Guest Stars:
Kristofer McNeeley ....Frankie Spitz
Neil Hopkins ....Specialist
Mitch Pileggi ....Al Hawke

Ratings: 3.3/5, Position 5 of 6, 101 out of 131 Shows (tie)
Review:
I had hoped to send out this review late because I was at The Two Towers, but when I went to buy my tickets on December 7, all opening day screenings were sold out. So, this review is on time, while the review of The Two Towers won't be up until Friday morning.

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 Melissa Rosenberg.
Directed by Shawn Levy.

Original Airdate

Nature of the Beast originally aired on Wednesday, December 18, 2002.

Synopsis

Al Hawke, Reese' mobster father last seen in Sins of the Mother, offers to turn state's evidence and retire.

High Point

"Actually, it's not an allergy..."

Low Point

The footage of her jumping over the rooftops didn't look that great the first time. How many times have we seen it now?

The Review

The only marginally original part of this episode was the sapless ending to Jesse's story. I give it 3 out of 6.

The effects were mostly stock footage, or the easily-done-today walking through the walls bit. The effect at the door of the radiology lab was nicely constructed, though. I give it 4 out of 6.

The story was nicely developed this time. Dinah's storyline was a little heavy on the sap, but that was balanced out by the resolution of the other story. I'd really like to know how the hitman could track him down so easily, though. I give it 4 out of 6.

The acting from Dina Meyer and Mitch Pileggi was very good. The rest of the cast did a decent job, but none that really stood out. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was pretty poor. I laughed a couple of times at Oracle's delivery, and I did like the resolution of Jesse's plotline, but the rest was just there. I give it 3 out of 6.

The production irritated me this week. The lighting in particular was terrible. Some of that can be attributed to limited setups given their sets, but when the colour of the light changes from blue to yellow when you go from a long shot to a close up, you've got problems. 3 out of 6.

Overall, I'd say this is a forgettable episode, but they might actually talk about how it ended later on. It's a piece of the puzzle that had to be there, but it wasn't an impressive piece. I give it 3 out of 6.

In total, Nature of the Beast receives 24 out of 42.

by fiziko December 18, 2002 [Bureau 42]