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[amredthelector]

Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show

Justice League Unlimited, "Epilogue"

Okay, so it isn't really a Batman Beyond episode, but since it was meant to serve as an ending to the series, I'll count it as such.

And I hate it. Haaaaaate it. I've heard so many people say that they think it ties up the series and makes sense of it, and I just don't get that. 1) The series already had a great ending, both in its own series and in the movie. 2) The series ALREADY MADE SENSE, this just made it STUPID.

I hate that Terry became Bruce's son in this. As far as I'm concerned, that is not canon. It destroys Terry's character. The thing I loved about him was that he was nothing like Bruce. He wasn't like the Robins, either. A fuck this whole 'he was destined to be Batman' bullshit. That contradicts some of the greatest moments Terry's had, where he pointed out that he chose to be Batman, he stole the Batsuit on his own, he didn't wait for Bruce to adopt him like the Robins.

That episode ruined Terry. It will never be canon for me.

In other news, over the summer I've been working on a playlist for Villain Songs from musicals. There's just something about villain songs... they're often the grandest, most elaborate, and most fun numbers in any musical. So far, my list is over 2 hours long, and I'm still trying to find more songs for it. Unfortunately, some of my favorites are hard to come by (like Snake in the Grass from The Little Prince), but I'm still pretty pleased with what I have. I'm going to go ahead and put the list under the cut, so if you'd like, take a look. And if you have any suggestions, I'll take 'em!

Meet the Joker - Batman Beyond Soundtrack (instrumental)
Poor Unfortunate Souls - Little Mermaid
Hellfire - Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame
In the Dark of the Night - Anastasia
Be Prepared - Lion King
Shiver My Timbers - Muppet Treasure Island
Toxic Love - Furngully
What You Feel - Once More With Feeling (The Buffy Musical episode)
King Herod's Song - Jesus Christ Superstar
No More Mr. Nice Guy - The Swan Princess
Oogie Boogie's Song - Nightmare Before Christmas
Friends on the Other Side - The Princess and the Frog
The Hounds - Protomen Act II: The Father of Death
Sweet Transvestite - Rocky Horror Picture Show
Cell Block Tango - Chicago
(The Legend Of) Ms. Baltimore Crabs - Hairspray
Big and Loud (Part I) - Cats Don't Dance
To Dance Again - A Very Potter Musical
Gaston - Beauty and the Beast
Feed Me (Get It) - Little Shop of Horrors
A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd
Hello, Little Girl - Into the Woods
The Mob Song - Beauty and the Beast
This Jesus Must Die - Jesus Christ Superstar
Come Little Children - Hocus Pocus
As The World Falls Down - Labyrinth
Slipping - Dr. Horrible
Everything You Ever - Dr. Horrible
My Lullaby - Lion King 2
Big and Loud (Part II) - Cats Don't Dance
Playing With the Big Boys - The Prince of Egypt
Dentist! - Little Shop of Horrors
Epiphany - Sweeney Todd
Thankless Job - Repo! The Genetic Opera
In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King - Meatloaf (written for a never-made Batman Musical)
Brand New Day - Dr. Horrible
Planet Shmanet Janet - Rocky Horror Picture Show

Comments

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Just stumbled on this entry and THANK YOU for that Epilogue rant! I was starting to think that my sister and I were the only ones who hated that abomination!

Aside from blind fanboy devotion to Bruce Timm and Co., I don't see how anyone who loves Batman Beyond can watch Epilogue without swearing at the TV.

I felt like the "Terry is Bruce's son" revelation was a slap in the face to Dick Grayson and Tim Drake. It's like the writers were saying, "Dick and Tim weren't cut out to take up the Bat mantle because they didn't share Bruce's godly DNA" or "Dick and Tim couldn't cut it because they're not Bruce's REAL sons; they're just adopted, so they don't count!"

I pray that the points brought up in Epilogue don't surface in the Batman Beyond comic. Because if they do, I may have to stop buying it. :(

[brendala.livejournal.com]

You know what pisses me off about that episode the most? It completely ruined Amanda Waller's character. In JLU, she was a brilliant military tactician with a healthy respect for Batman. But Epilogue turned her into an insane Batman fangirl with a scary, John Hinckley-esque crush on him. She believed that Bruce Wayne was such a god among men that his seed had to live on! GAG ME!

And her plan to create a new Batman made no sense at all! It was full of inconsistencies...
1) If she had Bruce's DNA, why not just clone him outright instead of concocting some convoluted scheme? It would be easier and less expensive. And, if she made her own clone, she could train and genetically engineer it from birth.

2) The bullshit pseudo-science: Shows like JLU ask us to swallow a lot of crazy "scientific" stuff (and we do it because, hey, it's superheroes). But the way Waller replaced Mr McGuiness' "little swimmers" with Bruce's was WAY beyond my suspension of disbelief! I just can't buy that anyone can change a man's DNA and/or the DNA in his sperm simply by injecting something into his bloodstream.

3) How she chose the McGuinesses: Waller told Terry that she chose his parents for her plot because "they were a lot like the Waynes".
...No they weren't! From what little we've seen of the Waynes in Batman: TAS, their personalities don't seem all that similar to the McGuinesses. And their lifestyle was totally different, too (Billionaires with a butler/nanny vs ordinary Working class couple).
And how the hell would Waller know what the Waynes were like? The only thing the general public knows about them is that they were rich, Mr Wayne was an old-money businessman, Mrs Wayne was a pampered housewife, and they had a good marriage. That's not much to go on!

4) Turning Terry into Batman by killing his folks: First off, the plan seemed kinda cruel even for Waller. Secondly, genetics are a wild card and there's no way to guarantee that half of Bruce's DNA would produce a Bat-baby. Terry could have easily taken after his non-superhero mother or ended up being born with a disability or something. What would Waller have done then? Wait for the McGuinesses to have another kid and THEN have them (and the defective first born) shot!?

5) The Assassination plot: Waller's plan was to kill Terry's parents in front of him to mimic how Bruce lost his parents and then take him into her care. But I have a hard time believing that the McGuinesses had NO relatives or close friends who could take custody of their son. Most parents with half a brain between them make legal arrangements for their child(ren)'s care in case they both die. How would Waller get around that? By killing Terry's Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles/Cousins/etc, too?

6) Too many coincidences: Epilogue wants us to believe that, after Waller aborted the "kill Mr & Mrs McGuiness and steal their Bat-baby" plan, Mr McGuiness coincidentally ended up dying in a violent crime anyway. And then his death coincidentally led Terry to go vigilante and chase down the Jokerz. And then the Jokerz coincidentally chased Terry to Bruce Wayne's house and Terry coincidentally finds the Batsuit. And then, coincidentally, it turns out that Bruce was Terry's real Daddy all along!

7) Terry's little brother: Waller's "brilliant" theory was that, if Terry lost his parents at a young age, he would turn into a mopey crime fighter just like Bruce because he shares his DNA. But Matt McGuiness (who also has Bruce's DNA) lost his Dad at the same age Bruce lost his parents and he remained a bubbly, happy kid throughout the series. If we are to follow Epilogue's dumb logic, Matt should have grown up to fight crime because he has more in common with Bruce than Terry.

8) Even if Terry had been a perfect clone of Bruce, that's no guarantee that he'd grow up to be Batman. The Waynes' DNA was nothing special (they were wealthy socialites, not athletes or superheroes); so why would Bruce's DNA be special? He became Batman thought YEARS of hard work and willpower as a method to channel his grief; not because of an overwhelming biological urge to prance around in the dark wearing spandex.

*takes a breath* Sorry for ranting all over your LJ. I was just so excited to FINALLY find someone else who thought Epilogue was crap! ^_^

[amredthelector.livejournal.com]

Hug me.

Really, I hated that episode, and don't get why so many people love it (I've almost gotten into shouting matches with people at the comic books store about it >.>), and you pretty much outlined every single reason I have for disliking it right there, in so much detail.

I too hope this doesn't come up in the comics. Which I have yet to buy. I should get on that.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

**HUGS** We're not alone anymore!

What boggles me is that so many Timm-verse fans (who can be INSANELY anal about continuity and plot holes) love Epilogue despite the fact that Waller's plan is stupid and doesn't make any logical sense.


I once spent a long time arguing with a friend about how I thought Epilogue ruined Return of the Joker. I argued that the entire freakin' point of the movie was that "Batman" wasn't just a mask and a name; it was about how a person used it. And that Terry, despite being very different than Bruce, had finally truly EARNED the right to take Bruce's place.
...Epilogue, on the other hand, says, "Terry would have been Batman anyway! It's ~destiny~ because he's been blessed with Bruce's godly genes!!".

I can't even remember the rebuttal he gave to explain why he thinks Epilogue is brilliant. I think I blocked it out. -_-