I can imagine that if there were a commentary for the “Birds of Prey” DVD set, it would begin with “Well… it seemed like a good idea at the time.” And in theory, it does seem like a great concept. After the success of “Smallville” the (then) WB Network tapped the well by digging in to the Batman universe. What with the new franchise being developed how do you work around DC’s ridiculously strict guidelines of not including the same character in more than two property? You make stuff up, and work with what you have. “Birds of Prey” is based on the successful comic book series where Gotham’s girls team up to take on crime. The problem was that audiences just didn’t care for these characters, and what was worse was that well… it sucked. I saw the entire series on the WB Network when it first premiered and I couldn’t stand how awful it was.
I don’t know why I finished it, but I did. “Birds of Prey” had some great nods toward Batman in the beginning with a cameo from the Joker (as well as a great voice cameo from Mark Hamil), lip service to Catwoman and Batman, and there’s even Alfred who appears as a recurring moral center of the group. The problem was that people didn’t want “almost” Batman. They wanted Batman. And instead we were given an Alfred who was more of a nuisance and had nothing to do but play a doting grandpa who pops up to crack wise or provide a moral for the girls, there’s Harley Quinn in the flesh…! except only dressed in business suits and without the trademark costume, and… villains who were absolute knock offs of better rogues like Clayface and the Riddler.
The entire time we’re given a hamfisted romance with Huntress (star Ashley Scott) who is a morbid precursor to Halle Berry’s Catwoman, the elder of the group Oracle (Dina Meyer) who is also almost Batgirl and even featured in costume at one point, and a lame angsty teenager by the name of Dina who… probably drifted in from the X-Men at some point. There’s also the lame mutant knock offs: meta-humans, and endless allusions to potential cameos by Huntress papa Batman, Catwoman, and Robin. None of whom ever appeared, by the way. The actresses really tried their best in these roles, but there was only so much you could do here. The scripts were terrible and the story was so rushed that it was impossible for the writers to calm down and decide on a proper tone.
There are also the special effects that look horribly incomplete and quite amateur when you consider the network. Some of the wide shots of Gotham are rather embarrassing. And one particular gripe are the questions that linger. Why did Batman put himself in to exile? Where is Nightwing and Robin? Did Catwoman really die? “Birds of Prey” mercifully only lasted one season with build-up to a Huntress and Harley Quinn fist fight that is rather anti-climactic. When you see the Joker’s best sidekick with Batman’s daughter, you expect more than two women flipping around each other in slow motion as Tatu’s “All The Things You Said” blare in the background. Ouch. Almost ten years later it’s painful, even if the series isn’t as bad as I remember.
As for the DVD, it’s rather incredible treatment for such an obscure show. The packaging is phenomenal with a flip disc set that is just kicking of all asses. I loved the design put in by Warner. For the features we have the Bonus Unaired Pilot that is pretty much business as usual with a great concept but bad execution. There’s also the thirty animated episodes of the web series derived from the show that ends up being slightly more entertaining than the whole of the series. I just wanted some commentary, perhaps some interviews, maybe… bloopers or explanations. No? Okay. I’m still trying to decide if this was a nice attempt at giving Batfans their rewards while Superman fans were watching “Smallville,” or just a really cheap grab at cash and ratings from a network pushing their luck. I’m on the fence in that regard. Otherwise, watch it for the camp, watch it for the lovely women, watch it to revel in the horrific production quality, and stay for the cool DVD treatment. Collectors need apply.