historical military event. However, with that nitpicking over, it was a mostly enjoyable opening and introduces us to the obscure military heroes of DC lore
Sergeant Rock and GI Robot. Unfortunately, GI Robot’s introduction is cut short as he nearly immediately has to sacrifice his life in order to dive on a landmine. I understand the emotional impact they were attempting to go for, but it doesn’t really hold up considering Red
Tornado has been destroyed 3-4 times in the show already. We know sentient robots can be rebuilt, so… bit of a missed intention there.
The main story for the episode is generally okay, but continues with ill-thought out plot points and generally just comes off as lazy. There’s no reason given as to why Batman and
Green Arrow are going after aliens, or even why they flee upon being released from their meteorite disguises.
It’s a minor part of the episode, but still, what in the heck is going on? The lack of explanation continues on as it gets into the main plot which deals with Batman all of a sudden having a legion of robots at his command. Although it’s not unheard of for heroes to make robotic protectors for their occasional vacations, it really comes way out of left field given that Batgirl and/or Nightwing could easily handle Gotham. Not to mention there have been occasions already shown that have involved Batman leaving Gotham without any requisite robotic force. The real issue I have with this, though, is what is the point of Batman if he has a robotic army to defend Gotham City?
Apparently they’re the second in his fooling around with robotic substitutes, his first being the hulking yet immature robot named Proto, voiced by the legendary Adam West.
Although this isn’t quite as bad as the unexpected robotic horde he’s constructed, it begs the question as to what Red Tornado feels about his creating sentient robotic life? It didn’t exactly go well in “Hail of the
Tornado Tyrant,” which also featured the protest of
Batman in Red Tornado’s efforts. Despite that slap in the face to continuity, Proto is the better part of the entire episode with obvious influence from the animated classic The Iron Giant, but without ever coming across as though it’s an attempt to rip it off. The teaser oddly ties in here a bit, with Proto eventually sacrificing himself, but not really. It seems as though the strange twist to the teaser with GI Robot’s sacrifice was supposed to build up to Proto’s sacrifice and potentially make us more emotionally invested in it.
Not exactly the best way to go about that since GI
Robot’s scene fell flat.
Overall, as much as I’ve griped about the episode it wasn’t a bad one. It was actually pretty entertaining, especially with the inclusion of Black Mask as the villain and his henchmen, the False Face Society. It could have been better had the episode not contained such ridiculous continuity errors that had no reason to be there, but in the end I have to say don’t pass this one up.
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