Guest Stars:
Kristoffer Polaha ...Darkstrike
Brian Thompson ...Crawler

Ratings for 11/20/02 - 3.4/5, Position 5 of 6, 101 out of 129 Shows (tie).
Reviews:

Holy two days late, Batman! They finally made a good one. Dina Meyer as Oracle/Barbara Gordon. Ashley Scott as Huntress/Helena Kyle. Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Lance Shemar Moore as Detective Reese Ian Abercrombie as Alfred Pennyworth Mia Sara as Harley Quinn Written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, based on a story by Adam Armus and Kay Foster. Directed by James Marshall Original Airdate Split originally aired on Wednesday, November 20, 2002. Synopsis Huntress' male counter part comes to town to track the man who killed his fiancee. High Point Brian Thompson's performance. He can do more than the Schwarzennalien role he had on The X-Files. Low Point The "he always kills her right when I get there" line. Repeating it that often that quickly made the "surprise" a little too obvious. The Review This was not original. In fact, it's remarkably similar to Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. I give it 3 out of 6. The effects were a bit weak. I can almost buy a metahuman ability to change his appearance, but the morph didn't look biological, and there was no reason for the clothes to change, too. The only other effects I remember were recycled. I give it 3 out of 6. The story was actually quite good. If that one conversation hadn't made things too obvious, my doubts about my prediction would have really kept me going. That problem isn't going to hurt them much, as later scenes made it clear that the audience was intended to sort things out before the characters. It's also nice to see Detective Reese pulling his weight with the investigations. I give it 4 out of 6. The acting from the guest cast, Shemar Moore, and Mia Sara was excellent. Brian Thompson in particular did a remarkable job. Dina Meyer and Rachel Scott did a good job with what they were given. (Dina Meyer had little to do apart from exposition this week.) Rachel Skarsten is obviously inexperienced, but she's in a small enough role this week that it's not a big deal. I give it 5 out of 6. The emotional response this produced was very good. The episode held my interest throughout, and the ending would have guaranteed I'd watch through the rest of the season. (Now that we know the only other episode this season will be next week, that's not as impressive.) I give it 5 out of 6. The production was very good this week. The editing of the episode, and Dinah's vision in particular, was very well done. I give it 5 out of 6. Overall, this was a great episode, and likely a promise of what would have been to come. I didn't feel too upset about the plug being pulled earlier this week, but now I think they might have pulled about the kind of improvement that Smallville saw by the end of its first season. I give it 5 out of 6. In total, Split receives 30 out of 42. by fiziko November 20, 2002 [Bureau 42]

Based on Characters from DC Comics Starring Ashley Scott, Dina Meyer, Rachel Skarsten, Shemar Moore, Ian Abercrombie and Mia Sara Best line of the show: Reese: "Darkstrike"?? Who comes up with these names?? Huntress: He strikes after dark. It's descriptive. Worst line: Huntress: We're just friends...and I'm nobody's bitch! Well, in case you haven't heard, the Birds will be flying the coop after December, leaving the show a little more than a month to go out with a bang. Thank God for that month, because after last week's promising (but ratings disaster) "Primal Scream", we're back to settling for a whimper. We have, this week, two visitors to New Gotham, an Angel-ic meta by the name of Darkstrike who's mainly here to dispense words of wisdom to Dinah and Helena and look cool in a long coat, and a serial kidnapper by the name of The Crawler, played by character actor extraordinaire Brian Thompson(of Buffy/X-Files/Dragonheart/Mortal Kombat Annihilation fame) Maybe its my imagination, but this episode felt hastily slapped together, like a Frankenstein of other more tried and true ideas failing miserably. Forgettable hero, forgettable villain, despite Shao Kahn doing the best he can with what he's given, and a load of plot points and quotes that feel lifted from several different recognizable sources. Show me the person who wasn't expecting Barbara to say "most guys do" after Reese says he expected a guy, and I'll show you the one person who's been trapped at the bottom of a well since April 1999. Huntress' groaner line of the week is stolen straight from last year's Jet Li disaster, The One. Most distressing was this week's big twist, which should have any Bat-fan worth their weight in Venom yelling Return of the Joker at the top of their lungs in seconds. Of course, one could say that about plenty of shows and movies, that "Hey, that sounds like that line in...", but here it seemed so much more blatant and irreverent than normal. There's yet more talk of the growing relationship between Reese and Helena, and the events of last week have apparently gone a long way to making these two seem believeable as they deal with pangs of jealousy for the other. These scenes also continue the healthy trend of professional chemistry started in "Primal Scream." I'd say things were looking up, but let's not jinx it just yet. Barbara and Dinah are more or less background dressing this week aside from minor doings with Darkstrike, Alfred is nowhere to be seen, leaving only good old Harley to deliver the goods the show's few fans truly need to get from this episode. The Crawler's got the goods on Huntress, and apparently spills all to everyone's favorite psychoanalyst as he's locked up in Arkham, a scene that effectively sets the stage for some good old fashioned chaos in the near future. Whether the show will correctly capitalize on it or not remains to be seen. The other big issue i have with this week's offering is more of an external complaint/warning than anything. The promos for next week are HIGHLY misleading. Not only is next week NOT so much a "full night event"(a term that, if my dealings with Buffy full night events are typical, refers to two new episodes aired back-to-back) than it is just a reairing of the pilot in place of Dawson's Creek and the new episode after, but, and i really hate having to burst bubbles, the episode, to my knowledge, has precious little to do with Batman returning to Gotham, but with an old villain from Barbara's past who's become a killer. It's a cruel bait-and-switch The Frog's trying to pull. Guys, I understand the show's down the crapper, ratings-wise, and I can't blame you for trying, but a tactic like this will have the reverse effect than the one you want. When the people come expecting encounters with the Caped Crusader himself, and get no delivery, what do you think they're going to do? Watching this show has become a lot like a neglected relationship. A few bright spots, but in the end, we're all still left wondering when this show's going to completely get off its ass and take us for a night on the town again. In this, the show's final weeks, i don't know if it ever will again. But, hey, the show's loyal fans are still here with Helena and the gang all the way...right? [crickets chirping] ....right? Grade: D+ Next week: Barbara and Helena run into blasts from their pasts, a burglar-turned-killer and her alter ego in "Lady Shiva" By Justin Clark Thursday November 21, 2002 [Test Pattern]