CREDITS: Written by Hilary J. Bader; directed by Dan Riba.
REVIEW: The Repeller (not a great name, but not really used in the episode) is a cool-looking villains, not so much his costume, but the neat electro-magnetic effects it creates and the superhero action it allows. Ropes seem to hang in mid-air around him, he walks through molten steel, and makes titanium bonds explode. It's very cool. How Terry defeats him isn't spelled out very well, but it seems the force field suit can overload if forced to "cut through" too much, including the friction caused by high winds. Those three giant propellers do make for a dynamic climax, and a nick of time rescue of the villain.
The mystery of just who he really isn't quite as interesting however. Of the possible suspects, the most obvious is Dr. Blades, as he's a jerk, but doesn't move or sound like the mystery man. So it's Dr. Suzuki, who seemed so nice. Classic switch.
The subplot about Terry meeting a "bubble girl" who uses that same tech to protect herself from germs is really kind of sweet. They get close, and he finds himself talking about her all the time, putting Dana off. I like how Irene's inability to interact with the world has given her an alternate appreciation of things like the ocean (it's about the soothing sound rather than swimming in it), and the episode makes an thematically coherent point about wanting what's unattainable (Ten, anyone?. Dana's jealousy is strictly speaking immature, but not entirely misplaced. But it's a total cop-out that Terry doesn't even have to let Irene down lightly because she already had a boyfriend (also in a "bubble"). Talk about mixed signals.
IN THE COMICS: The mainstream DCU does not have a villain called Repeller.
SOUNDS LIKE: Repeller is played by Gedde Watanabe (Mulan, Sixteen Candles). Victor Raider-Wexler (Get Shorty, Blow, Jurassic Park, Clear and Present Danger) voices Dr. Blades. Of the two terrorists Repeller meets, the Jamaican woman is played by T'Keyah Keymáh (AKA Crystal Walker) who was one of In Living Color's original cast. Irene is played by Joanna Hulce for whom this is the only credit; I wonder what happened there.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-High - Strong superhero action beats with a sweet if impossible romance.
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