The Onion's AVCLUB Reviews Every Episode of BTAS

[Revelator]

While I haven't watched every singe episode of BTAS (honestly I started by only watching episodes with Robin) reading these reviews helps with picking out good episodes to take the time to watch (and which ones to avoid )

That's wonderful to hear. I hope you have a good time encountering the series (I envy you!) and thanks for reading. The Robin episodes tend to be strong on average, so you're starting out well.

This week Sava turns his attention to what many still consider the best Batman film of them all...

Batman: The Animated Series
Mask Of The Phantasm by Oliver Sava April 18, 2011
A av club rating

It was the Lagrange Theater, where we would catch last-run movies for $2 before they hit videotape. Where they didn’t care if a bunch of kids jumped from movie to movie, which is probably why they couldn’t afford to have someone clean the place. Unlike most movies, I didn’t see Batman: Mask of the Phantasm with my gang of cousins but with my mom. She clearly had no interest, but she stayed and watched the entire movie with me, rather than sneaking off to the latest Meg Ryan feature in her usual fashion. Good thing, too, because Phantasm’s introduction in the parking garage scared the s**t out of me. I like to think she stayed because of the film’s tragic core romance, but it’s more likely that she stuck around out of a parental obligation to comfort her whimpering chicken s**t of a son. Timm’s Phantasm design—the emotionless death’s head mask, tattered hood and cape, razor-sharp hook-blade— was Grim Reaper meets Jason Voorhees meets Captain Hook and all-terrifying to my 6-year-old self.

This is the first time I’ve watched Mask Of The Phantasm since its theatrical release, and seeing it with a stronger understanding of its Batman: The Animated Series' context makes me appreciate it all the more. Directed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, it’s the ultimate creative expression from two of the series’ creators, and they craft a film that expands on their specific universe while providing insight into the Batman mythology as a whole. Story writer Alan Burnett, whose “Two-Face: Part One” set the standard for psychological storytelling on the series, creates a sweeping romantic tragedy with the all-stars of the B:TAS writing team contributing to the screenplay. “Feet of Clay” writer Michael Reaves gets his big Joker moment in the DCAU, writing the climactic showdown between Batman, Phantasm, and the Clown Prince, and with broadcast standards and practices finally off his back, he has the Joker kicked in the groin, get his teeth knocked out, and generally bleed a lot. Martin Pasko, the comics veteran whose “See No Evil” was one of the series’ few successful attempts at creating an intriguing original villain, contributes most of the flashback segments. And Paul Dini, he of “Heart Of Ice” and “Joker’s Favor,” fills in “holes here and there,” according to Batman: Animated. Together, they tell the story of what happened between that night in Crime Alley and “On Leather Wings,” and like most great detective stories, it started with a girl.

Introducing new character Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delaney), Burnett reveals Bruce Wayne’s first serious relationship after his parents’ deaths and the ways that it completed his metamorphosis into Batman. It’s like Batman Begins, but with actual romance instead of Katie Holmes. The Andrea Beaumont/Phantasm reveal blew my child mind, as it was my first exposure to the girlfriend-turned-villain plot that I’d come to learn was fairly common in superhero stories. Joining the ranks of Elektra Natchios, Carol Ferris, and Madelyne Pryor, Andrea Beaumont’s mission to avenge her father’s death puts her in direct conflict with her former fiancé Bruce Wayne, bringing an added layer of emotional drama to the costumed action. Mask Of The Phantasm needs to be watched more than once for the full effect, as the knowledge of Phantasm’s identity changes Andrea’s scenes with Bruce and Batman considerably and adds even more layers of subtext.

Mask Of The Phantasm begins with a computer generated tour of Gotham City underscored by Shirley Walker, who outdoes herself with the opening theme. Incorporating choral chanting, she goes for a much grander sound than usual, and her score helps make Mask Of The Phantasm more than just another really long villain origin story. Originally planned to go direct-to-video, Warner Bros. decided for a theatrical release shortly into production, and while the animation makes some adjustments for the new widescreen format, the music is what really gives the film a cinematic quality. The choral sound is used to amazing effect, creating gentle transitions into the past or going in the opposite direction and heightening the emotion for the World's Fair scene. Fun fact about those chants: They’re actually the names of the show’s composers and producers sung backwards. Shirley Walker, so brilliant.

The credits end, and the Gotham skyline appears in what could be Eric Radomski’s title card for the film, zooming in to show a meeting between Chuckie Sol (Dick Miller) and some fellow mobsters exchanging counterfeit currency. Batman breaks it up, and Chuckie escapes to the parking garage, where he encounters the Phantasm in her signature cloud of smoke. He drives off the side of the building, flying through the air in a beautiful widescreen shot before crashing into the neighboring building. His screaming stops. One down, three to go. Witnesses catch Batman surveying the scene, and with an appearance similar to Phantasm, he is accused of the murders by Councilman Arthur Reeves (Hart Bochner), who has a similarly antagonistic role for Bruce Wayne. While Joker may be the big villain of the piece, with Jack Napier killing Carl Beaumont (Stacy Keach) and setting Andrea on her dark path for vengeance, Arthur is the one that sold out Carl’s location to the mob. He’s just another example of Gotham’s non-costumed villains, the ones that operate in court rooms and city halls and probably do more damage than whatever plot Roxy Rocket has up her sleeve.

Arthur’s appearance at a Wayne Manor event revives Bruce’s memories of Andrea, and as he stares at the picture of Thomas and Martha Wayne, a gentle chorus takes us to the past, specifically a sunny day at the plot where Bruce’s parents are buried. It’s here that he meets Andrea, starting a relationship that ends up putting Bruce’s vow to his parents in question. In a beautiful, rain-soaked graveyard scene by Pasko, Bruce begs his parents to release him from his bondage, when he is the only one that holds the key:

Bruce: "It doesn't mean I don't care anymore. I don't want to let you down, honest, but... but it just doesn't hurt so bad anymore. You can understand that, can't you? Look, I can give money to the city; they can hire more cops. Let someone else take the risk, but it's different now. Please... I need it to be different now. I know I made a promise, but I didn't see this coming. I didn't count on being happy. Please... tell me that it's okay."
Andrea: "Maybe they already have. Maybe they sent me."
​

When Bruce finally proposes, Andrea is forced to flee the country with her father, and Bruce loses the one chance he had at escaping Batman's influence. He puts on the cape and cowl, much to Alfred's terror, and sets out on his mission, one that will lead him back to Andrea in ways he could never expect.

Batman was born when the Waynes were gunned down in Crime Alley, and the years Bruce spent training and studying around the world are the childhood years of Bruce’s new identity. The flashbacks in Mask of the Phantasm are Batman’s adolescence, as he goes through an identity crisis sparked by emotional confusion and sexual desire. Batman reaches adulthood when Bruce puts on the mask for the firs time, conceding to the influence of the cape and cowl. The present-day action forces Bruce Wayne back to the surface when Andrea reenters his life, but unbeknownst to him, she has undergone a similar transformation. When Batman sees Andrea at her mother’s grave, a dark mirror of their first meeting years ago, she has already fallen into the abyss by having killed Chuckie Sol. Andrea builds up a lie that suggests her father is the man behind the killing, but she can't fool the world's greatest detective, and as the World's Fair where she fell in love with Bruce is engulfed in flames, she sees her life burn away with it. When Buzz Bronski goes to leave roses at Chuckie’s grave, Phantasm strikes again, crushing Buzz with a giant statue in an open grave. Once Bruce and Andrea reignite their relationship, Phantasm stops killing, as Sal Valestra (Abe Vigoda) hires the Joker to take care of Batman but ends up getting a smiling face full of Joker's poison, killing him faster than the cigars he smokes throughout the movie.

Mark Hamill nails every one liner the writers throw at him (I tried to get as many as I could in Stray Observations, but I’m sure I missed some), and his signature Joker laugh is used to chilling effect throughout the film. When Phantasm discovers Sal Valestri’s dead body (the first time someone has died from Joker’s poison in the DCAU), Joker laughs. When Batman realizes Joker’s civilian identity Jack Napier is the man with Carl Beaumont and the mobsters, Joker laughs. And when the World’s Fair is exploding all around him and Batman watches his greatest love slip away, Joker positively loses his s**t.

Dong Yang and Sunrise handle the animation for the Mask Of The Phantasm, and while it’s certainly on the high-end of the spectrum, it doesn’t quite meet the quality of “Feet of Clay: Part Two.” Considering the time constraints and the short notice on the theatrical release, it’s completely excusable, but for a big screen animated feature, the animation doesn’t meet the sort of high standards that were being set by Disney at the time. The big action sequences look incredible—the rooftop chase between Batman, Phantasm, and the GCDP; the World’s Fair climax—but the quality takes a slight dip during the moments with less drama, as the characters appear less-defined, their actions less smooth. The explosions look great, and Phantasm’s smoke effects, especially when she’s running across the rooftops, look awesome.

Andrea Beaumont makes one more appearance in JLU’s “Epilogue,” penned by the late Dwayne McDuffie, a silent cameo revealing her role in the origin of Bruce’s legacy, Terry McGinniss. After injecting Terry’s father with nanites that turned his sperm into perfect genetic copies of Bruce Wayne’s, Amanda Waller hires Phantasm to kill Terry’s parents when he’s 8-years-old, recreating the event that sparked Batman’s creation. That Amanda Waller sure is an evil *****. Andrea has a last-minute crisis of conscience and convinces Waller to abandon her Batman Beyond project, and her actions not only give Terry those extra years with his father, they ensure the existence of his younger brother.

Mask of the Phantasm ends with two powerful epilogues, one with Alfred consoling Bruce after losing Andrea, the other with Andrea accepting the consequences of her actions. When Bruce put on the Batman mask for the first time earlier in the film, Alfred gasped in shock but also fear for his surrogate son. In their final scene, Alfred tells Bruce, “I’ve always feared you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven’t fallen in, and I thank heaven for that.” Merriam-Webster describes “phantasm” as “a product of fantasy as delusive appearance.” That could easily describe Batman. The mask of the phantasm is the mask that Bruce Wayne puts on every day, and if he falls into the abyss, he risks a life like Andrea’s: completely alone.

Stray observations:

• Bruce Beatdown: The amazing slow-motion jump onto a motorcycle, followed by punching the rider in the face. Andrea was totally turned on.
• Batman Beatdown: Throw the table on top of the shooter, then stomp it when he reaches for his gun.
• Phantasm Beatdown: Dropping that giant angel statue on Buzz Bronski. “Oh, man” is right.
• Mask Of The Phantasm is largely inspired by Batman: Year Two by Mike Barr, Alan Davis, and Todd McFarlane, with Bruce falling for the daughter of a Phantasm-like villain called the Reaper. He teams up with Joe Chill, his parents’ murderer, to take down the Reaper but ends up losing the girl when she goes off to become a nun. Bruce has the worst luck with the ladies.
• While Harley is sadly absent, Arlene Sorkin sneaks in as the voice of really bad speller Bambi. “Ingagement!” “Oh Brucie!”
• “And just when you’re wondering where to register the china, he forgets your number.” Bruce a playa.
• “Thanks for the handkerchief, Arthur. You know where you can stick it.”
• “Why, you're the very model of sanity. Oh, by the way, I pressed your tights and put away your exploding gas balls.”
• “Trip over some loose cash?”
• “The ones smart enough to dial a phone.”
• “You always were a loser.”
• “Is my shirt too big, or is that my flesh crawling?”
• “I diapered your bottom, I bloody well ought to, sir!”
• “Can't be too careful with all those weirdos around.”
• “I hate that song. GASP!”
• Love the spring noise when Joker pops up to greet Sal.
• “Mi casa nostra es su casa nostra.”
• “Then read them now: Get out.”
• Joker keeps Hazel the robot’s paint chips. Presumably as a snack for later.
• “Don't touch me, old man! I don't know where you've been.”
• “That’s what I want to see. A nice, big smile.”
• “The way I see it, the only one in this room controlled by his parents is you.”
• “Looks like there's a new face in Gotham and soon his name will be all over town. To say nothing of his legs, and feet, and spleen, and head.”
• Knife or salami? Salami smack!
• “Ain't it always the way? You get in the mood, and company shows up.”
• “Costume's a bit theatrical, but hey, who am I to talk?”
• “For once, I’m stuck without a punch line.”

In a somewhat atypical gesture on my part, I left several comments at the Onion. I've adapted and reproduced them here.

* Whereas most of BTAS explored the heads of its villains, MOTP is probably the show's deepest look into the mind of Brice Wayne--his desires, his disappointments, his basic psychology. I think it also disproves the oft-repeated cliche that Batman is the real person and Bruce Wayne is the mask. The film suggests that Batman was ultimately a coping mechanism for Bruce Wayne--a way to deal with the setback of being denied an ordinary life. Batman and socialite Bruce Wayne are masks put on by the real Bruce Wayne, whose life is ultimately a sad one, and that tragedy is given full weight by how convincing the love story is--more convincing than any other love story featuring Batman in any other medium. Andrea really was just right for Bruce, and she had a personality that fully complemented his. So when they're torn apart it really does seem like a tragedy. The picture's abiding air of melancholy is emphasized in the beautifully conceived transitions between past and present, as in the fade from Bruce and Andrea embracing by his parents grave, soaked by flowing rain, to Batman looking crushed as he spies Andrea with another man, rain once again streaming over his--now cowled--face. In both scenes we get the visual effect of tears without any displays of overwrought emotion from the characters--an example of how well directed this film is.

* Phantasm is easily a better Batman film than either of the Nolan features. By that I simply mean a film that actually focuses on Batman. Unlike either Nolan film, MOTP features a truly credible and moving love story (Nolan's female characters have been pathetic in contrast), and unlike TDK, MOTP manages to feature the Joker and yet still focus squarely on Bruce/Batman. There are no villains stealing the spotlight in this film. Isn't it funny that a cartoon created for 12 year olds is more mature, melancholy, and sensitive about love than either of the two "serious" live action films made for adults?

* The Batman Adventures sequel to Phantasm, is, frankly, dreadful. And that's despite being written by Paul Dini. Like most bad sequels it has an air of pointlessness, and the plot resolves an issue that didn't need resolving. It's best skipped. However, Phantasm was brought back yet again for the second series of Batman Adventures, as scripted by Ty Templeton and Dan Slott. She was a recurring guest star and used quite well. Unfortunately, this second series, which was in the midst of a grand story arc, was canceled to make way for an utterly forgettable comic based on the The Batman series. A very poor decision on DC's part.

* I couldnt get excited over Andrea's appearance in '"Epilogue," because I thought it was another instance of fanwakery within an episode that already felt entirely gratuitous. Terry's origin was already perfect, and I didn't appreciate a tortuously shaped revision being squeezed in to create a web of useless complications. The point of the original BBeyond series was that Terry was a drastically different person from Bruce but made a good Batman nevertheless. "Epilogue" makes the useless change of making Terry Bruce's son and then saying that changes nothing. If that's so, why bother with the episode in the first place?

* Like Sava I also saw Phantasm in a theater during its premiere. He was 6--I was over twice that age. And yet it's the younger guy who's writing about these for The Onion, while all I do is comment on it. I'm happy for him but full of chagrin at myself.

 

[Southern Dandy]

I knew it! I knew that twerp was younger than me! That sure explains a lot. Actually it makes me less frustrated about his writing...it a'int fair to expect so much from such a rookie. I'm sorry to say "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" doesn't do much for me. I didn't see the movie until 2002 and I liked it a lot the first time I saw it, but then I re-visited it in 2008 and was much less impressed. I actually bought the movie that year and then returned it because I decided after my re-watch that I had no desire to ever see it again. I don't think it's terrible, it just doesn't live up to my hopes and expectations for an animated Batman movie. "Batman: The Animated Series" has been my favourite show since I was a child. As was the case with other beloved shows (i.e. "The Simpsons", "The X-Files") I expected the movie to be bigger and better. I didn't feel that was quite the case with "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm", although you wouldn't know it from reading Sava's orgasmic review. I really did want to love it as much as he does, but the story just doesn't work for me.

The biggest reason is because I don't think it ever works for Batman/Bruce Wayne to have a serious love interest. In every single Batman movie (including the last two, where obviously much more effort was put into it than in the first four), the love interest felt unnaturally shoehorned into the story. She always feels more like a plot device than a three-dimensional character who came into Bruce Wayne's organically. Despite the fact that the love interest is taken more seriously in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" than in any live action Batman movie, I don't believe it's any deeper than that description. I really didn't care for Andrea Beaumont very much, or the Phantasm for that matter. She seemed too contrived, like the character was obviously just created to be perfect for Bruce Wayne in order to wring some drama out of the premise of him considering giving up being Batman over a woman. I don't buy it. I like this premise for Superman or Spider-Man. I thought it worked wonderfully in "Superman II" and "Spider-Man 2" for example, but with Batman, it's too implausible.

I can believe in Superman or Spider-Man wanting to give up their alter-egos for women because of their histories and personalities, which are very different from Batman's. I can't be convinced that a revenge-obsessed loner like Batman would seriously consider giving up his quest for justice because of a dame. I'm not saying he's heartless and incapable of being interested in women. I can see him softening a bit through care and affection for colleagues like Batgirl, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon, and having some flirtations with Catwoman or Wonder Woman, but hanging up the cape and cowl for a girl? Not a chance. It doesn't help that Andrea is pretty much everything Bruce could ever want in a girl, unlike Lois Lane or Mary Jane Watson, who were suited to their men, but also individuals with unique personalities that challenged the heroes involved with them.

Much like the love interest, I felt like The Joker was also too shoehorned into the movie. I didn't think he really fit into it naturally. He was just there as an excuse to include Mark Hamill. I totally understand why the producers wanted Hamil involved since his work as The Joker was so often a highlight of the series that this movie spun off from. On the other hand, I believe they shouldn't have involved him unless they could put him in a story where his character could take center stage. That's why I liked his use in "World's Finest" (where he shares the stage with Luthor) and "Return of the Joker" more. Here, the movie is really about the conflict between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm, so there's no need for The Joker to be there. He has his moments. I love the silhouette shot of him assaulting Arthur and his narration over the bomb exploding as Phantasm leaps out the window. He has a few great lines of dialog as usual. Hamill was his usual dependable self giving a delightfully malevolent performance as he always did in his best outings as The Joker. Still, the character felt superfluous to this story.

So yeah, I don't like most of the story and character stuff going on in the movie. The only parts I really enjoyed were some of the bits about Bruce Wayne's early days as a crime fighter. I really loved the scene where he tried to take out criminals wearing nothing but a pathetic pseudo-ninja outfit with ninja stars, and was mocked by the criminals. The police chasing him was cool too (albeit derivative of the chase in "On Leather Wings"). My favourite scene in the movie is when he puts on the Batman mask for the first time and we see Alfred's reaction. Actually, Alfred is the only character in the movie I enjoy from start to finish. His dialog is just impeccably written...pretty much everything he says is fantastic, from his vintage hilariously wry quips about diapering bottoms or the tights and gas balls, to his lovely words of consolation at the end.

People often said this was the best Batman movie when there were only four Batman movies and some still say it's the best Batman movie even after "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". I always thought I'd feel that way too since I Iove "Batman: The Animated Series" more than any other Batman movie (and probably always will), but I just don't feel the movie spun-off from the show lived up to its full potential. I do think it showed Batman's early days better than "Batman Begins" did, but that's the one and only way I think it's far superior to the live action Batman movies. Otherwise, it's as flawed as any of them, just flawed in different ways. I don't think it has the best possible story a movie based on "Batman: The Animated Series" could have, and there are definitely episodes of the series that are much better written and more thrillingly cinematic.

 

[StormBlue]

I want to begin this response by saying that I've been a passive visitor to this thread for a few weeks now. I've been vaguely interested in what the Onion reviewer has to say about an episode, see some forum responses, and then jump to the next thread. So I appreciate the energy others have expended in deep reviews of the BTAS episodes and movies.

As far as Mask of the Phantasm goes, I was 7 or 8 when the movie came out, but the first time I actually saw the movie was sophomore year of undergrad. I followed nearly all of BTAS (before it made the jump to KidsWB) and was able to continue my Batman fix once JL began.

I bring up this history to say that I never saw MOTP as a principal part of Bruce/Batman's history. I understand that it should be due to the fabric of the DCAU but as a fan, I don't feel like I'm at a loss in understanding any of these characters beyond this movie if I had never seen it. Now, I recognize this statement is no longer true due to Epilogue, but for the most part the statement still stands. However, the movie does a beautiful job in digging deeper into the Batman mythos, providing some additional background on titular characters, and breathing additional life into Gotham City.

The biggest reason is because I don't think it ever works for Batman/Bruce Wayne to have a serious love interest.

[...]

I can believe in Superman or Spider-Man wanting to give up their alter-egos for women because of their histories and personalities, which are very different from Batman's. I can't be convinced that a revenge-obsessed loner like Batman would seriously consider giving up his quest for justice because of a dame. I'm not saying he's heartless and incapable of being interested in women. I can see him softening a bit through care and affection for colleagues like Batgirl, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon, and having some flirtations with Catwoman or Wonder Woman, but hanging up the cape and cowl for a girl? Not a chance.

I struggle with the stance that Batman can never know love, post-cape & cowl. Must his life always remain a tragedy? Wouldn't it be grand for the ultimate loner to finally recognize that he's not alone and that he can love someone else? Would it be truly improbable for Bruce to give up being Batman if the conditions were right and he found his soul mate? Consider who was (and still is) wearing the cowl now in current comics. While Bruce finally returned from that crazy time trek, Dick has been doing a fantastic job as Batman, and while Bruce is currently developing "the brand" around the world, I think we could see a moment where Bruce can comfortably let go of the cowl. In this case, it doesn't seem like an outrageous idea.

I don't think "letting go" is an absolute nor does it imply that Bruce would no longer be a hero. The Power Rangers fan in me is reminded of the adage "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger." Regardless of the hero (e.g., Superman, Spider-Man) and regardless of the conditions (i.e., Bruce and age in Batman Beyond), a hero doesn't stop being a hero just because they've hung up the cape.

I'm not advocating that a love interest alone would be a viable reason why Bruce could let go of the Batman persona. There are so many facets of the Batman persona that must be addressed in order for a love interest to achieve such a lofty goal. My true question is this: why must the Batman characterization only end with either Bruce dying in the cape and cowl or Bruce giving it up only because of age?

 

[Revelator]

As was the case with other beloved shows (i.e. "The Simpsons", "The X-Files") I expected the movie to be bigger and better.

I think MOTP goes in the opposite direction--it's more intimate and more focused on Bruce than any episode of BTAS.

The biggest reason is because I don't think it ever works for Batman/Bruce Wayne to have a serious love interest...I really didn't care for Andrea Beaumont very much, or the Phantasm for that matter.

Well, we'll just have to part company there.

She seemed too contrived, like the character was obviously just created to be perfect for Bruce Wayne in order to wring some drama out of the premise of him considering giving up being Batman over a woman.

Well, yes, that's the point. Bruce met the perfect woman, lost her, met her again, and then lost her for good. It's not only dramatic but tragic.

I can believe in Superman or Spider-Man wanting to give up their alter-egos for women because of their histories and personalities, which are very different from Batman's. I can't be convinced that a revenge-obsessed loner like Batman would seriously consider giving up his quest for justice because of a dame.

Superman and Spiderman lead enriching, full lives outside their costumes. Batman much less so. MOTP makes the point that Bruce made his vow as a child, when he could think of nothing less than revenge. But upon reaching adulthood he's grown to the point of realizing "things are different now." As a child he didn't plan on falling in love, and couldn't have even known what that would feel like. He couldn't have really known what appeal the idea of loving, marrying, and raising a family with someone would feel like. Andrea represents the alternate life that would a thousand times more personally rewarding than a grim career as Batman. Why throw away happiness for a vow made when you were a kid? Bruce may not have foreseen that he would end up a lonely old recluse holed in Wayne manor (until Terry came along), but he must have felt the stench of despair hanging off of Batman. Any sane man would have thought twice about picking up the cowl.

It doesn't help that Andrea is pretty much everything Bruce could ever want in a girl, unlike Lois Lane or Mary Jane Watson, who were suited to their men, but also individuals with unique personalities that challenged the heroes involved with them

But Andrea challenges him in making feel that Batman perhaps isn't the path for him. The character's wisecracking sense of humor helps Bruce put things into perspective and take himself less seriously, and the fact that Andrea has also coped with death points out that there are other ways of honoring one's parents than leading a one-man jihad. Andrea challenges Bruce more than Lois or Mary Jane because she makes him realize the extent of the life he's about to leave behind. And she ultimately challenges him further by becoming the sort of judge-jury-and-executioner vigilante that Bruce was in danger of becoming. The film's writers thus execute the brilliant coup of making Andrea represent both the life Bruce could have had without being Batman and the life he would have had if he'd taken Batman too far.

Much like the love interest, I felt like The Joker was also too shoehorned into the movie. I didn't think he really fit into it naturally. He was just there as an excuse to include Mark Hamill...

I think you're wrong there. Joker is very carefully written into the movie, right from the moment when we first see him as an anonymous gunman. MOTP, like all good film noirs, is about the passage of time and how corrosive its effects are. Like the City of the Future, the film's characters are shown to decay and become warped over time, as we see the contrast from past to present: Gotham itself, turning from bright shades to dark; Arthur Reeves turning from small-time lawyer to sleazy, backstabbing councilman; Sal Valestra going from big-time mob boss to a pathetic has-been in a wheelchair; Andrea turning from a vivacious young woman to a hardened killer in a death's head mask, Bruce going from a bright young man into a grim avenger of the night; and Joker going from a run-of-the-mill gunsel to a psychopathic clown. He virtually embodies the decay and tragedy wrought by time, which he has profited most from, and the film emphasizes this by making him live in the decaying wreck of the city of the future. As a gunman for Valestra, he's responsible for the murder of Andrea's father--without him Phantasm would not exist.

On the other hand, I believe they shouldn't have involved him unless they could put him in a story where his character could take center stage

Why? The point is made that he's just one of the characters caught up in the story of Beaumonts entangling themselves with the mob, a story whose ramifications make themselves felt in ever increasing ways across time. One little murder of his sets off the entire film. MOTP is unique because it's the first time Joker has been used as a supporting player, one who gets his chance to shine but isn't allowed to walk away with the movie.

Here, the movie is really about the conflict between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm, so there's no need for The Joker to be there.

He started the conflict, and he helps end it, so his presence is more than warranted.

 

[Southern Dandy]

I think MOTP goes in the opposite direction--it's more intimate and more focused on Bruce than any episode of BTAS.

Yeah, I'm not saying it has to be like a more epic story with bigger explosions or bigger action set pieces, I just meant it should show us something the show never has. In the case of "The X-Files", which is a live action show, it partially means using a bigger budget to create more enthralling production design, stunts, and special effects, but part of what made the movie so satisfying was how it paid off story threads started on the show. In doing so, the movie made itself feel more important than a regular episode, justifying its existence.

"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" tries to do the same thing by combining two stories like "The Godfather: Part II", but I just didn't think those two stories had as much power as they wanted to. I did like the origin story business. This was something that couldn't have been covered as much on the animated series due to time constraints and I would have liked to see the movie explore it more since there was time for it instead of interrupting it with the Phantasm story in the present and trying to tie the two stories together.

Well, yes, that's the point. Bruce met the perfect woman, lost her, met her again, and then lost her for good. It's not only dramatic but tragic.

I do like the idea of that, just not the movie's execution of it.

Superman and Spiderman lead enriching, full lives outside their costumes. Batman much less so. MOTP makes the point that Bruce made his vow as a child, when he could think of nothing less than revenge. But upon reaching adulthood he's grown to the point of realizing "things are different now." As a child he didn't plan on falling in love, and couldn't have even known what that would feel like. He couldn't have really known what appeal the idea of loving, marrying, and raising a family with someone would feel like. Andrea represents the alternate life that would a thousand times more personally rewarding than a grim career as Batman. Why throw away happiness for a vow made when you were a kid?

But Andrea challenges him in making feel that Batman perhaps isn't the path for him. The character's wisecracking sense of humor helps Bruce put things into perspective and take himself less seriously, and the fact that Andrea has also coped with death points out that there are other ways of honoring one's parents than leading a one-man jihad.

You've actually inadvertently proved my point a bit by identifying Andrea's two most distinguishing character traits as having a wise-cracking sense of humour and having a parent killed like his were. This is exactly why I thought she and the idea of Bruce Wayne giving up Batman for her were contrived. Just because she makes him laugh and her parents were killed too, that makes her the perfect woman for him? It's too pat.

Andrea challenges Bruce more than Lois or Mary Jane because she makes him realize the extent of the life he's about to leave behind. And she ultimately challenges him further by becoming the sort of judge-jury-and-executioner vigilante that Bruce was in danger of becoming. The film's writers thus execute the brilliant coup of making Andrea represent both the life Bruce could have had without being Batman and the life he would have had if he'd taken Batman too far.

Deeper, more realistically written relationships work because the men and women involved find a balance between their differences in personality, lifestyles, and goals/ambitions, and try to love each other in spite of them. Lois and Mary Jane have lives, careers, and goals that challenge their heroes to make really difficult choices caused by them. Lois has the conflict of being a reporter who has to think about how her career would be affected by being involved with Superman and/or Clark Kent. The same goes for Mary Jane and her ambition to be an actress or model (at least in the Spider-Man movies). Superman/Spider-Man have to worry about how being involved with these people could compromise their secret identities and careers or make their lives more complicated as their enemies target these women.

Bruce Wayne and Andrea were rich, so they don't have the same career complications to create plausible drama between them. Compare her to the women of those of the other superhero movies. What is Andrea? She's like an angel dropped into Bruce's lap designed with the exact attributes to make her the perfect match for Bruce - she's good-humoured, so she can coax him out of his perpetually dour mood, and she has the same tragic family history, so she can also relate to and sympathize with his angst over his parents' murder.

The movie suggests that they would have stayed together and lived happily ever after if her father had not got all tangled up with the mafia, but I find that hard to believe. In "Perchance to Dream", Bruce had a perfect life with a woman he loved waiting for him if he would give up being Batman. He said he wouldn't because he can't live a lie, but I think he had more reasons than that. I think he's too addicted to being Batman to give it up for most women. It is conceivable that a woman who could change his mind might exist, but if we are to meet her in a story, I'd need her to be a little more complex than Andrea Beaumont to be on board with this huge development.

Again, it's all too convenient, because she's just an obviously contrived character. I keep going back to the difference between idea and execution because I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the premise of Bruce Wayne being tempted to give up being Batman because of a woman. I just don't think this woman was convincing enough to be worthy of it. There's mildly interesting drama between them because she wants to track down criminals and kill them, so he's in love with someone who violates his moral code. This is completely derivative of his dynamic with Catwoman, though, and she feels much more like a unique individual than someone created just for him.

I think you're wrong there. Joker is very carefully written into the movie, right from the moment when we first see him as an anonymous gunman.

MOTP, like all good film noirs, is about the passage of time and how corrosive its effects are. Like the City of the Future, the film's characters are shown to decay and become warped over time, as we see the contrast from past to present: Gotham itself, turning from bright shades to dark; Arthur Reeves turning from small-time lawyer to sleazy, backstabbing councilman; Sal Valestra going from big-time mob boss to a pathetic has-been in a wheelchair; Andrea turning from a vivacious young woman to a hardened killer in a death's head mask, Bruce going from a bright young man into a grim avenger of the night; and Joker going from a run-of-the-mill gunsel to a psychopathic clown. He virtually embodies the decay and tragedy wrought by time, which he has profited most from, and the film emphasizes this by making him live in the decaying wreck of the city of the future. As a gunman for Valestra, he's responsible for the murder of Andrea's father--without him Phantasm would not exist.

I respect how much imagination you put into interpreting what you think the movie was trying to say through these characters, but to me they were all just stock character types. I see their presence and nature as a pretentious attempt to make the movie seem more noir-ish (I'll admit a bias here because that's not one of my favourite film genres, even though I've enjoyed some movies in it). Reeves was just your standard sleazy businessman and all the gangsters were stock mafia types. And the city of the future was just a cool set for a climactic showdown.

I don't think the movie really told us anything we didn't already know about Bruce Wayne and as a good person corrupted by a desire for revenge, Andrea was just like every second animated series villain from Mr. Freeze to The Mad Hatter to Clayface. Her gender doesn't bring anything new to the table because as I said, the love vs. law conundrum was already addressed with Batman and Catwoman.

And the way you talk about The Joker, you make it sound like this movie is giving us some fascinating insight into his background and how/why he became The Joker we all know in "Batman: The Animated Series". If the movie had done this, I would have agreed that his presence was definitely warranted, but I stand by my assertion that the henchmen who Andrea saw after her father's death could have been anyone. It just happened to be The Joker so they could have Hamill come in and do some great Joker schtick.

Again, I liked a lot of his scenes and dialog, but I'd rather have him in the central role than just relegated to a supporting role that could have been occupied by anyone. It's like the killer in "Batman" 1989 being Jack Napier instead of Joe Chill or the retcon of The Sandman instead of some anonymous gunman murdering Uncle Ben in "Spider-Man 3". Shoehorning the villain into some personal history where he's not needed just so he and the hero can have a big confrontation at the end of the story. Typical.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the movie or any of your points are without merit. I appreciate the effort put into both, but I still believe that the movie is not nearly as inspired and well-conceived as you and others believe. It has its heart in the right place, but I think the whole Andrea-Phantasm-Bruce drama is a lot less convincing and resonant than it tries to be and appears to be on the surface.

 

[Revelator]

You've actually inadvertently proved my point a bit by identifying Andrea's two most distinguishing character traits as having a wise-cracking sense of humour and having a parent killed like his were. This is exactly why I thought she and the idea of Bruce Wayne giving up Batman for her were contrived.

There has to be a level of dramatic contrivance in every story, and I'm not bothered by the level in MOTP. If you're wedded to the idea that Bruce would never contemplate giving up Batman for a woman, then you'll be bothered. But for those of who think such a scenario would be possible, especially before Bruce became Batman, then what would be needed would be a woman who perfectly matched Bruce. Nobody else would work. If such a woman was "contrived" for that story purpose, then it was necessary, and what necessary for a story can't really be called contrived.

Bruce Wayne and Andrea were rich, so they don't have the same career complications to create plausible drama between them.

That's sort of like saying rich people have no problems, which might sound true but isn't.

In "Perchance to Dream", Bruce had a perfect life with a woman he loved waiting for him if he would give up being Batman. He said he wouldn't because he can't live a lie, but I think he had more reasons than that. I think he's too addicted to being Batman to give it up for most women.

"Perchance to Dream" occurs way after Bruce has been Batman long enough to addicted, whereas MOTP's romance occurs before Batman's birth. And when Andrea reappears yet again, she has the added power and allure of being a figure from a happy time in the past, one of the few in Bruce's life.

There's mildly interesting drama between them because she wants to track down criminals and kill them, so he's in love with someone who violates his moral code. This is completely derivative of his dynamic with Catwoman, though, and she feels much more like a unique individual than someone created just for him.

It's hardly completely derivative--Catwoman doesn't kill criminals, and she doesn't do what she does because she lost a parent to crime, as with Bruce and Andrea. Catwoman wouldn't have been able to answer a question like "what does vengeance solve?" with anything near the same conviction as Andrea. I'm not sure how Catwoman is more a unique individual than Andrea either--she was created just for Batman as well--Kane and company decided to have a costumed female crook to tempt Batman. Personality-wise she's less compatible for Bruce than Andrea as well. I know you'll call that compatibility contrived, but that's the point of the movie--Bruce happened to meet someone who was just right for him and tragically lost her.

I respect how much imagination you put into interpreting what you think the movie was trying to say through these characters, but to me they were all just stock character types.

I wouldn't argue any differently. But the film is about the tragic divide between the present and the past, and it makes those comparisons through the altered--often for the worse--states of its characters. A movie isn't just a story--it has to be understood thematically and visually too. If you don't think there's a certain grim irony in the Joker inhabiting the decayed wreck of the city of the future--the city that Andrea and Bruce once visited full of hope for a future that went sour, due partly to the Joker--then perhaps a reviewing is in order.

I don't think the movie really told us anything we didn't already know about Bruce Wayne

It told us that the DCAU version of Bruce was once capable of loving someone enough to forgo becoming Batman. And it tells us what sort of person that would be. That's more than what we learn from an average episode of BTAS.

as a good person corrupted by a desire for revenge, Andrea was just like every second animated series villain from Mr. Freeze to The Mad Hatter to Clayface.

All great villains too. She's in good company.

you make it sound like this movie is giving us some fascinating insight into his background and how/why he became The Joker we all know in "Batman: The Animated Series". If the movie had done this, I would have agreed that his presence was definitely warranted, but I stand by my assertion that the henchmen who Andrea saw after her father's death could have been anyone.

Exactly.The Joker wasn't a fascinating, unique character before his acid-bath--he was just a run-of-the-mill hoodlum. Not even a big gangster, but a hired hitman for the Valestra mob. So it makes perfect sense that he could have been the guy sent to bump off Andrea's father. It also makes thematic sense for Batman's greatest villain to be tied into the story of Batman's creation. And as the most potent symbol of the future going bad, a consistent theme throughout the film, one could not have a better example than the Joker.

Again, I liked a lot of his scenes and dialog, but I'd rather have him in the central role than just relegated to a supporting role that could have been occupied by anyone. It's like the killer in "Batman" 1989 being Jack Napier instead of Joe Chill.

I thought the '89 Batman made the right move in making the Joker the Waynes' killer--for the purposes of the movie. They weren't bringing the character back and it was a good way of tying in Batman's origin story, as well as creating the dramatic irony of Batman and the Joker having inadvertently created each other. Such a thing might not have worked in the comics, but for a one off movie it worked fine. As for Joker's role in Phantasm, I don't think it could have been occupied by anyone. You would need a character with a personal interest in finding out who was bumping off the Valestra mob, someone smart enough to figure out who Phantasm was, and someone reckless and dangerous enough to bump off his employer and become the biggest threat to Phantasm and Batman. This would have otherwise required bringing in a new character, which would have been problematic. The film made the brilliant decision of realizing that the Joker would fit perfectly--and resonantly--into the multiple roles required of him.

 

[Southern Dandy]

All good counterpoints, Revelator. Thank you for a spirited and stimulating debate. There are just a few things I want to clarify.

Bruce Wayne and Andrea were rich, so they don't have the same career complications to create plausible drama between them.

That's sort of like saying rich people have no problems, which might sound true but isn't.

I'm not saying "rich people don't have problems"...just that the problems of these two particular rich people are a whole lot less complicated and harder to relate to than those of working class Peter Parker and Mary Jane or Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Their parents had to be murdered for their romance to have intrigue, as opposed to a romance challenged by more realistic issues like careers. As they say, "your mileage may vary" and problems more grounded in everyday life are just my personal preference.

as a good person corrupted by a desire for revenge, Andrea was just like every second animated series villain from Mr. Freeze to The Mad Hatter to Clayface.

All great villains too. She's in good company.

I think you may be missing my point there. What I meant was that we'd already seen a good person (okay, except Hagan, who was already kind of a jerk before his transformation into a villain) twisted by revenge multiple times on "Batman: The Animated Series". As a result, when we get this same arc for the Phantasm character, it feels like a dull retread to me. "What will vengeance solve?" is basically the same question Batman asks Mr. Freeze. Been there, done that. Okay, it's different because he's asking that to someone he's in love with, but he was in love with Catwoman too, which brings me to...

It's hardly completely derivative--Catwoman doesn't kill criminals, and she doesn't do what she does because she lost a parent to crime, as with Bruce and Andrea. Catwoman wouldn't have been able to answer a question like "what does vengeance solve?" with anything near the same conviction as Andrea.

By "completely derivative", I didn't mean Catwoman and Andrea cause Batman the same moral dilemma. I mean they're the same in that they're both women who give him trouble because he's attracted to them while they present him with a moral dilemma.

I'm not sure how Catwoman is a more a unique individual than Andrea either--she was created just for Batman as well--Kane and company decided to have a costumed female crook to tempt Batman. Personality-wise she's less compatible for Bruce than Andrea as well. I know you'll call that compatibility contrived, but that's the point of the movie--Bruce happened to meet someone who was just right for him and tragically lost her.

Yeah, I'm talking about the compatibility. Of course all male or female characters in his universe are created "for Batman" in a sense. What I'm saying is that I'd prefer it if they seem like they can have their own lives and personalities outside of him rather than apparently being created based on list of what attributes would best compliment him. Actually, this relates to a stock character type defined by the AVClub, which they call 'The Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. This is the kind of girl often seen in indie movies about melancholy young men who meet a beautiful whimsically romantic girl that just happens to be exactly what he needs at the exact time he needs it. She's a plot device to get the hero out of or into emotional turmoil to give he and the story more pep.

Now that type doesn't describe Andrea exactly, but in a way, I think she's like Bruce Wayne's version. I believe Rachel Dawes is a bit like that too. Feels less like a real person and more like the invention of a screen writer to do and say just what the hero needs to make he and his story go in a certain direction. I'll always find characters like Selina Kyle/Catwoman or Talia to be more compelling because they're so different from Batman. I guess you could say I'm more in favour of the "opposites attract" approach, and again, it all comes down to personal preference. That's why, in the end, while I can certainly objectively see the sound logic in your arguments, they can't change the fact that I find the characters and story of "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" disappointing and uninspired.

 

[Revelator]

the problems of these two particular rich people are a whole lot less complicated and harder to relate to than those of working class Peter Parker and Mary Jane or Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

I tend to think that things get more complicated when you have more money--there's a reason why so many rich families are screwed up. Perhaps that's harder for middle-class people to relate to, but then again, Bruce Wayne is an upper-class character to start with. And what first separates Andrea from Bruce is the fact that her father didn't have enough money and had to turn to the mob.

I think you may be missing my point there. What I meant was that we'd already seen a good person (okay, except Hagan, who was already kind of a jerk before his transformation into a villain) twisted by revenge multiple times on "Batman: The Animated Series".

Yes, because it's a plot device that works well. I'm not sure why it's okay to repeat such a device for Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and the Mad Hatter and so on, but not for Andrea. One of the great themes of BTAS is that its villains were once good people who were dealt a bad hand and unfortunately made it worse for themselves through a tragic flaw.

"What will vengeance solve?" is basically the same question Batman asks Mr. Freeze. Been there, done that. Okay, it's different because he's asking that to someone he's in love with, but he was in love with Catwoman too...

Yes, but Catwoman never crossed the line as badly as Andrea did, and Bruce's love for her was never to the point of proposing. The makers of MOTP wanted to sharpen and direct the question "What will vengeance solve?" by having it come from someone closer to Bruce than either Mr. Freeze or Catwoman--someone who ultimately turned into an evil-mirror image of Bruce/Batman.

By "completely derivative", I didn't mean Catwoman and Andrea cause Batman the same moral dilemma. I mean they're the same in that they're both women who give him trouble because he's attracted to them while they present him with a moral dilemma.

But that doesn't make a character completely derivative. It just means two characters share the same recurring plot device. Nobody has ever confused Catwoman with Phantasm or said she was a blatant ripoff, which would have been the case had she been completely derivative.

What I'm saying is that I'd prefer it if they seem like they can have their own lives and personalities outside of him rather than apparently being created based on list of what attributes would best compliment him.

Surely what the movie demonstrated is that Andrea had too much of a life of her own--her personality may have complimented Bruce's, but it didn't fully do so, because she fell into the moral pit Bruce was in danger of plunging into. In some ways, I think your lines better describe the heroine of Mystery of the Batwoman rather than Andrea.

Actually, this relates to a stock character type defined by the AVClub, which they call 'The Manic Pixie Dream Girl'. This is the kind of girl you often seen in indie movies... She's a plot device to get the hero out of or into emotional turmoil to give he and the story more pep.

It's a good deal older than indie movies--check out Bringing Up Baby sometime--and in the right hands it's not just a plot device but part of a genuine love story where the characters complement each other by meeting each other's needs. Andrea is not manic--her sardonic sense of humor makes her more akin to a Howard Hawks heroine, or STAS's Lois Lane (no surprise)--but she's drawn to Bruce's air of mystery and gravitas--attributes she doesn't have--and in some ways Bruce is like the sort of man she wished her father actually had been. I'm not implying any Jocasta complex on her part, but just saying that the film is her tragedy too, because Bruce would have provided the weight and balance in her life to have prevented her becoming Phantasm. And when the love story falls apart, both characters get hurt. There are very few final lines in the animated Batman saga more devastating than Andrea's response to the man on the cruise ship.

I'll always find characters like Selina Kyle/Catwoman or Talia to be more compelling because they're so different from Batman.

I think both of those were among the least compelling female characters in BTAS. Talia mostly seems to be a doormat--I'm not sure what Batman sees in a character who's pretty much her Daddy's pawn. And Catwoman went from one dull characterization to another--animal rights bore to unrepentant thief without ever getting a genuine personality in between. By contrast, a little detail like Andrea talking casually to her mother's grave makes her a good deal more lifelike than Catwoman or Talia, and the detail is especially neat because we know it's the sort of thing that might intrigue Bruce, even though he doesn't talk that way to his parents. And it's charming that later on in the movie, Bruce is seen gabbing to himself in the graveyard, as if he'd picked up the habit from her. Little grace notes like those are what make the film, and its love story, so special.

It's been great fun debating the film's merits (and demerits) with you. For several years now I've thought about writing an illustrated essay on Phantasm, to be submitted to Toonzone, and this discussion has helped focus several of my ideas on the topic. In the meantime, a new Onion review awaits tomorrow...

EDIT: As promised, here's the next duo of reviews. Sava gets somewhat filthy in the first and genuflects like everybody else in the second.

Batman: The Animated Series
"Eternal Youth"/"Perchance To Dream"
season 1 , episode 29-30 by Oliver Sava April 25, 2011

“Eternal Youth” (Season 1, Episode 29)

Those Phantasm 3-D credits were fun and all, but it sure feels nice to have that Warner Bros. logo fading back onto a GCPD blimp. After 28 episodes, Batman: The Animated Series has most of the big villain introductions out of the way, forcing the writers to explore new ways of incorporating the rogues’ specific themes and skills into their stories. Poison Ivy (Diane Pershing) returns in “Eternal Youth,” punishing Gotham’s elite for their crimes against nature by inviting them to her therapeutic spa, then turning them into trees. Writing credits belong to Beth Bornstein, but Paul Dini’s influence runs deep throughout the script, with sexy themed henchgirls, corporate villains, and a story that directly impacts Bruce Wayne. When Bruce receives an invitation to the Eternal Youth Spa and offers it to Alfred and his lady friend Maggie Page (Paddy Edwards) for a romantic weekend, he unknowingly makes them Ivy’s latest victims. And when he connects the spa to a string of industrialist disappearances, he must race to save another friend that has fallen into Poison Ivy’s trap. Despite the implausibility, it's one of the more terrifying plots of the series, emphasized by a suspenseful opening chase sequence and a disturbing last act reveal of Ivy’s grove of petrified humans.

Dr. Pamela Isley was last seen cowering in an Arkham cell, and despite no concrete facts surrounding her release/escape, her adaptability makes me believe she most likely manipulated her way out of the asylum. When she’s Poison Ivy, she can use her chemicals to influence her victims, but in Arkham she needs to rely on her wits, so she puts on a damaged, fearful persona that is more likely to gain her sympathy with a review board. Pamela is an expert at camouflaging her true intentions—feigning affection for Harvey Dent to seduce him, luring Gotham’s aging upper crust to her spa with the promise of youth—and she uses her beauty and intellect to hide her homicidal fanaticism. As Dr. Daphne Demeter, she uses a plant enzyme called Demetrite to make her spa guests look and feel younger by slowly turning their bodies into lumber. The best part is that it’s addictive, and when they come back for more, Poison Ivy is waiting with a hose pumping heavily concentrated doses of Demetrite that begin the transformation into tree immediately.

This episode is a rare Alfred spotlight, and Bornstein tries to flesh out his personal life by introducing a love interest in Maggie Page. She only makes this one appearance, and I’m not sure if that’s because kids aren’t interested in vague allusions to senior sex or if Edwards’ voice is to the blame. This is the woman that voiced Ursula’s eels Flotsam and Jetsam in The Little Mermaid. Occasionally, she has a matronly, Lansburyesque quality, while at other times, she sounds like a gremlin. It is nice to see Alfred loosen up, though, and I would have liked to see more of Maggie. The show could use more strong female characters, and it would be nice to have one that’s eccentric without being evil. This episode also introduces us to Violet (Always Sunny’s “Charlie’s Mom,” Lynne Marie Stewart) and Lily (Julie Brown), Poison Ivy’s henchwomen. The actresses give similarly ridiculous vocal performances as Edwards, but they’re up in a ditzy register that gives them a Harley Quinn quality, whereas Edwards’ low purr is just plain creepy.

The combination of Sunrise animation with Kevin Altieri directing means this is one beautiful episode, and the wide establishing shot of the Eternal Youth Spa is a stunning way to start. The opening chase sequence has great direction from Altieri, using long shots to show the closing distance between Poison Ivy and her prey, then zooming in on their feet to show how quickly they’re moving. It creates a sense of urgency that amplifies the suspense, and when Poison Ivy gasses Mrs. Thomas, the lead-up has been so great that Ivy seems a much more threatening presence. It helps that there’s some ominous shadows going down in that scene (see screencap) that really lend to the Hitchcockian vibe when combined with Lolita Ritmanis’ score. Sunrise probably does the best work of any studio after TMS, and their attention to detail elevates the average storyline. The character anatomy is perfect, the fight choreography is smooth, and the studio really knows how to animate people covered in green goo. When everything looks great, the small flourishes like reflections on the glass Batman cuts through and the wind in Alfred’s hair can be appreciated even more.

Maybe it’s this episode’s focus on horny old people, but Demetrite reminds me of Viagra. Poison Ivy is a villain that uses sexuality as a weapon, and what better way to get the attention of a playboy billionaire like Bruce Wayne than with two buxom women in mini-skirt togas? After their first trip, Alfred and Maggie are both feeling much friskier, and when Alfred ingests too much Demetrite, his body collapses because it can’t handle the stress of going wood. After some rest, Alfred is ready for more Demetrite, and Maggie is eagerly waiting for him. When Poison Ivy reveals her grove to Batman, most of the human trees are frozen in terror, but some of those huge, gaping mouths could very well be O-faces.
Rating: B

“Perchance To Dream” (Season 1, Episode 30)
“Then the nightmare is over.” Sitting in Dr. Leslie Thompkins’ (Diana Muldaur) office, Bruce Wayne utters these words with a shocked sense of relief, finally accepting his life as the son of the happily retired Thomas and Martha Wayne—a life without Batman. I’m a sucker for seeing heroes get their hearts’ desires (House of M? I totally dug it), and “Perchance to Dream” shows Bruce Wayne’s perfect world, one where his parents are still alive and he’s engaged to Selina Kyle (Adrienne Barbeau). It’s basically the B:TAS version of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Superman classic “For The Man Who Has Everything,” replacing Mongul with Mad Hatter (Roddy McDowall) and the Black Mercy with a mind control device. The major difference is that Bruce remembers his past life as Batman, whereas Kal-El has no recollection of Superman, so Bruce has the added struggle of reconciling his memories with the ideal fantasy he’s living.

The episode begins with a fairly typical car chase, capably animated by Dong Yang but featuring some particularly spectacular sound editing. The roar of the Batmobile’s engine, screeching of tires, walls crunching and scratching against the sides of the cars: The sound is what really sells the opening sequence. Batman follows the criminals into a warehouse, where they ambush him by dropping a giant piece of machinery that prompts Bruce to wake up suddenly in his Wayne Manor bedroom. Confused, he asks Alfred if Robin got him home, which Alfred misinterprets as infidelity on his master’s part. Bruce gets out of bed to enter the Batcave, but the secret entrance behind the grandfather clock no longer exists. As he starts to lose it, his parents show up to comfort him, and he flees in disbelief. We rarely see Bruce or Batman in fear without some sort of gas or serum as the catalyst, and the early scenes in this episode reveal the vulnerable, sentimental side of Bruce Wayne that hides behind the Batman.

Kevin Conroy is a beast this episode, voicing three characters—Bruce Wayne, Batman, and Thomas Wayne—and oftentimes having full conversations with just himself. There are so many heartbreaking moments in Laren Bright and Michael Reaves’ story (teleplay by Joe R. Lansdale), and Conroy really sells them, especially his scenes with Alfred and Leslie. When Bruce asks Alfred to tell him about his life, Conroy is clearly trying to hide his character’s true curiosity, but there’s a sense of desperation in his voice that reveals just how much these facts mean to him. When Selina visits him at the office, Bruce sees Batman outside his window, prompting a second breakdown that lands him in Dr. Thompkins’ office for one of the series most telling scenes. Leslie explains that Bruce created a fantasy life as Batman to compensate for his privileged lifestyle: “You’ve identified with someone whose every deed has great value… Once you find pride in your own existence, then these delusions will vanish.” I love episodes like “Perchance to Dream” because I love the “what if?” What if the Waynes were never killed, and someone else became Batman? Would an unstable Bruce attach himself to a fantasy life, and kill himself when his real world wasn’t satisfying enough? What if this episode ended with a shot of Bruce at the bottom of that bell tower, instead of Batman walking away from his latest victory?

Bruce’s moment of acceptance in Leslie’s office, and the following scenes that show a finally happy Bruce with his family, are a mix of tension and relief, as the title card music spoils Mad Hatter’s involvement early on. Watching Bruce come to terms with his new life while knowing it’s all a plot by Mad Hatter builds the tension up to the cathartic bell tower climax, culminating in a final battle with Batman before dream Bruce’s suicide. The reason I really love stories like “Perchance To Dream” is for that moment when the curtain is finally pulled back and the character realizes that their perfect world is just a fantasy. Is there anything more torturous than getting your heart’s desire and losing it? Bruce’s world starts falling apart when he tries to read a newspaper, but the letters on the page don’t make any sense. The detective kicks in, and Bruce concludes that he must be dreaming, as dreaming is a function of the left side of the brain, while reading is a function of the right. He climbs to the top of the bell tower, calling out his alter ego for answers, before unmasking him to reveal Mad Hatter.

Hatter’s plot is never revealed, but if it’s revenge for Batman destroying his fleeting fantasy with Alice, then Jervis succeeds magnificently. Having learned nothing since his last appearance, he still believes that artificial happiness is the same as the real thing. Bruce isn’t insane, so he refuses to accept the perfect world that Jervis has created for him, and when he awakens in the real world, the memory of his ideal life drives him into a rage. Hatter doesn’t even put up a fight. In an episode full of depressing moments, Hatter’s surrender gets the pity prize as he puts in zero fight. Screaming, “You ruined my life! I was willing to give you whatever life you wanted just to keep you out of mine!” before collapsing on his knees, we begin to see how Batman’s presence creates a criminal presence while attempting to subdue it. For most of these criminals, the appeal of crime is the possibility of exacting vengeance on Batman for stopping them the first time. At least Mad Hatter was going to do it peacefully.
Rating: A-

Stray Observations:

• Bat/Bruce Beatdown: That bell tower fight is brutal. They roll around in the rain, throw each other around, and generally do lots of punching. And they’re the same person. Trippy.
• “Oh, look, it says here you've just won $10 million.”
• “Oh my, they even speak in unison.”
• Gordon says that his men search Mrs. Thomas’ place, but they apparently missed the HUGE HONKING CLUE videocassette from the Eternal Youth Spa sitting right in front of her TV. Gotham Central, this ain’t.
• “What a relaxing thought.”
• “Hey, a high school graduate.”
• “She slaughtered an ancient forest to produce cardboard. Cardboard!”
• “Keep spraying!”
• “Joan of Bark.” Pretty lame, Alfred.
• Thomas Wayne gives his son a quick check-up after his initial blowup. Doctor first, dad second.
• The timing of Selina taking off her glove with the line, “Who better for the job than the woman you’re marrying next week?” is all kinds of inappropriate.
• “It's a beautiful story. You have love, wealth, a family, all you ever wanted, your own private Wonderland!”
• “Then I'll see you in your nightmares!”
• Whole lot of Bathamlet going on in “Perchance To Dream.” Of course.

Some brief thoughts of my own...
Had "Eternal Youth" been made later on, Leslie Thompkins might have taken Maggie's place. Dan Slott and Ty Templeton played up the attraction between the two in their Batman Adventures run.
Though "Perchance" is indeed one of the finer episodes in BTAS, I feel like it's judged more on its concept than execution, which is somewhat cold. Bruce's dream life frankly isn't very affecting, and we don't feel much sadness of our own when he has to give it up. His parents for example barely come off as characters--Kevin Conroy's rendition of Thomas Wayne voice sounds like a child's caricature of what an adult sounds like. Martha on the other hand barely utters a word! JLU's "For the Man Who Has Everything" has the advantage in making Superman's dream life feel more human.

 

[Southern Dandy]

*Sigh*, I'm really sorry to harp on the same things almost every week about this, but I can't help myself. We "Batman: The Animated Series" fans really got the short end of the stick when it comes to the AVClub writer assigned to write about the show we love. Read the very lovely and eloquent reviews for the exceptional episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" ("The Perfect Mate") and "The Office" this week to see what I mean.

Before I comment on the reviews, I just have to make this Jon-Stewart-at-the-Oscars-when-Martin-Scorsese-was-robbed-in-2004 comment (Three Six Mafia - 1 Oscar, Martin Scorsese - Zero Oscars). Take a moment to process this:

Sava sez:
"Nothing to Fear" (Nothing good) & "Pretty Poison" (Pretty mediocre) = A
"Perchance to Dream" (One of the most powerful episodes of the series) = A-

There aren't enough 'roll eyes' smilies in the world. In other words, he claims two of the sloppiest, most unrefined and obvious episodes with connect-the-dots storytelling and one-dimensional characterizations that were some of the very first produced are better than one of the deepest and most ambitious episodes of the series. Madness, I tell you. Madness!

Having said that, I'm actually not as big a fan of "Perchance to Dream" as many others (like Maxie Zeus, who calls it the best episode the series). While I don't include it in a personal top 10, I do think it's objectively one of the best episodes of the series because of how thoughtfully it dissects, analyzes, and explores Bruce Wayne and his Batman alter-ego psychologically. I also think it has one of the most moving and heart-wrenching scenes of the series (right up there with Mr. Freeze or The Ventriloquist crying) with The Mad Hatter's tantrum at the end.

At "The Animated Bat", there's a bit of trivia from Bruce Timm talking about how hard they had to push Roddy McDowall to really go for broke with the pathos and pain in his voice for that scene despite his generally genial nature, and you can really hear it. The intensity of the bitterness and anger in his voice in that scene is incredible. It enthralled me more than anything else in the episode, even though I found the dream world intriguing as well.

The episode has lost some of its power since I found out that the conceit about the reading in a dream and the function of different brain halves isn't completely accurate, but I still think the dream world was neat. Bruce's horrified reaction to Batman and their fight in the tower is still some tremendously disturbing, unsettling, and even darkly funny stuff.

I agree with Revelator's criticism of Bruce's parents, though. Just because Kevin Conroy is doing three voices doesn't mean they're all great (his voice for Bruce's father does sound kind of silly) and I think it's rather ridiculous that Bruce's mom never says anything more than "Bruce!". I also agree that it was much more heartbreaking for Superman to lose his dream life in "For the Man Who Has Everything", but again the scenes (both in the dream world and the real world) where Batman confronts the Mad Hatter about what he did were excitingly intense. I love how angry he is at the Mad Hatter and how the Mad Hatter shoots right back at him with an unbelievable amount of fury for such a usually demure character (and actor).

As for "Eternal Youth", yeah, I don't know why the hell Sava was rambling about the sexual implications of Alfred's relationship. Just another example of immaturity tainting reviews of a show that deserves better. I didn't think much of the episode except I was impressed by how shockingly grotesque some of Ivy's work was. The people turned into statues made of tree bark was some of the most freaky and sickening imagery I've seen on the show (though it's topped by her even more gross plant babies in "House and Garden" and the plant man that makes Robin want to barf in a "New Batman Adventures" episode), but there isn't much to the story or characterizations in it.

Batman's irritation at the Eternal Youth commercial was the only real highlight for me. It's like the similar gag of him hitting the TV during The Joker's commercial in "The Laughing Fish". I love seeing Batman annoyed at stuff for being cheesy. That's a shallow pleasure, though...the episode has nothing to grab on to character-wise. As in most Poison Ivy episodes, the only intrigue was in how imaginatively disgusting and/or unique her plant creations are. I think the exceptions are "Harley & Ivy" and "House and Garden", where she actually gets some interesting character development.

 

[Revelator]

he claims two of the sloppiest, most unrefined and obvious episodes...are better than one of the deepest and most ambitious episodes of the series. Madness, I tell you. Madness!

I think he made a frequent mistake among reviewers, which is to overstate the merit in the first episodes one finds. But it's of course better to start off stingy and become generous than the other way around. I suspect that Sava would revise some of his grades if he had to redo everything.

I agree with Revelator's criticism of Bruce's parents, though. Just because Kevin Conroy is doing three voices doesn't mean they're all great (his voice for Bruce's father does sound kind of silly)

Thank you! I worship Conroy as much as any other fan, but even he has his limits (he gave what is probably his worst performance in the promo documentary included on the Batwoman DVD, which he narrates in his Batman voice. That wouldn't be so bad if the piece wasn't a badly written hunk of advertising--if you've ever wanted to hear Batman talk like a marketing executive, it's there for your delectation). Getting back to PtD, I think the general idea of making Thomas Wayne an older version of Bruce--in both looks and voice--doesn't work. He should be his own character, and anyway, who among us looks and sounds like a younger clone of his father? The treatment of Thomas also makes Martha Wayne redundant. If Bruce took his voice, personality, and looks from his Dad, what was Mom, besides an incubation chamber? There's a whole thesis waiting to be written about rampant father worship and the invisibility of mothers in superhero comics.

 

[graysongirl]

Getting back to PtD, I think the general idea of making Thomas Wayne an older version of Bruce--in both looks and voice--doesn't work. He should be his own character, and anyway, who among us looks and sounds like a younger clone of his father? The treatment of Thomas also makes Martha Wayne redundant. If Bruce took his voice, personality, and looks from his Dad, what was Mom, besides an incubation chamber? There's a whole thesis waiting to be written about rampant father worship and the invisibility of mothers in superhero comics.

Superboy?

And not ALL heroes worship only their fathers - Robin seems to be half and half with his parents (who seem to get equal screen time and lines in whatever show they appear in, thought they just show up here ) and with Spidey, Peter's more Aunt worship with Aunt B. Other than that... hmm... Raven seems to like her mom a lot better than her father on Teen Titans...? hahaha.

 

[klammed]

I think he made a frequent mistake among reviewers, which is to overstate the merit in the first episodes one finds. But it's of course better to start off stingy and become generous than the other way around. I suspect that Sava would revise some of his grades if he had to redo everything.

Thank you! I worship Conroy as much as any other fan, but even he has his limits (he gave what is probably his worst performance in the promo documentary included on the Batwoman DVD, which he narrates in his Batman voice. That wouldn't be so bad if the piece wasn't a badly written hunk of advertising--if you've ever wanted to hear Batman talk like a marketing executive, it's there for your delectation). Getting back to PtD, I think the general idea of making Thomas Wayne an older version of Bruce--in both looks and voice--doesn't work. He should be his own character, and anyway, who among us looks and sounds like a younger clone of his father? The treatment of Thomas also makes Martha Wayne redundant. If Bruce took his voice, personality, and looks from his Dad, what was Mom, besides an incubation chamber? There's a whole thesis waiting to be written about rampant father worship and the invisibility of mothers in superhero comics.

It's also sort of Oedipal - you know, loving your mother, replacing your father. It links name-heritage-history-legacy in a patriarchal framework rather easily, if obviously. As for sons sounding like their fathers, why not? My uncles increasingly sound like my late grandfather, my cousin like his dad. Might be a bit kitsch, but it does establish pretty quickly aurally a familial link between the two. That, and I think Andrea Romano's got a thing for casting people playing fathers playing older versions of a character (Superman in BB), or people related playing the same character at different ages (Kid and Teen Jason in Under the Red Hood), so Conroy in three voices isn't that much of a stretch. I didn't really have a problem with his Thomas voice, to be honest. The only time I've really obviously cringed at his performance in any episode was Old Man Wayne in Once Upon A Future Thing, in the JLU Highschool bunker.

 

[Revelator]

It's also sort of Oedipal - you know, loving your mother, replacing your father. It links name-heritage-history-legacy in a patriarchal framework rather easily, if obviously.

True, but it plays into the fact that the superhero world has traditionally been a rather heavily patriarchal place (though I should note that Graysongirl has given a few opposing examples), and that's something I'd like to see it move beyond. Paul Dini has recently devoted some attention to Martha Wayne in his Batman comics, but before that she was nearly as much of a cipher there as she is in "Perchance."

As for sons sounding like their fathers, why not?

In the case of this episode I think it was a way of taking the easier way out. While I agree that sons often grow more like their fathers with age, good drama is equally attentive to the similarities and differences between the generations. In PtD's case, I thought the presentation of Thomas Wayne was uncreative--Bruce Wayne with a mustache, grey hair, and a deeper, dopier voice. Perhaps I am asking for too much character work in an already full episode. If so, I regret that PtD was not a two-parter--there was certainly enough material to fill another 20 minutes.

EDIT: Meanwhile, back at the wrench, Sava has produced another pair for our perusal...

Batman: The Animated Series
"The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy"/"The Laughing Fish"
season 1 , episode 31, 34by Oliver Sava May 2, 2011

“The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy” (Season 1, Episode 31)
Poor Frank Paur, he’s always getting the lousiest scripts to direct, and he usually gets saddled with an equally bad animation studio to turn written s**t into cartoon s**t. From the moment Radomski’s title card appears, it’s obvious “The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy” is going to be another uninspired effort from Paur and company. I get that this episode is about Batman’s uniform, but a blue outline of his cape and cowl does not a dynamic image make. Was Radomski on some absurd deadline that required him to send in a blue shadow treatment study on accident? It’s a bland image to start a clichéd episode, which is essentially a series of derivative/idiotic traps set by a stale villain; low on pathos, but high on artificial melodrama. Without an emotional hook, the episode loses a sense of urgency and relevance, and the action isn’t captivating enough visually to compensate for the script’s misgivings.

“The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy” and “The Laughing Fish” are both adaptations of Detective Comics issues, but “Conspiracy” suffers from a script by original story writer Elliot S. Maggin (“The Cape & Cowl Deathtrap”), who isn’t able to adjust the story to match the standards set by previous episodes. The main villain Josiah “The Interrogator” Wormwood (Bud Cort) is described in the comic as a “financier, socialite, and freelance assassin,” but none of those qualities apply to his animated character. A financier/socialite/assassin sounds like a great foil to financier/socialite/superhero Bruce Wayne, but instead we get a cheap Riddler knock-off who uses barely-cryptic clues to lure Batman into his traps. (How do you feel about someone stealing your gimmick, Nigma?) Woodward is the kind of villain who loves to monologue while Batman tries to escape, and at the end of the episode he actually gets a “villain explains his plot in vivid detail” monologue when he’s talking to his associate “Baron” Wacklaw Josek (John Rhys-Davies), who is actually Batman in disguise.

This episode shares a lot of the same problems as “I’ve Got Batman In My Basement,” in that there’s a complete lack of Bruce Wayne (not even Alfred!) and a story that revolves around a single far-fetched plot point. In “Basement,” it was Batman having to put his life in the hands of children, while “Conspiracy” has Batman devising a convoluted scheme to get Wormwood to confess to stealing a collection of bearer bonds. As Josek, Batman hires Wormwood to steal his cape and cowl, withholding his reason for wanting the costume in hopes that Wormwood will confess in exchange for more information. Why Wormwood is so concerned with Josek’s plans and not, say, Batman’s secret identity is just plain stupid, and Wormwood’s inconsistent character isn’t helped by his lame design and exaggerated voice acting. The only thing missing from Wormwood’s design is a mustache for him to twirl, and Bud Cort gives an over the top vocal performance that makes the character sound like a bad Dr. Evil impression at times.

While Paur is saved his usual Akom assignment, Dong Yang’s animation this episode is one of their weaker efforts, especially compared to “The Laughing Fish,” which also uses their services, but with layouts provided by Spectrum. When Batman is locked in DeLarue’s Wax Museum under a 20,000 watt lightbulb, the wax melting effects don’t have the kind of detail and fluidity that a studio like TMS would have brought, and the script is so contrived that it limits the visual potential of the episode. The episode begins with Wormwood trapping a courier in a quicksand pit on a mini-golf course, which seems incredibly unsafe for the Gotham Putt-Putt, and there’s even a “busty woman tied to the train tracks” action sequence. Making her a hologram doesn’t forgive the fact that it’s pretty much the villain cliché. The wax sequence is notable for the hilariously phallic nature of Batman’s escape attempt, though, as he hurls a metal rod into the lamp while covered in white goo. The lamp shattering triggers the release of a gas that forces Batman to give up his cape and cowl, and he goes feral in the process. It’s obviously symbolic, with Batman using his hyper-masculinity to penetrate the first stage of Wormwood’s plot, which ultimately leads to Wormwood’s satisfaction and a primal transformation for our hero. Or not.

When Wormwood brings the cape and cowl to Josek, he outlines his plot in detail, then gets his ass handed to him when Batman reveals himself. The body switch reveal happens twice this week, and in both instances it’s hard to believe that Batman would be able to disguise himself as someone shorter and fatter so convincingly. It’s less a plot point in “The Laughing Fish,” though, and the reveal that Batman is Josek is not only predictable, but diminishes the events that happened before. Why did Batman put himself at risk when he could have just gotten Wormwood to confess the old fashioned way? How many crimes were committed while Batman was getting waxed? The entire plot just seems pointless, and the ending scene is like a rotten cherry on a turd sundae. Behind bars, Wormwood receives a present from Batman to keep him warm: the cape and cowl. Why in the world would Batman give a criminal anything other than a well-deserved beatdown? It’s Maggin’s attempt at a clever button that, like the rest of the episode, misses the mark completely.
Grade: D


“The Laughing Fish” (Season 1, Episode 34)
Now this is how you do an adaptation. Combining two classic Batman tales, Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams’ “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge!” from Batman #251 and Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers’ “The Laughing Fish!” (more story titles need exclamation points) from Detective Comics #475, “The Laughing Fish” features the trifecta of a Paul Dini script, Bruce Timm direction, and a spotlight on Mark Hamill’s brilliantly insane Joker. Paul Dini knows how to make the Joker scary, following up on “Joker’s Favor” with a script that showcases Joker’s penchant for comic terrorism, ideally involving innocent bystanders. The legitimate danger Joker represents prevents the absurd plot from becoming complete camp, and the visual spectacle Timm brings to the episode make this one of the strongest adaptations of the series.

Radomski redeems himself for “The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy” title card with “Robin’s Reckoning” (next week!), and “The Laughing Fish” continues the rebound with the only animated title card of the series, an ominous image of a smiling Joker fish print on a sign in Gotham Harbor, swinging in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. Timm gives the episode a very cinematic feel, and the pan from the title card to the start of the action sets a distinctive tone, especially with Shirley Walker’s string-heavy, discordant score. Joker’s theme is only played twice, once when Batman arrives at the aquarium to save Bullock (amazing whoopee cushion gag), and again when Joker jumps to escape at the end of the episode, and it serves to immediately bring some humor to both high-tension moments. The rest of the score goes for that Bernard Herrmann vibe, and the emphasis on the suspense thriller elements in the music makes the comedy in the script even more appreciable.

While inspecting a day’s catch, a group of fishermen are horrified to see their fish plastered with Joker’s trademark grin, a smile he wants to copyright to collect a margin of profit. Joker’s logic is that if Colonel Sanders can make money off his mustache-less chicken, then there there shouldn’t be anything stopping the sale of his Joker fish. It also gives him the opportunity to engage in his favorite pastime: terrorizing the harmless. It’s clear that Dini loves writing the Joker, and he makes the character as hilarious as he is terrifying. Whenever the Joker gets his hands on a toolbox things tend to get horrific, which means this one in funny episode. It’s that balance of comedy and terror that makes B:TAS’ Joker such a memorable character, and Hamill’s voice work is perfect this episode. Each joke feels fresh and spontaneous, as if Joker is always performing in some sort of stand-up comic serial killer Olympics, and his opening scene with copyright clerk G. Carl Francis (George Dzundza) is just one glorious gag after another.

The first half of the episode adapts “Laughing Fish” while the second half adapts “Five-Way Revenge,” with the two stories both featuring a series of Joker attacks on people in their homes. As Batman helps the GCPD secure Francis’ home, tensions rise between the vigilante and Lt. Bullock, who still refuses to accept Batman’s help, even after that whole Killer Croc fiasco. Joker launches a swordfish at Francis’ home, releasing a gas that reacts with a chemical Harley Quinn sprayed Francis with in his office, triggering a surprisingly graphic reaction in the clerk. The animation for Francis’ transformation into Joker-face is fantastic, and Timm uses creative angles like showing the swordfish flying into the apartment from the fish’s point of view. As mentioned earlier, Dong Yang is assisted by Spectrum on layouts this episode, and their influence is clear in the smoothness of the animation, the consistency of the character models, and the high level of detail. The perspective on that swordfish shot must have been a b**ch to get right, but the effect looks great in action.

After Batman is unable to stop a second Joker attack on a copyright office bigwig, Bullock walks out to pursue the case on his own. His investigation takes him to the aquarium, where he’s captured by Harley Quinn and dangled above a shark tank. When Batman shows up, Bullock takes pride in finding the Joker’s hideout, apparently having forgotten that he’s a prisoner about to be turned into shark food. Paul Dini can get away with using a hackneyed trap like the shark tank because it fits perfectly with the theme of the episode (which isn’t just “lame traps”) and Bullock’s involvement gives it added significance. Even though Bruce Wayne doesn’t appear in this episode, Dini’s plot gives Batman an emotional tie to the case through his relationship with Bullock. By introducing even one extra element to the stereotypical hero vs. villain formula, the episode becomes considerably more complex, and Harley’s presence changes the dynamic even further.

What both original stories lack is Harley Quinn, and this episode continues to establish Joker and Harley as the series’ real dynamic duo. Hamill and Sorkin have a rare chemistry, and their voices work incredibly well together. Harley brings out the romantic/sexual side of Joker that we rarely see, but more importantly she’s a walking punch line for Joker, whether that means vomiting up a fork full of fish or becoming a reverse mermaid for whatever sick fetish he’s into this week. Both actors ham it up without becoming annoying because they’re both charming in their own twisted ways. Joker is a genuinely funny guy, despite his tendency to throw people into shark tanks, and there’s a dim-witted adorability to Harley that’s easy to love. Like Harley, I also despise the taste of seafood with few exceptions (sometimes an inexplicable craving for tuna salad hits), so this episode hits really close to home.

Both episodes this week were adaptations with similar subject matter, and they really show the spectrum of Batman: The Animated Series episodes. “The Laughing Fish” gets all the things right that “The Cape & Cowl Conspiracy” fumbles, with two charismatic villains, a smart, funny script, and a focused visual and audio aesthetic. By altering the source material to fit the framework of the DCAU, Dini and Timm produce a remarkable tribute to two classic Batman teams that inspired the B:TAS creators.
Grade: A

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: Handcuffed Batman versus a shark and Harvey Bullock just got thrown into the pool with a pound of bloody ground sirloin. Let the awesome begin.
• “How dare you manhandle me?!” Heehee.
• “By the way, I hope you're not afraid of heights.” Batman’s grin sells it. He really looks forward to hanging people from gargoyles by their suspenders after a long day at the office.
• “Conspiracy” is the first appearance of the Bat-signal, and Batman gets pretty sassy with Commissioner Gordon up on the GCPD rooftop. When Gordon asks him if he knows what one of Wormwood’s clues mean, he responds, “Don’t you?” Now I always hear him answer that whenever someone asks him a question. B*tchy Batman!
• Now I want to read Gotham Central #11.
• “However, you will find…a trap!” The dialogue in “Conspiracy” is crap.
• Anyone else reminded of bone-claws Wolverine when Batman is wearing the blue bandana mask, especially with that bizarre growl?
• “I am going...to put them on!” Direct quote from Detective Comics #450, and not even Conroy can make that threatening.
• Detective Comics #450 features art from Walter Simonson, anyone pick up his Thor Omnibus last month? It is a thing of exquisite beauty, check out Comics Panel next week for a review.
• The slimy fish sound effects in “The Laughing Fish” are fantastic.
• “Dining in tonight, sir?” “The dissection tray, please, Alfred.”
• “Look alive, wage slaves!”
• “Actually I'm Irish.”
• “I told you not to speak.” Smack. “You may speak now.”
• “He’s crazy!” So perfect.
• “Yummy yum yum!”
• “This could cause a stampede to pork.”
• "I'm harmless!" "And in his sick mind, that's the joke, Mr. Francis."
• “Get this man to a hospital! Now!” Awesome delivery.
• “Looks like he’s having more fun already!”
• “Again with fish. I hate fish!”
• “You're really sick, you know that, boss?”
• “Come on, he was a demented, abusive, psychotic maniac.” “Yeah, I'm really going to miss him!”

MOD NOTE: EDIT YOUR FIRST POST INSTEAD OF POSTING TWO IN A ROW

 

[Revelator]

(Dear Mods, I have not joined this new post to the previous one because they're over two weeks apart. My apologies if I am mistaken in not doing so.)

I neglected my reposting duties for over a week now, but am back with what is possibly Sava's best review...

Batman: The Animated Series
"Robin's Reckoning, Parts 1 And 2"
season 1 , episode 32-33
by Oliver Sava May 9, 2011

Kid sidekicks were created to make heroes more relatable to a predominantly child audience, but as comics evolved, the inherent absurdity of putting minors on the front lines became more apparent. Great writers are able to find a way to make the sidekick work, like Ed Brubaker’s take on Captain America’s WWII partner Bucky as a highly trained stealth soldier, and Randy Rogel’s script for “Robin’s Reckoning” takes great strides to legitimizing Dick Grayson’s (Loren Lester) presence in the Batman: The Animated Series universe. Rogel, who worked on the near-flawless “Two-Face,” earns B:TAS it’s second Emmy Award for Robin’s origin story (technically only part one won, but it is the superior half), a heartbreaking episode that reveals how Dick came into Bruce’s life while Robin tracks down his parents’ killer Tony Zucco (Thomas F. Wilson) in the present. I’ve talked about the elements that make a great B:TAS episode, and this episode has them all: beautiful animation, strong direction, a balance of Bruce/Batman action, and a villain that shows elements of humanity while still posing a threat. “Robin’s Reckoning” is one of the most cinematic episodes of the series, with a flashback-centric structure similar to Mask of the Phantasm, and glimpsing into Bruce and Dick’s formative years goes a long way to grounding both characters in reality.

Dick Sebast’s nuanced direction handles energetic action sequences and heavy emotional moments with equal aplomb, and the opening shot of Batman and Robin staking out a construction site is a great image of a sprawling Gotham City. Sebast does an impressive job capturing the scope of the city throughout the episode, as heights play a major role in Dick’s story, and beginning the episode with a fight above the city shows how Dick’s circus background has given him the skills to work alongside Batman. Spectrum’s work on the construction fight sets the standard for episode’s first half – Dong Yang takes over the second, with Spectrum sticking around for layouts – and the smoothness and realism of the animation nearly equals the rotoscoping of the 1940’s Superman shorts. A strong Fleischer can be felt throughout the episode, with circus scenes reminiscent of “Terror on the Midway” (those animals sure do look pretty), and bumbling mobsters similar to the dawdling Superman impostor in “Showdown.” But the main influence of “Robin’s Reckoning” is Detective Comics #38, Robin’s first appearance from 1940.

Randy Rogel thankfully makes plenty of changes to the original story, cutting the more implausible moments of the story to focus on finding the emotional reality of Dick’s situation, particularly in how it relates to Bruce’s. In the comic, Bruce trains a young Dick so that they can hunt Tony Zucco together, whereas Bruce insists Dick not get involved in the episode. The opening construction sequence of the episode is an homage to the finale of the comic, which features a child Dick Grayson in costume, but the episode smartly shows only the adult Dick as Robin. Allusions are made to them fighting crime together since Dick’s youth (“That line worked great in sixth grade…”), but the flashbacks end right when Dick learns that Bruce is Batman. The episode becomes less about the birth of Robin, and more about the healing of Dick Grayson.

Beyond the well-choreographed action, the opening sequence shows how Batman and Robin benefit from operating outside the law when they interrogate the remaining crook after his partners leave him behind. Well, behind and above, because Ferris Dolan (Paul Eiding) is hanging from a steal beam with a long drop between the Gotham pavement and himself. Dolan demands his lawyer and refuses to give up his employer, prompting Batman and Robin to make their exit as he starts to lose his grip. He cries, “You’ve gotta help me! The cops wouldn’t leave me.” To which Batman sharply replies, “We’re not the police!” Batman and Robin have no obligation to keeping this man safe, whereas a police officer would be obligated to save Dolan and get him his lawyer before he talks. Batman isn’t going to let the man fall to his death, but Dolan certainly doesn’t know that. It’s a scare tactic that works, and “Robin’s Reckoning” amps up Batman’s fear quotient as a contrast to the vulnerability Bruce shows when he’s comforting Dick in the past.

As Zucco says in part two, ““You don’t know the Bat. He don't let up. He's a dark angel of death, man, and he wants ME.” A dark angel of death, man. Wilson’s Zucco delivery sounds very similar to John Travolta in Grease, so if you ever wanted to hear what Danny Zuko sounds like when he’s scared shitless, “Robin’s Reckoning” is the place to get it. In fact, everyone this episode is terrified of Batman, and rightly so. When Batman is attacked at Arnold Stromwell’s estate (nice to see him back again, voiced by Eugene Roche), the series has its first action sequence without music, and the lack of a score makes each gunshot more real, and Batman’s skills all the more impressive. He twists his knee in the second half of the episode and still kicks everyone’s ass. In one of my favorite moments of the episode, Batman sneaks up on a thief that steals from the craps game Bruce is playing to gather information. Spectrum does body language so well, and the man jumping in the air and falling on his ass is the kind of reaction seeing Batman should provoke. Batman gets his information simply by showing the thief his fist, and the sound of stretching leather is like nails on a chalk board for the terrified man. All of the villains in “Robin’s Reckoning” are just regular people, no superpowers or gimmicks, and Kevin Conroy voices a Batman that is truly terrifying to the ordinary criminal.

The emphasis on Bruce Wayne shows Conroy’s range, and his voice with young Dick is nurturing and sensitive, but a bit unsure of how to connect with his new ward. In the present day scenes he speaks to Dick exclusively as Batman, but his voice doesn’t have the same dominating effect on Robin, who has seen the weak, damaged side of Bruce. Batman demands that Robin not track down Zucco, but because Robin doesn’t fear Batman the way a street thug does, he refuses to obey. This episode expands on the Batman/Robin relationship considerably as it shows the two of them butting heads for the first time on the series. Batman assumes a justifiable leadership position, but the adult Robin sees the two of them as equals; Bruce tries to be a father, while Dick tries to be a brother, and when he’s put on the sidelines for the most personal case of his career, he lashes out.

Classic Batman themes like vengeance vs. justice and the constant struggle to heal emotional wounds after the loss of a loved one add philosophical and psychological depth to Rogel’s script, highlighted by exceptional voice acting from Conroy, Lester, and Joey Simmrin, who gives a powerful performance as young Dick. The first part benefits from a heavier emphasis on flashbacks focusing on Dick’s grief, which takes the episode to surprisingly dark places. The death of Dick’s parents is one of the best scenes of the entire series, a suspenseful sequence that combines the awe of watching the Graysons in action with the dread of knowing their subsequent fall. Carlos Rodriguez’s score is another element that elevates the first part, specifically during the circus sequences. The mix of gentle strings and twinkling percussion builds as the camera pans up a ladder to where Dick stands proudly with his mother, preparing to leap into his father’s arms on the trapeze. That melody is repeated when Dick’s parents die, but the strings have become discordant, foreshadowing the tragedy to come.

Originally conceived as a much more graphic sequence, Bruce Timm has thanked BS&P for forcing them to approach the Graysons’ death in a more stylized manner. A shot of Dick’s mother holding the trapeze shows how far the drop is, and the twinkling bells return to bring back that sense of wonder from the first trapeze sequence, this time accompanied by a horn section that crescendos as the trapeze rope begins to break. The last we see of the Graysons is their silhouettes in glorious flight, then the music stops for a moment before coming back at a forte to reveal the severed trapeze rope. It’s a sophisticated and effective way of showing their deaths without offending anyone, and leaving it to the audience’s imagination makes the image more horrific in the viewer’s mind. Those depressing strings return when Dick leaves the circus to live with Bruce, this time joined by a single clarinet emphasizing the loneliness Dick is about to experience.

When Dick arrives at Wayne Manor, a bat flies past him, adding to the already creepy aura around the estate. He sleeps in Bruce’s bedroom, a sparsely furnished room with a bed right in the center, facing a portrait of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The huge amount of negative space accentuates Dick’s solitude, but the room will later become the place where Dick and Bruce have their first bonding moment. When Bruce begins to throw himself into finding Zucco as Batman, Alfred reminds him that there is a little boy upstairs that needs the attention more desperately. Simmrin and Conroy do fantastic work in this scene, as Dick unloads his guilt about not stopping Zucco when he had the chance, while Bruce helps him learn to stop blaming himself:

Bruce: You keep thinking, if only I'd done something differently. If only I could've – warned them. But there isn't anything you could have done. There isn't anything either of us could have done.
Dick: Your mom and dad? Does the hurt ever go away?
Bruce: I wish I could say yes. But it'll get better in time. For you, that I promise.

That’s some powerful writing right there. The use of shadows in the scene highlights the grief that overtook both their lives with the loss of their parents, but the moonlight shining through the huge bay window represents the flicker of hope Bruce and Dick bring to each other. Robin doesn’t have the same grave demeanor as his partner because he grew up with someone that understood the pain he was going through. Dick had a friend, while Bruce got a son. His relationships with Dick and Alfred are what prevent Bruce from abandoning his civilian identity for the cape and cowl, and he honors his parents’ memory by creating a new family in their home. The Batman family will continue to expand in the series, just as it does in the comic books, which now include international Bat-relatives.

The second half of the episode shows how Dick is adjusting to a new life with Bruce, practicing fencing and using the lessons he learns to look for Zucco on the streets of Gotham. While the nine-year old Dick roams the streets, he comes across a pimp hassling one of his prostitutes for trying to pull a fast one on him. How exciting is it to see a pimp and his ho on children’s television? That’s a relationship that has been ignored by Saturday morning programming for far too long. In this episode we don’t see young Dick in the Robin costume at all, but this first successful attempt at fighting crime makes his employ as Batman’s kid sidekick more believable. It’s when young Dick finds Zucco that we remember why it might not be such a good idea to hunt down criminals before you’ve hit puberty, and Zucco ends up getting away from Batman because Dick puts himself in jeopardy. Batman rescues Dick and takes him to the Batcave, where he reveals himself as Bruce, extending Dick’s stay indefinitely and signaling the end of the flashbacks. Meanwhile, Robin has neglected Batman’s orders and tracks down Zucco, just in time to save Batman from getting shredded in a hail of tommy gun bullets.

When Dick finally confronts his parents’ killer as Robin, Lester does his best Conroy impression, taking the character’s voice into a lower register that matures him and makes him sound like his grim partner. As Robin is about to throw Zucco off the harbor, Batman stops him by warning Dick not to let his emotions get the best of him. Bruce doesn’t want Dick to cross a line that he can never turn back from, a line that he could have crossed himself if he encountered his parents’ killer as Batman. Robin lets the police take Zucco, but mistakenly assumes that this was Bruce teaching him another lesson:

Robin: You were right, you know, not bringing me along. You knew I'd take it too personally.
Batman: It wasn't that, Robin. It wasn't that at all. Zucco's taken so much, caused you so much pain, I couldn't stand the thought that he might – take you, too.

Batman’s actions have been motivated by his fatherly drive to keep his family together. Bruce regularly sees the horrific consequences that follow vengeance, and his actions this episode are intended to prevent Robin from going down that path. In the end, Dick realizes that justice is more satisfying than revenge, and he’s back to his regular smiling self, helping his injured partner as they head home for the night, one big happy family.

Stray Observations:

• Bat Robin Beatdown: As Zucco prepares to open fire on the carousel of death, Robin crashes in on his motorcycle, dragging him across the harbor before getting sweet retribution for his parents’ murders. Therapeutic thrashing!
• “Uh-huh.” “Lucky for me you're such a good conversationalist.”
• “Oh, great.” Once they see Batman, they know they’re screwed.
• “I can’t say nothin’! He’ll tear me apart!” “Oh. Then you’ve got a problem.”
• “He shuts me out, man, treats me like a kid!” Says the boy throwing a temper tantrum.
• Zucco’s list of aliases are in-jokes about people that work on the series. Sid the Squid will later be used for “The Man Who Killed Batman.”
• “That Grayson Kid's a real boy wonder.” The line makes me groan, but also smile. How?!
• Bruce pulls a Clark Kent at the circus, spilling his popcorn and soda in a moment of faux-clumsiness.
• Red-haired Gordon and pouch-pocket belt, no yellow oval Batman come from Batman: Year One.
• “If you protect him Stromwell, I'll be very—grumpy. You don't want to see me grumpy.” Bat-Hulk Smash!
• Don’t get on Arnold Stromwell’s bad side or you’re getting smacked with a newspaper.
• “This kid belong to you?”
• Some sh*tty railings on the Gotham River. Lean on them and they will break.
• Redial. The bane of criminals everywhere.
• “This is where I work.”
• “Mother--!”
• Awesome shot of Robin jumping a bridge, over a boat, on his motorcycle, but completely impossible.
• We can add officially add “abandoned amusement parks” to the list of B:TAS tropes with garbage cans (which also show up this episode) and oncoming trains.
• “You pays your money and you takes your chances.” That’s cold, Zucco.
• “Stuff your advice, Batman! You and your stone-cold heart! You don’t know how I feel. How could you?” Bad form, Robin.

Grade: A

 

[StormBlue]

That's a spectacular review. He's moving from simple synopsis to providing some analysis with his review. I completely agree with his grading for Robin's Reckoning, and I now have a strong urge to watch it!

With the original Robin and with Batgirl, BTAS did a fine job of conveying a strong sense of purpose to why these two joined the fight and how Batman came to accept them as partners. Robin's Reckoning is one of the reasons why I love the Bruce/Dick relationship and will always enjoy seeing their dynamic play out as either Batman/Robin or Batman/Nightwing. Dick is so much more than a guy in a suit who can patrol with Batman.

 

[Revelator]

He's moving from simple synopsis to providing some analysis with his review.

Definitely agree. This week's review isn't as strong (perhaps because the episodes under review aren't either), but here it is:

Batman: The Animated Series
"Night Of The Ninja"/"Cat Scratch Fever"
season 1 , episode 35-36
by Oliver Sava May 16, 2011

“Night Of The Ninja” (season 1, episode 35)
I’ve always enjoyed seeing Bruce Wayne's training years, that period of his life before Batman, when he cultivated his globetrotting playboy reputation while developing the skills that would make his alter ego extraordinary. Batman doesn’t have super powers in the same sense as Superman or Wonder Woman, and he elevates himself above the common man through sheer determination in his constant quest for self-improvement. “Night of the Ninja” is one of only two Batman: The Animated Series episodes that flashes back to those years, revealing Bruce’s time spent in Japan honing his fighting skills, as his past rival Kyodai Ken (Robert Ito) terrorizes Wayne Enterprises in the present. Written by Steve Perry and directed by Kevin Altieri, “Night of the Ninja” is a serviceable episode with strong ideas that just need better execution. Perry’s dense script juggles multiple plotlines, but the stereotypical villain prevents the episode from reaching greatness, and the average animation from Dong Yang does little to enhance the derivative story.

Kyodai Ken is a villain with a bland design and a weak motive, but he gives B:TAS the opportunity to do a ninja story with all of the familiar elements: lost honor, unjustified pride, and lots of hand-to-hand combat. Kevin Altieri is one of the series’ best action directors, and the dojo sequences have a dynamic pace, despite the stereotypical nature of the flashbacks. If anyone doubted the genius of Kevin Conroy, this episode has the actor whipping out another distinct voice for young Bruce Wayne, one that's higher in pitch and more erratic than his normal tone. Through Conroy’s voice acting, we get the sense that this is a much less disciplined Bruce, making his determination to learn from Master Yoru all the more admirable. As generic as Yoru is as a sensei, he does get the opportunity to kick some ass, and watching him take down the cocky Kyodai is one of the best parts of the episode.

Pride and humility are the major themes of “Night Of The Ninja,” as Bruce learns to accept defeat in the past, while Batman struggles with the idea in the present. Bruce’s history with Kyodai affects his work as Batman, as Kyodai was the only pupil that was able to consistently defeat Bruce in the two's training days, and his intense personal connection puts him in the same dangerous position that he tried to save Robin from in “Robin’s Reckoning.” Kyodai Ken is a rarity when it comes to Batman villains, with a connection to Bruce Wayne that dates to his days before Batman, and Kyodai resents Bruce for his pampered upbringing, constantly diminishing his rival’s efforts because of the wealth he inherited. Because Bruce hasn’t had to struggle financially, Kyodai sees his training as a wealthy socialite’s flight of fancy, and he feels entitled to the riches Bruce was born into because he’s had to live without. That’s the kind of flawed logic that turns people into supervillains. Kyodai Ken’s feelings of superiority over Bruce mirror Batman’s attitude toward Robin, and when Batman learns the identity of his ninja foe, he pushes Robin away so that he can pursue his personal vendetta, showing no gratitude when Robin saves his life by defying his orders.

“Robin’s Reckoning” introduced new tension into Batman and Robin’s relationship, and “Night Of The Ninja” furthers explores the two characters’ differing perspectives, foreshadowing Dick’s renouncement of the Robin name in favor of the independent Nightwing persona. Dick doesn’t have the same grim seriousness as his mentor, and it’s his juvenile behavior that keeps Bruce from sharing information with him. The facts Batman keeps from his partner are what ultimately tear them apart, and Bruce’s reluctance to share his experiences in Japan is just another in a line of secrets that dates back to Dick’s early years. Despite some corny dialogue from Robin, the interplay between the dynamic duo is the highlight of the episode, whether it’s Dick mocking Bruce’s perfectionism after training or pressing him to recall his time in Japan. The best moment is Dick and Alfred’s conversation about Bruce’s inability to admit fear, a talk cut short by the looming Bruce, who has potentially heard the entire thing. It’s a casual moment with the three of them acting like a real family, Dick sitting on the counter while Alfred washes dishes, discussing a relative behind his back.

As he deals with Kyodai Ken’s crime spree, Bruce is faced with the added threat of reporter Summer Gleason, who has decided to uncover the truth behind Gotham’s premier socialite. Like Lois Lane in a Fleischer Superman short, Summer’s efforts end with her tied up in a Wayne Storage facility, watching helplessly as Bruce Wayne gets pummeled by Kyodai Ken. Protecting a secret identity is one of the standard superhero plots, and this is the first time we’ve seen Bruce Wayne purposefully weaken himself to keep his identity hidden. In an episode all about pride, it’s a humbling moment for Bruce, and he’s forced to abandon his Batman training and fight Kyodai as a diminished man until Robin shows up. Once Summer Gleason is taken care of, Bruce is able to unleash his full potential, with Conroy slipping into Batman voice to show who's really in charge. By having Bruce defeat Kyodai instead of Batman, Perry wraps up the plot nicely, with Bruce finally achieving victory over his previously unbeatable foe but also recognizing Robin’s role in the events. Just as young Bruce learned that everyone loses, Batman learns that sometimes you need to ask for help if things are going to get done.
Grade: B-


“Cat Scratch Fever” (season 1, episode 36)
Selina Kyle (Adrienne Barbeau) is back, and she’s bringing Sean Catherine Derek and Akom with her for “Cat Scratch Fever,” one of the worst episodes of the series. I’ll stick by my praise for Derek’s early episodes, but her later work on the series has been as didactic as it is uninspired, and “Cat Scratch Fever” features an inane plot that primarily serves as a vehicle for an anti-animal-testing message. Released from prison on probation after saving Gotham from Red Claw, Selina returns home to find her cat Isis missing. She takes to the streets and discovers a pair of Roland Daggett’s (Ed Asner) goons rounding up stray animals to serve as carriers for a virus that only Daggett Pharmaceuticals carries the antidote for. Selina breaks her probation and dons the Catwoman costume to put a stop to Daggett's stupid plot.

It’s a shame that Catwoman’s episodes have been such clunkers, because the character brings out the romantic side of Bruce Wayne, a side that goes largely unexplored in the series. Bruce’s dilemma of falling for someone that is only interested in him as a friend is one that should be familiar to most viewers, and the relationship is the episode’s saving grace. Barbeau makes all of Selina’s dialogue with Batman overtly sensual, while her interactions with Bruce are considerably tamer; she's appreciative of his help but ultimately not interested in him “that way.” It’s refreshing to see Bruce Wayne, the perfect man, get shot down by the object of his affections, and as a child, I often fantasized about becoming a superhero to win the hearts of my grade school beloveds. As an adult, I wonder if Bruce doesn’t get off on the thrill of keeping his identity a secret from Selina. There are definitely some questionable morals at play when Batman flirts with Selina, taking advantage of her lust and disregarding her feelings for his alter ego.

“Cat Scratch Fever” is the episode that ended B:TAS’ relationships with both Derek and Akom, and it’s not difficult to see why. Akom turns in some of the laziest animation of the series, with inconsistent character models and jerky action that make this one of the few truly ugly episodes of B:TAS. The opening courtroom sequence features a judge whose face looks like it was drawn with a crayon, and the painted background figures are featureless masses of brown with just enough definition to suggest a human shape. To get a really solid idea of how Akom animation compares to the better studios on the series, compare Selina’s courtroom exit with Bruce’s from “Feat of Clay, Part 2.” In “Clay,” each figure in the crowd has a distinct body type and face and is animated independently from the group with realistic movement. “Cat Scratch Fever” features a crowd of similarly designed figures that move as an amoeba-like unit across the screen, the jerky animation moving the characters across the screen like paper dolls. And that’s far from the worst animation in this episode.

Akom doesn’t get any help from the script when it comes to the fight sequences, and this episode has the most embarrassing battle since Batman vs. giant bird in “I’ve Got Batman In My Basement,” the anti-climactic Batman vs. rabid dog scene. After the first fight sequence, the most flagrant display of deadly garbage cans on the series yet, you’d think there was nowhere else to go but up. Wrong. It shouldn’t take Batman more than a couple of seconds to subdue a household animal, even one that’s rabid, and his dog battle goes on for far too long, made even worse by the abysmal animation. It's just Derek trying to kill time because the plot is so flimsy, and the Daggett plot isn't even resolved on-screen, getting a small blurb on the cover of a newspaper in lieu of actual plot development.
Grade: D

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: With Summer Gleason’s vision obscured, Bruce slips into Batman-mode to take down Kyodai Ken. “Shut up and fight.”
• Depressing/disturbing fact: “Night Of The Ninja” writer Steve Perry was murdered by his roommate last summer, possibly in connection with a $10 million winning lottery ticket. A true tragedy.
• Wayne Cosmetics. They really have their hands in everything.
• Master Yoru wisdom #1: “There is always someone better.”
• Master Yoru wisdom #2: “Everyone loses now and again.”
• Master Yoru wisdom #3: “Defeat can be more instructive than victory.”
• “Listen, dipstick.”
• “Thanks for saving my bacon, Robin." "Hey, no problemo, Batman.”
• “Do you think he heard us?” “Who can tell?”
• “I don’t get it. You’re nothing but a common thief?”
• Did Robin really just say “sleepy-bye”?
• “That’s true enough.”
• Basically everything in “Cat Scratch Fever” is off, including the sound mixing. The first scene with Alfred and Bruce has muddled audio, and sometimes, the characters' mouths aren’t even moving when they speak.
• “You gonna lick it and make it all better?” Milo is such a creep.
• “You’re hot.” “Now you notice.” Even on the brink of death, Catwoman’s a-prowlin’.
• “Ever the escape artist, I see.” Relationships are the ultimate trap for Batman.
• “You'd better make sure of that my friend. Because if he does get away, I suggest you keep on driving, as far from Gotham as this truck can take you.” Roland Daggett knows you don’t f**k with the Bat.

 

[Revelator]

Another week (or two rather) has passed, so time for another review. Neither of these episodes is top-class, though they have their moments--"Strane Secret" is worth it just for the way Mark Hamil yells out "Focus!"

Batman: The Animated Series
"The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne"/"If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?"
Season 1 , episode 37, 40
by Oliver Sava May 23, 2011

“The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne” (season 1, episode 37)
After discovering Bruce Wayne’s secret identity, Dr. Hugo Strange (Ray Buktenica) auctions the information off to Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face in “The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne,” a frustrating episode that requires all disbelief to be set to the side for the illogical plot to work. The story by David Wise, with teleplay by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, requires Bruce Wayne to act idiotically in order to be marginally sensible, and the animation duo of director Frank Paur and Akom studio provide sloppy visuals to match the disappointing plot. This is an episode of a Batman: The Animated Series that feels like an average children’s show, with mediocre quality that can be overlooked by a kid but is hard to excuse as an adult.

A loose adaptation of Steve Englehart’s Detective Comics #471/#472, “The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne” has Bruce entering an “executive relaxation program” to investigate a blackmail attempt that almost costs Judge Vargas her life. The opening sequence on the Gotham bridge has some surprisingly good work by Akom, with a tense string-heavy score by Lolita Ritmanis, but from the very outset, it’s obvious this is going to be a rough episode. Once the dialogue starts and Strange’s henchman Numbers (who has a bizarre Italian accent) counts a stack of money by shuffling it near his ear, the suspense deteriorates into stupidity, climaxing with Vargas passing out by banging her head against the metal girder she’s climbing across. Apparently, the judge can’t support the weight of her own head. The thugs’ plates are traced to the Yucca Springs resort, a subsidiary of Roland Daggett’s corporation, prompting Batman to investigate as Bruce Wayne, having learned his lesson in “Eternal Youth” that the therapeutic clinics surrounding Gotham are breeding grounds for evil.

At Yucca Springs, Bruce Wayne meets Dr. Hugo Strange, who treats his patients by hooking them up to a machine that projects their thoughts on a screen, recording the images so he can blackmail his subjects later. Bruce has no problem undergoing the process, even though he is explicitly told that it lowers defenses and exposes deep secrets, which drives me crazy. It’s not like Bruce Wayne has anything to hide, right? Like “The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy,” this episode has Bruce putting himself at needless risk, which goes against the calculating, cautious mentality that’s made him the world’s greatest detective. While Bruce is hooked up to Strange’s machine, the animators have the opportunity to do whatever they’d like to interpret Bruce’s mental pictures, and I was hoping for a surreal sequence like Batman’s fear gas trip in “Dreams In Darkness.” Instead, we get a series of images that we’ve seen plenty of times already: young Bruce standing in darkness with Alfred by his side, his parents’ faces, a floating gun, etc. Strange presses Bruce until the Bat-symbol appears on the screen, and by the time Bruce regains his composure, it’s too late. Strange has the information he needs.

The trio of rogues that appear this episode are totally arbitrary, but Mark Hamill saves this episode from being a total failure with his typically fantastic delivery. Joker’s voicemail is brilliantly disturbing, and his one-liners help pick up the plodding second half of the episode. There’s some adequate banter between the group of villains, but for the most part, they appear only to make the lousy plot more exciting by bringing in three recognizable faces. They offer little to the overall story, and their presence feels like a desperate attempt to fill in Wise’s flimsy script.

Bruce discovers Strange’s thought machine and learns that Judge Vargas was being blackmailed for her involvement in the Gotham Dock fire. In one of those random PSA Batman moments, we learn that matches are bad, and we should listen to our parents when they tell us not to play with them, even though they make us smile so much. The image of little Maria’s insane face as she lights the match is hilariously over the top, but it’s just another unintentionally funny moment in the messy episode. Just take a look at the animation when the three rogues get off the airplane. Even a simple sequence of characters stepping forward is stiff and ugly, with some particularly awful shading on Two-Face.

The worst part of “The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne” is the horrible cop-out ending, when Dr. Strange reveals Batman’s identity as Bruce Wayne, only to have no one believe him. So the entire point of the episode is moot, because the rogues find out it’s Bruce and just don’t give a ****. What was the point of it all? Dick’s Forrest Gump impression at the end? It’s a waste of time, and that’s the worst crime of all.
Grade: D

“If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?” (season 1, episode 40)
First off, what an awesome title. The question is blunt, malicious in its simplicity, and the driving force of Riddler’s (John Glover) actions in his first appearance on the series. I loved this episode as a kid, especially the final maze sequence, as I have a soft spot for both Greek mythology and the David Bowie masterpiece Labyrinth (yeah, I said masterpiece), and I’m glad to say it holds up pretty well. This is co-creator Eric Radomski’s directorial debut on B:TAS, and he does a great job capturing the epic scope of Max Fleischer’s Superman shorts, especially in the ways he creates a fully realized Gotham environment. Responsible for the show’s dark backgrounds, Radomski developed the noir-influenced visual aesthetic for the locations Bruce Timm’s streamlined character designs would inhabit, and his direction utilizes distant wide shots to show off the detailed settings. For the climactic maze scene, skewed camera angles emphasize Batman and Robin’s disorientation, and the quick cuts keep the action moving at a swift pace as the dynamic duo avoids Riddler’s traps while attempting to solve the puzzles he’s laid out for them.

The answer to the episode’s title question is its speaker, Daniel Mockridge, the owner of video game company Competitron who refuses to pay Edward Nygma royalties for creating their best-selling game Riddle of the Minotaur. I’m beginning to think that corporations are the real big bads of Gotham City, as villains like Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and now Riddler are created because of the unethical practices of corporate CEOs. When Mockridge fires Nygma for wanting to sue Competitron, he adds insult to injury with the scathing question, “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?” It’s interesting that Nygma never actually tries to steal any money this episode, instead focusing all his efforts on terrorizing Mockridge. Who needs money when you have brains? For Riddler, the fun is in the puzzles, the clues, the chase. He respects someone that can match his intellect, and his crimes are more like aptitude tests, increasing in difficulty until his victim reaches the final stage.

David Wise penned the excellent “The Clock King,” and Edward Nygma has a lot of the same qualities as Temple Fugate, beyond the suit-and-bowler-hat design. Both are fairly subdued characters that become more aggressive in costume, and they both seek vengeance against someone that cost them a whole lot of money. Both characters are completely dedicated to their gimmicks, with Nygma turning reality into a game, with Gotham City as the maze, himself as the Minotaur, and his clues for Batman as the obstacles in the game. It all becomes literal once they get to the amusement park (because there’s always an amusement park), and by that point, Riddler has evolved into the gamemaster, terrorizing from afar. John Glover gives Nygma a smooth voice that is arrogant yet somehow charming, and the villain has an ambiguous morality that makes him one of the more likable rogues.

The relationship between Batman and Robin is strong this episode, with Robin offering his knowledge of Nygma’s computer game to help Batman. It’s funny that both episodes were written by David Wise this week, because Batman’s intelligence varies so greatly between the two. Showing extensive knowledge of agriculture, the Arab world, and musical theater, Batman is on his game this episode. A bunch of flashing lights? Obviously morse code. By the time you figure that out, Batman’s already decoded the message and left the scene. He’s just that good, and whatever he can't do, his palm-top computer can, including hacking into a giant flying hand that can be used for both transportation and badassery.

One thing I noticed is that Radomski is very good at building the suspense up to the commercial breaks, which has been a constant problem throughout the series. These moments should leave the audience wanting more, and he saves the Riddler’s full reveal for the first commercial break, then has the second act end with an action shot of a griffin preparing to fire on Batman and Robin. It keeps the momentum moving much more quickly and shows Radomski's attention to detail. The episode ends with a chilling coda to the Nygma/Mockridge conflict, as Mockridge tries to sleep, terrified of Riddler's wrath. Radomski loves the heavy shading, and the scene is a strong shift from the more light-hearted events that preceded it. Batman delivers the episode's final line as Mockridge waits in bed, shotgun readily available: "How much is a good night's sleep worth? Now that's a riddle for you." The Hand of Fate has taken him to the Wasteland, and there's no escape for him.
Grade: B+

Stray Observations:

• Bat Beatdown: Facing a hulking mechanical Minotaur, Batman sends the hacked Hand of Fate crashing into the golden goliath. Slapped.
• Strange’s henchmen flee without their money. It really is so hard to find good help.
• Bruce: boxers or briefs? Tightie whities.
• “Boy, did you get a wrong number! Leave your message at the sound of the shriek.”
• “I'm going to use your head for a bowling ball, Strange!”
• “First I would like to thank you for coming all this way—” “Get to the point!” Two-Face has no time for pleasantries.
• The cost of Batman’s identity: $51,240,685.53
• “Get out of my face, clown.” “Which one?”
• “You might lose your tip. Not to mention your head.”
• “It's not the fall. It's the sudden stop.”
• “Oh well, Arkham is nice this time of year.”
• Nice touch with the cubicles in the Competitron offices creating a labyrinth.
• “Bat… something or other, isn’t it?”
• “I love that trick, but I can never make it work.”
• “As high as an elephant’s eye” is a lyric from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma. Here it is, sung by Wolverine: [Deleted Hugh Jackman video]
• “I don’t know what’s worse: the traps or the puns.”
• “I don't believe in fate!”

Funny that the first thing Sava says about the Riddler episode is "what an awesome title." Now compare this with Eric Radomski's feelings on the episode:

It came off okay. I didn’t like the script [by David Wise] at all. I still don’t. I hated the title. I tried my hardest to get it changed, but Alan Burnett wouldn’t budge. We just couldn’t convince the writers that the Riddler might set something up as simple as a bomb in somebody’s office. It had to be complicated. So, that posed a real problem because you have 22 minutes to establish the character, and they suddenly put in these complex riddles that Batman must figure out. And of course, he immediately figures them out, and that destroys the whole mystery of Batman as a detective, because all he does is think for a minute and he has the answer. That didn’t really work for me, but I did the best I could with it. I had fun with it and unfortunately, we were trying out a studio in Spain--La Piz Azul--and that was their first [and last] episode. So, it comes off real cartoony compared to the other episodes. It was fun to do, but not one of my favorites. And I don’t care for the Riddler a whole lot. If there was an opportunity to work with him again, and I had complete say over that character, I would treat him as we do the Joker, where in reality he’s a mean bastard. He uses his wit, but it’s not the main thing he relies on, which is his ability to dominate.

 

[Revelator]

Wow--it's been nearly two months since I last posted here! Time to get back on the bandwagon with another of Sava's reviews...

Batman: The Animated Series
"Heart Of Steel, Parts 1 And 2"
season 1 , episode 38-39by Oliver Sava June 6, 2011
A- av club rating

“Heart Of Steel” (season 1, episodes 38-39; originally aired November 16-17, 1992)

I’ve always had a soft spot for Barbara Gordon (Melissa Gilbert). With two older sisters, I looked up to strong female figures as a child, and Barbara was my first exposure to plucky, young heroines, a type that I would later admire with Buffy Summers, Kitty Pryde, and Veronica Mars. I never read Nancy Drew, but I imagine Barbara had little mysteries she solved as a child with her stuffed bear, Woobie, while her father conferenced with Batman and Robin on the GCPD rooftop. (That would actually make a pretty cute comic, maybe with Amelia Rules! creator Jimmy Gownley at the helm?) Later in life, I grew to appreciate Barbara for wholly different reasons, as I followed her comic exploits as Oracle, the information hub of the DCU after she was paralyzed by the Joker. Barbara didn’t let her disability stop her mission, and that strength of character is on full display in her Batman: The Animated Series debut, “Heart Of Steel.”

Written by Brynne Stevens and directed by Kevin Altieri, “Heart Of Steel” captures the mini-movie feel of the Fleischer Superman with a retro sci-fi story, an aggressively art-deco design, and impressively smooth animation courtesy of Sunrise. This is some of the strongest direction from Altieri yet on the series, with creative camera angles and a strong use of negative space to break from the more traditional action cartoon look of the last few episodes. Stevens’ plot hits the major points of a solid B:TAS story with a focus on Bruce Wayne and an antagonist with a personal, emotional motivation, but where this episode succeeds most is in its expansion of Batman’s supporting cast. For the first time, we get a glimpse of Commissioner Jim Gordon’s (Bob Hastings) personal life, and his love for his daughter goes a long way toward making him a more relatable character.

In Barbara’s introductory scene, we see a Jim Gordon unlike the forceful, confident commissioner we’ve come to know on the series. His daughter now a college student, Jim struggles to accept that Barbara is no longer the young girl that needed her father’s protection and Woobie’s comfort. Jim’s reaction to Bruce asking about Barbara’s stuffed animal is probably my favorite Jim Gordon moment of the series thus far, as he blushingly admits Woobie “knows the way better than I.” In a scene featuring a beautiful redhead and a teddy bear, Jim Gordon is the most adorable thing in the room. And Jim’s last line, “Barbara forgot her bear,” is delivered by Hastings with an overly deliberate nonchalance that makes it obvious Jim needs Woobie more than his daughter does anymore.

When Jim is replaced by a robot later in the episode, Barbara’s first big clue that something is wrong is when the impostor knocks Woobie off the couch, showing no emotional connection for the cherished family possession. Just as her father latched onto the stuffed animal while Barbara was away, Woobie becomes Barbara’s only connection to the father she once knew, and she confides in the bear as she heads off to rescue her father in second half of the episode. Did Carl Rossum’s (William Sanderson) daughter have her own Woobie? A toy that she slept with every night, took on every road trip? Was it incinerated in the car accident that took her life?

When robotics genius Carl Rossum lost his daughter, he set out to create an artificial intelligence that could replace humans, whose decisions cause the loss of human lives. He really should have considered just what a free-thinking supercomputer could mean for human lives, because his prototype A.I. HARDAC (Holographic Analytic Reciprocal DigitAl Computer) plots to take over Gotham City with an army of robots running on WayneTech software. “Heart Of Steel” begins with a blonde Marilyn Monroe-type entering a Wayne Enterprises building just before the guards close up for the evening, leaving a briefcase at the front desk, then exiting without a word. Oh, the days before “If you see something, say something.” Randa Duane (Leslie Easterbrook) would not be able to get away with leaving a package unattended like that nowadays. The briefcase transforms into an four-legged robot that breaks into the building’s vault, stealing the “protein-silicon wafer chips” that will allow HARDAC to create more advanced robotic replicates of Gotham’s citizens.

Bruce is still in the building when the suitcase goes after the microchips, and it’s interesting to note that Bruce has equipped his offices with secret passageways and storage areas in case Batman is needed. When the security guards tuck Bruce away for safety, he exits through a revolving wall, reappearing as Batman to fight the briefcase. The music is one of the strongest elements of the episode, with Richard Bonskill and Tamara Kline handling the first part and Carl Johnson scoring the second, and the quick horn melody brings suspense and tension to a scene that is essentially Batman versus a killer carry-on. There are elevators in almost every major action sequence of the episode, which I’ll just assume represent mankind’s never-ending quest for technological advancement and its potential to eventually destroy us. The elevator always falls, crushing everything in its path on the way down.

When the suitcase shoots a rocket off the roof, Batman unfolds the Bat-glider he has stored for moments just like this, taking to the sky as the rocket is retrieved by Randa Duane. The chase ends with Batman getting shot down by the machine guns in the trunk of Randa’s self-driving car, returning to the Batcave with the destroyed Bat-glider. Altieri makes some inspired directorial choices to add some variety to a typical Batcave sequence, focusing the camera on Alfred’s cleaning efforts as the conversation proceeds. Showing the scene through the reflection in a bucket of water as Alfred wrings a mop into it is not only a creative way to tell the story visually but also emphasizes the majority of Alfred’s work: cleaning up after his master. The blood stains in the Batcave don’t just mysteriously disappear overnight, and Bruce can’t really hire a cleaning service.

The next day, Bruce conferences with Lucius Fox about the robbery, and he decides to visit Carl Rossum, the only man who would have any interest in AI of that level. Before Bruce begins his investigation the next day, he is reacquainted with Barbara Gordon, whom he hasn’t seen in four years. Barbara probably had the biggest crush on Bruce when she was in high school, and she’s confident and maybe a little flirty when she sees Bruce again. It’s a perfect introduction to the character, showcasing her relationship with her father and the spunky personality that will push her to become Batgirl. Gotham City is a boy’s club, but if any woman is going to break through the superhero glass ceiling, it’s Barbara Gordon.

When Bruce visits Cybertron (nice nod to Transformers), he is greeted by the eccentric Rossum, who has largely kept himself in seclusion since the death of his daughter. More great music as Bruce walks through Cybertron’s facilities, with a piano creating a smooth-jazz elevator music melody that is broken by horns to create a more ominous tone. The art-deco design is highlighted in the Cybertron scenes, particularly in the sleek design of the robots, with rounded edges and long limbs reminiscent of the Iron Giant. Sunrise has a lot of experience animating mechanical figures, having done multiple Gundam series over the years, and their animation is consistently smooth and detailed.

Whenever I hear Sanderson’s voice, all I can think of is Deadwood’s E.B. Farnum, even though Rossum is modeled after Sanderson’s character in Blade Runner, and his distinct voice works perfectly for animation. His portrayal of Rossum isn’t malevolent in any way, and he makes it hard to blame the character for HARDAC’s actions, despite his role in its creation. When Bruce is shown HARDAC, he meets Randa, Rossum’s assistant whom Bruce woos in hopes of getting information. Too bad she’s a robot. His plot backfires when the compact Randa left in Bruce’s office steals design specs from Bruce’s computer, forcing Bruce to leave Randa at Wayne Manor while he goes to Wayne Enterprises. Randa incapacitates Alfred and searches the house, discovering the Batcave and tampering with its computers to attack Batman when he returns. Despite learning Batman's identity, HARDAC is a machine focused on a singular objective, and revealing Bruce Wayne's secret identity isn't necessary if everyone is going to replaced by robots anyway.

Euipped with all the materials needed for an army of replicates, HARDAC replaces major figures in Gotham with robots he controls, including Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Mayor Hill. Barbara Gordon is the first person to catch on that people are being replaced, and she uses the Bat-signal to call Batman for help. Barbara handles her first meeting with Batman better than most do, showing little fear toward a figure that she’s probably gotten to know fairly well through her father. As she tells Batman that her father has been replaced, Bullock-bot shows up to shut her up, leading to the first scene of Barbara in action.

With Batman about to get his head stomped in, Barbara shoots Batman’s grappling hook at Bullock’s leg, wrapping the cord around his leg as Batman pushes him into the Bat-signal. The image of Bullock being electrocuted on the Bat-signal is incredible and really captures the intensity of the moment. Barbara believes that she has just killed a man that was like an uncle to her, and as she approaches the body with tears in her eyes, the flesh ashes away, and the robotic skeleton attacks. The scene is an emotional ride and ends on a comedic highpoint with a fantastic one-liner from Batman as Barbara insists she join him in his investigation: “Please let go of my cape.” That’s the thing with Barbara Gordon, though: Once she grabs hold of something, she never lets go.

As Bruce is ambushed by robots at his induction to a new Gotham social club, Barbara sets off to Cybertron, giving her best Solid Snake impression as she stealthily maneuvers the building. Unfortunately, the transforming garbage cans get her, and she joins the rest of HARDAC’s prisoners until Batman charges in to save the day. The final fight sequence is fluidly choreographed, and the way that the humanoids move emphasizes their robotic nature as they move on all fours, skittering and leaping as they attack. With her father and the rest of the copied people free, Barbara helps them escape before Cybertron goes up in flames, returning into the fray to help Batman once the men are safe. The episode’s title isn’t referring to HARDAC and his robotic operatives, but Barbara, whose strength and devotion never wavers. The end of the episode foreshadows her continued involvement with the Bat-family, but as much fun as she had working with Batman, there’s no better reward for Barbara than heading home with her dad.

Stray Observations:

• Bat Beatdown: Whenever Batman uses an elevator to crush a robot. Which happens often.
• Love that Batman sticks his hand out to stop the elevator from closing on him.
• Nails on a chalkboard as Batman drags the suitcase across the hall is a cruel sound to endure.
• Great direction for unfolding Bat-glider. Batman theme as a bird’s-eye view reveals the bat shape.
• “I do wish you wouldn’t be so rough with your toys, master Bruce.”
• “Sounds more like swimsuits.”
• “I’m fine.”
• “Squeeze may not be the best word.”
• Dishwasher that turns into Jacuzzi? Nice.
• So much tazing/electrocuting this episode.
• Gotta love Bruce’s one brown and yellow suit.
• “I’m gettin’ a sore throat.”
• Batman getting hit in the face with a pipe. Oof.
• “It’s suddenly less pleasant up here.”
• Things in Barbara’s detective bag: hacksaw, crowbar, tape, mirror, screwdriver, flashlight, camera, and film. Girl is prepared.
• That powder on a keypad trick does not work.
• “I’m sure the investigation will prove exactly that.” Mayor Hill, just being an ***hole as usual.

 

[quigonkenny]

Ah, HARDAC... Goofy acronym (probably intentionally), but a great, great couple of episodes. Easily among my favorites of the series. The sequel episode's a good one, too, but it's a ways away.

I'd forgotten that this was Barbara's first episode.

 

[Revelator]

I'd forgotten that this was Barbara's first episode.

Yes, and as Sava points out, her introduction goes quite well--one could argue that Barbara was never portrayed better.

In my desperate attempt to catch up with Sava's reviews, here's another late entry, focused on a pair of mediocre episodes:

Batman: The Animated Series
"Joker's Wild"/"Tyger, Tyger"
season 1 , episode 41-42
by Oliver Sava June 13, 2011

“Joker’s Wild” (season one, episode 41; originally aired November 19, 1992)

Don’t piss off the Joker. As terrifying as he is on a nondiscriminatory crime spree, Joker takes it to another level when it comes to settling personal vendettas. “Joker’s Favor” showed the lengths he’ll go to horrify the average Joe, and “Joker’s Wild” directs his rage on one of Gotham’s elite: Cameron Kaiser (Harry Hamlin), owner of the new Joker’s Wild casino. We saw how Joker reacts to the use of his likeness without proper compensation in “The Laughing Fish,” and the casino’s gross exploitation of his trademark grin backed by a robotic laugh track is an inexcusable offense. All three of the aforementioned episodes are written by Paul Dini, a man who understands Joker’s sadisticomic appeal, and he gives Mark Hamill ample scenery to chew with his consistently fantastic voice work. In typical Dini fashion, the true villain of “Joker’s Wild” is Kaiser, who is using Joker as a pawn in an insurance scam, and if there’s one thing Joker hates more than copyright law, it’s being used to make other people rich.

The episode begins with Joker in the Arkham rec room, hogging the television and being a general pain in the ass. Dini is great at writing the interplay between the rogues, and Joker speaks to Poison Ivy with the same kind of semi-flirtatious patronizing he showers on Harley, with Ivy’s thorny reception foreshadowing the ongoing tension between the two as Ivy befriends Joker’s wacky sidekick. Now that the main cast of villains has been established, Arkham is in full on revolving door mode, and this is the first time we see a full-on escape from one of the prisoners. I’m starting to suspect Arkham is actually run by a council of powerful Gotham citizens who benefit from supervillain attacks: politicians that run on fear-based platforms, contractors that repair the city after each new rampage, CEOs of pharmaceuticals that mass-produce the Joker venom antidote. How else could you explain the lack of asylum basics like locks on doors and a staff of non-imbeciles? It’s silly to hold a cartoon loony bin to any sort of realistic standard, though, especially when its main purpose is to be broken out of.

This is Akom’s first episode after being fired from the series with “Cat Scratch Fever,” and the addition of layout services by Mr. Big Cartoons makes for an improvement on Akom’s usual work. Unfortunately, their usual work is dreadful so this episode barely hits average. There’s an exaggerated Looney Tunes quality to the animation that wouldn’t work for a more mature episode like “Heart of Ice,” but it’s a suitable fit for the lighter tone of “Joker’s Wild.” The action is smoother and the character models more consistent, which is basically what happens when additional layout services are provided on this series, with the team of Dong Yang and Spectrum having done strong work together, including the next episode "Tyger, Tyger." Of course, any help Akom can get is greatly appreciated, and they clearly realized that after getting their asses canned.

Bruce Wayne is convinced that Cameron Kaiser didn’t originally plan the casino’s Joker theme, and peels back the wallpaper of his room to reveal a layer of medieval print underneath. He switches into his work clothes and investigates Kaiser’s office where he finds a model of Camelot casino and an insurance policy paid in full. Having bankrupted himself building the $300 million casino, Kaiser changed the establishment’s theme in hopes that the Joker would destroy it, allowing him to collect on the insurance policy and start another doomed business venture. Joker begins his reign of terror in the casino by posing as a blackjack dealer, leading to his first meeting with Bruce Wayne, who recognizes Joker as the real deal immediately. It’s a great scene that Conroy and Hamill nail, showing new sides of both characters as Bruce toys with Joker’s pride. We get to see Bruce the cocky jerk with Joker as his punching bag, and both actors are clearly having a lot of fun with the snappy banter Dini has mapped out for them.

The Batman/Joker action is a mix of hardcore fisticuffs and spectacular deathtraps, from a suicide run in the Jokermobile to a giant roulette wheel of death and an airborne helicopter duel. Director Boyd Kirkland isn’t as strong an action director as some of the other directors for the series, but “Joker’s Wild” is a solid effort on his part, particularly the roulette wheel. Batman shooting his grappling gun at just the right moment to catch a bouncing grenade, blowing up the wheel and setting himself free is just a completely badass move, and it’s a nice little nod to the oversized props of Batman artist Dick Sprang.

Villains are most interesting when they have something to fight for, and “Joker’s Wild” makes Batman’s greatest enemy fight for the integrity of his name, a name that has come to represent the darkest, most deranged corners of the human mind. He ends up back in Arkham by the end of the episode, but he’s achieved his goal. He’s reminded the world what a wild Joker really looks like.
Grade: B+


“Tyger, Tyger” (season one, episode 42; originally aired October 30, 1992)
What was going on in the producers’ heads when they plotted Selina Kyle’s arc? Here’s a sexy cat burglar with a complex relationship to our leading man, she should fight a Russian terrorist! And corrupt pharmaceuticals! And get turned into a cat! You know it’s bad when that last one is the strongest option, and while “Tyger, Tyger” does manage to delve into the thematic and emotional concepts Catwoman represents, it’s still a far-fetched story for a character that works best at street-level.

The biggest problem with B:TAS' Catwoman and Penguin is that they don’t receive specific origin stories because of the series’ proximity to the release of Batman Returns. The characters are given a kid-friendly makeover, but we never learn how exactly they found their place in the DCAU, which is a much different world from both the movie and comic universes. Selina Kyle is a thief and an animal rights activist, but how did she get there? And why did she choose the cat as her avatar? “Tyger, Tyger” attempts to answer that last question as Dr. Emile Dorian kidnaps Selina and injects her with a serum that transforms her into a short-haired Tigra (or Cheetarah if you swing that way), but Selina takes a backseat to Dr. Dorian's other pet project, the hunky Tygrus.

Michael Reaves and Randy Rogel tell a Catwoman story that doesn’t suck horribly so they already get points for that, but the use William Blake’s “The Tyger” as the episode’s anchor is a bold move for a kid’s show. It helps bring a layer of sophistication to the plot, which tries to achieve the same kind of gravitas as Reaves and Rogel’s previous episodes but falls a little flat in the execution. My main issue with the script is that the Selina/Bruce relationship is sidelined to give Catwoman a one-episode love interest in the form of Tygrus, but the character does introduce some interesting ideas about the relationship between the human and animal characteristics that many Batman characters embrace. That’s where Blake’s poem comes into play:

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The opening and closing stanza, both Dr. Dorian and Batman quote the passage in reference to Tygrus, who personifies the perfect, fearful symmetry of man and beast. Batman and Catwoman wear masks that keep them human, and all they have to do is remove them to subdue their animal urges, but that mask is taken off Catwoman this episode. Dr. Dorian is obsessed with cats because they are independent, powerful, and beautiful, and I wish the independent and powerful sides of Selina were shown as much as the beautiful. She's in a submissive role for most of the episode, and it would have been nice if Reaves and Rogel took advantage of her new look to make the character more vicious. The most terrifying villains are the ones that no longer wear masks, that have completely succumbed to their subhuman sides, and characters like Tygrus or Killer Croc have fully embraced their primal nature, making them more dangerous threats, and Tygrus' animal attraction to Selina makes him a sexual opponent for Batman as well.

I like seeing characters thrown into arenas and forced to fight for their lives. It’s a plot device that just works for me, so this episode’s Batman/Tygrus jungle fight sequence stuck with me as a kid, because not only are the two evenly matched, but they’re fighting over a girl. When B:TAS originally aired, I was very much in the “girls have cooties” years of my life, so I was fascinated by the Batman/Catwoman relationship. The relationships I saw in books and movies were still very innocent, and female characters were never as sexualized as Selina Kyle. When she’s Catwoman she wears skintight leather, and in this episode she basically walks around naked. The emotional foundation of Bruce and Selina’s relationship is that they like to make out while wearing animal costumes, and I didn’t quite understand that as a child.

Selina wants a man that can be Batman all the time, which is unfair if she insists on holding onto her Selina Kyle identity. With her transformation, Selina and Catwoman are one, but is that what she really wants? Tygrus represents a life where she can have that raw, wild feeling she gets in costume all the time, and all she has to do is change her spots. I think there's a saying about how that tends to work out.
Grade: B

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: After being tied to a giant roulette wheel with a live grenade and getting shot out of the sky, Batman swings open the door of the helicopter Joker has hijacked and delivers a satisfying punch to the clown’s cackling face. Who’s laughing now?
• “You hold my hand, and I'll slug you.”
• “Ugh, that is disgusting!”
• “Jumpin' Jiminy Christmas! It's an homage to me! I'm kind of sorry I have to blow it up.”
• “All those horrible faces grinning at me. That would do things to my mind after awhile.” “Who says you have one?”
• “He’s here.”
• Sign on Jokermobile: WAN THE CIRIN QNAL JOKERNOCILE. It’s supposed to say “Win the original Jokermobile.”
• “I hate it when you make sense!”
• “Why I outta—” “Hit me.”
• “It was a scheme worthy of me, Kaiser.”
• “Why can't he ever stay dead?!”
• “Ah, you bunch of no-good, whacked-out losers, ya make me sick.”
• “I'm talking primal here!”
• Dr. Dorian’s T-99 compound turns water purple and smoky. Of course it does.
• Dr. Langstrom just so happens to have a mutated cat-monkey around his lab.
• “Your father was a test tube.” Cold, Batman.
• Anyone ever read Garth Ennis’ amazing Punisher: The Tyger? Similarly inspired by Blake’s poem, it flashes back to Frank Castle’s childhood to explore the beginnings of the character’s apathetic and vicious psyche. Snazzy John Severin art, too.