Batman: The Animated Series Season 1- Part 3

Episodes 15-21 have a handful of sleeper episodes, but they're still full of quality moments. So let's continue going through the first season of Batman: The Animated Series...


Episode 15- The Cat and the Claw Part 1: This episode marked the debut of Catwoman on the show and the chemistry she has with Batman is fantastic. You can honestly believe that these two would be equals in skill and have an insatiable attraction with each other. This is apparent in both Catwoman and Batman, as well as Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. There's not a whole lot to this episode in terms of monumental television, but their connection is nice to see. It's layered and full of depth. For example, Selina doesn't seem too interested in Bruce, but is infatuated with Batman, unaware that he's Bruce Wayne. Stuff like that just leaves you with a smile on your face.

Episode 16- The Cat and the Claw Part 2: The stuff with the Red Claw is interesting to me only because of the voice casting. Red Claw is believed to be a man by Batman and Commissioner Gordon. When we find out that Red Claw is a woman, she bluntly asks Batman "Do you have a problem with that?" That is AWESOME. It's not as in your face as some feminist depictions can be, but it got the message across that in this universe Batman can go toe to toe with a female villain that can pose as a legitimate threat. Not to mention, Red Claw is voiced by Kate Mulgrew, whom I'm a huge fan of as she plays Red (coincidence) on Orange is the New Black. When I heard that accent in the form of a Batman villain, I got some serious goosebumps.

Episode 17- See No Evil: In any other story, a former convict that dons a costume to be with his daughter would be a sympathetic villain or a superhero with a chip on his shoulder. Heck, those are the plots to Spider-Man 3 and Ant-Man. But NOT on Batman: The Animated Series. When he tries to sneak away with his daughter, she KNOWS that he's not a good guy and she tries to get away. Once he tries to stop her, the Dark Knight swoops in to save the day. The villain's gimmick is an invisible suit, so you see a lot of the generic shenanigans that you would see when someone has invisibility powers. Like most Batman episodes, Batman is a background character to a much larger story. The stuff with the family is interesting to see on a show like this that is, again, marketed for children.

Episode 18- Beware the Gray Ghost: This is another one of those absolutely flawless episodes. We get to see some flashbacks of Bruce as a kid watching his favorite fictional superhero, The Gray Ghost. Fast forward to modern day Gotham and there's a new villain recreating one of the famed Gray Ghost episodes. To stop the Mad Bomber, Batman seeks the help of Simon Trent, the actor who portrayed The Gray Ghost. If that's not good enough, Simon Trent is voiced by Adam West. That's right, the guy who played Batman on the '60s television series is voicing a character on a Batman show. That is beyond surreal. Also, Trent's story is pretty tragic. He's only known as the Gray Ghost, so he has struggled as an actor for decades trying to get more work but can't shake the role that defined his career. That's about as good a depiction of art imitating life as Michael Keaton's performance in Birdman...wait...he's a former Batman actor too. Eh, must be coincidence. Anyways, I also like seeing Batman nerd out over a superhero, proof that behind the cowl there exists a human being that the viewers can relate to. Also, if you look at the Mad Bomber, you'll notice he looks like show creator Bruce Timm. That's because he voiced the Mad Bomber and used his likeness for the character's appearance.

Episode 19- Prophecy of Doom: This episode showcases Bruce Wayne's undercover skills. The guy infiltrates a "brotherhood" to expose their leader Nostromos as a fraud. His real life identity is a former worker in show business under the alias Carl FOWLER!?!?? Oh, boy! Anyways, this episode is probably the weakest in this batch of episodes simply because you're sure how this one will end heading into it. There's no real surprise and the story isn't as compelling as others. Not a bad episode, but not too memorable either.

Episode 20- Feat of Clay Part 1: Now here's a 2-part episode where I actually enjoy Part 2 much more than Part 1. The main plot of the first episode is over businessman Roland Daggett trying to destroy incriminating documents held by Lucius Fox. He sends a Bruce Wayne impostor to set Fox up to get taken out. Of course, WE know that it couldn't be Bruce Wayne, but the mystery to Batman is how someone could be THAT good at looking like him. The answer is famed actor Matt Hagen, using an experimental cream of Daggett's to mold his face to look like Bruce Wayne's. Hagen, disfigured from a car accident, becomes addicted to the cream because the effects are temporary and painful without repeated use of the product. He tries to get more but Daggett's henchmen try to drown him in it. While Batman tries to solve this mystery, the episode ends with Hagen transforming into Clayface due to an overdose from the cream.

Episode 21- Feat of Clay Part 2: This episode is the big payoff of this 2-parter. We explore Hagen's tragic backstory of how he got roped into helping Daggett. We also get to see some great animation with Clayface. The textures and movements are perfect and it leads to a lot of different opportunities for action sequences with Batman. The ending is, again, beautiful and tragic. I keep using those words to describe the best episodes and villains. It should almost be a trademark. This episode also displayed how resourceful Batman can be, doing detective work, fighting Clayface, and using psychology to save the day.

Series Spotlight: Catwoman, voiced by Adrienne Barbeau

Catwoman is one of the all-time great anti-heroes in Batman folklore. Yeah, I don't really consider her a villain. Sure, she does bad things, but her complicated relationship with Batman and ability to team up with him from time to time makes her less of a villain and more of an anti-hero. Even when Batman is unaware of her double life, he is absolutely smitten with both Catwoman and Selina Kyle. We actually see him get flustered and blushing during an early conversation with her. Her viewpoints in "The Cat and the Claw" are heavily defined. She cares about animals and wants to protect them from anybody that tries to oppose them. Heck, she spent ten thousand dollars on a date with Bruce Wayne only for charity purposes. She's a very clever and calculating match for Batman, whom we honestly hadn't seen him come face to face with in most of these episodes. It's nice to see someone get the drop on him from time to time. Also, kudos to the animation department for how they drew Catwoman and Selina Kyle. Through the animation, you can see why Bruce is so blown away by her looks. He has women around him all the time, so you have to believe that this one would really stand out, and she really does.

Series Spotlight: Clayface, voiced by Ron Perlman

First of all, that casting should say enough. Ron Perlman is one of my absolute favorite character actors, and he is absolutely perfect in this role. Being both menacing and sympathetic, Clayface was a very unique villain for the show at the time. Batman hadn't been outmatched in size most of the time, so seeing a villain that was not only bigger, but could morph his body into any shape, weapon, or person is a very formidable opponent. As Matt Hagen, you can really hear and feel the pain in his voice. This is a guy that was at the top of his game, cut short by a disfiguring car accident. He desires fame and wants the spotlight back, by any means necessary. So he does criminal work for Roland Daggett, needing more and more of the Renuyu cream like a drug addict. It's sad to see Matt spiral to such degrading lengths and once he becomes Clayface, you're kind of on his side to get revenge on Daggett. I love the amount of depth they give to the standout villains on this show, and Clayface is one of my favorites thus far.

Only seven episodes left. Join me in Part 4 for the concluding chapter of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series.


Batman: The Animated Series and images are copyrighted by Warner Bros. Animation