tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post8188382468523910464..comments2024-03-27T08:49:38.786-03:00Comments on Siskoid's Blog of Geekery: DCAU #43: Birds of a FeatherSiskoidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-40901559545930048142016-02-23T18:01:36.603-04:002016-02-23T18:01:36.603-04:00The episode is actually a take on the 1987 Batman ...The episode is actually a take on the 1987 Batman Annual, although that Batman had the decency to feel ashamed of himself. American Hawkmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-16158321420380889202016-02-23T13:20:10.755-04:002016-02-23T13:20:10.755-04:00This one really bugged me, because for all his pre...This one really bugged me, because for all his pretensions of civility and nobility, the Penguin shouldn't be so ignorant of basic table manners or etiquette. Clearly a holdover from the accursedly-influential Burton version, but it doesn't seem to gibe with this (or most other) 'gentlemanly' versions of the Penguin. (Maybe 'The Batman's boorish version...) I think the story of betrayal and class prejudice would have been much stronger without it- leaving only his physical abnormalities and lack of 'status' to cause the snubbing and betrayal.<br /><br />I also hate 'recreating the monster' stories, with a vengeance (in fact, the eventually-upcoming second Clayface story was my introduction to Batman, and soured me on the character for most of my childhood)- so that might contribute to this one sticking in my craw.<br /><br />I do wonder if Batman stalking the supposedly 'reformed' Penguin and jumping to the wrong conclusions is a reference to The Penguin Goes Straight/Not Yet, He Ain't from the '66 tv show, which also involved a romance and betrayal (though in this case, from the other direction)...<br /><br />And while I will agree that the 'love denied leads to villainy' trope is tiresome at this point (partly as I am a romantic at heart and hate to see love denied in the first place), I will say that as someone who's been there at one point- it is the most believable (or at least relateable) villain motivation for me. Seldom do emotions run higher, or wound deeper; so whenever a villain motivation revolves around a significant other, it ups the empathy and realism for me. (I just don't want to see it frequently; Mr. Freeze's sympathetic situation and Mad Hatter's extremely creepy obsession are enough variations on the theme for one show, methinks).Andrew Gilbertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604304361825660940noreply@blogger.com