(7/24/09)
How is it that Poison Ivy came to legally acquire a resort with several acres of land? How is it that any writer might actually attempt to use pseudo-science to explain humans transforming into trees? Why is it that Batman finds a clue in an apartment that, according to Commissioner Gordon, has been ‘put under a microscope?’ Clearly this is one episode that rests clearly in logical hell.
The opening is effective. A woman runs out of a massive building in the middle of an area populated heavily by trees. She runs from a predator who remains in the shadows. We have no idea what exactly is going on, and the direction and music add appropriate suspense. But then Poison Ivy has to open her big mouth and we know from that point on that we are dealing with environmentalist propaganda. Note the immediate cut to Wayne Manor where we hear Bruce Wayne yelling on the phone about his refusal to be part of an operation that would level a rainforest.
If there is anything that has been getting on my nerves about these agenda-pushing episodes of the series is that even though Batman must always apprehend Ivy or Catwoman or whoever it is, Bruce Wayne is always just as morally upright on the issue as they are. There is never any hint at corruption within his company or any doubt that he wholeheartedly supports environmentalism or wildlife preservation. It is irritating that with an issue that might potentially create a gray area, Batman must be pure and Ivy must be despotic, and the only people who fall in the middle are trees for the majority of the episode.
We are left with a radical portrayal of Poison Ivy that very easily bleeds over into the realm of parody, and the episode would have been far more pleasant had it been more tongue-in-cheek about its outlandish story. But that softly sinister opening theme that would have increased the drama tenfold in another episode only serves to increase the extent to which this particular episode is a remarkable failure.
The most curious aspect of Eternal Youth is the appearance of Maggie, a girlfriend of Alfred’s whom we never see again. She is a peppy older woman intended to counter Alfred’s drollness, but she lacks anything beyond this enthusiasm and only serves to get Alfred to the resort and prompt Batman’s immediate involvement. That she never appears again almost seems like the producers’ attempt at making us forget she ever existed.
If there is anything I noticed that put smile on my face it was the beautiful exteriors of Wayne Manor. There are several times that Maggie and Alfred meet up in front of the building, and I loved seeing the terraces and the lovely cloudy sky in the background. There is also a nice shimmer effect that reflects the sun above the clouds. It is odd that these artistic flourishes don’t at all pertain to the story, and yet they kept my eyes focused even when my brain was drifting.
The first issue I take with the episode is the new character, Maggie. Supposedly Alfred’s girlfriend, she serves absolutely no purpose but to serve the plot and drag Alfred to the Eternal Youth Spa. As evidenced by ‘Prophecy of Doom’, characters that only exist to serve the plot shouldn’t exist at all. It also feels strange watching a character that only appears once in the entire series, but is apparently an important figure in Alfred’s life. But given that she has absolutely no interesting chemistry with Alfred, it’s no surprise she never came back.
My second problem is that the characters are idiots. The police are unable to link the spa to the disappearing industrialists, despite the obviousness of their connection, and the industrialists continue coming to the spa, unable to take a hint. Not even Bruce figures it out until he picks up a very noticeable piece of evidence missed by the police, even after Alfred’s strange behavior. Moronic characters always cause the episodes they appear in to lose credibility, and ‘Eternal Youth’ is no exception.
Thirdly, Ivy the environmental activist is no worse than Selina Kyle the animal lover. Her mission is to turn all of those evil corporate heads that cut down rainforests into trees, a really dumb kind of poetic justice, which, in all honesty, is a lot more laughable than terrifying. Bruce’s anger that his company was almost involved with a slash-and-burn outfit is a forced incident that shows us how much of a standup guy Bruce is, showing that he doesn’t go in for the money-making destruction of the Earth’s natural environment like other corporations. It really is rather condescending that the episode has to constantly pummel this environmental awareness into the audience’s head. Ivy is so radical in her quest to rid the earth of all who harm nature that she comes off as shallow and not much of a real character.
There isn’t any action or good animation that can save the episode either. The latter is average, done by Dong Yang, while the former is nonexistent. The only action-packed moments come from Batman dodging Ivy’s crossbow and a giant tree growing out of the ground. Most poor episodes at least have some appeal to children to make them excusable, but ‘Eternal Youth’ has nothing fun to offer. I think that my favorite part of the episode is actually watching Alfred and Maggie spend time at the spa, because it actually looks like a nice place and it takes me away from the episode for a short while.
A combination of poor environmental commentary, weak characterizations, boring exposition, and pitiful action sequences, ‘Eternal Youth’ is as bad as it gets for Poison Ivy, and thankfully, from this episode onward, her appearances really start to improve.
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