FSM Board: "Birds of Prey" (Mark Snow)

FSM HOME

SEARCH FSM


LOG IN

Forgot Login?

Register



	General Discussion • Trading Post • Non-Film Score Discussion
	Profile • Preferences • Community Rules • Help/Contact • Search Board


Search Terms:
Search Within:	search tips

You must log in or register to post.

Go to page:

General Discussion: "Birds of Prey" (Mark Snow)

Last Post


	Posted:	Oct 16, 2023 - 9:08 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

Short-lived TV series from 2002 that only lasted half a season.

Attention readers: I have been using a system that is nothing more than a note to myself; for cues that I want to include in a suite one day, for now on I will denote them with ^ symbol. It has no special meaning to anyone else but myself. No, the lack of an up arrow symbol doesn't mean the cue is bad (it just may have too much SFX or FX for suite use or just isn't worth my time to edit and include). Hence forth this system will be in all future threads and pre-exiting threads that I go back to for missed episodes. Anything in ( ) are just notes to the arrow and you need not bother with that. The system does not mean that I will make a suite or that one has been made, it's simply for my own reference if and when I do decide to.

Unaired Pilot
By: ?????
https://ok.ru/video/1670332549730

Highlights:

0:00 in.^

1:55 in.^

5:22 in.^(6:33)

7:32 in.

9:13 in.

13:14 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^

16:55 in.^

18:08 in.^(20:44) *

26:40 in. and.^(29:13)

30:29 in.^(31:54)

38:43 in.^(42:53)

Even though no composer is credited, and Mark Morgan and Mark Snow have worked together, based upon knowing Morgan's work for the TV series "Vengeance Unlimited" (I covered this show and so far have one suite up), I think this is the work of Morgan.

So many misfires in just two minutes of the pilot: bad acting for a death scene that was poorly staged and unbuyable; a newscaster referring to Batwoman and Batman in a fight wit hthe Joker, but we only see Batwoman and just a second-long flash of a very mediocre Joker; then we find out Catwoman has been stabbed and is dead (and she isn't the only famous character killed off). Though right after that we get some awesomeness: the Joker voiced by ... Mark Hamil! Yes, Hamil who infamously voiced the Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series" and other Timm-'verse series. But like I said, the voice; the actor was Roger Stoenburner. Which is a shame. If you search images, people have over the years Photoshopped Hamil to look like the Joker at various stages (younger Hamil, fat-faced Hamil, etc.); back in 2002 I think he'd have been just right!
But that's not the only connection, as this series brings in a character made-up -- originated -- in "Batman: The Animated Series": Harley Quinn.
By the way, the Batwoman design in the flashbacks, looks far superior to that garbage from the recent shelved film. Twenty years alter and they got it wrong. This cancelled TV series had a version that was right.

* = You know, I've seen and heard about some absolute bullshit technology in TV series and movies, from a stung car that can be remote-controlled with a flash camera that sends out a visible laser in "The Fall Guy", to beaming across the universe in J.J. Rebootrams Star Trek, but here we are presented with a brand new bullshit idea: a device that can scan you brain and detect if you have psychic abilities. By comparative standards, the mouthy talking-back toaster from "Red Dwarf" might as well be a real thing -- it's possible, here ... not so much.

Huntress: "You try fighting the forces of evil when your blood sugar is

Reese: "So you save people?"
Huntress: "On good days.
Reese: "Then why aren't you carrying any weapons?"
Huntress: "I am the weapon..."

Pilot
https://ok.ru/video/4694690761342

Highlights:

13:00 in.

16:42 in.

22:50 in.

43:48 in. The closing cue appears to have been re-done. It's pretty much the same as the one from the unaired pilot.

47:08 in. Snow's end credits theme. Sadly, this theme is not kept beyond this pilot.^

While it appears all the score to the unaired pilot is still in tact here and Snow is credited for it this time, I'd swear this score by mostly by Mark Morgan.

The aired pilot makes some changes. The opening has been re-edited and in the place of previous narrator, is the actor playing Alfred. And we get to see Batman this time and he looks a lot like his Batman Returns version (played by an uncredited actor named Bruce Thomas). We also see Selena as Catwoman (played by an uncredited actress named Casey Easlick), which looks like a pin-off design concept you'd also expect from Batman Returns.
Harley Quinn has been re-cast, and therefore scenes with her re-shoot. Neither actress was right for the role. At least the original looked more like the original Bruce Timm character when out of costume and as Harleen.
Some additional scenes have been filmed, some stuff removed or shortened.
When Huntress is investigating and finds the dead body, a totally different song is playing.
A Godawful song closes out the episode.

I do like the idea -- and I have no idea if it's true to the comics -- that after Batman is killed or squirrels himself away from the world -- that Alfred takes up as butler to Barbara's daughter. But really -- shouldn't he already be passed dead by that age?


	Posted:	Oct 16, 2023 - 4:43 PM
	By:	ChuckNoland (Member)

Short lived, but still better than the movie from 2020!


	Posted:	Oct 17, 2023 - 9:16 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Slick"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690237054

Highlights:

2:43 in.^

6:40 in.^

11:25 in.

16:04 in.^

19:11 in.^

22:43 in.^

26:19/28:16 in.^

32:42 in. Joining a cue already in progress. And the cue after the commercial break.^(first/37:38)

38:32 in.

40:04 in.^

42:15 in. The new more ambient and generic end credits theme.^

This episode finally has the opening credits, which is an awful song. Perhaps Snow did a heroic theme cue which was rejected.

Best I can tell -- since information was not readily found -- the mediocre redundant villain Slick was made up for this show. Yes, a whole roaster of pre-existing villains after Batman and during Oracle to choose from, and they had to make this guy up.

Huntress: "I must be officially sane. What a relief."

Barbara: "Hey, time out! There will be absolutely no use of super powers to settle domestic disagreements."

Huntress: "Do you have a better explanation?"
Reese: "Is there actually a worse one?"


	Posted:	Oct 18, 2023 - 9:05 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Prey for the Hunter"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690368126

Highlights:

4:12 in.

6:54 in.

9:36 in.

15:30 in.^

18:09 in.^

22:11 in. And the cue after the commercial break. And then the cue after the next commercial break.^

35:45 in.^

"No Man's Land" is a real place in Gotham, in the comics, which was created in 1999 with multiple events in Gotham City which tore the place apart and left it a war zone. However, here in this show, it's kind of a weird X-Men thing and lacking all the real back story of the comics. Also, it's a club like in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". This is shit.

"I left my sanity behind a long time ago; it was slowing me down."


	Posted:	Oct 19, 2023 - 8:59 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Three Birds and a Baby"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690499198

Highlights:

1:20 in.^

10:19 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^

16:30 in.^

21:06 in.^(open)

29:10 in.^

34:36 in.^

(Note to Me: 20:??)

Harleen: "I suppose there is an upside," snaps his neck, "They left you for me to kill."


	Posted:	Oct 20, 2023 - 8:48 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Sins of the Mother"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690695806

Highlights:

5:07 in.^

7:05 in.^

11:32 in.

13:13 in.^

15:06 in.^

23:01 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^

26:45 in.^

Again, Gotham City has such a rich assortment or villains to use, even if they aren't well known or particularly interesting, but here thy are once again creating a new one.


	Posted:	Oct 23, 2023 - 8:25 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Primal Scream"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690433662

Highlights:

1:15 in.^

4:33 in.^(6:43)

8:01 in.

9:47 in.

10:18 in.^

25:24 in. And the cue after the commercial break. And the cue after the next commercial break. Actually, it's just non-stop score to the end of the episode.

Continuity Error: Huntress tells Reese she doesn't work with anyone, but just two or three episodes ago she told him she works for somebody.


	Posted:	Oct 24, 2023 - 8:52 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Split"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690630270

Highlights:

7:33 in.

12:19 in.^

24:11 in.^

28:48 in.

30:57 in.^

35:25 in.^

Again, the Batman universe has so many people you could use, even post-Batman, but here they make up yet another character: Darkstrike.
You know what would have been better than this?
Bart Simpson: "ANYTHING!"

And the villain that forms his back story, ALSO made up!

Huntress: "Okay, so another bad guy wants me dead -- take a number."


	Posted:	Oct 25, 2023 - 7:42 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Lady Shiva"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690171518

Highlights:

1:15 in.

12:27 in.

15:06 in.^

17:45 in.^

24:29 in.^

37:24 in.^(38:24)

This time they used an existing comic character:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Shiva

Alfred: "A good butler does not ease drop. He discreetly overhears."

Barbara: "I'm not the hero I once was, Alfred."
Alfred: "Well, thank goodness. Batgirl was strong, but impetuous. You've grown into a thoughtful beautiful woman with the capacity to care for others more than you do for yourself. And if that's not a hero, than I don't know what is."


	Posted:	Oct 26, 2023 - 8:58 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Nature of the Beast"
https://ok.ru/video/4694689778302

Highlights:

9:20 in. Joining a cue already in progress.^

11:40 in.^

25:20 in.^

29:30 in.^

Again, another made up character.

Reese: "Does it always have to end with you throwing a guy into a wall?"
Huntress: "Sorry."


	Posted:	Oct 27, 2023 - 7:31 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Gladiatrix"
https://ok.ru/video/4694689974910

Highlights:

1:05 in.

5:40 in.

9:46 in.^

22:06 in.^

The only good thing about this awful predictable paint-by-numbers episode is the late Ian Abercrombie as Alfred. He died on January 26, 2012.


	Posted:	Oct 30, 2023 - 9:35 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Reunion"
https://ok.ru/video/4694690564734

Highlights:

6:28 in.

24:09 in.^

27:46 in. Joining a cue already in progress.

33:17 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^(second)

Old wooden classroom doors: toxic gas containment devices.

This episode skips over an important question. When mentioning to Helena (Huntress) that she's the heir to the Wayne fortune, worth "billions" according to Alfred, it's clear she isn't running it, just inherited the estate money. So ... who is running Wayne Industries/Wayne Enterprises in New Gotham City? Does it still exist? The overly self-involved characters and bad writing just glances over all kinds of things in this show.

This is the second episode to have a one-off character come out as gay. An episode or two ago a friend of Dinah turned out to be a lesbian. What did it have to do with the plot? Absolutely nothing. What did it have to do with the character's single brief appearance in the episode? Nothing. Did it add anything to the character? No. Will we ever see the "surprise" lesbo again? Fuck no.

And now Helena's bald-headed loser bar owner says he is gay. What did it have to do with the plot? Absolutely nothing. What did it have to do with the character's brief appearances in the episode? Nothing. Did it add anything to the character? No.

Helena: "How do you do that? Support me and undermine me all in the same sentence." (in response to Alfred)
Barbara: "It's a British thing."


	Posted:	Oct 31, 2023 - 7:28 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

"Feat of Clay" and "Devil's Eyes" (final two episodes)
https://ok.ru/video/4694689581694

Note: Snow is credited in the opening after the theme song, instead of in the end credits like normal.

Highlights:

2:05 in.^

14:24 in.

18:23 in.

27:19 in.^

35:02 in.^

40:33 in.^

"Devil's Eyes":

About 42:00 in.

51:49 in.

57:20 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^

10:8:01 in.^

"Feat of Clay" is the only episode to feature a Batman legacy villain. Harley Quinn the villain was not used in the show, just her psychologist normal form Harleen Quinnzell. This is certainly an interpretation of Clayface that I have not seen before. Because of this version, I'm having a hard time imagining what he'd be like as a villain or what his motivations would be for being a villain that had to be defeated by Batman. And as a villain, Clayface is severely neutered here and barely a threat. Instead of the beast of clay that can form various kind of weaponry, can puddle and slip away and so forth and so on, here he is stripped down to being nothing more than a moody shapeshifter.

Fuck spoilers, this was awful: he was taken out by ONE punch and was hauled away in handcuffs like any other generic bad guy.

And fuck the constant stream of idiocy that happens in this two-parter. Makes Barbara looks like a totally inept fucktard who Batman should have never have trained.

And where are all the superheroes? Helena tells Harleen that it is just the three of then, but as noted in the series, Batman trained many proteges, so ... where are all of them (and we know Robin exists on Earth #203 because Reese asks Alfred about Robin)? I know, the comics tell us, but as this show has demonstrated, it's ignoring the comics to a large degree.

And the big showdown between Helena and Harley, feels like any other fight and has an awful song playing underneath it instead of score.

ALSO...
According to a DC wiki page, Selena Kyle was killed, along with the other Birds of Prey, by Harley and Ivy, so this show decided to once again make things up.

And with that, it was cancelled. No TV movies, no spin-off's, no continuations (yet), no remakes (of this Earth #203 Birds of Prey).

And now I need to piss and moan about the show. It's got some witty and/or funny lines at times, but it's largely poorly written and plotted. It moves slowly and doesn't earn it, the characters are dumb, they do stupid things -- immensely stupid things, it's entirely predictable, it trashcans entire comic backstories and events in favor of garbage new stuff, and it tries to be too much like a hip "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" crossed with the idea of X-Men like bad guys out there but yet fails at both.

And when it does finally have a major villain, as described above, it's squandered just about thoroughly.

Everything feels wrong and off about the leads and the execution. Then there's the horrible song for the theme music.

This show deserved to be cancelled.


	Posted:	Nov 2, 2023 - 7:56 AM
	By:	Justin Boggan (Member)

No further composers founds on BMI or ASCAP. In fact, only Snow is listed (on BMI, not on ASCAP). I used a website archiving provider to see the ASCAP page, since ASCAP search won't work and comes up blank now.

There has, of course, been no release of the scoring from the series.

PLEASE NOTE: There are some shows left off, that I created as place holders to, for new TV series, incase I wanted to cover them later, but changed my mind.

"MacGyver": https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?forumID=1&pageID=2&threadID=36443&archive=1

"The Orville": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=119661&forumID=1&archive=0

"The Rockford Files": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=135198&forumID=1&archive=0

"Private Eye": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=115755&forumID=1&archive=0 (technically completed)

"Cannon": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=134150&forumID=1&archive=0 (complete)

"Barnaby Jones": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=130392&forumID=1&archive=0 (complete)

"Dan August": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=124310&forumID=1&archive=0 (complete)

"Markham": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=130158&forumID=1&archive=0

"T.H.E. Cat": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=134975&forumID=1&archive=0

"The Name of the Game": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=134989&forumID=1&archive=0

"McCloud": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=126978&forumID=1&archive=0

"Hart to Hart": https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=133995&forumID=1&archive=0