CREDITS: Written by John P. McCann; directed by Kyung-Won Lim.
REVIEW: A number of characters return from a long absence, not having been seen since Season 1. One of these is Terry's friend Jered, who you thought might have a more regular presence after Spellbound; another is Paxton Powers, merely mentioned here, and who you would have thought would be a MAJOR presence after last season's finale but has yet to do anything. Except fire Jered's stepdad, that is. We also met Jim Tate in Spellbound - he'd just married Jered's mom - and now this weapons designer is faced with not being able to pay the bills because no one's hiring. Really? A top guy in the WEAPONS business can't get a break? Even if I believe that, I'm not really able to empathize with a guy who COULD pay the bills, but refuses to give up the lap of luxury. Whether he's doing it for his family (who don't care about money), or he's just addicted to his lifestyle, I just can't get behind him as a "sympathetic" character. And therein lies the main problem with Armory (the episode, not the character).
Now, if they'd done something cool with the character as an antagonist, maybe I could look beyond those concerns, but it's mostly punching and zapping. He needed to dazzle. I like the van that changes color, but otherwise, only Terry scores points - when he uses his retro-rockets to kick something at Armory, for example, or when he pushes a giant sand truck over to smother a fire. Even the "real" villain, Istivan Hegedesh (a weapons broker for a rogue nation), has better moments, like when he gets his hands stuck in hardened foam and decides to attack Batman with that solid mass. The cool sonic gun prototype? It's Hegedesh that uses it.
Terry doesn't even need Bruce's help to figure out who Armory was, so... a dismal showing.
SOUNDS LIKE: Istivan Hegedesh is voiced by Corey Burton, same as Brainiac, Toyman and many others.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium - It's not a BAD episode, but I just can't get with Jim Tate as Armory.
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