If it bleeds, it leads–that’s the old saying about salacious stories and headlines in the news, and that’s what this episode is all about. A journalist who would be an award winner if he directed his efforts at meaningful stories, but who instead has decided to cheat his way to prominence through technology and titillating headlines.
Batman Beyond: Sneak Peek
Batman is back on that Cyberpunk fable line again, and we love to see it–we just wish the writers had been able to do more with it. This week introduces us to journalist Ian Peek (I. Peek, get it?), who has his own gossip show that everyone in Gotham City loves to watch. Only, Peek isn’t doing things the right way. As Batman Beyond’s version of TMZ, Peek is poking his nose into the business of the city’s actors, politicians, and other notable names. When Batman catches him in the act, though, Peek sets his sights on the Dark Knight’s identity.
Secret identity is everything in superhero stories, but it’s everything in Batman. Peek sneaks a camera into the Batcave and threatens to reveal the identities of not just Batman, but of his older mentor–Bruce, of course. Both Terry and Bruce take turns trying to persuade Peek not to reveal their identities, with Terry even taking off his mask in front of the man. Peek, however, has no interest in bargaining–he just wants the attention and power that come with the reveal.
Unfortunately, the piece of technology Peek has been using has side effects. Throughout the episode, he’s popping pills to offset the side effects. In truth, it’s only the experimental technology’s unintended side effects that save Batman and Bruce, and send Peek to a fate worse than death.
There’s a lot to unpack here. This is another episode about someone who craves power finding a shortcut, and then discovering that a shortcut to power is not power at all–it’s a crutch that can break and break bad very quickly as with the Jokerz in the episode ‘Joyride‘ and Shriek in ‘Babel.’ The technology Peek is using lets him vibrate his particles through solid matter, as a convenient info-dump from Terry’s physics teacher reveals. Really, that sounds like The Flash’s phasing ability, and is a reminder of how sequestered from the rest of the DC universe the Batman animated series are. Of course, Peek’s technology goes sideways. Overuse causes the matter phasing to bleed over into the user after prolonged use, and soon Peek can’t stop himself from phasing.
This is also another case where Batman’s writers were able to use science fiction to skirt around the constraints of children’s television. Peek’s phasing eventually takes over his body, and he begins to fall through the floor, one floor after another. Terry tries to save him, but ultimately he falls into the ground, disappearing. We don’t see him, but Bruce concludes that Peek will probably continue falling downward until he reaches the Earth’s core. It doesn’t take long to imagine the horrifying fate Peek is experiencing as he falls through the Earth forever, unable to grab onto anything to pull himself out. It’s a nightmare that won’t end unless he’s lucky enough for the incredible gravity at the Earth’s core to crush him. Or he might be stuck there until he dies.
Batman Beyond‘s warning about the dangers of poking your nose into other people’s secrets is a haunting one, but it ultimately feels like it stops a little short. We don’t really get much about Peek’s reasons for behaving the way that he does. so he functions as little more than a villain of the week, a cipher for a spooky moralistic lesson.
We also don’t get enough insight into the way identity plays into Batman, Terry, and Bruce’s lives. This would’ve been a great place for Terry to wonder aloud about the dangers of the double life he’s leading and what it means to hide it from his family. It’s fun to imagine being a superhero when you’re done with your homework, but Terry’s mother and brother would be in mortal danger from all manner of criminal and opportunist. If his identity were revealed, it would destroy his and their lives. It’s only sheer luck that saves him. There’s also no discussion of the fact that this guy had what appeared to be proof of Batman’s identity, and then suddenly disappeared before he could reveal it. That seems like something people would notice.
With that said, this is still a fun episode and a fun villain of the week. It’s just that we’ve had so many in a row without any real development Terry or Batman by this point. We’ve had very little of that this season, and the mix of “lore” and “stand-alone” episodes always makes these series stronger. So it’s hard not to crave some more development for these characters.
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