Birds of Prey: Reunion (1.11)

So far, any element of genuine sweetness between Helena and Reese has eluded the show. That is until Reunion, which features a couple of moments which actually got to me a little. A lot of the episode is about Helena's conflict between real-world Helena, and crime-fighter Huntress. I loved the discussion (instigated by Dinah??!! Wah!!??) about Helena's lack of a disguise, and her ridiculously feminine, stereotypical response to why she hates wearing a mask. At the same time, I appreciated the irony in Reese being surprised that Helena is a bartender. So often in this kind of show a character hides their kick-ass job from their loved ones, but in this relationship Helena's banal day job is the thing that's kept top-secret.

The A-plot was a traditional TV staple: the high school reunion episode. Nevermind the fact that this high school is inexplicably holding a reunion just five years after graduation, the story was still pretty generic. Each character fit an annoying stereotype, from the abusive jocks still belittling the nerds, to the intense, broody hunk with a heart of the gold, to the aforementioned nerds who go on to run Fortune 500 companies but still hold a grudge against their high school rivals. It was all pretty stupid. And major negative points for making the killer so damn obvious. Throw us a bone sometimes, show!

There was also that odd scene with Barbara on her date with Wade and his parents. It's clear the writers are trying to make this subplot a little more eventful, but Wade's parents being obnoxious creeps poo-pooing the idea of their son being with a disabled woman was a little contrived. And it wasn't followed up on either. I'm hoping it's resurrected at some point in the next two episodes...

Reunion had an annoying central storyline, but made up for that with (finally!) some interesting character work. Up until this point, it really did feel like the show thrust Helena and Reese together purely because they assumed the show needed a central relationship, but this episode for the first time made them seem actually couple-y. Which surprised me. C

Credits
Guest stars Christopher Wiehl (Jack Barrett); Shawn Christian (Wade Brixton); Robert Patrick Benedict (Gibson Kafka); J.P. Manoux (Cameron Anderson); Robert Clendenin (Leonard)
Writers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz Director Chris Long