The Onion's AVCLUB Reviews Every Episode of BTAS

[Revelator]

A new month, and time to get back on the bandwagon--I'm still several weeks behind. For this entry, Sava takes on a howlingly bad episode...

Batman: The Animated Series
"Moon Of The Wolf"/"Day Of The Samurai"
season 1 , episode 43-44
by Oliver Sava June 20, 2011

“Moon Of The Wolf” (season one, episode 43, originally aired November 11, 1992)

“Moon Of The Wolf” is horrible, but horrible in a way that becomes borderline enjoyable after multiple viewings. It’s not quite “so bad it’s good,” but the plot reaches such hilariously absurd highs that it’s hard to imagine it wasn’t written with comedic intent, and as the coda reminds us that writer Len Wein has been taking himself seriously the whole time, the episode lands its last epic punch line. It is supposed to be a joke, right? Because that electric guitar isn’t exactly instilling the story with a huge amount of emotional gravitas. Len Wein is a respected comic book creator responsible for introducing influential characters like Wolverine and Swamp Thing – he edited Watchmen,for god’s sake – how did he go so wrong with “Moon Of The Wolf”?

Like “The Cape And Cowl Conspiracy,” this episode is an adaptation of a previous comic book issue, and both episodes suffer because they have scripts by the writers of their original stories. The reason the originals work is because of where they fit in the character’s cultural context, but they need to be altered to fit in the DCAU. Paul Dini did it spectacularly with “The Laughing Fish,” combining the best elements of multiple comic stories while staying true to the tone of the series. The Batman we’ve grown accustomed to doesn’t shoot off quips while he’s fighting; he’s silent, direct, and formidable. The biggest offense committed by Wein’s script is just how out of character Batman is written. Beyond the Spider-Man fighting banter, he’s a lousy detective, pursuing the idea that his werewolf opponent is a mugger in a mask even though his maybe-girlfriend got turned into a cat a week ago. And one of his rogues gallery is a Man-Bat. Also like "Conspiracy," Batman walks into traps way too easily, and I hate when writers weaken the character because they need it for the story to work.

This episode is essentially an extended brawl interspersed with expository scenes of Anthony Romulus’ (Harry Hamlin) backstory, but Romulus is portrayed as such an unlikable idiot that watching his past is a chore. A professional athlete who seeks out the services of Dr. Milo (Treat Williams) to gain a competitive edge, Romulus chugs a vial of steroids mixed with timber wolf estrogen that turns him into a vicious man-beast. How in the hell do steroids mixed with timber wolf estrogen turn you into a werewolf? It’s painfully stupid, and it only gets worse when Milo offers to cure Romulus by giving him “advanced werewolfism,” because apparently that can be cured whereas regular werewolfism can’t. I mean, it has to be a joke, right?

Akom does stronger work than usual and the animation is still mediocre, but “Moon Of The Wolf” has plenty of audio distractions in the usually fantastic Carlos Rodriguez’s electric guitar-heavy score. Bruce Timm asked for the guitar to be incorporated in hopes of it spicing up the script, and I’ve come to the realization that I just don’t have the same music taste as Bruce Timm. When the B:TAS composers get too far out of the box – this week’s guitars, Shirley Walker’s drum machine – it takes away from the dark atmosphere, and this episode’s story is already lacking any sort of mature edge. I would prefer to have the more traditional orchestral music to ground the action in some minimal amount of sophistication.

“Moon Of The Wolf” is an episode that is great for an unintentional laugh, which makes it an awful episode of B:TAS. Regarding this episode, Bruce Timm said, “This is what I call a good Tuesday episode. It's not what you want to open a week on or end a week on, but it passes the time agreeably.” I disagree. Mediocre production values across the board diminish the already weak story, making this just another crappy episode of an early ‘90s kids action series. It’s a waste of time.
Rating: D



“Day Of The Samurai” (season one, episode 44, originally aired February 23, 1993)

Kyodai Ken’s (Robert Ito) last appearance “Night Of The Ninja” revealed Bruce’s training years in Japan, and “Day Of The Samurai” elaborates on the sense of duty and honor Bruce cultivated abroad when Kyodai Ken returns to steal the secrets of an ancient, forbidden fighting technique from Sensei Yoru (Goh Misawa). A huge step-up from Kyodai’s first episode, writer Steve Perry finds a stronger balance between the martial arts action and the character drama, and Bruce W. Timm returns to directing for a very Fleischery episode featuring uneven but overall strong animation from Blue Pencil.

“Day Of The Samurai” immediately sets itself apart with its use of subtitles, lending to the cinematic quality of the episode while immediately establishing the foreign setting. The opening sequence where Kyodai kidnaps Yoru’s prized pupil Kairi (Julia Kato) is a rapid assault of kung fu that not only showcases Timm’s sharp directorial eye, but the smooth Blue Pencil animation. While the faces could use some work, the characters have great body language and realistic movement, and this episode easily has some of the series’ best fight sequences. Bruce and Alfred head to Japan after learning about Kairi’s kidnapping, and when they arrive Bruce tells Alfred about “The Way of the Fang,” a deadly martial art that has been kept secret within Sensei Yoru’s family. With no sons, the location of the technique’s manual risks being lost, and Kyodai is holding Kairi ransom in exchange for a map leading to the manual’s secret hiding place.

The standout action sequence is Batman’s rescue of Kairi when she flies off a building, exquisitely storyboarded by Timm to showcase Batman’s technical skill while airborne. The screen flashes red as Kyodai kicks Kairi off the roof, panning out to show the massive drop, and Batman leaps off until he reaches her, shooting his grappling gun which we actually see latch on to a surface. There’s a legitimate sense of weight as he flies through the air with Kairi in tow, and he pushes a button that disconnects him from the hook, cradling Kairi as they crash into a fire escape. It’s fast, it’s smooth, and an impressive way to portray the type of aerial rescue we’ve seen before in a more dynamic way. The voice work in this episode also impresses, with the actors speaking lots of Japanese, and Kevin Conroy impresses with his delivery. I don't know the language, but there's an ease in his delivery that recalls the character's earlier time spent in Japan. Any Japanese speakers that could comment on his pronunciation?

What I love about the two Japan episodes is that they show how Bruce transformed from a vengeful youth into a focused detective and fighter, with his studies under Sensei Yoru instilling the samurai’s sense of physical, emotional, and mental discipline in Bruce. Bruce has the values of the samurai while operating in the shadows like a ninja, and that ideological clash comes into play as Kyodai Ken challenges him to a rematch. In their climactic battle atop an active volcano, the two remove their masks to fight each other for the last time, returning to the early days in Yoru’s dojo before they were firmly set on their respective paths. When Bruce defeats Kyodai by protecting himself from the fatal "eternal sleep" touch that Kyodai had learned from the stolen manual, Kyodai can no longer withstand the shame and is swept away by the roaring magma of the volcano.

Having watched another life get erased before his eyes, Bruce returns to Yoru apologetically, but Yoru insists that Bruce not take responsibility for Kyodai's actions. Not every death has to rest on Bruce's broad shoulders, and Yoru reaffirms Batman's mission by praising him as "the essence of samurai." Even after all these years, there's still more for Bruce to learn, but Yoru also reminds him that all the power Bruce needs is already inside of him.
Grade: B

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: Repeating his swing-in-on-a-wrecking-ball trick from “Robin’s Reckoning,” Batman crashes into Romulus as lightning strikes, frying the werewolf in mid-air. He totally planned that.
• Harvey Bullock is the one bright spot of “Moon Of The Wolf” with a solid interrogation scene.
• Batman calling Romulus "hairy" and "shaggy" gets really annoying after a while.
• “Do me a favor, shaggy: stay down!”
• “Spirit of the bat.”
• “You would have made a good ninja.”
• Alfred is being held captive at 563 Tezuka. Nice shout out.
• Bat b*tch slap on top of a volcano. Amazing.
• Kyodai Ken is definitely dead at the end of this week.

 

[Revelator]

I've once again allowed a couple of weeks to slip away from playing catch-up. For this installment Sava takes on a mediocrity and what may be the most enjoyable episode BTAS ever aired...

Batman: The Animated Series
"Terror In The Sky"/"Almost Got 'Im"
season 1 , episode 45-46
by Oliver Sava June 27, 2011

“Terror In The Sky” (season 1, episode 45; originally aired November 9, 1992)
The best episodes of B:TAS focus on interpersonal relationships, and “Terror In The Sky” uses Dr. Kirk Langstrom's (Marc Singer) Man-Bat serum as a metaphor for the secrets couples keep from each other and the ways that those secrets can deteriorate a marriage. With a story by Steve Perry and Marc Saraceni (who also contributes the teleplay), the episode combines emotional drama with high-flying action, and it's an impressive continuation of the themes introduced in Man-Bat's first appearance, “On Leather Wings.” Although the animation isn't as sharp as that first appearance (it's hard to compete with TMS), director Boyd Kirkland and Dong Yang studio turn in strong work, particularly during the episode's multiple aerial sequences.

When a humanoid bat-creature attacks the Gotham docks, Batman assumes Kirk has transformed into Man-Bat again, and claw marks on the rug and the pulpy evidence of the dock attack convince the doctor of the same. When Kirk's wife Francine (Meredith MacRae) discovers the remnants of the previous night in the trash, she confronts her husband, who insists that he is not intentionally transforming, but Francine is not convinced. The scene where Francine tells Kirk that she can't go through the drama again could easily be about a mistress or addiction, but instead it's about a serum that turns people into half-bat monsters. The fact that Perry and Saraceni are able to convey strong, human emotions in the fantastic context is admirable, and they're greatly assisted by Singer and MacRae's strong voice work. We haven't really seen a married couple dynamic on the series yet, and the Langstroms' emotional journey is a riveting one, with Francine leaving her husband because she's lost her trust in him.

Batman's investigation leads him to Francine's father Dr. March (Rene Auberjonois), who is still convinced that the Man-Bat serum is the only way that humanity can survive the forthcoming evolutionary shift and has been working on refining the formula, inadvertently infecting his own daughter when she helps him clean up a broken vial. Despite the unlikelihood that Francine would get infected from such a tiny dosage, the plot development serves as another metaphor, this time for the negative effects that an over-involved parent can have on their child as well as that child's relationships. Francine is literally transformed by her jackass father's interference in her life, and when his influence is removed, she is able to have a happy life with her husband again. Unfortunately that doesn't happen until after she almost kills a plane full of people.

There are some superb chase scenes in this episode, from She-Bat's attack on a motorcycle riding Batman to the final climactic air sequence, and the animators at Dong Yang outdo themselves, providing slick animation that is sharper than their usual work (not counting the episodes done with Spectrum because those are breathtaking). It must be incredibly difficult to accurately depict the crazy perspective shifts that come with aerial fight choreography, but Dong Yang and Boyd Kirkland nail it, with Kirkland also turning in stronger, more dynamic action staging than his past episodes. Kirkland excels at emotional storytelling, so the scenes focusing on the relationships work very well, but it's good to see him refining his action chops, too, and this episode is a success for the director.
Grade: B+


“Almost Got ‘Im” (season 1, episode 46, originally aired November 11, 1992)
We've seen Batman's rogues intersect in the past, but we've seen nowhere near the level of interaction as we do in “Almost Got 'Im,” Paul Dini's brilliant love letter to the over-the-top deathtraps that characterized early Batman stories. During a game of poker, Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Killer Croc share stories about how they nearly killed Batman, and the episode's vignette structure allows each villain time in the spotlight, crystallizing their roles in Batman's rogues gallery. Everything works this episode, from Dini's spot-on dialogue (tried to get the best quotes in Stray Observations, but I'm sure I missed a few) to Eric Radomski's slick direction and Stuart V. Balcomb's jazz-influenced score, and it's a nice, light diversion from the heavy stories of the last few episodes. Dong Yang and Spectrum contribute animation, and they continue to establish themselves as one of the finest creative pairings on the series as they meticulously capture Batman's series of daring escapes.

The first villain to share her story is Poison Ivy, who runs into Batman after poisoning Gotham with exploding pumpkins filled with Poison Ivy gas. As Batman chokes on the gas, we learn of Ivy's natural immunity to poisons and toxins for the first time, but it doesn't help her when Batman has the Batmobile mow her down. It's a really beautiful sequence that uses bold orange and red to create striking visuals, and the entire episode uses color wonderfully to create the atmosphere, often replacing backgrounds with expressionistic gradients that set the mood. This is also the first time we've seen Poison Ivy and Two-Face acknowledge their history with each other, and the rogues' reactions to learning their past relationship is priceless.

Following Poison Ivy's story is Two-Face, whose trap provides the origin for the Bat-cave's giant penny when Batman is tied to it and catapulted through the air. It's a straight-forward warehouse action sequence, but it looks great, especially the image of Batman once the catapult has been launched, with beautiful storyboarding from Radomski that keeps the action interesting despite being a scenario we've seen Batman in plenty of times before. Dini takes Harvey's obsession with the number two to the extreme, having him drink from a carton of half and half and always holding two deuces and two face cards in his poker hand, and it's the kind of clever sight gag that is perfectly in line with the character's personality.

The next villain to offer up a story is Killer Croc, who tells the gang, “I threw a rock at him!” which garners a long pause of empty stares from his comrades. His follow-up that “It was really big rock” fails to impress, but it's a comic highlight in an episode full of hilarious lines. After Croc, it's Penguin's turn, and this episode is easily Penguin's best appearance so far, as he traps Batman in his aviary of doom. While poison-tipped hummingbirds probably aren't the most menacing of opponents, the action moves quickly and watching Batman stab a cassowary with the beak of one of those little birds is a totally badass moment of animal cruelty.

The best deathtrap is saved for last, as Joker tells the gang about the previous night's filming of a Gotham talk show, where Batman was tied to an electric chair fueled by laughter, which can be pretty dangerous when Joker's laughing gas is being pumped through the vents. As Harley Quinn reads from the phonebook, the audience's laughter fries Batman until Catwoman appears to save his hide. Like Penguin, Catwoman gets her first truly memorable appearance this episode, flirting and fighting alongside Batman until Harley uses her signature boxing glove gun to knock Catwoman out. Harley ties up Catwoman in the cat food factory, preparing her to be ground up for cat food, and this is a Paul Dini episode, so there's some tantalizing wriggling for any bondage fetishists that just so happen to be watching. There's a strong female presence this episode with Harley, Ivy, and Catwoman all given ample screen time, and it's always refreshing to see more powerful ladies in the testosterone-heavy B:TAS.

The episode ends with the reveal that Killer Croc has actually been Batman in disguise the entire time, and besides the switch from Croc to Batman's voice, storyboarder Glen Murakami throws in a great visual of Croc's silhouette transforming to Batman's in the shadow of the hanging light. Having set a trap of his own, Batman has the GCPD waiting in the bar to take the rogues back to Arkham, and he heads to the factory to save Catwoman before she's minced. The coda features Batman and Catwoman on the rooftop in a familiar situation: She wants to get frisky, and Batman has other plans. As he heads off into whatever death trap Mr. Freeze or Clayface have waiting for him, Catwoman repeats the words that have driven the episode, “Almost got 'im.” One thing is for sure: This episode definitely gets it.
Grade: A

Stray Observations:

• Bat Beatdown: Tied to a giant penny, Batman breaks free using the jagged edges of Two-Face's coin, leaving the penny to crush Two-Face's henchmen. Ouch.
• “The end of a perfect day.”
• Batman's kind of a dick in “Terror In The Sky.”
• If there are train tracks, there's going to be an oncoming train. That's B:TAS logic.
• “Don't you get it yet, Batman? You failed!”
• “Is that what it's going to take? Your daughter's life, before you end this insanity?”
• The actors voicing the rogues (sans Barbeau) actually met in person to record this episode, and it shows. The chemistry between them all is electric.
• “I want a nice clean game, gentlemen.”
• “You're always seeing double.”
• “Sure, he could be all gross and disgusting under that mask! Uh, no offense, Harv.”
• “Not the robot theory again.”
• Why does Spectrum always give Batman such a hooked nose on his cowl?
• “Half of me wants to strangle you.” “And what does the other half want?” “To hit you with a truck!”
• “I’d say ladies first, but since we don't have any, we'll start with you, Pam.”
• “Smaller words, please. You're losing Croc.”
• “Good evening, folks, I'm the Joker. Living proof that you don't have to be crazy to host this show—but it helps!”
• Joker cooks a hot dog on Batman's electrified body. Perfect.

Now, I usually don't like to double-stack reviews, but since I need to catch up, here's another twofer from Sava, focusing on a pair of especially iconic rogues.

Batman: The Animated Series
"Birds Of A Feather"/"What Is Reality?"
season 1 , episode 47-48
by Oliver Sava July 11, 2011

“Birds Of A Feather” (season one, episode 47; originally aired February 8, 1993)

Ouch, “Birds Of A Feather” is a rough one. Not in terms of quality, but subject matter. The best writers find the psychological flaws that drive Batman’s villains, and Chuck Menville (story) and Brynne Stevens (teleplay) tap into Penguin’s delusional nature to tell a heartbreaking story about reform and rejection. After being busted by Batman during a museum robbery, Oswald Cobblepot vows to leave his criminal past behind, expecting to be greeted with open arms by the high society types he’s spent his life stealing from. Rather than being picked up from prison by a limousine, he boards a bus driven by a beastly curmudgeon of a women; his welcoming party isn’t a gang of celebratory rogues, but a stern Batman who warns him to keep his “beak clean.”

Oswald’s high hopes leave him susceptible to the machinations of stunning socialite Veronica Vreeland (Marilu Henner) and her flamboyantly catty partner-in-crime Pierce Chapman (Sam McMurray), who use Oswald to boost their profile by featuring him as the comedic entertainment at their latest party. Last episode showed us glimpses of Penguin potential with his “Aviary of Doom” segment, but “Birds Of A Feather” is the first time Oswald Cobblepot is effectively used for drama, the writers finally offering insight into the motives behind his criminal behavior.

We still don’t have a definitive B:TAS origin for Penguin, but the appearance of the giant rubber ducky from Batman Returns suggests we should use that film’s “deformed baby discarded by his wealthy parents” story for Oswald Cobblepot. His obsession with all things avian represents his desire to soar with the city’s elite, and his association with a bird that can’t fly comes to symbolize Oswald’s inability to fit in with Gotham’s upper crust. Penguin slurps down whole fish at dinner with a disgusted Veronica, gurgle-sings along at the opera, and acts like a hyperactive cretin at his coming out party, achieving the exact effect Veronica and Pierce were hoping to achieve and guaranteeing their pictures in the gossip section of tomorrow’s newspaper.

Casting Oswald as the victim humanizes him, making the character more than a collection of misquotes and ornithological fanaticism, revealing a brave soul and a kind heart underneath his grotesque surface. When Veronica and Oswald are ambushed in an alley, he immediately leaps to defend her umbrella-in-hand, fending off the muggers until Batman shows up to totally cockblock poor Penguin. It’s nice to see Batman caught off-guard, and his reactions to Veronica and Oswald’s relationship are constantly entertaining. In fact, the emotional storytelling is really strong this entire episode, and the characters show a variety of facial expressions that help convey both the drama and humor of the script.

Bruce Timm credits Ronaldo del Carmen with storyboarding the stronger emotional moments of the script, and looking at his storyboards for the dinner scene shows how well he conveys the story without needing dialogue. Dong Yang has layout services provided by Mr. Big Cartoons, and the animation is smooth with the character models staying consistent throughout the episode. The final opera fight sequence is appropriately epic, and director Frank Paur essentially redoes the scene from the end of “Prophecy of Doom” with a much stronger animation studio. Shirley Walker turns in one of the best scores for the series with an opera-inspired theme that undergoes many variations from the title card to the blazing finale. The full orchestra is used spectacularly, and the powerful sound makes the tragic conclusion of the episode hit even harder.

With a more well-rounded character, Paul Williams is finally able to show off his full range as Penguin, and he’s simultaneously brash and tedious while charming and sympathetic. Oswald is so desperate to be loved that he showers Veronica with affection, and Williams brings an appropriate sense of romance to his character’s long-winded vernacular, creating a genuine sense that he cares for her. When he learns of her betrayal, Oswald’s emotional shift is immediate, reverting back to his criminal persona and kidnapping Veronica for a hefty ransom.

After receiving the money, Penguin lashes out at Veronica, saying, “All I wanted from you, dearie, was a little friendship. That would have cost you nothing!” When Oswald Cobblepot is Penguin, he at least has his fellow rogues for companionship, even if it’s only for the occasional poker game. This episode marks the beginning of Oswald’s evolution into the businessman we’ll see later in the series, showing the villain’s eagerness to change in order to reach the status his name entitles him to. He still has a long way to go, but once he distances himself from the Penguin, he’ll learn how to fly.
Grade: A


“What Is Reality?” (season one, episode 48, originally aired November 24, 1992)

The Riddler’s back, and he watched Tron a couple times while he was away. I do love how shows from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s handled the coming of the Digital Age, and “What Is Reality?” finds Batman entering a virtual reality world after Riddler hacks Gotham’s financial computer systems. The plot is far-fetched and the ending doesn’t make much sense, but John Glover’s charismatic Riddler and shockingly strong animation from Akom for the trippy VR sequences make up for the story’s misgivings.

The episode begins with one of the more horrifying moments of B:TAS because it’s such a real-world possibility: the crash of Gotham’s banking system. Imagine trying to take money out of an ATM, a riddle appears on the screen, and suddenly the account balance is zero. You'd freak the f__k out, too. Of possible apocalypse scenarios, I think an electronic blackout would probably lead to instant chaos, but Riddler’s terrorism is small-scale. In fact, the only thing Riddler really wants to do is eliminate any record of his civilian identity, and play a little game with Batman, of course. I always found it odd that Riddler left such elaborate clues until I realized that his entire M.O. is testing Batman’s intelligence, risking imprisonment if he underestimates his opponent. Riddler’s pride ultimately leads to a creation of his own digital world where he can play God, putting Batman through a gauntlet where jokes and riddles are not only literal, but life-threatening.

When Riddler delivers a box containing a virtual reality machine to Gotham Police Headquarters, Robin invites Jim Gordon to try out the digital world, leading the Commissioner directly into Riddler’s trap. Nice job, Robin. When Batman link in to the virtual reality machine, he encounters question marks that shoot explosive rounds, a crazy intent (locomotive), a chess board where he plays the Dark Knight, restricted to moving in a L-shape until he rides a Pegasus through a field of deadly constellations. Yes, that sounds ridiculous, but it’s virtual reality. It’s like the contemporary version of the giant props that Dick Sprang would use to liven up the page. Also, Batman’s chess board uniform looks pretty damn slick. Riddler's pride proves his undoing, and Batman creates multiple virtual copies of himself that Riddler attempts to outnumber, weakening his concentration and undoing his digital world. The episode's chilling coda shows Batman, Robin, and Gordon discovering a vegetative Nygma, still hooked up to his virtual reality machine, leaving him inside a prison of his own creation.

Director Dick Sebast got lucky this episode, as Akom does some of their best work this episode. Getting fired was the kick in the ass they needed to fix their final episodes, and the difficult material this episode presents the opportunity for them to minimally salvage their reputation. This is the best Akom has looked, but it’s still far from great, and every time I see an Akom episode I can’t help but wonder how much better everything would look if TMS or Spectrum were in charge.
Grade: B

Stray Observations:

• Bat Beatdown: This week Batman is getting the beatdown at the DMV, where two of Riddler’s goons put him down by throwing a license plate at the back of his knees and battering him with a metal post. It’s the license plate to the knees that really does it for me.
• I saw Marilu Henner recently at a play opening in Chicago. She looked pretty fly for her age.
• “Maybe the cream of society's curdled, huh?”
• “I got a schedule, you know!” “And a lovely disposition to go with it.”
• “As long as you’re here, won’t you stay for a cappuccino?”
• “Come along Binky, we’ve already been robbed once this year.”
• Veronica’s got sex-eyes when Batman appears in the alley.
• “In my day I associated with a much higher class of riff-raff.”
• “Peach?”
• “’Tis better to have love and lost – and made a small profit – than to never have loved at all.”
• “And who says opera has to be boring?”
• “I solved the Baxter's Box in less than a minute. Of course this time, I don't have a sledgehammer.”
• Alfred loves riddles.
• I know you’re reading this, Riddler. Give us some good ones this week.
• “Ah, well, I never was any good at parallel parking. I'm not too clear on the rules of pedestrian right of way either.”
• “I suppose you expect me to believe you actually planned that.”

 

[Revelator]

Well, it's a new week, and that means a new attempt at playing catch-up. Once again, a duo of twofers is presented for your instruction and delight.
First up, Sava falls for the most overrated BTAS episode of them all, and then deals with another mediocrity:

Batman: The Animated Series
"I Am The Night"/"Off Balance"
season 1 , episode 49-50
By Oliver Sava July 18, 2011

“I Am The Night” (season one, episode 49, originally aired 11/10/1992)

I love a good Batman psych evaluation, and “I Am The Night” explores the burdensome pressure that Bruce’s mission puts on him, taking him to a breaking point with his alter ego. On the anniversary of his parents’ murder, Bruce experiences a crisis of faith when Commissioner Gordon is shot, and the episode evokes memories of Mask Of The Phantasm as Bruce considers abandoning the promise he made to defend Gotham City. Some might consider this episode overdramatic, but I’d rather call it operatic, with writer Michael Reaves and director Boyd Kirkland emphasizing the epic scale of Batman’s mission and Bruce’s limits as a human being.

From the opening title card, it’s clear this is going to be one of the serious episodes, with Michael McCuistion’s lamenting score backing an image of a gunned-down figure lit by a single red spotlight. The episode begins with an expansive, lingering shot of the bat-cave, Batman’s massive underground kingdom where he sits forlorn on his rocky throne. This is a hard day for Bruce, and because Roland Daggett got in the way of his mourning last year, Bruce is double the melancholy this time around. As he reads about Penguin’s overturned conviction in the newspaper, Bruce wonders if his actions have any effect at all, and after almost 50 episodes, it’s easy to see why the poor guy would get frustrated. It’s a lot easier to keep the streets clean when the city’s prison and legal systems aren’t complete pieces of s**t.

While Batman is leaving roses at the spot where his parents were killed, Gordon and Bullock are preparing to raid Jimmy “The Jazzman” Peake, a criminal with a grudge against Gordon for ruining the biggest score of his life six years ago. In Crime Alley, Batman discusses his malaise with Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who tries to motivate her friend using the philosophy of George Santayana. As Thompkins tells Batman that “those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it,” Bruce responds with another Santayana aphorism, “A fanatic is someone who redoubles his efforts while losing sight of his goal.” The philosophical shout-outs add a layer of sophistication to the script, continuing later in the episode as Bruce stares into the depths of the bat-cave and quotes Nietzche: “When you look too long into the abyss, the abyss looks back through you.” Bruce forgets to mention the first part of that quote, but it applies just as thoroughly: “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster.” How long can Batman keep fighting before he becomes that which he despises?

After leaving the roses, Batman delays meeting Gordon and Bullock to save street urchin Wizard (Seth Green), who is being harassed by two goons demanding payment for letting him work their street corner. When one of the thugs makes a run for it, Batman snags him with a batarang, sending the man crashing down on the roses Batman had set for his parents. Yay, symbolism! No matter how hard Batman tries to make his city a place his parents would be proud of, there are always criminals ready to crush his efforts at every turn. He was cracking before, but now Batman is starting to break, and the only way he knows to fix himself is by fighting harder. He finds Gordon in Bullock in the midst of an ambush, and while Batman helps capture the Jazzman, it’s not before Gordon takes a bullet.

Jim Gordon’s shooting is an event that brings together the entire B:TAS supporting cast, with Barbara making her return and meeting Dick for the first time (at least the first time for us). The foreshadowing of Barbara’s Batgirl alter ego continues as we begin to see a more aggressive side of her, wanting to go out and right the wrong committed against her. For the most part, the supporting characters come out to do exactly that, supporting Bruce through his existential crisis and motivating him to continue doing his good work. The only naysayer is Bullock, who fully blames Batman’s tardiness for Gordon’s shooting, and Robert Costanzo does great work capturing Bullock’s pain and anger.

Batman is DC’s greatest hero because he’s a human being. Superman may their most recognizable character, but the company didn’t name themselves after Action Comics. This episode shows us Bruce’s flaws and fears, but it also reveals the strength and endurance that keep us endeared to him. Bruce’s sense of honor and duty is so extreme that he pushes himself to his limits and then a little further beyond, and this episode shows what happens when his mind just can’t handle the stress any longer. The trauma of Gordon’s shooting on top of the anniversary of his parents’ death pushes Batman into a frenzy, and he throws a tantrum that leaves the cave in shambles and his spirit even less at ease. Conroy gives an outstanding performance this episode, going through a huge spectrum of emotions, and that wail after his bat-cave breakdown is heartbreaking. If there was any confusion over Bruce’s relationship with Commissioner Gordon, this episode makes it clear that Bruce looks up to him as a father. At the same age Thomas Wayne would have been if he were still alive, James Gordon fills the father figure role for Batman that Alfred serves for Bruce.

Faced with the possibility of losing another parent, Bruce tries to get rid of his mask, deluding himself into believing that killing the costume will kill his relationship with Gordon and save him from more grief. Bruce tries to make his decision about keeping the people he loves safe, but it’s more about keeping himself away from a life that can only end in pain. He says, “I chose this life. I use the night. I became the night. Sooner or later, I'll go down. It might be the Joker, or Two-Face, or just some punk who gets lucky. My decision, no regrets.” He has no regrets, but maybe there’s still time for Bruce to save himself from Batman’s fate. He quits for a whole two minutes before Dick is able to get him back in costume, but it’s not like that was going to last anyway. Batman doesn’t give up, it’s just nice to see him consider it once in a while.

Sunrise does fantastic work this episode, and Boyd Kirkland outdoes himself with the direction. The huge set pieces help contribute to the epic, operatic feel of the script, and Kirkman’s long shots show off the detail of the beautiful painted backgrounds. There’s a lot of acting that is required of these characters this episode, and Sunrise has a firm understanding of body language and facial expressions, landing the drama of the episode with crisp animation. Kirkland has been consistently growing as an action director, and this episode’s climactic sequence in Gordon’s hospital room is a slow motion shoot-out that builds the tension up to the big bang and Gordon’s revival. Having saved his surrogate father, Batman receives the words of encouragement that he desperately needed to hear, and through strained breaths, Gordon tells him, “Got to keep fighting. Never stop. What I try to live by. Maybe if I'd been younger, I could've been like you. Always wanted to be a hero.” The words reassure him that he's made the right choice, a message from his parents from beyond the grave that they are proud of his decisions, and that's what Bruce needs the most.
Grade: A


“Off Balance” (season one, episode 50, originally aired 11/23/1992)
After the miserable “Moon Of The Wolf,” writer Len Wein has nowhere to go but up, and “Off Balance” is a move in the right direction, kicking off the Ra’s Al Ghul saga that will stretch across the series. While investigating the mysterious Society of Shadows, Batman crosses paths with Talia Al Ghul (Supergirl herself, Helen Slater), and the two do that whole “superheroics instead of sex” thing that Batman’s gotten so good at with Catwoman. Wein writes very standard superhero stories, with villains that plot elaborate death traps and love to describe their evil plots just before they exit, and after the emotional and psychological depth of last episode, it’s a come down to return to standard children’s action fare.

It really bugs me that Gotham City has the Statue of Liberty. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because I like to think that the major American cities still exist in the DCAU, or maybe it’s because I don’t want to see real world landmarks in a fictional city. That being said, it’s not a bad action sequence, and it’s the first of the episode’s Hitchcock references. Recalling the Mt. Rushmore scene from North By Northwest, Batman fights two assassins atop the national monument, with the villains gassing themselves before Batman can get any information. They totally died, but I’m pretty sure they’re not allowed to show two ninjas killing themselves, so a line is thrown in about them wiping their minds with the gas. Yeah, whatever.

Batman learns that the leader of the Society, the nauseating Vertigo (Michael York), is preparing to steal an ultrasonic drill from Wayne Enterprises. This episode is bad accent central, with both Slater and York whipping out thick Eastern European dialects that recall horrible Red Claw flashbacks, but at least "Off Balance" is beautiful to look at. Sunrise does more strong work, with some impressive special effects when Vertigo uses his distortion beam, and Kevin Altieri clearly takes advantage of the studio’s talents. The way that the environments swirl and shift is reminiscent of the stunning work Studio Junio did on the hallucinations in “Dreams In Darkness,” and the fight sequences move smoothly while the character models and faces stay consistent.

After stealing the ultrasonic drill, Batman tracks Vertigo down to a bell tower where he meets Talia, helping her fend off a Society attack only to fall prey to the ultrasonic drill. Held captive by Vertigo, the two flirt for a while before escaping with the lock-pick Talia hides in her hair, running straight into a Vertigo death trap. Having set up a room with his disorienting device and a variety of booby traps, Vertigo leaves the two lovebirds to navigate their way to safety, which is going to be really hard because TALIA LOST HER CONTACT LENSES. You had me, Len, and then you lost me. It's such a stupid way to depower Talia, and damsel in distress Talia is much less interesting to watch than catsuit-badass Talia. Batman gets them through the room by pulling a Daredevil and closing his eyes, letting his other senses do the work, and once they catch up with Vertigo they use the bells in the tower to deafen the villain until he falls to his nondeath.

The end of the episode is where things finally get interesting, as Talia pulls a double cross on Batman, revealing her true allegiance to the Society of Shadows and her father, Ra's Al Ghul. I like that Talia's hair covers half her face for most of the episode, reflecting her hidden intentions in her design. Batman sabotages the ultrasonic device, officially earning him a spot on the Al Ghul s**t list, but it will be a few more episodes we see the full potential of the Demon's Head. "Off Balance" is just the shaky first step to getting there.

Grade: B-

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: As Talia fends for herself against the Society of Shadows, Batman swoops in, slamming into an assassin feet first, then pummeling him with his fist once they hit the ground. You definitely don’t want your face sandwiched between the ground and Batman’s fist.
• “A weary body can be dealt with, but a weary spirit... that's something else.”
• Hey look, a dumpster that no one gets thrown in!
• “I've put out a few fires, yes, won a few battles, but the war goes on, Alfred. On and on...”
• “I’ve been waiting a long time to play ‘Taps’ for Gordon.”
• When does Gordon actually get shot? Jazzman doesn’t have his gun when he’s in the truck, so who pulled the trigger?
• “Let's just say it was time to pay the piper.”
• “They got enough on me to play the funeral march.”
• “You stay down here much longer you'll be growing mushrooms in your armpits.”
• “No, Dick. This is my hunt.”
• “You’re going down for this! I ain’t talkin’ law, I’m talkin’ you and me!”
• “One of these days I'm going to nail his feet to the ground.”
• Gotta love when villains throw up handy clues about where their secret hideout is. It's a secret for a reason.
• The giant penny in the bat-cave is a lot more giant than it was in “Almost Got ‘Im.” It’s like 50 feet tall in “Off Balance.”
• “The first thing I want is for you to stop asking stupid questions.”
• Wednesday we’ll be running our Ed Brubaker interview for this year’s comics issue, and he talks about the B:TAS influence on his Batman comics and dishes on his Captain America and Criminal work. One of his first books in the Bat-office was the “Officer Down” crossover, which shares more than a few similarities with “I Am The Night.”

After his sad love-fest for "Night," Sava gets back on track for two genuine classics:

Batman: The Animated Series
"The Man Who Killed Batman"/"Mudslide"
season 1 , episode 51-52
By Oliver Sava July 25, 2011

“The Man Who Killed Batman” (season one, episode 51; originally aired 2/1/93)

When Paul Dini throws the average Joe into Batman’s demented world, cartoon magic happens. When Paul Dini and Bruce Timm team up, Emmy happens. “The Man Who Killed Batman” didn’t win any awards, but it’s one of the best episodes of the series, and Batman barely appears. This episode is about what Batman means to Gotham’s citizens, and his apparent death reveals insights into his relationships with friends, enemies, and semi-innocent bystanders.

The episode begins with a standard B:TAS image, a dark alley on a stormy night, as a rain-soaked figure runs in panic. The small, wet man finds sanctuary in Rupert Thorne’s home, where he recounts the events of his evening, the night Sidney Debris (Matt Frewer) became “Sid the Squid,” the man who killed Batman. A small-time crook brought on a drug run as bait for Batman, Sidney fills his role swimmingly, landing himself in a one-sided rooftop fight against the Dark Knight that ends with Sidney accidentally pulling Batman off the building and into an exploding gas tank. Part of what makes this episode so memorable is the humor, and the rooftop fight uses Sidney’s clumsiness for some solid slapstick, but when Batman goes up in flames, the mood appropriately shifts to heighten the moment.

After offing the Bat, Sidney is reborn as “Sid the Squid,” a lowlife big-shot that can barely talk the talk, let alone walk the walk. Now considered the most dangerous man in Gotham, Sid’s status is almost immediately challenged, starting a bar brawl between Sid’s supporters and detractors that ends with the lot of them behind bars at Gotham Central. At the police station, Harvey Bullock tells Renee Montoya that Batman has been killed, and despite the tough front Bullock puts up, he’s visibly pained by the news. I wish we could have gotten to see Commissioner Gordon’s reaction, though, especially after seeing Batman lose it after Gordon was shot last week. As much trouble as Batman can be for the GCPD, the idea of their city without him is a terrifying one, especially considering the kinds of supercriminals that Batman’s presence awakened in the city. One of those villains isn’t much too happy about not delivering the final blow to the caped crusader, and he sends his plucky blonde sidekick to bust Sid out so he can pay his last respects to the Bat.

Shirley Walker’s funereal score uses organs to a create a classic horror vibe, and nowhere is it more effective than the Joker’s powerful introduction this episode (see screencap). Joker’s bothered by the fact that there’s no body, so he sets up a robbery to see if Batman really is dead. When Batman never shows, Joker deflates in sadness, uttering the words that perfectly encapsulate the two characters’ dynamic: “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” Paul Dini really understands the Joker/Batman dynamic in the B:TAS universe, and as hilarious as Joker’s impromptu funeral for his archenemy is, it’s an emotional scene that reveals the complicated relationship the clown had with the bat. Mark Hamill does incredible work with Joker’s eulogy, and Bruce Timm’s tight storyboards hit all the emotional beats of the monologue to amplify Hamill’s work.

Joker punishes Sid by throwing him in a casket and dumping him in a vat of acid, taking on Batman’s role in his own twisted way. It’s possible the acid will have the same effect it has on Sid as it did on Jack Napier, and in disposing of Sid, Joker potentially recreates his own birth, whether he wants to or not. Sid escapes before the acid burns through the casket, presumably through a drain in the vat, and makes his way to Thorne’s to bring us back to the beginning of the episode. Sid finishes recounting his story, but Thorne refuses to believe a third-rate crook could take out the Batman and fool the Joker with dumb luck. And he can’t. Just as Thorne pulls a gun on Sidney, Batman busts in and batarangs the chamber, revealing that he faked his death so he could trail Sidney back to the leader of the operation.

While “Joker’s Favor” showed us what happens when you insult the Joker, “The Man Who Killed Batman” shows us what happens when you take away what he wants the most. It’s cartoon psychological horror, and the animation team of Bruce Timm and Sunrise studios keeps the tone somber while still allowing the humor of Dini’s script to come through. Frewer captures the timid anxiety that characterizes Sidney, and his diminutive voice strips him of any aggression, making him even less of a threat. But with his new reputation as the man who almost killed Batman, prison might be just the place for Sidney to rise to power. Or he’ll become someone’s b**ch.
Grade: A


“Mudslide” (season one, episode 52; originally aired 2/15/93)

Batman has the best rogues gallery of any superhero because each villain has a specific symbolic significance, embodying the less favorable traits of the human psyche to make war a fight between ideas [and] emotions rather than a never-ending series of costumed brawls. After being scarred in a car accident, movie star Matt Hagen turns to drugs to regain his former face and fame, but an overdose destroys his body and mind, leaving behind only Clayface, a walking bowel movement. Drugs quite literally turn Matt Hagen’s life to s**t, and in “Mudslide” he gets flushed down the toilet for his last appearance on Batman: The Animated Series (although he returns on The New Batman Adventures).

In the wake of Amy Winehouse’s death this past weekend and Charlie Sheen’s breakdown earlier in the year, Matt Hagen’s character arc becomes a twisted reflection of reality. Fame is a dangerous thing, and people do dangerous things to keep it. Clayface is faced with the ultimate consequence of his addiction in “Mudslide” as his cellular structure begins to lose its integrity, turning him into a runny mess with limited control of his body. He turns to Dr. Stella Bates (Pat Musick), who had worked as a medical consultant on some of his films, for help reconstituting his form, and she encases him in gold plating that basically turns him into an Academy Award. Stella is an enabler, and her twisted notions of Hollywood romance compel her to help Clayface in hopes that she’ll win the heart of Matt Hagen underneath.

“Mudslide” isn’t quite as strong as Clayface’s origin episode, but Alan Burnett’s story (with a teleplay by Steve Perry) is a strong continuation of Matt Hagen’s tragedy. Burnett cleverly incorporates movie references to keep the character’s connection to fame and celebrity at the forefront, and he maintains the mature tone set for the character in “Feat of Clay.” Stella is seriously deluded, and the scene of her watching Matt’s film Dark Interlude is terrifying because it’s such a creepy, real thing for someone to do. Stella is motivated by love, as misguided as it is, and in trying to heal Clayface herself she prevents him from seeking proper medical attention.

The irony of “Mudslide” is that Batman offers to heal Clayface and he refuses, unaware that Batman is offering him the isotope that Stella has him steal later in the episode. With his deteriorating mental and physical state, Clayface immediately assumes the worst of Batman, instead choosing to return to Stella’s treatment. Stella pumps him full of chemicals and he feeds her the movie line that her mind interprets as love: “You cured more than my body. You cured my heart.” Stella only offers a temporary cure, though, and while the procedure that she does with the Mp40 isotope could have healed Matt, by breaking the law they bring Batman’s wrath down on them. The abuse of these chemicals is what creates abominations like Clayface, and while Batman was willing to heal Matt under the proper circumstances, he won’t allow their operation to go down. Clayface bursts through his chemical shell one last time, and their fight ends with an already-unstable Clayface soaked in the rain, his body no longer able to support itself as it absorbs the water. Dangling off the side of a cliff, his fingers interlaced with Batman’s, Clayface lets the rain wash him away, melting through Batman’s leather gloves to put another death on Bruce’s conscience.

Eric Radomski directs “Mudslide,” and he’s quickly risen to the top of the director ranks on the series along with fellow producer Bruce Timm. Both directors have such a firm understanding of the world they are trying to create, and the visuals of their episode are always sharp and specific, even when they have less than stellar animation collaborators. That isn’t the case with “Mudslide,” and while Junio can’t really compare to TMS’ stunning Clayface animation in “Feat of Clay, Part Two,” they do a really solid job with the series’ most difficult character. They capture the physics of the clay very well, specifically during moments like Clayface’s rooftop drop that ends with him splattered on the sidewalk, quickly reconstituting and sliming away. The most horrific moment of the episode is easily when Clayface absorbs Batman into his body to suffocate him, a fantastically storyboarded sequence that maximizes the tension while showcasing the stunning visuals.

Guilt and revenge and greed are fine villain motivations, but there’s something about love that makes a villain classic. Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Clayface – these are the rogues that have had the best stories, and they all contain an element of romance. Harvey and Grace, Victor and Nora, Jervis and Alice, Matt and Teddy/Stella (he was so gay in “Feat of Clay”), emphasizing the love makes tragedy all the sadder. Tennessee Williams gets a few shout outs this episode, and it is clear Burnett has read his work. The damaged relationship between Matt and Stella has its roots in reality, specifically with chemical dependence, and the tragedy is that they’ve broken things past the point where they can be mended. Clayface’s last words as he falls to his death? “Too late. Curtain's going down.”

Back to black.

Grade: A-

Stray Observations:

• Bat Beatdown: Wham! “That’s for pulling a gun.” Boom! “And that’s for the drugs.” Pow! “And that one’s for any I missed.”
• Beautiful title cards this week. The mini-Sidney for “The Man Who Killed Batman” captures how the episode puts him in a world where he is way in over his head, and “Mudslide” is a variation on the title card of “Feat of Clay,” incorporating Clayface in the drama mask’s shadow.
• “The Man Who Killed Batman” is the first appearance of Bud and Lou, Joker and Harley’s hyenas named after Abbot and Costello.
• Sidney might be a better lookout if he stopped making shadow puppets. Just sayin’.
• “I believe I served you a subpoena once. It was a small subpoena.”
• “I’ll get the mop.”
• “You really put the fun in funeral.” Cheek pinch!
• “Well that was fun! Who's for Chinese?”
• “Nobody's that lucky or stupid!” “Yes, I am! Honest!”
• “Don't take this the wrong way, Sir, but your goose is cooked.”
• What does Clayface smell like?
• “STELLA!”
• “Perhaps she enjoys mud baths.”
• Pat Musick is the mother of Mae Whitman. Huh.

 

[Revelator]

Another week, and another twofer of twofers.
First, Sava reviews an underrated episode I've always had a soft spot for, alongside the DCAU introduction to a certain shapely magician...

Batman: The Animated Series
"Paging The Crime Doctor"/"Zatanna"
season 1 , episode 53-54
by Oliver Sava August 1, 2011

“Paging The Crime Doctor” (season one, episode 53; originally aired 9/17/1993)

According to director Frank Paur, “Paging The Crime Doctor” was referred to as “The Geezer Show” around the studio, and even though the episode is mostly just old people standing around talking and occasionally kicking ass, it’s not too bad. Family can be as strong an impetus for crime as revenge, lust, and greed, but it’s one of the less explored motivations on the series. How cool would it have been to see Jack Napier’s sister? Or explore Harvey Dent’s daddy issues? Most of the family-oriented episodes up to this point have focused on Batman’s non-costumed villains – Arthur Stromwell, Lloyd Ventrix, Karl Rossum – and “Paging The Crime Doctor” looks at the relationship between crime boss Rupert Thorne (John Vernon) and his brother Matthew (Joseph Campanella).

After losing his medical license for not reporting a bullet he removed from his brother, Matthew has become the private practitioner of Rupert and his goons, held under the empty promise of regaining his medical license through Rupert’s influence. When Matthew has to operate on a tumor restricting the flow of blood to Rupert’s heart, Batman’s fairy godmother Dr. Leslie Thompkins is abducted to assist with the surgery, causing Matthew to reevaluate what’s he’s done in the name of family.

“Paging The Crime Doctor” has four writers – Mike W. Barr and Laren Bright on story, Martin Pasko and Randy Rogel on teleplay – and the group is a mix of creators from both comics and cartoons. Longtime Batman writer Barr contributes his only story to the series, and DC editor/writer Pasko returns after his surprisingly creepy invisible dead beat dad episode. Bright and Rogel worked together on “Robin’s Reckoning,” where Bright served as story editor, and that episode’s balance of action and emotion carries over to “Paging The Crime Doctor.”


The title card suggests a much more malevolent character than Matthew Thorne, but it’s a stronger choice for the writers to make Matthew a good man trapped in a bad situation. The moment when Matthew’s life broke was when he decided to take that bullet out of his brother, and when he sees Leslie again he is reminded of the life he had before becoming his brother’s servant. By making Matthew a medical school colleague of Leslie Thompkins and Thomas Wayne, the writers increase Bruce’s emotional investment in the crime, which tends to strengthen my interest in the episode. The episode’s final scene is a heartbreaking reminder of why Bruce has taken on his mission, with Bruce asking a jailed Matthew to tell him about his father. Great voice work from Conroy, and the way his voice softens shows how hard it still is for Bruce to talk about his father. The quality of the voice work helps elevate the script, from the kindness in Dr. Thompkins voice to the familiarity between the brothers that makes Matthew's servitude even more inexcusable. Campanella and Vernon are able to bring enough to nuance to their character voices to capture the moral dilemma behind the situation, and Rupert speaks to his brother differently that he does his disposable goons.

Director Frank Paur was cursed with Akom animation for most of his early B:TAS episodes, and with the bane of this series’ existence out of the picture, it turns out he’s a pretty good director. The opening car chase is fluidly animated despite how unrealistic it is (it’s a cartoon, physics don’t really matter), and Batman using his cape to block the driver’s vision an efficient use of a largely visual element of the costume. The scene where Matthew and Leslie jump across the rooftops is ridiculous, but I like Dr. Thompkins so I don't mind seeing her go all action every once in a while. This may be "The Geezer Show," but if the writers are able to tell a good story, who cares if the characters are old? On the opposite end of the spectrum is "I've Got Batman In My Basement," and no one wants that.
Grade: B


“Zatanna” (season one, episode 54; originally aired 9/2/1993)

I love that of all the DC superheroes to have as the first guest star on B:TAS, Zatanna is who they choose. A fairly obscure, magic-based character, she seems a bit of an odd fit for Batman’s more realistic, street-level environment, but Paul Dini creates a connection to Bruce Wayne that gives her extra significance to the Bat-mythos. I do have one big issue with her portrayal on his series, though, and that’s the lack of fishnets. Are they really hard to animate or something? Zatanna’s costume is absurd and totally not appropriate for crime-fighting, but the fishnets are a detail that reminds us Zatanna is a performer before a vigilante. They really should be there.

Zatanna is one of my all time favorite DC characters, and it’s probably because of this episode. I didn’t start seriously reading comics until after B:TAS ended, so I didn’t know much about female heroes beyond what I saw on screen. Zatanna’s connection to the stage appealed to the future theater geek in me, but what really stuck with me was the magic. Even though this episode shows the smoke and mirrors that are incorporated in Zatanna’s act, the character’s enchanting personality suggests real power underneath, a magical power to see the hope in life. Zatanna lost her parents too, but she honors their legacy with a tuxedo and the spotlight instead of hiding behind a mask in the shadows.

The last episode to flash back to Bruce’s training days, “Zatanna” reveals how Bruce learned the skills that have gotten him out of all those death traps. Under the fake name “John Smith,” Bruce was trained by renowned magician John Zatara, developing a relationship with his teacher’s daughter during the course of his studies. In the present day, Bruce sits in the audience during one of Zatanna’s shows in Gotham, watching as his friend is framed when one of her tricks goes awry. After breaking Zatanna out of a Gotham Police wagon, Batman has his first team-up with an established DC character (sorry, Gray Ghost), and as he inspects the scene of the crime he quickly deduces that Dr. Montague Kane, infamous magic debunker, is responsible.

This episode is one of Dini’s weaker plots because Kane is a pretty one-dimensional character, but Dini’s attention to the emotional life of his heroes keeps this episode from falling into the reject pile. Dini ended up carrying the relationship between Bruce and Zatanna with him for his Detective Comics run, largely to make up for the damage done to both characters in Identity Crisis, and this episode shows why that relationship has proven so effective. We don’t know the extent of Bruce’s relationship with Zatanna, but the nicknames and general touchy-feely atmosphere between the two suggest a few casual hookups at least. Bruce and Zatanna could have had a future together, but they were on two distinctly different paths. In a telling flashback moment, Zatanna asks Bruce to pick a card and she will tell him his future. She guesses that he pulls the two of hearts, cozying up to him as he corrects her with the correct card: Joker. Zatanna is a romantic, Batman is a superhero.

When Zatanna makes the connection between Bruce and Batman, she’s pitifully asks him, “What happened that made you put this on?” He replies, “A painful memory, and a promise.” Zatara trained Bruce because he saw something “deep and painful” inside, and now Zatanna sees it too. She leaves her friend with words of encouragement and a signed autograph, and Batman has been magically transformed by their reunion, having gained approval from his past and a new ally in the present.
Grade: B

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: Chained to Zatanna and dangling on a net thousands of feet in the air, Batman frees himself and swings the chain at Dr. Kane, wrapping it around him and pulling him off the plane. He must have learned how to handle a chain from old episodes of “The Gray Ghost.”
• Zatanna Zinger: After being framed, tied up, and thrown out of an airplane, Zatanna puts the magic to the side for her solution to the Dr. Kane problem. As he sits in the pilot’s chair, Zatanna gently tapping on Kane on the shoulder, reminding him, “A magician never does the same trick twice!” and punching him in the face. Ow.
• Thanks to Eric Garneau for showing me this awesome B:TAS timeline. Although the writer forgets to put the “Night of the Ninja” and “Zatanna” flashbacks at the beginning.
• “Always used to say you had a very hard head. He didn't know the half of it.”
• “Stay in bed the whole day, understand?” “Right.”
• “Get out, or so help me I’ll knock your brains across the street.”
• “Rose, thorne, of course. How clever, in a prosaic kind of way.”
• “I was a different person then.” “Yes. Intense, driven, moody... she'd never recognize you now.”
• “No, there was something inside you I had no right to deny, something deep and painful.”
• “What do you care about some leggy dame in nylons? Or have I answered my own question?”
• “You're sure there's nobody you want to call? A friend, relative... a husband, maybe?” Smooth, Bruce.
• “You know, I've got the weirdest feeling that we've met before.” “I… just have that kind of face.”

Since I'm still struggling to catch up, here's another pair of reviews, this time a cursory look at an utter mediocrity and a review of a classic romp.

Batman: The Animated Series
"The Mechanic"/"Harley And Ivy"
season 1 , episode 55-56
by Oliver Sava August 8, 2011

“The Mechanic” (season one, episode 55; originally aired 1/23/1993)

Ever wonder where Batman takes the Batmobile for repairs? Me neither, and “The Mechanic” is a Batman: The Animated Series episode that lands firmly in the “forgettable” pile. Stretching the “Penguin controls the Batmobile” scene from Batman Returns into a 22-minute episode isn’t the best decision from writers Steve Perry and Laren Bright, and the bland plot gets no help from the animation. Kevin Altieri is a solid director, but even the best can’t overcome the ugly, stiff work of Akom studios. It’s Akom’s final show, the last time we have to watch their off-model characters contort putty-like faces and move robotically across the screen, and the story loses its emotional weight under Akom’s incompetence. The episode isn’t horrible, but it’s aggressively average. There’s not much reason to watch, especially with “Harley And Ivy” immediately following.

After crushing the Batmobile’s engine during a chase with the Penguin, Batman brings his car in to Earl Cooper (Paul Winfield), an ex-engineer at Global Motors who quit his job after executives refused to address safety defects with a new vehicle. His ethical code makes him a perfect fit for Batman, who approaches the blacklisted Earl to design his new car and become his resident gearhead, funding the project through anonymous bank corporations to protect Bruce Wayne’s identity. When salesman Arnold Rundle (Steve Franken) sees Earl’s order for the parts needed to repair the Batmobile, he tries to sell the location of the garage to the Penguin, who takes the information and kills Rundle by throwing him in a giant rubber ducky and flushing him down a sewer drain.

The scene between Penguin and Arnold saves this episode by making Penguin a semi-legitimate threat, helped immensely by Franken capturing Arnold’s confusion and subsequent horror as he sinks to his death. I say semi-legitimate because I have a difficult time ever taking Penguin seriously as a hands-on, physical villain. It’s the mix of the design and personality the character’s been given, and while I appreciate the writers toning down his overly-verbose language from previously episode, the camp elements (vulture sidekick, rubber ducky) make Oswald Cobblepot a joke.

Penguin breaks into Earl’s garage and forces him to override the Batmobile’s security system by holding Earl’s daughter hostage. Penguin rewires the car so he can control it by remote, causing all kinds of trouble when Batman and Robin get behind the wheel. For the world’s greatest detective, Batman sure has trouble picking up on Earl’s clues that the car has been compromised. The Penguin takes control of the car and decides to kill them by driving the Batmobile off the top of a parking garage, and his showboating is the reason why he is such a lousy villain. He could have put a bomb in the car, or immediately driven them into a brick wall, but instead he gives them enough time to figure out how to escape. It’s all so predictable and boring, and the lackluster animation drags the quality down even further.
Grade: C-


“Harley And Ivy” (season one, episode 56; originally aired 1/18/1993)

“This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Poison Ivy says as she speeds away in her pink car, narrowly escaping the police with the help of the woman sitting to her left, Harley Quinn. The Thelma and Louise of the superhero set, Harley and Ivy’s relationship marks a turning point for this series. With most of the origins out of the way, the creators have established the foundations of their world, and this is the episode where they start having some fun combining the personalities they’ve created. The pairing of Harley and Ivy, the clown and the vamp, is one of the most endearing elements of the series, and Paul Dini has such a complete understanding of both characters that he’s able to make their partnership immediately believable and exciting.

Dini is a great comedy writer because he roots the humor in a real emotional place, in this case, Harley’s dysfunctional relationship with the Joker. This is a surprisingly dark episode considering how funny it is, and Dini uses Harley’s deep-rooted obsession with her puddin’ to maximum tragicomic effect. I see Harley as the embodiment of the producers’ vision for this series, an original character that is colorful and a little silly but totally damaged and driven by emotion. In the testosterone-heavy environment of Gotham City, Harley’s delusions of true love and romance bring a nice feminine outlook to the show, and make her a perfect foil for the feminist Ivy. Thus far, Poison Ivy has really only shown sympathy for plants, but when Harley helps her escape, Ivy sees an opportunity to groom her into the perfect partner. All she has to do is help Harley get over that abusive jerk she’s madly in love with.

The two quickly become Gotham's Queens of Crime, hanging out in their underwear in a cozy house on top of a toxic dump, but Harley can't resist the pull of her man, picking up the phone to beg his forgiveness. We see a different side of the Joker this episode, the human side that can be attributed to Harley's presence. He can't find his socks, he doesn't know where the hyena food is, and there's even a slight possibility that he just plain misses her. Of course, Joker tracks Harley's phone call to Toxic Acres, where Harley and Ivy have just dumped Batman into a river of toxic waste, and ambushes them. I did say slight possibility.

When Joker buries Ivy’s face in his poisonous flower, it has no effect on her. The Joker’s poison, the act that he’s put on to fool Harley into loving him, does nothing to Poison Ivy, who has found the cure for selfish male a**hole through feminism. The animators do great work capturing this battle of the sexes as Joker and Ivy face off. Although the character is horribly off-model, the Joker’s chin is so pointed that it becomes almost phallic. Ivy straddles a chair backwards and rocks back and forth suggestively in front of Joker's henchmen. Poor Harley is stuck in the middle, but Ivy makes the choice for her, delivering a swift kick to the Joker’s jewels and making a run for it. BS&P prevents them from showing a groin kick, but Mark Hammill gets the point across with the squeaked-out “Get ‘em!” he tells his cronies.

Dong Yang provides the animation with layouts by the ever-brilliant TMS, and the added help brings a clarity and precision to the story that fills out every moment. The commentary track for this episode reveals a lot about what the director and studios contribute to each episode, and both director Boyd Kirkland and TMS add flourishes to the characters and sequences that bring personality and reality into each moment. Little details like Harley kicking her feet when Poison Ivy gives her a shot and Ivy’s Little Mermaid hair flip when she’s monologuing to a tied-up Batman are little nuances that reveal character, and that’s part of why Kirkland is so good at emotional storytelling. And while the characters are great actors, the action sequences in this episode are breathtaking. The explosive climax moves fluidly as flames engulf Toxic Acres, and there’s impressive use of sound and visual effects to capture the full intensity of the blasts.

There are so many fantastic moments in this episode, but the best one comes courtesy of Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, and Ted Blackman, who cameo as three horny frat boys looking to pick up Harley and Ivy at a red light. After Ivy chastices them for cat-calling, Ted Blackman shouts back, “Oh, and what are you gonna do? Spank us?” Harley responds with a fierce, “That's right, pigs!” Pulls out her rocket launcher. “And here's the paddle!” BOOM! It’s one of the most badass moments ever on this series, and shows how strong women can be when they’re freed of their male oppressors. Unfortunately, Harley’s not free at all. She sees her man’s face in a plate of mixed vegetables, for god’s sake.
Grade: A

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: After escaping a toxic waste bath, Batman leaps off the rooftop of Ivy’s house, landing on the backs of two of Joker’s thugs. The animation really captures the weight of Batman, and that looks really painful.
• “Is he kidding?” “Maybe he's new in town.”
• How does Batman get his car to the mechanic when the engine is demolished? Bat-tow truck?
• “What happened? You've been letting the kid drive again?”
• “Excuse me?! Where will this take me? “On a sea cruise.”
• “I need a new car.”
• “In your dreams, Pinocchio.”
• “America’s Playground”is the slogan of Gotham City. Just replace the monkey bars with costumed psychopaths and the sandbox with a thousand abandoned amusement parks.
• “You didn’t say which gun!”
• “You’ll be laughin! (Beat.) I miss him already.”
• Ivy’s car has a “Rose Bud” license plate.
• “I wasn't trying to get caught! “Coulda fooled me!”
• “Hey, aren't you that plant lady? Poison Oaky?”
• “My puddin’s a little rough, but he loves me.”
• “If you had a middle name it would be ‘welcome.’”
• “You wanna be some wacko victim the rest of your life?
• “Honey… baby… pumpkin pie!”
• “Gee, Red, you got style.”
• “Choosing a weekend date, sir?”
• “Land-a-goshen, Harleen! This gentleman's come-a-courtin'!”
• “Herw we have the typical male aggressor, fittingly imprisoned within the bonds of female domestic slavery.”
• Batman is weighed down by a vacuum, blender, toaster, iron, and what looks to be a giant vat of Miracle Whip.
• “Man or woman, a sick mind is capable of anything.”
• Batman would totally die after being dumped in toxic waste.
• “Whoops. Dopey me.”
• “I think we can still work it out, don't you?”
• After reading Gotham Central, the capturing of Harley and Ivy by Renee Montoya has even more irony (spoilers: she’s a lesbian).

 

[StormBlue]

Revelator,

Thanks for always sharing these. I'm always interested in the AV Club's reviews, even though I would never bother to visit the website myself to check them out. I'm always intrigued by what is shared, so thanks for your work in sharing these on this forum.

 

[Revelator]

Revelator,
Thanks for always sharing these. I'm always interested in the AV Club's reviews, even though I would never bother to visit the website myself to check them out. I'm always intrigued by what is shared, so thanks for your work in sharing these on this forum.

And thank you StormBlue for those kind words. I'm extremely glad to read that you regard posting reviews here as definite convenience. When I was behind I considered dropping the project, but I realized I was too far gone to quit. I also need to thank you because by responding I can sneak in another pair of twofers. Away we go!

First up, Sava reviews (and slightly overrates) the introduction of Batgirl:

Batman: The Animated Series
“Shadow Of The Bat”
season 1 , episode 57-58
By Oliver Sava August 15, 2011
B+ av club rating

By this time next month, Barbara Gordon will be back as Batgirl after more than 20 years in a wheelchair for DC Comics’ line-wide relaunch. The response to her de-paralysis has been passionately mixed, but as someone that grew up knowing Barbara as Oracle, I’m excited to see her back on the street. Much of that can be attributed to my confidence in Gail Simone as a writer, especially after this statement in a June Newsarama interview:

“I just don't think [Barbara] was ever presented as a sidekick. She was always smart and usually independent. To me, it was more like she was more like a non-Hal Green Lantern. She shared a name and a motif, but was nothing like a sidekick.”

​

Robin’s a sidekick whereas Batgirl is an independent contractor, a female that didn’t need to be someone’s cousin from outer space or an Amazon to do what’s right. Simone talks at length about the intelligence and independence that sets Barbara apart from other female heroes, and “Shadow of the Bat” puts these endearing qualities on display as Barbara takes on a Bat-persona to rescue her father. Like Harvey Dent, Barbara Gordon benefits from being established before her costumed alter ego, giving us a chance to make a connection to the woman, not the mask.

After arresting Rupert Thorne with the help of hot-shot Deputy Commissioner Gil Mason, Commissioner Gordon is framed for taking bribes from the very man he’s just arrested. I’m rereading Gotham Central in those nifty little collections DC has been releasing, so it’s nice to have an episode with plenty of GCPD action. Brynne Stephens’ story about police corruption and gangland takeovers must have flown right over my head as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate that the story isn’t less mature because of the target demographic. When Harvey Bullock and the rest of the force organize a rally to grant Gordon bail, Barbara approaches Batman about making a guest appearance, a request he denies so he can actually solve the mystery.

Batman made a promise to James to keep Barbara safe, and he does that by being a huge jerk so she doesn’t try to get involved. Batman has obviously learned nothing from his previous cape-tugging encounter with Barbara. The more emphatically he tells her “no,” the more driven she is to defy him, and his refusal to help her forces Barbara to take matters into her own hands. While Bruce goes undercover as Matches Malone to discover the anonymous source tipping off Mason, Barbara dons a homemade cape and cowl to make sure a Bat-presence is felt at the rally. When a car drives by and opens fire on the podium, Barbara swoops into action, grabbing an ill-tied banner that falls onto the windshield of the shooters’ vehicle.

One taste of superheroism is all it takes and Barbara is hooked, creating her own Batgirl costume to redeem her father’s name in Batman’s absence. Undercover, Bruce has discovered the rogue behind all the trouble, his old friend Harvey “Two-Face” Dent. Batgirl and Robin run into each other on the rooftop overlooking Mason’s apartment, and the two team up against Robin’s will to find out the truth about the hero cop. Following Mason into an abandoned subway tunnel, they discover his connection to Two-Face and find their missing companion. Mason and Two-Face get away, blowing up the walls of the tunnel to flood them with water, and while Batgirl escapes, Batman and Robin perform one of their more implausible escapes by riding a subway car through the water-filled passages. How much property damage has Batman caused? I’m pretty sure not even Bruce Wayne has enough money to pay for all of it.

Barbara’s relationship with her father is what motivates her in life, giving her a connection to the Bat-family she is unaware of when putting on the costume. It’s fitting that Barbara wears Bruce’s outfit, as she is equally driven by her father’s influence. James Gordon and Thomas Wayne both had a duty to their city—the former as commissioner, the later as a doctor—and their children share that duty in the absence of their parents. The huge difference is that Barbara’s dad is still alive, resulting in the major disparity between the two heroes’ world outlooks.

In personality, Batgirl is much closer to Robin, looking at crime fighting as an adventure rather than an obligation. Batman fights to honor his parents, Robin fights to fill the hole left from his parents’ deaths, but Barbara fights because it’s fun. I wonder what Dick and Barbara’s social lives are like, considering they’re both college students who’d rather swing from rooftops instead of hit up a frat kegger. If Dick Grayson is wish-fulfillment for the children in the audience, Barbara Gordon is wish-fulfillment for the adults, a character that makes a grown-up, conscious choice to continue Batman’s legacy. Barbara isn’t a sidekick, she operates as her own separate entity, which fits perfectly for where she is in her life, the transition period between high school and college.

After last week’s marvelous display of female villainy, “Shadow Of The Bat” shows the obstacles a girl has to face if she devotes her life to heroism. The episode exploits Barbara’s inexperience for comedy—the slapstick grappling hook wipeout on top of a bus, being tripped by a tied-up thug and screwing up Robin’s whole stealth thing—but her lack of training can get her killed in the field. Robin is immediately condescending and patronizing upon meeting Batgirl, and when Batman sees them together he cracks a joke about her being Robin’s date.

Robin’s reaction is his childish way of negotiating the competing feelings of jealousy and attraction he feels for Batgirl, but Batman’s just being an a**hole. We’re beginning to see the beginnings of the correlation between Batman’s level of a**hole and the number of people that surround him, as each new sidekick and superhero team-up makes him just that much more of a curmudgeon. In an inspired twist, Batgirl really does have a little bit of a crush on Batman, but that will come into play later. When Robin tells Batgirl to go home after they spy on Mason, her response is appropriately coy and sassy, putting on a baby voice as she agrees to stop her mission because a man told her to: “If you won’t let me help you, what else can I do?” The animation really sells the moment, with Batgirl’s body language shifting into an uncharacteristically cheeky pose to fit the belittling tone of voice.

I’ve been watching some of the revamp episodes and the absence of Eric Radomski’s gorgeous title cards really does take away from the mini movie feel that has characterized the series. This week’s striking card teases Batgirl’s debut with a slender silhouette that is feminine yet aggressive. The cocked hip adds a flirtatious sexiness, but the balled-up fist serves as a reminder to keep it clean or she’ll beat you down. Visually, “Shadow Of The Bat” is a gorgeous episode, placing an emphasis on the shadows of the title. When Batman captures Thorne, the shadow is what terrifies the criminal most. The above screenshot shows how shadows are used to make Batgirl a more threatening opponent, but Barbara still has a long way to go before the darkness becomes her home.

The team of Dong Yang and Spectrum turns in sleek, detailed animation for the action sequences, but there are times when their out-of-costume storytelling gets a little muddy. Barbara unfortunately carries more of that burden, and I’m not quite sure why the animators have trouble giving her consistent facial expressions. Maybe it’s the exaggerated features of the female face? Barbara’s at her worst during the scene where she discovers Mason’s true allegiance after seeing one of the rally shooters at his apartment. The dialogue suggests that Barbara should look worried and anxious, but it mostly just comes across as befuddled confusion.

If Gail Simone gives us a Batgirl close to the B:TAS version, I won’t have a problem seeing her back in the costume. Headstrong and sassy, Barbara is the first of many heroes to begin a career because of Batman’s influence, and her limited use in the series makes it a treat whenever she shows up. Brynne Stephens isn’t the most subtle storyteller, and towards the end of the episode she starts getting a little crazy with the feminine imagery, having Barbara stop Mason at the base of Gotham’s Statue of Liberty and ending the episode on a shot of Lady Liberty. Stephens doesn’t need to bombard us with historical interpretations of female power, all we need is the redhead with a bat across her chest.

Stray Observations:

• Batman Beatdown: As a Two-Face goon throws two weak punch into the empty air, Batman kicks him squarely in the chest. Perfect comic timing.
• “Don’t you just love it when gives ’em to you gift wrapped?”
• “Yes, it’s quite alarming. If this continues, you may be forced to take a vacation.”
• Dick Grayson’s missing a Bogart festival in his film class for this crap.
• Barbara’s first weapon against an opponent: GARBAGE CAN LID!
• “What’s next? Weasel woman?”
• Wubby!
• “I trust my hunches. Kinda like second sight, y’know?”
• “Nice guy, but a few bats short of a belfry.”
• “At least I can see his bad half!”
• “I see you brought a date.” “She has your taste in clothes.” Oh, casual misogyny.
• “Do you mind?”
• “Would it have made a difference, Gil?”

Next up, Sava reviews a pair of mediocrities:

Batman: The Animated Series
“Blind As A Bat”/“His Silicon Soul”
season 1 , episode 59, 61
By Oliver Sava August 22, 2011

“Blind As A Bat” (season one, episode 59; originally aired Feb. 2, 1993)

Arkham Asylum sure does have problems keeping the Penguin behind bars. It seems like every couple weeks Oswald Cobblepot has been showing up to fuel another average episode, but “Blind As A Bat” is the last time we’ll have to watch the rotund reject serve as Batman’s primary antagonist until the revamp. While inflicting a suitably vicious amount of property damage, Penguin still suffers from a lack of personal motivation for his crimes. Apparently naming something after a bird guarantees the Penguin will try to steal it, and during the unveiling of the experimental WayneTech Raven X1-11 military helicopter, he hijacks the aircraft and demands a $100 million ransom for the flying death-mobile.

Bruce Wayne isn’t Tony Stark. He shouldn’t be funding the development of military weapons, and at least they throw a line in there about Bruce’s reservations with the project. In Animato magazine, director Dan Riba said, “We implied that not only had he been blind physically, but he had been blind to what his company was doing.” If the writers had spent more time on the story of Bruce’s ignorance about his company’s activities, the episode would at least have an emotional/personal hook to give the action significance.

“Blind As A Bat” has the same kind of melodrama as past Len Wein-penned episodes, and he relies on exaggeration to create emotion rather than making it come from a real, character-driven place. After the explosion, a panicked Bruce tells Alfred to call Leslie Thompkins, and Kevin Conroy delivers Bruce’s explanation with the appropriate amount of ham, but it doesn’t make it any better. “Because—I don’t want anyone to find out—that I can’t see!” Pulling his hands away to reveal crystal blue pupils, the ridiculous overemphasis makes the dramatic moment an unintentionally hilarious one.

Penguin is so vastly outmatched by Batman that the only way the writers can make him a threat is by blinding our hero. With the Raven’s ZVF (Zero Visibility Flight) sensor that uses sonar and radar to create visual images, Leslie Thompkins builds a helmet for Bruce that connects to his brain’s optic center. The image is like a low-resolution Virtual Boy, but it’s the ’90s and Leslie had about four hours to put the helmet together so give the old lady a break.

Most of the episode’s content is action sequences, and they look so good that they’re almost able to distract from the fact that they’re being used to pad out a flimsy plot. Mike Underwood and Len Wein’s forgettable story is greatly improved by the quality of Studio Junio’s animation and Dan Riba’s direction, and Riba’s inventive storyboards and keen eye for action choreography elevate the weak script.

Penguin’s bridge assault is a stunning sequence, following a group of teens stuck on the overpass when the Raven guns down its support cables. A wide shot of the Raven cutting through cables as the car drives into disaster shows just how powerful a weapon the Penguin has obtained, and following it with a close-up of the vehicle being trailed by frantic metal whips makes the cables as much of a threat as the helicopter. And while the explosive action looks excellent, shots like the close-up on Penguin’s umbrella-blade as it cuts the buttons off a henchman’s shirt help create interest visually where the dialogue may falter.

This episode is almost entirely redeemed by its animation, which makes me wish the assignment of animation studios for each episode was more organized. Why couldn’t the strong scripts go to Studios Junio and TMS and the bad ones get sent to Akom? When uninspired episodes like “Blind As A Bat” are gifted with gorgeous animation, it feels like a waste.
Grade: C+


“His Silicon Soul” (season one, episode 61; originally aired Nov. 20, 93)

HARDAC’s plot to replace humans with robotic duplicants was the weakest element of “Heart Of Steel” because robots just don’t make very interesting antagonists. Cold and detached without any sort of emotional catalyst, there’s no good motivation for HARDAC’s actions other than being a robot with shoddy programming. Imagine my delight when “His Silicon Soul” turns out to be a rather insightful mindf**k, using HARDAC’s Batman duplicant to comment on the powerful and dangerous effect that Bruce’s mission has put on his soul.

“His Silicon Soul” is a dark episode, both in subject and visuals. For the opening sequence where the Batman duplicant (BD) wakes up and stops three criminals in the Cybertron warehouse, director Boyd Kirkland uses heavy shadows to create a suspenseful, tense atmosphere that quickly erupts into ferocious chaos. The dynamic duo of B:TAS animation, Dong Yang and Spectrum, turn in characteristically polished animation, and this episode doesn’t pose much of a challenge for the team. The fight sequences don’t get too fancy with the camera angles, and having two Batmen means that they’re working with their most familiar character model for most of the episode.

Marty Isenberg and Robert N. Skir’s story puts a twist on the killer robot angle by having BD unaware of his robotic nature, believing himself to be the real Bruce Wayne transplanted into a mechanical body. After leaving Cybertron, BD goes to Wayne Manor, where he painfully reminisces over a photo of his parents. By convincing the robot that it’s human, the writers are able to overcome the problem with mechanical villains, giving the character the impossible motivation of obtaining his humanity.

When BD goes to retired Cybertron CEO Carl Rossum for answers about his condition, he has to come to terms with his true robotic nature. It’s a brutal scene with BD desperately clinging to Bruce Wayne’s memories as Rossum destroys the illusion. “You have information—data—nothing more,” Rossum tells him. The harsh truth combined with the appearance of the real Batman shows BD what he really is, leaving him vulnerable to his original program objectives set by HARDAC.

With his new evil self conveniently reflected through glowing red eyes, BD breaks into the GCPD impound yard to retrieve and upload HARDAC’s remains, reviving the human-hating computer in Batman’s body. The first act with BD struggling with his identity is much stronger than the continuation of HARDAC’s “Heart Of Steel” plot, and it’s not until BD and Batman’s Batcave brawl that the episode regains the intensity of the earlier scenes. If Batman is Joker’s polar opposite, then BD is Batman’s mission pushed to the extreme, as this exchange shows:

BD: Why do you resist? HARDAC’s goals are identical to your own.
Batman: How do you figure that?
BD: Picture a world completely free of crime, free of suffering, free of frailty.
Batman: You mean free of choice, compassion, free of humanity?
BD: Yes.

The thing that prevents Batman from becoming BD is Bruce Wayne, who understands the concepts of choice, compassion, and humanity that HARDAC cannot grasp. We’ve seen future versions of Batman that have embraced a fascistic worldview in the comics, and while the character’s growing cynicism over the course of the DCAU timeline puts stress on those three values, Bruce’s love for his parents keeps him on the path of justice. Love, honor, duty—these are concepts that HARDAC can’t understand, and they constantly prove to be Batman’s greatest weapons.
Grade: B

Stray observations:

• Blind Batman Beatdown: Hanging from a conveyor belt with his de-blinding helmet out of power, Batman swings his legs up to grab Penguin’s thug by the neck and throws him off the platform. Way to get beaten up by the blind guy, worst henchman ever.
• Cobblepot’s ornithological obsession manifests in the most bizarre ways. Pigeons are not funny and you would do well to remember that.
• “The most dangerous bird in the sky is the Penguin.” It’s funny because penguins can’t fly.
• “It’s full of something, alright.” “And so are you.”
• “Never too busy to spend some time cutting down your piñatas. Next time try hanging them a little lower if it isn’t too much trouble.”
• “I don’t try to build life anymore Batman. I just grow it.”
• “A soul of silicon, but a soul nonetheless.”
• Both episodes this week feature a red-eyed Batman, a design element recently used for Flashpoint’s Thomas Wayne Batman. Check out Azzarello and Risso’s Flashpoint: Batman—Knight Of Vengeance miniseries if you haven’t already. A completely twisted and fascinating take on the Bat-mythos in three issues.

 

[ShadowStar]

Just read the most recent review posted on the website, which is the one for "The Worry Men". According to the notes at the end of the review, the B:TAS AVCLUB is going on hiatus for a few months, unfortunately. At least they intend to cover The Adventures of Batman and Robin eventually, from the sounds of things. Better than not doing it at all.

 

[Revelator]

According to the notes at the end of the review, the B:TAS AVCLUB is going on hiatus for a few months, unfortunately. At least they intend to cover The Adventures of Batman and Robin eventually, from the sounds of things. Better than not doing it at all.

Indeed. But it seems that Sava will actually be skipping ahead to Justice League and leaving TABR in the dust. The silver lining is that I now have time to fully catch up on reposting all his BTAS reviews. With that in mind, here's another twofer.

First, Sava takes on two tech-oriented entries...

Batman: The Animated Series
“Blind As A Bat”/“His Silicon Soul”
season 1 , episode 59, 61
By Oliver Sava August 22, 2011

“Blind As A Bat” (season one, episode 59; originally aired Feb. 2, 1993)

Arkham Asylum sure does have problems keeping the Penguin behind bars. It seems like every couple weeks Oswald Cobblepot has been showing up to fuel another average episode, but “Blind As A Bat” is the last time we’ll have to watch the rotund reject serve as Batman’s primary antagonist until the revamp. While inflicting a suitably vicious amount of property damage, Penguin still suffers from a lack of personal motivation for his crimes. Apparently naming something after a bird guarantees the Penguin will try to steal it, and during the unveiling of the experimental WayneTech Raven X1-11 military helicopter, he hijacks the aircraft and demands a $100 million ransom for the flying death-mobile.

Bruce Wayne isn’t Tony Stark. He shouldn’t be funding the development of military weapons, and at least they throw a line in there about Bruce’s reservations with the project. In Animato magazine, director Dan Riba said, “We implied that not only had he been blind physically, but he had been blind to what his company was doing.” If the writers had spent more time on the story of Bruce’s ignorance about his company’s activities, the episode would at least have an emotional/personal hook to give the action significance.

“Blind As A Bat” has the same kind of melodrama as past Len Wein-penned episodes, and he relies on exaggeration to create emotion rather than making it come from a real, character-driven place. After the explosion, a panicked Bruce tells Alfred to call Leslie Thompkins, and Kevin Conroy delivers Bruce’s explanation with the appropriate amount of ham, but it doesn’t make it any better. “Because—I don’t want anyone to find out—that I can’t see!” Pulling his hands away to reveal crystal blue pupils, the ridiculous overemphasis makes the dramatic moment an unintentionally hilarious one.

Penguin is so vastly outmatched by Batman that the only way the writers can make him a threat is by blinding our hero. With the Raven’s ZVF (Zero Visibility Flight) sensor that uses sonar and radar to create visual images, Leslie Thompkins builds a helmet for Bruce that connects to his brain’s optic center. The image is like a low-resolution Virtual Boy, but it’s the ’90s and Leslie had about four hours to put the helmet together so give the old lady a break.

Most of the episode’s content is action sequences, and they look so good that they’re almost able to distract from the fact that they’re being used to pad out a flimsy plot. Mike Underwood and Len Wein’s forgettable story is greatly improved by the quality of Studio Junio’s animation and Dan Riba’s direction, and Riba’s inventive storyboards and keen eye for action choreography elevate the weak script.

Penguin’s bridge assault is a stunning sequence, following a group of teens stuck on the overpass when the Raven guns down its support cables. A wide shot of the Raven cutting through cables as the car drives into disaster shows just how powerful a weapon the Penguin has obtained, and following it with a close-up of the vehicle being trailed by frantic metal whips makes the cables as much of a threat as the helicopter. And while the explosive action looks excellent, shots like the close-up on Penguin’s umbrella-blade as it cuts the buttons off a henchman’s shirt help create interest visually where the dialogue may falter.

This episode is almost entirely redeemed by its animation, which makes me wish the assignment of animation studios for each episode was more organized. Why couldn’t the strong scripts go to Studios Junio and TMS and the bad ones get sent to Akom? When uninspired episodes like “Blind As A Bat” are gifted with gorgeous animation, it feels like a waste.
Grade: C+


“His Silicon Soul” (season one, episode 61; originally aired Nov. 20, 93)

HARDAC’s plot to replace humans with robotic duplicants was the weakest element of “Heart Of Steel” because robots just don’t make very interesting antagonists. Cold and detached without any sort of emotional catalyst, there’s no good motivation for HARDAC’s actions other than being a robot with shoddy programming. Imagine my delight when “His Silicon Soul” turns out to be a rather insightful mind****, using HARDAC’s Batman duplicant to comment on the powerful and dangerous effect that Bruce’s mission has put on his soul.

“His Silicon Soul” is a dark episode, both in subject and visuals. For the opening sequence where the Batman duplicant (BD) wakes up and stops three criminals in the Cybertron warehouse, director Boyd Kirkland uses heavy shadows to create a suspenseful, tense atmosphere that quickly erupts into ferocious chaos. The dynamic duo of B:TAS animation, Dong Yang and Spectrum, turn in characteristically polished animation, and this episode doesn’t pose much of a challenge for the team. The fight sequences don’t get too fancy with the camera angles, and having two Batmen means that they’re working with their most familiar character model for most of the episode.

Marty Isenberg and Robert N. Skir’s story puts a twist on the killer robot angle by having BD unaware of his robotic nature, believing himself to be the real Bruce Wayne transplanted into a mechanical body. After leaving Cybertron, BD goes to Wayne Manor, where he painfully reminisces over a photo of his parents. By convincing the robot that it’s human, the writers are able to overcome the problem with mechanical villains, giving the character the impossible motivation of obtaining his humanity.

When BD goes to retired Cybertron CEO Carl Rossum for answers about his condition, he has to come to terms with his true robotic nature. It’s a brutal scene with BD desperately clinging to Bruce Wayne’s memories as Rossum destroys the illusion. “You have information—data—nothing more,” Rossum tells him. The harsh truth combined with the appearance of the real Batman shows BD what he really is, leaving him vulnerable to his original program objectives set by HARDAC.

With his new evil self conveniently reflected through glowing red eyes, BD breaks into the GCPD impound yard to retrieve and upload HARDAC’s remains, reviving the human-hating computer in Batman’s body. The first act with BD struggling with his identity is much stronger than the continuation of HARDAC’s “Heart Of Steel” plot, and it’s not until BD and Batman’s Batcave brawl that the episode regains the intensity of the earlier scenes. If Batman is Joker’s polar opposite, then BD is Batman’s mission pushed to the extreme, as this exchange shows:

BD: Why do you resist? HARDAC’s goals are identical to your own.
Batman: How do you figure that?
BD: Picture a world completely free of crime, free of suffering, free of frailty.
Batman: You mean free of choice, compassion, free of humanity?
BD: Yes.

The thing that prevents Batman from becoming BD is Bruce Wayne, who understands the concepts of choice, compassion, and humanity that HARDAC cannot grasp. We’ve seen future versions of Batman that have embraced a fascistic worldview in the comics, and while the character’s growing cynicism over the course of the DCAU timeline puts stress on those three values, Bruce’s love for his parents keeps him on the path of justice. Love, honor, duty—these are concepts that HARDAC can’t understand, and they constantly prove to be Batman’s greatest weapons.
Grade: B

Stray observations:

• Blind Batman Beatdown: Hanging from a conveyor belt with his de-blinding helmet out of power, Batman swings his legs up to grab Penguin’s thug by the neck and throws him off the platform. Way to get beaten up by the blind guy, worst henchman ever.
• Cobblepot’s ornithological obsession manifests in the most bizarre ways. Pigeons are not funny and you would do well to remember that.
• “The most dangerous bird in the sky is the Penguin.” It’s funny because penguins can’t fly.
• “It’s full of something, alright.” “And so are you.”
• “Never too busy to spend some time cutting down your piñatas. Next time try hanging them a little lower if it isn’t too much trouble.”
• “I don’t try to build life anymore Batman. I just grow it.”
• “A soul of silicon, but a soul nonetheless.”
• Both episodes this week feature a red-eyed Batman, a design element recently used for Flashpoint’s Thomas Wayne Batman. Check out Azzarello and Risso’s Flashpoint: Batman—Knight Of Vengeance miniseries if you haven’t already. A completely twisted and fascinating take on the Bat-mythos in three issues.

Next up, Sava reviews Ra's Al Ghul's finest hour...

Batman: The Animated Series
“The Demon's Quest”
season 1 , episode 60
by Oliver Sava August 29, 2011

A- av club rating

“The Demon’s Quest” (episode 60; originally aired May 3, 1993-May 4, 1993)

From the very opening moments, it is clear that the “The Demon’s Quest” is unlike any of the episodes that preceded it. After the opening sequence fades out, Eric Radomski’s title card is mysteriously absent, and the change in routine creates an immediately unsettling tone for Robin’s teaser scene. Later shows in the DCAU would utilize teasers to hook viewers before the title sequence, and “The Demon’s Quest” opener is a solid first effort.

On a predictably stormy night, Robin sneaks into his dorm room, unaware of the group of men waiting on the other side of his windowsill. A flashlight shines on Robin as a gun is lifted in the shadows, and director Kevin Altieri’s use of light and dark heightens the tension of the scene until Robin is knocked out by a tranquilizer dart. The flashlight turns off and the shadows assume their dominance, but a flash of lightning reveals a glimpse of Robin’s abductor: a cloaked figure wearing a mask of the Egyptian god Anubis, avatar of the afterlife.

The music swells as the scene changes to an image of two cavernous stone walls, a location that could be the Batcave or the Himalayan mountain housing Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit. Radomski’s title card finally appears, with elegant white lettering recalling the pulp stories that inspired the plot. The camera pans down to show Batman pulling into the Batcave, where Alfred hands him an envelope containing a picture of a bound Robin with a note attached reading, “Save him if you can!” As Batman tries to register the impact of someone discovering his secret identity, a stranger’s voice calls out from the shadows. The speaker reveals himself to be international eco-terrorist Ra’s Al Ghul, who has received a similar note from the organization that abducted his daughter, Talia.

“The Demon’s Quest” is an adaptation of two specific Batman comic book stories. Part one covers Ra’s Al Ghul’s first appearance, “Daughter Of The Demon,” in Batman #232, and the shirtless swordfight epic “The Demon Lives Again!” from Batman #244 is the focus of the second. The writer of the original comic stories, Dennis O’Neill, handles writing duties, and fellow comic book writer Len Wein jumps on to contribute the teleplay for the second part.

O’Neill’s closeness to the source material and Altieri’s appreciation for the writer’s stories make “The Demon’s Quest” one of the best adaptations attempted by the series thus far (“The Laughing Fish” is still my favorite). The plot is a huge departure from what’s come before, and it begins Batman’s transformation into something bigger than just Gotham’s protector. The globe-trotting mystery forces Batman to team up with his enemy on a search that takes them to Calcutta, Malaysia, and the Himalayan Mountains. Along the way they encounter homicidal street rats, a vicious guard-panther, and skiing assassins, their quest ending when the mastermind of the plot is shown to be none other than Ra’s Al Ghul.

From the opening teaser it is obvious that Ra’s Al Ghul is Robin’s abductor. They’re wearing the same clothes, for God’s sake. The mask of Anubis is another giveaway for anyone familiar with Ra’s and his relationship with the afterlife, but the mystery isn’t the fun of this episode. Even Batman comments on how horribly obvious it all is, but who cares? This episode has Batman in India! Sword-fighting in the desert! Talia in a flesh-colored two-piece! This is Batman: International Action Hero, and he’s pretty awesome.

I have a distinct childhood memory of “The Demon’s Quest,” specifically the end of part one. I couldn’t watch after-school TV in my own house, so I had to go to my best friend’s across the street, which proved inconvenient for a two-part episode. I can remember that final shot of an enraged Ra’s Al Ghul holding his daughter above the Lazarus Pit, and the sinking despair when the words “To Be Continued… ” flashed across the screen. Who knew when I would be at Frankie’s house next? Aladdin was released the year before, and “The Demon’s Quest” tapped into the exotic, mystical atmosphere that made that film so enchanting. This episode has so many things for a kid to love—exotic locales, ample swash-buckling, just the right amount of romance—and their entertainment value still translates for adults, a problem for a lot of the more kid-friendly episodes.

The full extent of Ra’s Al Ghul’s plot never really sank in with me as a kid, and the global scope of his terrorism makes him a much more terrifying character than some of Batman’s more colorful rogues. This is a man who is smart enough to deduce Batman’s identity by looking at receipts, he wants to wipe out a third of the world’s population, and he has a satellite to make that happen. This is villainy on an epic scale, and Batman has to rise to a new level of heroism to counter it.

Ra’s Al Ghul isn’t all that different from someone like Osama Bin Laden, with Ra’s consumed by ecological fanaticism whereas Bin Laden’s was religious. Each new dip into the Lazarus Pit fundamentally changes Ra’s Al Ghul’s brain, consuming him with rage for his enemies and the wrathful desire to make the world right in his maligned eyes. The Lazarus Pit could be seen as a symbol for the indoctrination process that terrorist cells put new recruits through, stripping away the individual to make each person a disposable pawn. The origins of the Lazarus Pit are unknown—maybe it is the Earth’s immune system, transforming humans into terrorist antibodies in exchange for a prolonged life.

It’s more likely that Ra’s Al Ghul is just insane, though, as he does spend a good portion of this episode forcing his daughter’s uterus on a man in a bat costume. His obsession with finding an heir leads to him treating his daughter like a slave up for auction, handing her off to whichever man can survive the international gauntlet he’s set up. Talia’s totally cool with that because Bruce Wayne’s a babe, but Batman wants nothing to do with the genocidal duo. He’s just there to save Robin, not get anyone pregnant. When Batman refuses Talia, Ra’s challenges him to that most classic of duels: the shirtless sword-fight.

Ra’s is obsessed with proving himself better than Batman, but the truth is he wants to be Batman. Ra’s may have a body that never ages, but he has an old, damaged mind, whereas Batman is the epitome of strength and intelligence. It also introduces a nice Freudian twist to Ra’s and Talia’s relationship. How much of her father does Talia see in her beloved? Does Ra’s try to bring Batman into the family so his daughter doesn’t try to run off to be with him? The sword-fight ends with Ra’s tumbling into the Lazarus Pit, and Batman comforts Talia with a kiss before he heads back to Gotham. Batman really needs to stop enabling these psychos, because the Al Ghuls aren’t going to stop until they have a Wayne of their own.

Director Kevin Altieri establishes each location beautifully with wide panoramic shots, and the diverse environments are brought to life in vivid detail by TMS animation. The color palette is a lot more vibrant than usual, utilizing yellows and oranges to create the acrid desert and an abrasively neon green for the mysterious ether of the Lazarus Pit. Altieri has fun making Batman look as threatening as possible throughout the episode, and after he interrogates a thug on the streets of Calcutta, Batman walks toward the camera, the bat insignia growing larger until it takes over the entire screen. Batman’s coming for you, and there’s nothing that will stop him. When Ra’s Al Ghul has his obligatory supervillain monologue detailing his plot, a series of still images show the catastrophic effects of the Orpheus satellite, and I wonder if those are intended as stills or if they’re storyboards that proved too difficult to animate but too beautiful to trash. Either way, they work effectively, and incorporating comic book-style storytelling into an adapted episode is a nice touch.

“The Demon’s Quest” isn’t the most intellectually or emotionally stimulating episode, but the epic scope makes it a more than satisfying introduction to one of Batman’s greatest villains. The animation from TMS is on par with the original story artwork from the legendary Neal Adams, and Dennis O’Neill maintains the core elements of the comic plots while updating the dialogue for a modern audience. You can see how current Batman, Incorporated writer Grant Morrison was inspired to create an international network of Batmen after seeing how Bruce Wayne adapts to the different locations of the story, and the episode is a welcome journey into the world of pulpy action-adventure. Batman’s mission is beginning to apply to more than just Gotham City, and as the presence of the Bat increases around the world, so does the power of his myth.

Stray observations:

• Batman Beatdown: The only thing that stands in the way of Batman’s rescue of Robin is six axe-wielding assassins, and the jet lag has clearly triggered Batman’s berserker rage. He breaks a piece of wood off one of the axes, grits his teeth, and mows through the group in a flurry, leaving six bodies on the ground as he unties Robin’s restraints.
• “I think I’ll call it strike one.”
• “As Napoleon told me, ‘A strong will can fuel a frail physique.’”
• Nice pink pants, Ubu.
• “Next time I'll have to glue my mask on.” More importantly, cover up your paper trail.
• Never underestimate the power of Talia’s ***** slap.
• “Yes, I see it clearly now for the first time. You are completely out of your mind!”
• “Infidel!” “If you only knew how sick I am of you calling me that.”
• “Perhaps it is time I am finally one with the planet I so love.”
• Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.

 

[Revelator]

Good news! After a detour with Justice League Season One, Sava has returned to BTAS and begun reviewing The Adventures of Batman and Robin! I was all set to post the new reviews until I realized there were two old ones I'd missed. So, without further ado...

“Fire From Olympus” (season one, episode 63; originally aired May 24, 1993)
by Oliver Sava, September 12, 2011

Superhero stories are modern mythology. Characters like Batman and Superman have replaced Hercules and Achilles as paragons of physical and moral excellence, surrounded by pantheons of supporting heroes and villains, each representing specific virtues and vices. When megalomaniacal shipping tycoon Maxie Zeus is led down the halls of Arkham Asylum at the end of “Fire From Olympus,” he recognizes his fellow rogues as his mythical brethren: Poison Ivy is Demeter, goddess of the harvest; Two-Face is Janus, lord of beginnings and endings; Joker is Hermes, merry trickster of the gods. Arkham is Mount Olympus and Gotham City is the underworld, a dark realm ruled by the Batman, a vengeful god shaped by death.

I loved Greek and Roman mythology as a kid, and it was always exciting when B:TAS would turn to ancient legend for inspiration. Writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens put plenty of winks and references in the dialogue (Zeus quotes Shelley’s “Ozymandias” at one point), the architecture has a heavy Greek influence, and the music is the kind of epic drum-and-horn score that would fit right in with a 1960s historical epic like Ben-Hur. The episode has the potential to veer into camp, but Zeus’ relationship with his assistant Clio provides the emotional weight to keep the story on track.

A trumpet fanfare blasts over Eric Radomski’s title card of Mount Olympus, and the card and music fade away into an extreme close-up of a match. A flurry of woodwinds ascends as the match is lit, revealing Commissioner Gordon waiting for one of his informants, Yanni Stavros, in an alley. Cinematic is a word that’s thrown around a lot, but it fits director Dan Riba’s deliberate pacing, the camera following a newspaper in the wind to where Stavros is being hassled by a group of thugs. As Stavros flees down a dead end, a car pulls up, and the headlights cast a golden glow around a huge man that hurls a bolt of lightning at Stavros. It’s a strong start to the episode, and the bright lighting as Zeus strikes down Stavros emphasizes the character’s heroic delusions.

Gordon tells Batman that Stavros was supposed to give him information about an energy weapon that was stolen from Maximillian Shipping, leading Batman to the skyscraper temple of Maxie Zeus, the shipping mogul that power-tripped so hard he broke his brain into thinking it was a god. Zeus’ delusions have had a negative effect on his relationship with Clio, who longs for the days when Zeus wore polos instead of togas. When Batman flies the Batwing up to Zeus’ penthouse, Zeus cheers the arrival of his brother Hades, and invites him to share in the nectar of the gods. Batman declines.


Like the best Batman villains, Maxie Zeus is completely insane, escaping into his godly persona so he can avoid the criminal case being built against him. It’s a nice metaphor for corporate success, with Zeus alienating himself from the person that cares about him as he strives for more power. Unfortunately the next level of power is using an electron cannon to blow up a police blimp and wreak general havoc on Gotham City, so Clio goes to Batman to help him take her boss down.

A lot of the episode is Batman in deathtrap mode, escaping a snake, a boar, and gargoyles with machine guns mounted in their eyes. The sequence with the boar stands out for its lack of music, with the boar’s introduction teased by the echo of its clomping hooves as it charges down a hallway. Batman lassos it and rides it around the room until he’s thrown out the window, and the animation from Dong Yang and Spectrum captures the action with precision and clarity. The direction and story are very Fleischer-inspired, and the animation reaches that same level of quality.

In typical Greek fashion, Maxie Zeus’ hubris is what leads to his demise. He believed himself a god and invincible, and when Batman uses Zeus’ lightning rod to disarm the electron cannon, Zeus jumps to retrieve it and is fried in the process. He is foiled by his own lightning, but he ends up in his rightful home, as lord of his own criminally insane dominion.
Grade: B+


“Read My Lips” (season one, episode 64; originally aired May 10, 1993)

A psychological mob thriller with a 2-foot-tall protagonist, “Read My Lips” is the brilliant debut of The Ventriloquist and his gangster dummy Scarface. The second episode with a teleplay by novelist Joe R. Lansdale (the first being the excellent “Perchance To Dream”), this episode’s dialogue perfectly captures the hard-boiled tone of the story, which focuses on one of the most twisted relationships of the series. It’s difficult to find even one flaw with the episode, which features gorgeous animation from TMS, sharp direction from Boyd Kirkland, and a jazzy score from Shirley Walker.

A prizefight is a solid crime fiction go-to for a setting rife with testosterone, violence, and money, and it’s the perfect place to start the episode. They deliver to the money to a tiny man in a fedora and this other sad-looking old guy, and then there’s an old-fashioned newspaper spin to make sure you get the point that these people are really bad news. “Front-page headline tornado” bad news. Batman meets up with the Commish and gets surveillance tape that he uses to uncover the identity of one of the thugs. Apparently there are a lot of 10-foot-tall criminals, because Batman has to use his tattoo recognition software to find out the goon’s identity: Charles “Rhino” Daly. After a little alley chat, Batman tracks Rhino to the home base of Scarface’s gang, going all bug-eyed when he sees that Gotham’s new kingpin is a pathetic old man in an abusive relationship with his left hand.

The entire first act goes by without ever showing the main villain, which shows just how different this show is paced from contemporary kid’s entertainment. Establishing an atmosphere is just as important as setting up a plot, and the first act creates such a wonderful sense of time and place that the rest of the story feels more alive and exciting. When Wesker gets up to grab Scarface before the end of act one, the two have a conversation off-stage as the camera stays fixed in a position, a Hitchcockian way to keep the tension high before the big reveal.

When Batman goes back to talk to Wesker, Kirkland uses the same methodical pacing to build suspense as Batman investigates Scarface’s bedroom. There’s the requisite “puppet opens its eyes all on its own” scene, but the truth of Wesker’s condition is much more terrifying than anything like an animated dummy. Suffering from severe dissociative identity disorder, Wesker and Scarface are two separate personalities existing in one head, with Wesker completely devoted to his wooden slave driver. Wesker has a more resentful relationship with Scarface in the comic, but it was a wise choice for story writers Alan Burnett and Michael Reaves to make Wesker love his dummy. Another smart choice was getting rid of the character’s obnoxious inability to pronounce the letter B in the comics, which was supposed to show that Wesker was a bad ventriloquist, but was really just irritating to read.

After discovering the bug Batman planted on Wesker’s bowtie, Scarface lures him into a trap at the mannequin factory. My favorite moment of the episode is when Scarface wants to crush the microphone under his foot, and Wesker has to make the puppet do a little dance so it can build up enough force to destroy it. The camera pans out to show the pathetic scene from a distance, and the further away the camera gets, the less threatening Wesker appears.

In one of his most clever escapes (and still using tricks taught to him by Zatara), Batman convinces Scarface that Wesker is the member of his gang that has been selling them out. It’s one of the most intense scenes of the series as Scarface snaps on his creator, and George Dzundza does amazing voice work in both roles as they argue with each other. In essence, this is a scene that climaxes with a man pointing a gun at his own head, and if Batman hadn’t thrown that batarang in time, would he have pulled the trigger? Is Scarface or Wesker in control?

The warehouse scene ends with Scarface being riddled with bullets, and BS&P can’t do anything about it because it’s a wooden doll. It’s one of the most extreme instances of violence on the show and a brutal way to conclude the Ventriloquist’s first story, but the writers add a haunting epilogue to tease Scarface’s return. As the works away on a nondescript hunk of wood, Wesker turns the piece around to reveal the beginnings of a new Scarface. Picking up a blade, he drives the metal into the wood and drags it down, the screen blacking out once the mark is complete.
Grade: A

Stray observations:

• Batman Beatdown: After having a pile of platinum bricks dropped on him, Batman gets his revenge on Rhino by using his weight against him. As Rhino charges at him, Batman sticks his foot out, sending Rhino flying teeth first into a wall. The bigger they are…
• “To the depths of Tartarus with you!”
• “He’s not living in the real world anymore. Maybe you can relate to that.”
• Is that snake-repellant spray?
• “Have pity on an old man’s blood pressure.”
• Is “Mad Dog Ted” actually Wildcat Ted Grant?
• “I want your opinion, Danny, I’ll pull your string.”
• “You seem to have me confused with the police, Rhino. I want information and I’ll get it any way I please.”
• “Don’t put words in my mouth!”
• “So what? You’re a ventriloquist!”
• “You’re too stupid to be a traitor.”

And now the final review of the final episode of the first season:

“The Worry Men” (season one, episode 65; originally aired Sept. 16, 1993)
B- av club rating

These seasons sure are long, aren’t they? 65 episodes later, we’ve reached the season one finale of Batman: The Animated Series, and “The Worry Men” is a by-the-numbers Mad Hatter episode by two major forces of the first season: writer Paul Dini and director Frank Paur. The plot has a distinct Fleischer “Superman” influence, with a globetrotting plot and borderline offensive Mayan-influenced villain, but there isn’t much of an emotional hook to the story and the animation is uncharacteristically inconsistent for the team of Dong Yang and Spectrum. Considering the strength of Mad Hatter’s previous episodes, it’s a bit of a let down, but it has its clever moments and Roddy McDowall is always fantastic as Jervis Tetch.

When ditzy socialite Veronica Vreeland (last seen breaking Penguin’s heart in bizarro Dangerous Liaisons, a.k.a. “Birds Of A Feather”) returns from a highly publicized trip to South America, she throws a party to celebrate her own homecoming. Oh Ronny, you conceited little b---h. She hands out “worry men” as party favors, small figurines people can to talk to about their problems to get rid of unwanted stress. Bruce is hanging out with his best-friend-for-just-this-episode Hayden Sloan (Kunta Kinte himself, Levar Burton) when he notices a costumed man through the skylight, sneaking away from the party to slip into his Batman gear for a rooftop fight.

Frank Paur’s action sequences tend to revolve around big props causing damage (see: “Prophecy Of Doom,” aforementioned “Birds Of A Feather”) and the Mayan man cuts the cord of a giant tribal mask hanging above Veronica’s gala. Before Gotham’s elite are crushed, Batman shoots his grappling cord through the mask’s eyeholes, the hook looping around to secure the mask while Batman ties it to a pole on the roof. The scene defies the laws of physics, but this episode plays it fast and loose with concepts like realism and subtlety, so it works.

The next day, a chipper Bruce Wayne is greeted by his secretary-for-just-this-episode Dana, who is a bit confused about her employer’s recent demand: have a suitcase full of $20 million ready for him when he gets to the office. When Dana inquires about Bruce’s strange behavior, he has no recollection of asking for the money. During their conversation, Mr. Mayan appears to grab the briefcase off Bruce’s window ledge, soaring off before Bruce can get his money back. It’s only one in a series of robberies that Gotham’s wealthy are unwilling accomplices to, including Bruce’s friend Hayden Sloan.

After paying a visit to Veronica, who is in the process of brainlessly discarding a chest full of jewelry and other loot, Batman discovers that the worry men figurines are the cause of the recent crime spree, outfitted with microchips that leave the brain susceptible to hypnosis. Microchips were powerful plot devices in the early ’90s, a deus ex machina that made everything possible in a microscopic array of circuitry. No one’s better as using microchips for mental manipulation than Mad Hatter, and Batman deduces that Hatter is hiding at the Great Eastern Costume Company based on the fabric of the Mayan’s cape. Batman’s knowledge of the abandoned warehouses of Gotham City is so extensive it’s nearly superhuman.

Surely enough, Mad Hatter is at the factory, lamenting the failed robbery of Veronica’s jewels. When Batman appears, he’s attacked by mannequins and marionettes modeled after his rogues gallery. It’s a fun sequence with the best animation of the episode, featuring dynamic choreography from Paur and smooth animation from Dong Yang/Spectrum. Batman is defeated and Mad Hatter starts the monologuing, explaining that he wanted to retire from crime, but needed the funds to do so comfortably. When he heard about Veronica’s South America trip, Hatter traveled down and took up residence with a local craftsman that was brainwashed into helping him make the mind-control dolls. He convinced Veronica to hand them out to all her rich friends when she got back to Gotham, then collected the spoils with his gang of South American thugs forced to dress up in ancient Mayan garb.

It’s a convoluted plan that stretches credibility (How does Tetch get to South America with no money?), but McDowall gives such a great performance as Mad Hatter that he’s able to make the plot seem credible in his character’s head. This episode has a lot of similarities with “Birds Of A Feather,” as Hatter shares Penguin’s delusional sense of entitlement upon being released from imprisonment. After spending time behind bars, both villains create a fantasy that the world will reward them for choosing to leave their criminal ways, and are forced back into immorality when reality doesn’t meet their expectations. Jervis Tetch wants to live in a wonderland free of responsibility, and his immature desire prevents him from becoming a functioning member of society and lands him behind bars again and again.

Stray observations:

• Batman Beatdown: After being ambushed by funhouse versions of his rogues and almost guillotined, Batman sends a cape and cowl flying after a panicked Mad Hatter, then swoops in to kick Hatter in the chest while he’s distracted. Crashing into the hat rack of the costume shop, Hatter lands on the irony bull’s-eye. Fifty points for Batman.
• “The bugs were the size of my trust fund.”
• “This isn't one of those Riddler questions, is it?”
• Batman stops a guillotine with his feet. That is amazing.
• “Oh, but islands—even little ones—cost money. [Mad Hatter weeps.] Lots of money.”
• Batman: The Animated Series TV Club will be going on hiatus for a few months, but fans of the DCAU fear not. I will be returning Oct. 17 to begin coverage of what I believe to be the other essential DCAU series: Justice League. With the hubbub over the current DC relaunch, I’ll be looking at how Justice League mined comics history for inspiration while standing as its own distinct interpretation of the flagship team. It will also be your place to get a monthly rundown of what’s going on in the new DC comics universe. In the meantime, check out weekly Crosstalks with Keith Phipps and myself for reviews of the entire DC relaunch, and stay tuned for even more exciting Batman comic book content.

The hiatus is now over. Coming up--Season 02!

 

[Revelator]

A new week and a new season--the A.V. Club and Sava move on to The Adventures of Batman and Robin!

“Sideshow”
(season 2, episode 1; originally aired 5/3/1994)by Oliver Sava, February 13, 2012
Community Grade: B+

What better way to kick off the second season of Batman: The Animated Series than with one of only two episodes that is set completely outside of Gotham City? Batman has to navigate the treacherous terrain surrounding Gotham when Killer Croc escapes while being transported to a new prison, and the change in environment fits for one of Batman’s most primal rogues.

Killer Croc’s first episode, "Vendetta," was more of a Harvey Bullock story, but with “Sideshow,” Croc gets his own classic B:TAS episode in the vein of “Heart Of Ice” or “Mad As A Hatter.” Writer Michael Reeves, joined by Brynne Stephens on teleplay, crafts a story that finds the emotional core of Croc, using the character’s sideshow past to ask serious questions about human identity. Most of Batman’s rogues have their basis in a specific metaphorical idea, so what is Croc’s? Usually that’s established in the character’s introduction, but the focus on Bullock in “Vendetta” meant Croc got short shrift. Croc is one of the few major Batman rogues with a connection to the animal kingdom (that’s more of Spider-Man’s thing), and his primitivism is what sets him apart.

First, let’s all take a moment to admire the gorgeous title card from Eric Radomski, because you don’t notice how effective those cards are at setting the episode’s tone until they’re not there anymore. The image of Croc’s shackled hand dangling in the foreground while a single spotlight shines on a circus cage in the background tells you everything you need to know about the episode with a single evocative image, one that could easily stand alone as a great work of art.

Crocodiles have the strongest jaws around, and Croc’s mouth is his greatest weapon this episode. He escapes his chains by biting through them, and once he meets the group of ex-circus freaks in the woods, he uses lies to ingratiate himself with the group. He tells the group that he was imprisoned as a circus attraction and escaped his chains, and while yes, that did actually happen to Croc, it wasn’t any time recently. Croc conveniently skips over his years as a wrestler and criminal, and when Batman shows up to discredit him, it’s not hard for Croc to convince his hosts otherwise. Morgan is a crocodile but also a chameleon, manipulating others into seeing him as something different from what he is, turning his shackles into victimization instead of rightful punishment.

“Sideshow” is very loosely based on a Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams story in Detective Comics #410, the main similarity being that Batman chases a criminal to the cabin home of sideshow acts, including a seal boy and a strongman. The similarities end there, but it’s a great example of how the B:TAS writers turn to the comics for inspiration, then build on and improve the story in surprising ways. The series already has a character with a circus-freak past, so Reeves replaces inmate Kano Wiggins with Killer Croc, then uses Croc’s history to build an emotional, tense plot rather than using the standard action narrative of the original.

The former circus performers have built a farm sanctuary with the money they made being gawked at as freaks, showing Croc the life that he could have had. If he had been surrounded by people like Billy, May, June, and Goliath, could Croc have turned out any differently? As a crocodile man, Morgan was probably forced to be in a constant state of aggression, terrifying visitors as a way of selling himself. As a wrestler and criminal strongman, that aggression came in handy, but on the farm he experiences a life of tranquility for the first time. He is given shelter and food in exchange for labor, honest work in an environment where he is appreciated for who he is. “No one stares at you, laughing, making you feel bad. You can be yourself,” Billy the seal boy tells him, except he doesn’t realize that is the exact opposite of what Croc is doing in the woods.

When Goliath tells Croc about the $50,000 they have stocked away, the chips in his façade begin to show. He has a crisis of conscience when he finds the cash, staring at the circus posters hanging above him, reminders of what his newfound companions had to go through to make their money honestly. When Billy comes out and gives him a pep talk, it almost looks like Croc is about to give up his ways and settle down, but then Batman shows up, triggering the animal instinct that wipes away any of the progress Croc may have made.

Michael McCuistion composed great music for Justice League,but I really missed the full orchestra employed on B:TAS. Along with the hand-drawn animation, the orchestra lends the series a classic character, helping achieve the feel of the Fleischer Superman shorts. The music in “Sideshow” is used amazingly well, with different instruments helping to set the tone for scenes—but most importantly, the music knows when to stop. After Croc escapes the train, he knocks out Batman in the woods, and when he wakes up, the score is gone. Nature becomes the orchestra: Birds chirping, branches breaking, rivers running, and lungs heaving are the soundtrack as Batman hunts down Croc in the wilderness. When he catches up to his prey, the music returns with a variation on Batman’s theme, victorious, but not as powerful as usual. The music for Goliath et al. is a blend of haunting strings and cheerful circus melodies, creating a tone that is both forlorn, but strangely uplifting. There’s no doubt that this is music for a tragedy, but the occasional flourish of brightness in the score creates an inkling of hope for Croc’s rehabilitation. When Batman appears, the horns make their appearance, rallying Batman, Killer Croc, and Goliath into battle, and then the music disappears again when Croc seeks refuge in the cabin. The sudden silence amps up the tension as Batman sneaks in, then the score kicks in to set the stage for Batman’s aquatic victory as he beats Croc into submission underwater.

Boyd Kirkland turns in some of his best direction on the series yet with this episode, creating dynamic action sequences with the same care that he dedicates to the quieter, emotional moments. There’s a great sense of the geography to the terrain, and Kirkland uses pans to show how expansive the wilderness outside Gotham City is. When Croc has to figure out how to get across the gap between two cliffs, a long pan downward shows just how deep the drop is. A horizontal pan follows Batman as he leaps over environmental obstacles, showcasing his agility and speed in a non-urban environment.

“Sideshow” is a beautifully cinematic episode. When Croc knocks Batman into the canyon with a downpour of rocks, the ensuing free fall and grapple ascent through falling debris makes for an incredible action sequence. After being locked up in a circus cage by Croc, Batman escapes by pushing the cage down a hill, hitting Croc and crashing into a stream. It doesn’t sound particularly intense, but Kirkland chooses the perfect angles to give each shot maximum impact. First, a profile shot of the cage slowly descending builds the tension, showing the distance between Croc and Batman that is about to close. The shot then switches to the bottom of the hill, with Batman charging toward the viewer as the cage gathers speed and crashes into Croc, then breaks apart in the stream. It’s clear, quick, and fluid, and representative of the episode as a whole.

As the cops put a metal mask on Killer Croc and prepare to helicopter him to his new prison cell, Billy asks him, “Why Croc? Why’d you turn on us like that? We could’ve helped you. We could’ve done something.” Croc answers, “You said you could be yourself out here remember? Well, I guess that’s what I was doing. Being myself.” Like the best predators, Killer Croc is driven by self-preservation. If he were truly a wild animal, he would be free to reign in nature, but as a man with animal instincts, he must live his life in a cage. In this episode, he has the choice to kill the beast inside or keep the monster alive behind the bars of a prison cell, and ultimately he chooses the latter. It’s just who he is.

Stray observations:

• Batman Beatdown: After sneaking into the cabin where Croc is hiding, Batman pole-vaults across the room, knocking Croc through a window and into the water below.
• The animation by Dong Yang (their last with layout assists from Spectrum) is gorgeous this episode, with fluid action, detailed environments, and stunning water effects. I especially love the shots of Croc and Batman’s feet changing the surface reflection of a stream as they run through it.
• Killer Croc’s major role in the New 52 is serving as Roy Harper’s A.A. sponsor. Wait—what?
• In "Almost Got 'Im," Batman-as-Croc tells the other rogues how he almost killed Batman: “I threw a rock at him!” It’s one of the best lines in the entire series, and Michael Reeves pays tribute to it by having Croc throw a lot of rocks this episode, a lot of big rocks.
• “Wait’ll he busts out. That’ll be a story.” Gotta love some good foreshadowing.
• “You’re guano, Bat!”
• “Show’s over, folks.”

I'm not sure what happened to the reveiwer's grade, or if "Community Grade" is meant to stand in for it. Anyone know? Anyway, to get caught up, here's another review:

“A Bullet For Bullock”
(season 2, episode 2; originally aired September 14, 1995)
by Oliver Sava, February 20, 2012
Community Grade: A-

The comic book adaptations on Batman: The Animated Series continue with “A Bullet For Bullock,” a telling Bullock/Batman team-up based on Chuck Dixon’s hard-boiled Detective Comics #651. Unlike last week’s “Sideshow,” an adaptation that made significant changes to enhance the emotional intensity, writer Michael Reaves sticks closely to his source material for the story, dialogue, and tone of this episode. Director Frank Paur’s storyboards even follow Graham Nolan’s art from the comic, and the creative team’s dedication to adapting Dixon’s story faithfully makes this a standout episode.

Detective Comics #651 features narration from Bullock, written in a pulp style reminiscent of classic private-eye stories by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. This series has done voiceover narration effectively before ("Dreams in Darkness"), but that was Batman narrating and it’s his show. Instead of narration, music is used to evoke the atmosphere of those pulp stories, with Harvey R. Cohen turning in a jazz-influenced score that gives the episode style and energy. It begins with horns and percussion as Bullock gets run down by a mysterious assailant in an alleyway, then smoothly transitions into Batman’s theme when Bullock turns to him for help.

Bullock has been getting death threats for weeks and now it’s getting serious, so he buries his grudges and turns on the Bat-Signal. Reaves takes a lot of dialogue directly from the comic for this scene, expanding on it to emphasize Bullock’s sense of humor. “I think you’re a freak and a menace,” Bullock says, a direct quote. Then he adds, “And those are your good points.” Telling Batman that the list of suspects could have their own zip code is another line ripped from the comic, along with the dialogue that follows when Bullock says he doesn’t want internal affairs digging into him. Batman asks him if that means he’s on the take, which Bullock vehemently denies, telling Batman that he just breaks the rules—a lot like him.

“We’re on the same side, but we’re not the same,” Batman tells Bullock, agreeing to help him only if he collars the criminal cleanly. Batman acts righteous, but Bullock is right: His tactics aren’t much different. When Summer Gleeson refuses to give up information about Vinnie the Shark’s crack-house operation, Bullock sneaks into her office and takes it without a warrant. That’s a Batman thing to do, except Bullock gets caught. Another thing that sets them apart and adds to Batman’s animosity is that Bullock is an officer of the law that has sworn to obey the rules in the name of justice, while Batman is a free agent operating outside the law. Batman isn’t held to the same standards as the police, and if they’ll break the rules in investigations, they’ll potentially break the rules anywhere.

Bullock’s somber trombone theme creates the perfect image of a downtrodden deadbeat as he heads to his cockroach-infested apartment. His landlord hassles him about being a horrible tenant, but Bullock is not in the mood, barking at Nivens before heading up to his disgusting apartment to enjoy the stunning view of the city. “Thank God for rent control.” Bullock says, inadvertently giving mouth to the motivations of his would-be killer.

Frank Paur gets a good animation studio to work with this episode, and Studio Junio’s sleek visuals show off his directing skills. There’s great tension building up to the action sequences, like in the rooftop shootout between a shotgun-wielding Bullock and a thug with a pistol. After Batman saves Bullock, he gets information from the dealer by dropping him from the roof and catching him with his grappling hook, and the storyboards for that sequence bring dynamic movement to a fairly common interrogation method for Batman.

It’s always a shock to hear characters talk about crack on a children’s show, but so is seeing henchmen with real pistols and machine guns. This episode shows a drug deal and a drug-manufacturing plant, with Bullock and Batman infiltrating the factory to take down their prime suspect: recently released convict Vinnie the Shark. We get a full-on jazz saxophone arrangement of Batman’s theme when the two crash Vinnie’s crack party, and there’s a bit of “Too Darn Hot” in the melody as they take down the operation The transitions from a classic action score to smooth jazz are incredibly effective at setting the tone, and the music style makes this team-up stand out from Batman’s previous collaborations.

Bullock and Batman develop an interesting dynamic this episode, with Batman clearly taking enjoyment in watching Bullock humble himself. (Is that really the passenger ejector seat in the Batmobile, or is Bats just messing with him?) When Bullock is completely convinced Vinnie is their man, Batman tells him it’s his call, but totally knows that he’s wrong. Batman sees the big picture, but Bullock’s stake in the outcome clouds his vision. Bullock is all gut, following his instincts even when they’re wrong, whereas Batman is brains. That difference shows in their fighting styles, with Batman relying on stealth, while Bullock just throws himself at people and yells.

After Vinnie the Shark proves to be a bust, Bullock is left with no other options, although it doesn’t seem like he believes himself when he yells, “There ain’t nobody else!” While fumbling for his keys on the front stoop of his apartment building, Bullock comes face-to-face with the man who has been trying to kill him: his landlord. Nivens was trying to run Bullock out of town so he could raise the rent on his apartment, but Bullock must be one miserable tenant if he can cause the complete mental break Nivens goes through at the end of this episode. “You insult me, you treat me like dirt,” Nivens says before snapping. “NO JURY IN THE WORLD WOULD HAVE CONVICTED ME. THEY WOULDN’T HAVE CONVICTED ME!”

There’s some fantastic voice work during that last scene, with Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller's Day off, Deadwood) fully capturing Nivens’ chilling breakdown. We’ve seen Bullock vulnerable and scared this episode, but the conclusion is the first time we see him truly saddened, finally seeing how his attitude affects others. “Somebody like Vinnie wants to whack me, that’s no surprise… but this?” Robert Costanzo softens his voice and reveals a Bullock that is looking inside for what might be the very first time, and doesn’t like what he sees. When Bullocks tells Batman that he owes him for his help, the Dark Knight serves up a Bat-truth bomb: “Forget it, Bullock. You’ve got enough problems.” As Bullock arrests the maniacally cackle-crying Nivens, his jazz tune comes to an end, a saxophone riff signifying the end of a turbulent night, and the start of an uneasy future.

Stray observations:

• Batman Bullock Beatdown: As Vinnie the Shark attempts to make his getaway in the crack factory, Harvey chases him down and tackles him by swinging from a chain hanging from the ceiling. The plump detective has rarely been more graceful.
• Harvey’s diet: Donuts, pizza, and beer.
• If there’s a train on this show, someone is getting knocked onto the tracks, as Bullock learns this episode. The sudden appearance of the jazz score as the train rushes towards Bullock is a perfect way to lead into a commercial.
• How awesome is Scott Snyder’s Batman right now? I’m actually optimistic for a Batman crossover!
• I’m not a car guy or anything, but I get why people are when I hear the sound of the Batmobile’s engine. Such power!
• “Harvey Bullock? The detective who looks like an unmade bed?”
• “You got the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, you’ll probably bore me to tears, so keep your mouth shut dog-breath.”

 

[ShadowStar]

I'm not sure what happened to the reveiwer's grade, or if "Community Grade" is meant to stand in for it. Anyone know?

Not sure, but Oliver Sava didn't grade any of the Justice League episodes he reviewed, and the only B:TAS episode he's given a grade for since "The Worry Men" was "Avatar".

 

[Revelator]

Not sure, but Oliver Sava didn't grade any of the Justice League episodes he reviewed, and the only B:TAS episode he's given a grade for since "The Worry Men" was "Avatar".

Very odd. Perhaps the A.V. Club has instituted some new grading policy. I notice that Sava is now back to reviewing one episode at a time as well. Speaking of "Avatar," here are reviews for that one and one of my favorites:

“Trial”
(season 2, episode 3; originally aired May 16, 1994)
by Oliver Sava, February 27, 2012
Community Grade: B+

Is Batman responsible for the creation of his rogues gallery? Is he just as psychologically damaged as his enemies? Would Gotham City be a better place without him? These are questions that often come up when discussing the Dark Knight, and writers Paul Dini and Bruce Timm tackle them directly with the phenomenal “Trial,” putting Batman on trial in Arkham Asylum with his fate in the hands of a district attorney that hates him. Originally planned as the plot for the full-length movie that would become The Mask Of The Phantasm, the creators decided that they could condense all the good bits into 22 minutes, giving the episode a breakneck pace that covers an expansive amount of story.

The huge cast, callbacks to previous episodes, and focus on the psychological and philosophical make this episode a highlight of the series. It’s a shame that “Trial” is D.A. Janet Van Dorn’s final appearance on B:TAS (she was introduced back in "Shadow of the Bat"), because she’s a great foil to Batman, holding him to the same legal standard as everyone else. Voiced by Stephanie Zimbalist (the daughter of Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., a.k.a. the DCAU’s Alfred), Janet is an aggressive woman who is strengthened by her dedication to legal justice, and she has no problem telling Batman that if he wants to support law and order, he should take off his mask and put on a uniform.

To Janet, Batman is “a drug the city keeps taking to avoid facing reality,” preventing the police from doing their job and putting criminals inside padded walls instead of behind bars. The reason the rogues always escape from Arkham Asylum is because it’s an asylum, not a prison, and not equipped for the brand of psychopath that enters its doors. Because Batman isn’t an officer of the law, the convicted are rehabilitated instead of properly jailed, and once they escape, the police have to divert their attention away from everyday crime to focus on the supervillains. Janet is frustrated, but she also has no idea how insane the rogues really are. She’s only seen them behaving their best in court, but inside Arkham she’ll see just what Batman has to deal with on a regular basis.

Bruce Wayne makes his first season-two appearance out-of-costume this week, joining Janet for a date when she’s suddenly called to her office and disappears. Dini is very good at incorporating Bruce into his stories, and the short scene of him discussing his alter ego with Janet adds another layer to their constantly changing dynamic. It would have been nice to see Janet stick around as a romantic interest for Bruce, because in just one episode they develop one of the series’ strongest relationships.

When Batman tracks down the missing Janet, he’s ambushed by Harley and Ivy and taken to Arkham, where he finds himself sharing a cell with his date. He’s to be put on trial with Two-Face as the prosecution, Janet as the defense, and Joker as the judge, with a jury of unbiased peers including Mad Hatter and Killer Croc. It’s been established that Batman has no trouble slipping out of a straitjacket, so why doesn’t he escape earlier in the episode? Because he wants to watch this trial unfold. There must be some satisfaction in watching his primary detractor defend him, and why not take the opportunity to peek into the minds of his enemies in a nonviolent setting?

As Janet cross-examines the witnesses, she comes to realize that they were all bug-s**t insane long before Batman came along. When Janet suggests to Mad Hatter that instead of blaming Batman for getting in the way of his romance with Alice, he could have respected her wishes and stayed away, Hatter exclaims: “I’d have killed her first!” Ivy blames Batman for preventing her from killing Harvey Dent, but she attacks Janet when she picks the petals off a flower, proving that her mental health was damaged long before Harvey Dent and Batman came into the picture.

If this episode were a movie or even a two-parter, I would want to see more of the rogues on the stand, because it’s fascinating to hear their side of the story. After hearing the testimonials, Janet understands that Batman isn’t responsible for creating Gotham’s criminal element—they’re responsible for creating him. The police aren’t prepared for this, and Batman is the weapon they need to keep their city safe. When the jury returns with the verdict, it’s a shocking “not guilty,” which says a lot for Janet’s skill as a lawyer and therapist; maybe she should pick up a couple shifts at Arkham on the side.

Dini and Timm are marvelous when they team up, and they take advantage of the great cast of villains this show has developed to write one damn funny episode. One of my favorite gags is Ventriloquist as the bailiff, with poor, timid Arnold Wesker trying to bring order to the court before being cut-off by Scarface yelling, “He says oyez, dirtbags!” When Scarecrow accidentally takes off Scarface’s head later in the episode, the shot of Arnold chasing the bouncing dummy head down the stairs is a refreshing bit of humor in the middle of an intense fight scene.

The banter between Arleen Sorkin and Mark Hamill is as electric as always, and this episode marks an important moment for Harley Quinn as her origin from the Mad Love comic is incorporated into B:TAS for the first time. Scenery is basically being shoved down Hamill’s throat—at one point Joker is an Irish priest performing last rites—but my favorite line is his Porky Pig impression as he sentence Batman and Janet to death: “A-bi, a-bi, a-bi, that’s all, folks! (Bangs rubber chicken gavel.) Let’s mambo!”

“Trial” came early in Dan Riba’s DCAU career, and he’s more experimental with his direction, taking advantage of B:TAS’ stylized visuals. The opening scene of Poison Ivy being sentenced to Arkham features a courthouse with large windows flooding the room with bright orange sunlight, strengthening Ivy as she prepares to reenter the madhouse. When the doors to the asylum are opened, Ivy is taken into darkness, a world inhabited by shadows of men. This isn’t Dong Yang’s best animation—the movement could be more fluid and the characters models sharper—but it’s good work considering this is one of the show’s busiest episodes.

The episode ends with a warm exchange between Janet and Batman, now on equal ground after saving each other’s lives. Janet tells him that while she understands why there’s a need for him in Gotham, she won’t stop working toward a city that doesn’t need Batman. His response: “Me too.” It’s nice to hear Bruce express the hope that one day he could give up his mission, and maybe having someone like Janet on his side can help him achieve that.

Stray observations:

• Batman Beatdown:After Van Dorn knocks out the lights and Batman escapes from his straitjacket, he disappears into the darkness, slowly picking off his rogues from the shadows. Stealth beatdown!
• Someone went suit shopping between seasons, because Bruce’s drab brown-and-yellow number is gone this week, replaced by a much more stylish black suit with periwinkle shirt.
• Hey Riddler, where did you disappear to during the second half of this episode? Did you fall in the toilet or something?
• Scarecrow might be at his creepiest when he’s not speaking at all.
• Mad Hatter: “Hang him!” Harley Quinn: “Shoot him!” Killer Croc: “Hit him with a rock!” That Croc rock joke never get old.
• “Record? Is someone supposed to be writing this down?”
• “I object to this witness! She’s obviously trying to influence the judge.”
• “Personally, I suggested a quick slug between the eyes but I lost the coin toss.”

Having expressed a few reservations about aspects of Sava's judgment in the past, I'd like to say how good his work has become. He pays ample attention not just to the story aspects but also the visuals and production values. After the following review gets posted, I'll be able to fully catch up next week.

“Avatar”
(season 2, episode 4; originally aired May 9, 1994)
by Oliver Sava, March 5, 2012
Grade: B

Ra’s al Ghul returns to Batman: The Animated Series, thrusting Batman into a globe-spanning adventure in the vein of the Indiana Jones films as he stops his most powerful enemy from reviving an ancient Egyptian empress. A generic action-adventure episode elevated by gorgeous animation and music, “Avatar” is light on pathos, but heavy on spectacle. Like last week’s “Trial,” the episode would benefit by expanding into two parts, giving writer Michael Reaves more time to explore the bizarre love triangle of Ra’s-Talia-Batman and delve into the mythology of Thoth Khepera. As is, it’s one of the most beautiful installments of the series—but the story rushes to its conclusion.

Much of the first season of Justice League consists of superhero pastiches of classic movie genres, but none of those episodes are able to capture the old Hollywood feel of the best B:TAS stories. The combination of Studio Junio’s exquisite animation and Carlos Rodriguez’s grandiose score make “Avatar” one of the most cinematic episodes yet, and director Kevin Altieri brings the rich locales and dynamic action sequences to vivid life. Altieri is best when working on blockbuster epics, and Reaves’ story gives him the opportunity to break free of the darker Gotham tone and embrace a pulp adventure aesthetic for the episode.

Beginning with the gold-embossed title card backed by a rousing horn fanfare, “Avatar” introduces the spectacle before the action even begins. The opening sequence flashes back to Egypt, 1898, for a dialogue-less scene that uses music to tell the story of an adventurer venturing into the tomb of Thoth Khepera. Kevin Altieri has an affinity for 19th-century flashbacks (see “Showdown”), and the attention to detail is stunning, from the character designs to the desert landscape. Throughout Rodriguez’s score, strings are used to build tension that is then snapped by the blare of the horns, and it’s incredibly effective during the opening. The lack of dialogue creates a mystery when the explorer’s rope is pulled up without him and singed at the end, and the audience is as in the dark as Batman, even though they have more information.

In Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has donated a large collection of Egyptian artifacts to the city museum, including the Scroll of Osiris, the oldest Egyptian document ever discovered. It’s also the other half of a map leading to the temple of Thoth Khepera, and Ra’s al Ghul wants it. Batman nearly stops Ubu from stealing it, but Ra’s appears with an Egyptian cobra that poisons him and grants their escape with the scroll. Having believed Ra’s dead, Batman heads to Gibraltar to see if Talia has anything to say about her father’s disappearance, and the international adventure begins with a classic image: a map with an airplane flying across it, a dashed line following it from the East Coast to the Mediterranean.

Talia is as surprised by her father’s revival as her beloved, and she has trouble dealing with the fact that her dad came back from the dead and didn’t even bother to call. She tells Batman about her father’s secret base in Cairo and joins him to track down the Scroll of Osiris, but they’re ambushed by Ra’s, who turns out to be even more of an assh**e than anyone could have guessed. Batman asks Ra’s, “What can be in that tomb that’s more valuable than the love of your daughter?” Ra’s replies, “Power, detective,” and locks them in a cage. Then he tops it off with a completely unnecessary burn, like he’s just trying to be the biggest jerk possible: “It is said that one finds immortality in one's offspring. Alas, I know that to be a lie.” Seriously, who s**t in your corn flakes this morning, Ra’s al Ghul? Be nicer to your kid, she really loves you. She loves you so much she’s going to betray the man she loves even after you try to kill her and everyone else by reviving an evil Egyptian goddess.

When Ra’s traps Bruce and Talia in a glass cage, Bruce uses his ultrasound imager to emit a frequency that will shatter the glass, and it’s the perfect example of the intense work Studio Junio put into the episode’s animation. Capturing a reflective surface in animation is hard enough, and the way the reflections change as the vibrations crack the glass is impressive. When the cage shatters, the camera slows down to show the detail Junio has put into making sure the action is seamless. The character models are spot-on the entire episode, and their movements are smooth and realistic. There’s a surprising amount of nonverbal communication this episode, relying on facial expressions and body language to convey the story, and Junio is more than up to the challenge.

While the buildup is strong, the actual Thoth Khepera encounter falls short. She’s revived as a beautiful goddess, then turns out to be crazy evil and tries to suck the life out of Ra’s. Batman and Talia stop her, revealing the rotting corpse underneath the glamour, and Batman fights her and her green blobs while Talia rescues her father. Because Thoth Khepera is a zombie, Batman has no problem crushing her under a giant stone statue, and that’s the end of that. Props to Studio Junio for their grotesque design of the villain (she reminds me of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove), but she’s really more of a footnote in this story when she should be a major player.

Talia’s hair always hides half her face, a clever way for the writers to physicalize her deceptive personality, and surely enough, she chooses her father over Batman at the end of the episode. Yes, that’s what Talias does, but Reaves could have at least had Ra’s show the tiniest bit of tenderness in the episode so it doesn’t seem like a completely idiotic move on her part. As he wanders across the desert on foot, Bruce needs to take a serious look at his relationship with Talia and decides if he really needs all that crazy in his life.

Stray observations:

• Batman Bruce Wayne Beatdown: After landing in Gibraltar, Bruce is ambushed by two thugs on Talia’s property, whom he quickly disposes of with his briefcase. He doesn’t even get his suit dirty.
• Speaking of that suit, Bruce continues to show off his new wardrobe this episode, with a very European cream-colored number for his trip to Talia’s.
• Lucius Fox: “You can be quite the humanitarian on occasion, Bruce. It’s commendable. It's inspiring.” Bruce Wayne: “It’s deductible.”
• “You sound like a bad afternoon serial, Ra’s.”

 

[Revelator]

I've neglected this thread for over a year, but Mr. Sava has still been writing his reviews. He's now finished The Adventures of Batman and Robin and is mid-way through The New Batman Adventures. I'm not going to repost all the reviews he's done since I left off, but you can find links to them in the first post of this thread.

 

[Erased Paper]

Why did they list the wrong airdates for certain episodes?

 

[Revelator]

I'm assuming it's just simple error.
Anyway, here's Sava's latest review. I pretty much agree with all of it.

“The Ultimate Thrill”
(season three, episode 11; originally aired 9/14/1998)
by Oliver Sava February 4, 2013

“The Ultimate Thrill” is an episode that shouldn’t work, boasting a one-note villain, a relatively bland story, and a Batman who is more super than human. Somehow, the creative team of The New Batman Adventures brings it all together with enough wit and intensity to make for a delightful story about the addictive thrill of danger. Hilary J. Bader pens the screen debut of Roxy Rocket, created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in the pages of The Batman Adventures Annual #1, and the pulpy female pilot is a surprising fit for the world of the Dark Knight. A former Hollywood stuntwoman, Roxanne Sutton lost her job because she was making stunts more difficulty than they had to be and couldn’t be insured anymore. Batman thinks her new life as a thief is to get revenge on the people that fired her, but Batgirl understands that Roxy Rocket isn’t in this business for the money—she’s in it for the thrill.

This story is all about sex. Roxy straddles a phallus for almost the entire episode, and she drops so many sexual innuendos that her character probably made broadcast standards and practices blush. She gets a sexual rush from near-death scenarios, and when she jumps out of a zeppelin after robbing its upper-crust passengers, she meets her most satisfying partner yet when Batman shows up to chase her down in the Batplane. This show has done remarkable work creating female characters that are sexy but also legitimate threats, and while Roxy is the most overtly erotic, she’s also not as feminine as characters like Catwoman or Poison Ivy. Roxanne used to do a lot of the stunts for male actors, and she held on to some of that masculinity as she entered a life of crime.

While last episode’s pop-star story felt dated, “The Ultimate Thrill” has a nostalgic tone that embraces the pulp influence of Roxy Rocket’s character. The reference point is further in the past than in “Torch Song,” lending Roxy’s adventure an old Hollywood grandeur, especially evident in the action sequences. Contributing to the episode’s swank factor is Roxy’s partnership with the Penguin, resulting in a good amount of time spent at the iceberg lounge. Teaming a bird who can’t fly with a woman who spends most of her time in the air is a clever move on Bader’s part; Roxy has one short, fat man who pays the bills but is unable to satisfy her other desires, and a big hunk of Bat-beefcake for when she’s feeling frisky. Eventually, her need to grab Batman’s attention with every heist gets in the way of her relationship with her employer, who turns on her like a spurned lover.

The action in this episode is absolutely stunning, and it becomes clear why when looking at the storyboard artists that worked with director Dan Riba: Darwyn Cooke, Michael Manley, and James Tucker. Darwyn Cooke is the cartoonist who would go on to create the opening sequence of Batman Beyond, the current Catwoman design, and the Silver Age-inspired masterpiece DC: The New Frontier. Michael Manley was a comic book artist before transitioning to the world of animation, and he worked with James Tucker storyboarding “Holiday Knights” and “Cold Comfort,” two gorgeous episodes. After The New Batman Adventures, Manley moved on to storyboarding Samurai Jack and The Venture Bros. while Tucker worked on Batman Beyond and Justice League before taking on a producer role within the DCAU. This is an all-star team of artists working on the episode, and the action sequences are thrilling while expressive characters wonderfully act the dialogue.

This episode begins with a fantastic action sequence as Batman chases Roxy across the sky, figuring out that his airplane is too big to go up against his opponent’s sleek rocket. He comes back later with a jetpack, and while I have a problem with Batman having a jetpack because he really shouldn’t be able to fly, the action sequence is so smooth and dynamic that I can excuse the power boost. The standout moment of the episode is relatively small, but masterfully paced for maximum comic impact. It begins with Roxy finishing repairs on her rocket as Penguin’s scantily clad henchwomen sneak around the exterior of the garage. The camera zooms in on the women, specifically one who has pulled a gun from her one-piece swimsuit and is reaching for the doorknob. Then “Bam!,” Roxy kicks the door open and sends the woman flying, performing a back handspring into a scissor kick to knock out her partners. It’s a great bit of action comedy, and shows just how formidable Roxy is in combat.

After multiple rounds of foreplay, Batman and Roxy’s relationship ends with a big bang as they play chicken on her rocket. Roxy takes off her jacket and stares down Batman, who is done playing her games. When she tries to shut down the ship, Batman won’t let her, and he’s forcing her to understand the danger of this lifestyle. Unfortunately, it just gets Roxy really horny and she screams, “Oh baby, you’re the best! The ultimate thrill. The final stunt. Me and you. Yeah yeah YEAH! I knew it would be this way. The final stunt is the best.” As they jump from the exploding rocket, Roxy receives the ultimate stimulation, but she’ll need to hold on to that memory for a while because she’s far from her final stunt. When Batman pulls his parachute and safely lands, he puts Roxy in handcuffs as the police pull up. “What’s this?” Roxy asks, to which Batman replies, “My kind of game, and you lost.” Prison is just another adventure for Roxy, though, and she made her way out to show up on Superman: The Animated Series just a few weeks after her Batman debut.

Stray observations:

* Batman Beatdown: After Penguin unloads his garbage-can Tommy gun, Batman sneaks up behind him in the dark and punches him through a window onto the balcony, then dangles him stories above the sidewalk and says, “Let’s say we have a little talk, just like old times.” There haven’t been too many extremely badass Batman moments in the last few episodes, but the Dark Knight is incredibly brutal this episode, maybe to emphasize the masculinity that Roxy finds so attractive.
* The shot of Batman hopping out of the Batmobile after skidding to a stop on the airplane runway is one of the coolest images of the Dark Knight ever.
* The Penguin has a Tommy gun in his trash can. That’s amazing.
* “Well, you’ve got the skills, you’ve got the guts. You just don’t have the tools.”
* “Now that she’s had a taste of you, she’s not going to settle for anything else.” BATGLARE.
* “I know he lives for the chase and I was the best he ever had.”
* “A bold statement. Energetic, forceful, and yet small enough to fit in a saddlebag.”
* “You missed your calling, Batman. You shoulda been in the movies.”
* “I love a man with staying power.”
* “Unfortunately, it’s the third act climax, and you’re not in the final scene.” Nice choice of words there, Roxy.

 

[Revelator]

This week Sava takes on the most extreme episode in Batman history:

“Over The Edge”
(season 3, episode 12; originally aired May 23, 1998)
by Oliver Sava February 11, 2013

Isn’t it great when a TV show delivers on every level? This past weekend’s Young Justice: Invasion had one of those episodes that utilized every aspect of the series to tell an incredibly thrilling story, and “Over The Edge” is a similarly sharp half hour that stands out as one of the best episodes of this show, pre-and post-revamp. When Batgirl is hit by Scarecrow’s fear gas, her greatest worries are realized as she dreams about Batman and her father coming to blows over her death in the field. Despite the majority of this episode being in Barbara’s head, it doesn’t lose any impact thanks to Paul Dini’s brilliant script and the pairing of director Yuichiro Yano and TMS creating flawless visuals. It’s an exhilarating installment of The New Batman Adventures that shows the series hasn’t lost any punch in the switch from Fox to Kids WB, and also serves as a fantastic potential ending for the Dark Knight.

Endings are an essential part of the narrative process, but the ongoing nature of superheroes, especially the all-stars like Batman and Superman, prevents these characters from ever reaching their conclusion. Writers get around this by telling stories set outside of the continuity, like All-Star Superman or Kingdom Come or “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow,” or by utilizing fantasy or dream sequences like “Over The Edge.” The latter is less popular just because audiences have grown weary of the dream sequence cop-out, and this episode has garnered a fair amount of criticism because the writers didn’t go all the way with the story. Paul Dini writes himself out of that hole by not having the episode be about the death of Batman (although that’s a major plot point), but Barbara Gordon’s relationship with her father. Barbara waking up from her dream isn’t the end of the story, and the dream is what motivates her to talk to her father about her secret identity.

An episode of drama closes with a tender moment where James Gordon makes it clear that he already knows his daughter’s secret identity but that that he can’t legally acknowledge her actions. He gives her his full blessing in all endeavors and is proud of his little girl, giving her a little wink for an extra bit of reassurance. The final scene of Barbara and her father shows how important moments of brightness are in dark stories, and Paul Dini is very good making sure the grim elements of his script are balanced with humor. According to the commentary, Dini’s major inspiration for the structure of this episode was The Simpsons, which uses quick, short scenes to cut from character to character. This gives the writers the opportunity to use a plethora of Springfield’s unique citizens to advance the plot, and that technique can be seen in how this script splits focus between Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon.

The Simpsons also dictated the comedy in this episode, and after a particularly depressing sequence where Gordon loses his job because of his daughter’s involvement with Batman, we get a goofy scene of Gotham’s rogues being interviewed on Gotham Exposed. Harley Quinn, Mad Hatter, Riddler and the Ventriloquist demand compensation from Bruce Wayne for the abuse they’ve received at the hands of Batman, and they’ve hired this show’s Johnny Cochrane stand-in to help them do it. The scene may seem out of sync with the rest of the episode, but it provides a breather while incorporating four more of Gotham’s rich characters into the story.

When you’re a kid, you’re not aware of things like season length and production order, so watching “Over The Edge” is an intense experience that potentially tears down Batman’s entire world. This could very well have been the series finale for all those children, who are now scarred after watching Barbara Gordon fall on top of her father’s cop car, and then it’s all revealed to have been a nightmare. That might seem like a bit of a betrayal, but how could this series have continued after this point if Batman’s secret identity was revealed, Batgirl was dead, Nightwing was in custody, and Robin was on the run? On paper that sounds like a pretty awesome series, but that would have been a horrible direction for this show to take. A big part of this show’s appeal is that it remains kid-friendly even when the stories are exceeding gloomy, and having “Over The Edge” as the new status quo for this series would make that difficult.

This episode is a roller coaster ride from the very start, opening with Batman and Robin running through the Batcave as Gordon and the GCPD open fire on them. It’s a perfect WTF opening, making viewers desperate to know how the Dynamic Duo has gotten into this game-changing predicament. When Gordon has one of his men blow up the Batmobile with a bazooka, it becomes clear that all bets are off this week, and it only gets more intense from there. The revamp design of Commissioner Gordon aged the character considerably (in the commentary, the creators joke that he got prostate cancer during the network switch), and his new weary appearance makes this story even more poignant. Barbara is the light of a dreary life spent patrolling the twisted streets of Gotham City, and when Gordon loses that, he makes it his mission to take down the Bruce Wayne and his costumed alter ego. He goes so far as to hire Bane, who has transitioned from luchador to leatherboy in the revamp, and it’s a decision that costs both Batman and the commissioner their lives. Gordon’s aged appearance accentuates the physical differences between him, Bane, and Batman, and it takes some real guts for an old man to stand up to a pair of hulks.

From a technical standpoint, this is one of the sleekest episodes of this series, with Yano and TMS creating breathtaking action sequences utilizing CG effects for the first time. There’s a gorgeous shot in the Batcave of Batman and Robin jumping into chasm down to the Batboat, the camera zooming in while the action goes into slow motion to create a dynamic sense of movement. CG is used very well in the ensuing boat chase sequence, and the combination of Eastern and Western animation techniques plus digital effects gives this episode a unique visual flavor. There’s a heavy anime influence in Nightwing’s big fight scene with the GCPD, showing off Dick Grayson’s impressive blend of circus acrobatics and hand-to-hand combat skills. TMS packs each shot with detail, and it helps emphasize the sheer power that is packed into each one of these battles. When Bane hammer throws Batman against a wall, the environment takes significant damage, and when Batman knocks Bane off the roof, the neighboring billboard is a pile of splintered wood and broken lightbulbs. These are little details but they help make the experience as real as possible, which is great when watching a show about people in costumes.

The fight scenes are outstanding, and Yano and TMS do equally strong work with the quieter, more emotional scenes. The telephone conversation between Gordon and Bruce Wayne is storyboarded perfectly to show how each character reacts to their rapidly changing relationship, and the animation is as nuanced as the voice acting. Shirley Walker’s score also does a lot of the heavy lifting this episode, and it’s especially effective during the scene at Barbara Gordon’s funeral, where Commissioner Gordon has officers open fire on Batman when he’s putting his daughter’s casket in a hearse. It’s the kind of haunting scene that you’d rarely see on a children’s show, but The New Batman Adventures isn’t like other children’s shows. “Over The Edge” is this series at its best, a beautifully executed story about the potential terrors of the future and how they motivate us to move forward in the present.

Stray observations:

* Batman Beatdown: It’s a three-way tie this week, because Batman is just that much of a badass. At the start of the episode, the Dark Knight makes use of the giant penny in his Batcave to get rid of Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD, sending it rolling toward his attackers because there’s no way to dodge a giant piece of change speeding in your direction. The second beatdown comes when Batman fills his cape with rocks so that he can smack Bane around, proving that his cape is more than just a snazzy fashion statement. The last comes at the end of the Bane battle and our hero finds himself with nothing to lose, willing to cross the border into murder when he cuts the villain’s tubing and ties him to the electrical wiring of the Bat-signal. That’s gotta sting.
* According to the commentary, the shot of Barbara hitting the cop car was originally from outside the vehicle, but the censors didn’t approve it. They moved the shot to show Barbara smashing into the hood from inside the car, and it got approved while being way more disturbing.
* The Mad Hatter’s revamp design is a great look that reflects physically just how twisted his mind has become, but Riddler’s new bright green jump suit is a downgrade from his previous suave appearance. Scarecrow remains terrifying.
* The shot of Gordon getting kicked by Bane looks like one of the most painful hits in the history of this show. Then the old man goes flying straight into a Vertigo shout-out.
* Detective Montoya: “Richard Grayson, you have the right to remain silent.” Nightwing: “Waived.”
* Mad Hatter: “We demand justice! We demand satisfaction.” Harley Quinn: “We demand money!”
* “If the bat’s on a spree, Wayne must pay the fee.”
* Bane: “You would fight to the death?” Batman: “It makes no different now.”
* “Please, give your dear Barbara a kiss from me.”
* Bane: “Time to die.” Batman: “You first.”
* “Keep cooking like that, you’ll have me looking like Harvey Bullock.”

 

[Revelator]

Though I don't have the time to post every new TNBA review (you can find the links on the first post in this thread), I thought I'd reprint the review for "The Demon Within," since it's positive and the episode doesn't seem to get much love elsewhere.

"The Demon Within"

by Oliver Sava, March 25, 2013

Magic is an element that isn’t a natural fit for Batman’s gritty street-level adventures, but “The Demon Within” makes a strong case for bringing more fantasy into the Dark Knight’s life. Jack Kirby’s Etrigan the Demon is one of the more off-kilter superheroes in the DC Universe, summoned by Merlin to protect Camelot and then bound to one of King Arthur’s noblemen so that it could continue to fight for humanity. Etrigan’s host Jason Blood is a wealthy Gotham resident who is lucky to have the friendship of Bruce Wayne, which comes in handy when he finds himself part of Klarion the Witch Boy’s petulant plot to bring chaos to Gotham by taking control of the Demon.

This week’s story is a fun fantasy romp that may not have the most complex conflict, but the execution is so sharp that there doesn’t need to be that extra layer of sophistication in the story. That’s the thing about good all-ages entertainment: When it’s approached from a high level of quality and artistry, simplistic plots are given added weight. It’s one of the reasons shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show are able to receive full-length reviews on this site, in spite of their brief running times; the creators deliver such a fully realized final product that there’s plenty to break down.

The story by Rusty Bjornhöel (that’s got to be a pseudonym, right?) is a nice play on the problem-child concept by pitting Batman against an extremely powerful boy foe. When Klarion steals Morgan Le Fay’s magical iron brand after Bruce pays $1 million for it at an auction, he’s able to assume control of Etrigan and uses him to do what a kid would do if he had a giant yellow hell-beast at his control. He has Etrigan burn down a movie theater for playing a sequel, attack an ice cream truck, destroy public transit because it’s loud, and level eyesore buildings. Klarion has no gameplan except mischief, and an enemy that can only be satisfied by chaos is a very dangerous one.

As Batman tracks down Klarion, Robin stays with a rapidly aging Jason, who is using magic to protect the Dark Knight from afar. The actual spell-casting in this episode looks spectacular, with TMS using neon red, blue, and green to create a color palette that is a lot brighter more ethereal than what we normally on this show. “The Demon Within” is sadly TMS’ final episode of The New Batman Adventures, but the studio goes out with some of its most impressive work to date. The transformation sequences for both Klarion’s cat Teek’l and Etrigan are incredibly smooth, and the animators choose to show each physical transition rather than cutting away because they know they can make it look fantastic.

The technical elements are what really elevate this episode, from the sleek TMS animation to Shirley Walker’s whimsical score. In the past, I’ve talked about how the quality of an episode’s animation can be gauged by how the explosions and flames look, and TMS creates raging infernos that are beautifully shaded and react to how the air flows in the environment. When Jason casts a spell that multiplies Batman, the extra forms evaporate in a cloud of bats as they are attacked, a very cool visual that shows the intense power at Etrigan’s disposal. The magic only gets bigger and brighter as the episode continues, and TMS clearly has a lot of experience with animating spells, because they sure do create pretty balls of energy in this episode.

Ultimately, Batman wins with a mix of magic and brute force, taking the brand from Klarion and reciting the incantation to make Etrigan return to his host. Rather than opening up a can of worms by explaining to Tim what just happened, Batman just decides to end their magical adventure by not talking about what just happened, in spite of it being really frickin’ cool. Jack Kirby’s artwork always has incredible liveliness on the page, and “The Demon Within” captures that bombastic feeling, along with the sense of youthful excitement that permeated the King’s stories. It makes magic fun but also mysterious, and the fact that the writers use magic sparingly on this shows give it more effect when it comes into play.

Stray observations:

* Batman Beatdown: While Klarion is concentrating on making Etrigan attack Jason, Batman charges at him and slams him up against a wall, stealing the brand and waving it above Klarion’s head because he’s so short. Batman’s such a bully sometimes.
* Etrigan is currently appearing in Robert Venditti’s Demon Knights, which has had an upswing in quality since Paul Cornell left the title. Check it out if you’re a fan of clever fantasy with a small dash of superhero action.
* Can you imagine how epic the baked goods must be at Kirby Cake Company?
* “No strawberry, master.”
* Etrigan: “Mother’s grief, father’s shame, soon he goes from whence he came.” Robin: “What does that mean?” Etrigan: “I’m sending him to his room.”
* Robin: “About tonight…” Batman: “Don’t ask. Just don’t ask.”