Speak No Evil
Episode #45 - Speak No Evil
Original Airdate - November 4th, 2000
Batman reluctantly agrees to aid a genetically enhanced gorilla find the
killer of his mother, a vicious poacher.
Screens by Bird Boy
Pans by redDragon
Review by Jim Harvey |
Credits:
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Dan Riba
Music by Lolita Ritmanis
Animation by Koko/Dong Yang
Voices:
Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis/Batman
Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne
Malachi Throne as Fingers
Reiner Schoene as James Van Dyle
James Eckhouse as Zacharias
Robert David Hall as Fulton
Cree Summer as Max
Angie Harmon as Barbara Gordon
Lauren Tom as Dana Tan
Max Brooks as Howard
Sean Donnellan as Virtual Anchor
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Review
Monkeys! Who doesn't love monkeys? Okay, so in Speak No Evil, our
special guest is technically a gorilla, but close enough for me. He's
big, strong and obviously spends a decent amount of the episode smashing
things, and throwing big things through windows. Naturally, it's
Batman's job to capture and reel this bad boy in. However, when Terry
finally meets up with our hairy friend, he discovers not only does he
have the brawn, but he has the brains as well. Curious, Batman decides
to investigate the labs at Gotham University.
In the first episode of the second season, it was discovered that Dr.
Cuvier spliced humans with Animal DNA in order to enhance their speed,
strength and other abilities. The Scientists at the university were
involved in animal intelligence tests and spliced human DNA with a
gorilla to increase it's intelligence. Now this freak of science has
escaped and it's up to Batman to clean up the mess.
Batman manages to trail the Gorilla, and surprisingly discovers that he
speaks as well as he fights. The Gorilla introduces himself as Fingers,
a gorilla who was captured by some poachers and then sold to the
university. Now Fingers wants to go after Van Dyle, the poacher who
separated him from his mother. However, Batman convinces Fingers to let
him try and bring Van Dyle to justice first. Fingers gives Batman until
dawn, but when Batman fails miserably to capture Van Dyle, he gets fed
up and has to save Batman from becoming lion chow.
A final confrontation takes place between Fingers and Van Dyle with Van
Dyle on the receiving end of a Gorilla Chokehold, but Batman intervenes
and convinces Fingers to let Van Dyle be brought to justice. At the end
of the episode, Terry and Bruce offer to remove the human DNA from
Fingers, but he refuses stating:
"I want to remember. I've been given a gift. I'm as strong as a gorilla,
but as smart as a human"
Notes and Analysis
Terry, Bruce and Fingers all lost one or all of their parents.
"Speak No Evil" mirrors the Batman Beyond The Ongoing Comics #3. Except
that at the end of the comic, the spliced tiger decides to revert back
to a tiger.
Like Golem, this is an episode that has a message, but is fun as well.
The environmental message is communicated without taking over the plot.
It doesn't get corny or preachy like Captain Planet, but actually
furthers the development of Fingers as a character. The ending was
satisfying as well, by leaving Fingers the way he is instead of
reverting him back to a Gorilla. I'd certainly feel sorry for the
poacher who tries to capture him now...but not that sorry.
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