Nightwing: Prodigal – Episode 4 Review

Here it is folks…the epic conclusion of the awesome web series, Nightwing: Prodigal.  And what an ending it was.  First off, I want to say that I love the direction that Kyle and Brady took in this series, giving the fans a deeper look into who Dick Grayson really is while maintaining that “Batman feel”.  I also loved how much they were able to fit into four short episodes, with great references and some unexpected cameos.

This episode, titled “Night of the Owls”, was by far my favorite of the series.  It had everything…great action, dramatic tension, twists and turns, some awesome surprise appearances, and an end-credit scene that made me jump out of my chair in excitement.

The explanation of The Talon at the beginning was something I was not expecting.  I didn’t think they would actually delve into that after hearing how they changed the poem at the end of Episode 3, but we do get to hear it in its correct form by Bane, in his awesome Spanish accent (which made me glad to hear they used).

The Court’s brutality was shown when Theresa revealed herself as a member by snapping her boyfriend Kyle’s neck.  This led into the introduction of Bane and the awesome fight scene to follow.  We even get a couple of comic references before the fight starts like when Bane mentions Azrael who, in the comics, takes over the mantle after Bane broke Batman’s back.  There’s even a The Dark Knight Rises reference when Bane says “Fire Rises!”  We also get our first glimpse of the Batmobile during this standoff.

Some of the sound effects during this fight were a little off to me.  Some of the hits didn’t seem very impactful because of it.  At times I was reminded of the 1960’s Adam West Batman, but those moments were few, and the overall fight was very well done.  Definitely more of what I would expect from these two characters squaring off.  But is it just me or did Dick kill Bane with his escrima sticks?  The way he struck him sure seemed like it.

Then enters the Court of Owls.  The series has been leading to this, and it didn’t disappoint.  They were mysterious and creepy and exactly what I pictured, though the one kind of sounded like Tom Hardy’s Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.  They reveal that Dick Grayson was meant to become a Talon for the Court, but Bruce Wayne inadvertently prevented that by adopting him after the death of his parents, which explains why they took Bruce in the first place.  We also see Deathstroke in this scene, although very briefly.

The episode ends with a great speech by Nightwing:  “I am a Titan.  I’ve seen far too much to be Robin, but I’m still too optimistic to be Batman.  I’m Barbara’s love, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son, and the last living member of the Flying Graysons!  Who am I?  I am Nightwing!“.  Then the Batmobile opens fire and the credits role.

This leaves it wide open for what I’m hoping will be a follow-up series.  The Court is still out there and Bruce is still missing, which makes this ripe for more story to be told.  And with the events of the after-credit scene, which I won’t spoil if you missed it (and if you did, go back and watch it NOW!), their is definitely more to come, and I can’t wait to see what Kyle and Brady come out with next.

Overall, this series was amazing with a great story, superb performances, and awesome production.  I definitely recommend this for any fan of the genre.

Full Series Rating:  8.5/10