Beware the Batman continues to win me over. The latest episode, "Allies," dives further into Batman's connection to Gordon and has more than a few moments that are sure to make fans smile. In this episode, Tobias Whale is finally caught, but the villain's lawyer says Gotham PD has one deal: free Whale or else. Obviously they laugh it off and that "or else" turns out to be the bad guys kidnapping Gordon's daughter, Barbara.
What makes this episode great is it finally pushes forward the relationship between the Dark Knight and the Lieutenant. Sure, Gordon knows Batman is fighting for the good guys, but he's still a vigilante and up until now, it seems to always boil down to, "I know you're against the bad guys, but you're not following the law! You're under arrest! ...wait, where'd you go?" With Gordon's daughter on the line, he finally realizes someone like Batman is required in a world with so many twisted villains. He says he just needs to ally with him on this one occasion, but it's safe to say we all realize he knows better and just doesn't want to admit it yet. This relationship's progression also brings about the creative invention of the Bat-signal and delivers a moment which is sure to remind people of The Dark Knight. Additionally, Barbara gets more time to shine and show off her passion for the world of crime fighting. The ending is downright adorable and finally gives a nice little nod to her role in the comics as well.
It's nice to see Batman so cautious when it comes to having a teammate. Obviously it differs from the comics (a well-trained kid running around with me? Sure! Why not?!), but it makes sense in this world. Despite seeing she can indeed hold her own fairly well in the field, suddenly becoming responsible for another life in such dangerous scenarios surely isn't an easy transition. This was cutely illustrated when we saw Katana's first "costume" and how that scene pointed out if she's going out there with Batman, he's making sure she's not getting hurt. Clearly, this was just there for laughs and it worked.
This show is definitely growing on me, but I do have some small gripes with this episode. Seeing Gordon act like a total boss with that firearm was a super cool moment, but then he stands around like a fool and is totally useless when everything hits the fan. If he can sense a laser sight on his back and react before the person can pull the trigger, it's tough to believe he'll react like a slug when a guy starts throwing around fireballs of death.
Like I said, the show usually nails it when it comes to Batman's intellect, and they've been doing a much better job with his hand-to-hand abilities, but what's with him just walking down the middle of the street in enemy territory? Surely a man that well-trained and tactical would take to the rooftops or shadows, yes? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the ensuing fight scene (the windshield shot was satisfying), but he apparently didn't even have a plan for, "What do I do if they have guns?"
Minor gripes aside, "Allies" is yet another episode that shows Beware the Batman has a whole lot of potential. Sure, the villain wasn't all that grand, but it did a superb job moving forward the relationships between characters and was definitely very entertaining in the process.