Batman: The Animated Series Season 1- Part 4

Time to look at the final 7 episodes of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series...


Episode 22- The Joker's Favor: This is a pretty subpar episode in hindsight, focusing on a timid middle-age man that the Joker has in his pocket for a scheme, but it has one VERY memorable highlight. This episode marks the first appearance EVER for Harley Quinn. I don't think I need to say anything else. If you love Harley Quinn as much as most comic book fans do, then this episode is worth watching simply to see her debut.

Episode 23- Vendetta: This episode marks the debut of Killer Croc, but he honestly takes a back seat to the real compelling aspect of this plot. Croc frames Detective Bullock for kidnapping to the point where even Batman believes he's guilty. The only person that stands up for Bullock is Commissioner Gordon. He, once again, admits that Bullock can be a pain, but is a good cop. When Batman uncovers the truth, he's determined to catch Croc and prove Bullock's innocence. It's a pretty good moment between the two characters, but I don't expect Bullock to have a big change of heart as a result of it. I don't know. Maybe this show will prove me wrong.

Episode 24- Fear of Victory: For the first time in 22 episodes, Robin has finally returned to the show. He's been at college, so I guess that's a good enough excuse to miss as many episodes as he has. It's a Scarecrow episode, where he spreads fear among Gotham's athletes so he can earn a fortune on betting against them. That's a very complex plan for a petty crime like that. The biggest things to take away from this episode is the reveal of the Scarecrow and Batman's visit to Arkham Asylum, both for different reasons. With Scarecrow's reveal, we can see a MUCH scarier approach to his design from the last time we saw him. With Batman's visit to Arkham, we see cameos from the Joker, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy. It's just such a cool concept to imagine that all these menacing baddies are spent locked up in the same place, plotting how they will escape and try to get the better of Batman.

Episode 25- The Clock King: I actually really sympathize with the Clock King at the beginning of the episode. The entire plot of his turn to crime is by having someone tell him to be more spontaneous. I make lists, routines, and deadlines for myself as well. I like to stick to those. Of course, nothing ever THAT bad has happened to me for putting a schedule aside for a while, but it's still something you would understand. It's just that he takes it WAY too far that makes him a villain in the end. The Clock King is a bit of a cheesy villain in comparison with other villains on this show, but it's a solid themed episode, dealing with numbers and time, that should make any steampunk fans happy with its clock tower conclusion.

Episode 26- Appointment in Crime Alley: This episode doesn't have a lot going for it in the villain department, but it does wonders for Batman. He goes on the warpath with his intimidation, as he is desperately looking for a dear friend who has been kidnapped and placed in a town that is set to be blown up in a scheme by Roland Daggett. Yeah, pissing off Batman is a terrible idea. I really love the angle they go with for the friend, as she was a doctor that was there for Bruce when his parents died. That is DEEP. I love how subtle and rich this show can be. I also love the look and feel to this episode, playing out like an old film noir. It's fantastic in its atmosphere.

Episode 27- Mad as a Hatter: Just the level of Alice in Wonderland atmosphere in this episode is worth watching. I've always thought of the Mad Hatter as an underrated Batman villain, but one we will never see on film. With the vice grip Disney has on those rights, it would be impossible to see set pieces and costumes like this in a Batman film. But it is a very compelling storyline. The Mad Hatter has the powers and motivation that reminds me a lot of Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. I absolutely love a villain that has that ability of mind control, but I really dig the Mad Hatter because he does it with a unique form of style. You actually feel really bad for him at first, but he just takes it way too far. That's how a lot of these Batman villains start out, so at least the formula works.

Episode 28- Dreams in Darkness: This episode opens with Batman in a padded room in Arkham Asylum. WHAT?!?! We then get some flashbacks to show that Batman was exposed to some fear gas that has him hallucinating. Crashing the Batmobile outside of Arkham, he is taken in to receive treatment. He needs to stop the Scarecrow before he pollutes Gotham's water supply with fear gas, a plan that bears an awfully strong resemblance to the plot of Batman Begins, a film that also has the Scarecrow as a villain. And think about this, the show came first. The highlight is the nightmares Batman has in Arkham. I won't spoil too much, but if you know Batman, you can only imagine what he would have nightmares about. They are cranked up to the highest point and then go completely off the deep end. Major props to the animation department for those scenes, literal visual masterpieces of fear. Again, this is a show for KIDS, and I don't know about you, but this episode would leave me with nightmares if I was a kid watching at the time. I'm thoroughly impressed with the amount of balls the showrunners had to do episodes like this.

Series Spotlight: The Scarecrow, voiced by Henry Polic II

With two standalone episodes on this disc, I knew I would be talking about Scarecrow to close the season. Considering that I have seen him in three episodes so far, and he has had plots based on revenge, petty crime, and full on terrorism, he might be one of the villains on the show with the most range so far. I also have to give the animation department credit for realizing they could go a lot darker with his design and updated it by his second appearance. The second look really works for him. I always liked Scarecrow as a villain, but the three episodes he had in the first season really left a much stronger impression. For them to give him 2 episodes within the last 5 episodes of the season is telling of how much faith they had in him as a recurring villain. And the best part about any future appearances from Scarecrow is that the possibilities are endless for the animators when it comes to being creative with writing and animating fear.

Series Spotlight: Final Thoughts on Season 1

If you didn't get it from the 28 episode reviews I did and the other Series Spotlights, I freaking LOVE this show. This is a game changer in the world of animation and comic book adaptations. Batman: The Animated Series had so many rich, deep, thought provoking episodes and moments that are worth checking out. It has one of the most compelling villain rosters EVER. Batman can take the backseat to the plot and the other characters and still make his presence felt. If we spend about 10 minutes without him, it doesn't feel strange. It still feels like a show about Batman and the huge universe that exists with Gotham. Heck, you have a number of episodes that deal with small-time criminals and petty crimes that are still great episodes. You don't need The Joker and Two-Face to be in every episode for it to be a success. You can have a Clock King or a Rupert Thorne be the main bad guy and it is still incredibly watchable. The music is great, the animation is great, the characters are great, the episodes are great. If you haven't seen the first season of this show, I strongly recommend going out and getting it NOW! If you even consider yourself a casual Batman fan, give this show a chance and I guarantee you will be in for something special.

Haven't had enough of Batman: The Animated Series yet? Well, join me as I tackle Season 2 next time...


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