"Lady Shiva" 1.8 - Original Airdate: 11/27/02
  
Story by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
Written by Adam Armus & Kay Foster
Directed by John Kretchmer
Guest Stars:
Sung Hi Lee as Lady Shiva/Sandra Woosan
Callie De Fabry as Gabby
Ethan Browne as Mack Kendall
Co-Starring:
Michael Don Evans as Armed Guard
Since the impending cancellation is old news by now, just let me take a moment to say that of the many things I'll miss about Birds of Prey, the biggest would have to be the banter between Dina Meyer and Ian Abercromie. The two play off each other wonderfully, and from their few scenes together this week you gain a real understanding of their relationship and of the paternal figure that Alfred represents to the Bat-mythos. Kudos to the two of them for their fantastic work on the series.
Now, since I was sort of familiar with the Lady Shiva character from the comics, I was a little stunned to see the new take on her, with a face-consealing mask. That was the least of the changes, but in all fairness I'll admit the changes worked. Lady Shiva was really little more than a thief in this episode, hardly the expert martial artist from the comics, but I think the change worked and you can hardly get mad at seeing a relativly obscure character like Shiva making the leap to the small screen.
Speaking of Shiva, I thought the new costume looked really good and that Sung Hi Lee did a good job portraying both the lethal Shiva and the best friend-ish character of Sandra. Sung Hi Lee is an actress to keep an eye on, because she certainly made the most out of what could have been a fairly uneventful role.
I was a little confused in regards to the explosion at the start of the show however. If Helena and Sandra went to school together, wouldn't Sandra be in her early twenties like Helena? And if so, wouldn't Sandra have been fifteen herself when she fought Batgirl eight years ago? Personally it would have made a great deal more sense if the original Lady Shiva died and her younger sister took up her mantle, which I'm sure was the intention, before things got muddled. It's a footnote to the bulk of the episode though, but it did leave me scratching my head.
I liked the scenes with Dinah. It's always nice seeing non-traditional teen series dealing with teen problems, like dates and I thought the idea that Dinah would use her powers to learn about a guy to impress him was nicely handled. I also appreciated the return of her friend from the third episode, showing that there is slight traces of continuity in the most unexpected places on this show.
Lady Shiva was in my opinion the best episode to date and I hope that it served as a wake up call for fans and viewers who may have otherwise written this series off. It was well written, well directed and had some very good performances by it's more than capable cast. Kudos for a job well done.
Items of Interest for "Lady Shiva"
This episode confirms what I've thought for a long time, contrary to other Birds of Prey fans: Larry Ketterly did not murder Selena Kyle.
Just wanted to get that out there so no one forgets it.
WB Summary for "Lady Shiva"
"Helena (Ashley Scott) is thrilled when her best friend from high school, Sandra (guest-star Sung Hi Lee) returns to New Gotham, but the Birds are troubled by a series of murders with the unmistakable mark of Batgirl's (Dina Meyer) nemesis, Lady Shiva. Determined to fight Lady Shiva as an equal, Barbara dusts off her Batgirl costume and experiments with technology that allows her to leave the wheelchair."
TV Guide Summary for "Lady Shiva"
"Lady Shiva, a thief Barbara thought was dead, returns to New Gotham with something to prove---to Batgirl. The burglar, like Barbara, has also changed. She's now a killer. Meanwhile, Helena reconnects with a good friend from high school, who, unbeknownst to the superheroines, is Shiva's alter ego."
Comicology for "Lady Shiva"
In the Batman comics, Lady Shiva is one of the greatest martial artists in the world. Even Batman has been unable to beat her in combat.
The Gotham Knights are Gotham's top sports team in the Batman comics as well.
Ratings for "Lady Shiva"
11/27/02 - 4.8/7
82 out of 123 programs for that week, 5th in it's timeslot (out of 6)
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