CREDITS: Written by Rich Fogel; directed by Kyung-Won Lim.
REVIEW: The difference a title makes. The very act of asking a question sours me on the fact that it gets answered so early in the episode. Where's Terry? We saw him last following a sinister type in the subway system, and then he's not at school the next day, hasn't been home, and isn't answering Bruce's calls. This forces Bruce and Max to cooperate for the first time, and provides some excellent "acting" moments for both characters - like when Bruce grips his cane tight when a gang of T's pass by, or Max getting the shakes after she's sent out of the room so Bruce can "interrogate" one of them. Had we been allowed to follow the clues along with those two characters, there would have been much more tension in the episode.
Instead, we're soon shown Terry was the victim of a cave-in, and then it becomes a show about a runaway kid called Dak living in the tunnels calling Batman stupid for his heroism, while he idolizes the villains. After meeting Shriek, who really has seen better days, he quite predictably learns his lesson and helps Batman escape. Yawn.
Had we stuck with Max and Bruce, and had they both had more agency in Terry's rescue, I think the episode would have been the better for it.
SOUNDS LIKE: Dak is played by Eli Marienthal, best known for his role of Hogarth Hughes in the animated film The Iron Giant.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium - The bits without Batman are great; the bits WITH Batman trite and tired.
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