Beware the Batman is finally starting to come into it’s own. The world building and light serialization found in the episodes prior to “Family” should be looked at as a primer in the functionality of Beware the Batman. Today’s episode “Allies” adds some real meat to the bone by setting up the relationship between Batman and Lt. Gordon.

Generic isn’t a totally bad word. The times when it is used to express something utterly forgettable is when you know something is bad. “Allies” is generic, but in the idea that everything that happened has been seen and done before. Other than some exact actions nothing happened that anyone shouldn’t have expected. The competency of execution and extra textural nods move “Allies” closer to the interesting genre riff than bland forgettable genre riff.

Series creators, Glen Murakami and Sam Register, are obviously taking cues from the Nolan trilogy visually, the treatment of Silver Monkey in “Safe” and the car wall in “Allies” and structurally, early Batman emphasising his detective skills. Either from orders on top or simply because it’s the latest and most popular interpretation of the Batman myth making it accessible to a younger audience. Either way it’s working out rather well.

It wasn’t until Batman Begins that I’d ever seen a version of Batman where he and Lt./Commissioner Gordon were not friends. The latter lighting up the bat signal or calling the red phone to call in his extra judicious crime dog. Beware, featuring a younger Batman has yet to have the start of a beautiful friendship moment with Gordon. That friendship begins to grow in “Allies”. With Batman saving Barbara Gordon from Tobias Whale and his lead counsel and enforcer Phosphorous Rex.

“We’re on the same side” is what Batman tells Gordon after answering the Bat signal for the first time. Gordon doesn't quite see it that way. The camera cuts to a medium show of the two of them separated by the signal. Not the same side. Different sides. Same Coin. Each half striving towards similar goals but with different methods at their disposal. Gordon’s short monologue at the end of The Dark Knight has become an internet meme. It’s still just a great lore point for how to view the Batman-Gordon relationship. So getting to see Batman take the fall and be exactly what Gotham needs right now was a nice touch stone moment.

Gotham is haunted. Not by real ghosts, just those who were hit by a financial crisis (hmm sound familiar). Well this does explain why there only seems to be 10 people on Gotham streets at any moment. Still casting Gotham as some kind of fallen city verbally isn’t reinforced by the show visually. It’s only shown to be fallen in the area that is inhabited by these Ghosts of Gotham Past. If Gotham has fallen and is recovering things should look dirtier in general. Bewares art style and texturing don’t exactly allow for making things look dirty.

Yes, Barbara Gordon appears to be well on her way to becoming Batgirl. For now can we just keep her as the spunky voice of meta commentary? Having her call out Rex’ mistakes as he was making them turned a normally rote scene into something a bit more entertaining. Her interest in Batmans grapnel (new word) and suit make up however, leave me expecting a purple caped crusader by the end of season 2.

Batman can’t even think about having another sidekick before he and Katana get on a better page. Their raw skills are good enough to keep each other safe against the Ghosts but not enough when it comes to Rex. So “Allies” did one thing I didn’t expect. With the way the fight with Rex was being handled: each of them going at it their own way without help from the other, it appeared to be going towards a “power of teamwork” style moral ending. Which isn’t a bad thing and hey a good lesson to learn. In all the remediated versions of Batman it’s always been clear that while Batman may have partners, they are always on a leash. He still holds all the keys. Having Katana create her own “luck” by ramming Rex with the fuel tanker was unexpected. She is actively fighting against any restraints being put on her. Hopefully this kind of attitude persists, I’m sure there will be some eventual mutual respect moment but Katana isn’t Robin, even if she is filling the Robin role. Which would actually turn things into an interesting riff on the Batman and partner dynamic.

The Bits At The End

• The direction for the fight sequences are getting a lot better. The time between cuts seems to have gone up just a smidge, allowing for blows to have both impact and effect audio visually. Also shout outs to the nice mirror shot of Batman beating on a Ghost as shown in the reflection of a car window before said window is broken by the Ghost’s body.

• Next weeks episode is called “Control” – Katana saves Batman from Cypher , a part robot villain with the powers of mind control who is seeking the Ion Cortex. I guess the League of Assassins isn’t the only one interested in the Ion Cortex.

• Anyone else glad we have both The Legend of Korra and Beware the Batman on so close to one another? Yea Korra looks waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better but they are sitll two different shows with different goals.

Michael Mazzacane can be found many places on the internet but mainly onTwitter @MaZZM and on Tumblr mazzz.net