Feat of Clay and Devil's Eyes: Secrets
Everyone has secrets. Some are worth sharing with people you trust and some should
never be revealed. Barbara kept the identity of Catwoman’s killer from Helena because
she thought it was best. She kept her true identity from Wade for the same reason. Helena
kept her history from Reese until recently and only let Dr. Quinzel in accidentally. Both
thought it best that none of these people ever find out because they were afraid these
outsiders wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. They were half right.
Helena discovers Clayface killed her mother while interrogating him about a new
criminal on the streets. She can’t believe that Barbara didn’t tell her.
They’re friends, they fight side by side, something like that shouldn’t have
been kept hidden. But Barbara believes Helena was too young when it first happened and by
the time she was old enough to know, Clayface was locked away in Arkham Asylum and Barbara
didn’t think he was anything to worry about. Now that Helena knows, she’s pissed
and she’s determined to make the man pay.
When Wade discovers the truth he’s upset at first. He thinks Barbara has been
lying to him and realizes he really doesn’t know the woman he’s fallen for. But
after some thought, he realizes that his love for Barbara is more important than a secret
she kept from him. He wants her and if that means taking on her alter ego, Oracle, as well
he’ll do it.
Wade learning Barbara’s secret and liking her in spite of it, gives her new faith
in people. Maybe they’re not all bad. Maybe there are a few out there that are
actually pretty cool. This time a revealed secret turned out for the best just as it did
when Huntress revealed that she was Helena Kyle to Detective Reese. There are actually
some people out there that can take a secret and understand the value of what they’ve
been given. They cherish the present that’s been shared and they keep it to
themselves. Wade and Reese understand the importance of the girls’ secret identities
and so will keep them to themselves. But people like Dr. Quinzel and Clayface are going to
use these secrets to their advantage. They are villains after all.
Clayface is thrilled to discover that Huntress is Catwoman’s daughter. Now he can
finish what he started and not only have killed Catwoman but her daughter, as well.
Unfortunately for Clayface, Huntress is stronger and manages to get the better of him.
She’s ready to kill him, but thanks to Barbara and some choice words of wisdom,
Huntress realizes killing Clayface and his son would let him off the hook. He deserves to
suffer like she has and so turns him over to the police. Unfortunately this take down
reveals Helena’s secret to the one person who shouldn’t have it – Dr.
Harleen Quinzel.
Now that Dr. Quinzel knows that Helena, the woman she’s been treating for awhile,
is the ever elusive Huntress – the person that’s been foiling all of her plans,
Harley couldn’t be more excited. And now that she knows, like Clayface, she’s
going to use that knowledge to her benefit and make Huntress one of her own.
But Dr. Quinzel isn’t the only one happy about this discovery. Helena is thrilled.
A huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She’s finally free. No more hiding.
Now that the doctor knows, Helena feels she can tell her anything. Harley’s helped
her so much, she thinks she can trust the doctor just like she trusts Reese, Barbara, or
Dinah. She’s part of the same inner circle now. Dr. Quinzel knows this and uses it to
her advantage. She asks several probing questions and Helena freely tells her greatest
enemy that her father used to be Batman, Barbara is Oracle, and that Alfred takes care of
all of them. But the biggest secret Helena reveals is that there’s a new face in the
clock tower. Wade has joined the team. Helena’s annoyed that he’s always around,
but she knows Barbara loves him, so she’s trying to make the best of the situation.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered, she’s gotten a ton of information from
her patient and all because Helena trusts her so implicitly. All this info only makes
things easier when the Dr. Quinzel captures a metahuman and takes over his power of
hypnosis. Now all she has to do is look at someone, ask if they’ll do anything for
her, and they’re trapped.
Once Harley has confirmed her new power works on metas, thanks to a test run on Gibson,
she finds Helena and turns her against the rest of the Birds of Prey. Using knowledge
she’s already obtained, Harley sends Helena back to the clock tower to get blue
prints and schematics of their domain so that she may take over. Of course Helena obeys
and a couple scenes later, Harley is safe within the walls of the clock tower turning all
of New Gotham mad with her newfound power.
But taking over isn’t the only thing Harley wants. She wants to cripple the Birds
of Prey. While having Helena on her side is a step in the right direction, killing someone
close to them would be even better. That leaves two people, Alfred or Wade. It took no
brains to realize she’d pick Wade. The best way to hurt someone is to kill the one
they love. And that’s exactly what she does. She finds him, hypnotizes him into
kissing her, and then she stabs him in the heart. She kills; therefore, she’s bad.
Suddenly a show about keeping secrets and the harm that can come from revealing them
turns into a show about the fact that killing people makes you evil. Does it really? I had
no idea, see I thought killing people was a good thing. Come on people, we’re not
stupid. Revenge is bad. Fighting is bad. Killing is the worst thing possible. That’s
what makes our heroes good, they don’t kill for no reason. Actually they try not to
kill no matter what. So when Barbara discovers that Harley killed her love, she, like
Helena in the previous hour, wants the killer’s head on a stick. But Helena tells her
the same thing that Barbara told her over and over in the previous hour, "Revenge
might dull the pain, but the less we feel the less we are."
Give me a break. Kill her. She’s evil. She’s been tormenting the city for
thirteen episodes. She deserves to die. But remember boys and girls, this is the
WB; they don’t kill on the WB. The Birds of Prey need to be bigger than their foes.
Sorry, don’t buy it. After all, how many people have been killed by the bad guys on
this show? Catwoman, possibly Dinah’s mother although we can’t be too sure,
several innocents, not to mention Wade. After all this, shouldn’t the big bad be
killed off? All those in favor? What a disappointment to hear Helena give her big speech
and then watch Barbara’s eyes register Helena’s words and let Harley Quinn go.
Boo. Thank god this show is over. All this hype and build up and then they have a warm and
fuzzy ending where the good guys are left hurting and the bad guys get sent to prison.
Don’t get me wrong, prison is great. But just once I’d like to see these girls
emotions get the better of them and watch as they tear someone’s head off – on
purpose as opposed to within the course of a fight.
Anyway, the birds caught Harley and sent her away, Gibson and the rest of New Gotham
returned to normal, and the three realize they’re still a team who trusts each other.
So I guess the show ends on a relatively happy albeit disappointing note. But then again,
that pretty much fits with the show’s entire run.
by Jennifer Richmond February 20, 2003 [ScoopMe!]
