Batman: The Animated Series Season 2- Part 3

The Dark Knight is back in a solid string of episodes from Batman: The Animated Series...


Episode 15- Moon of the Wolf: This episode tells a classic werewolf story concerning an athlete that took a suspicious supplement in order to do better in competition. The curse of being a werewolf serves as the consequences for his actions. If you like werewolf stuff, you should like this episode. But my major problem with it is that it ends on a cliffhanger and we never get a proper resolution to the story. Maybe it wasn't a popular episode in the creators' eyes, so they didn't want to work on a follow-up. Oh well.

Episode 16- Day of the Samurai: We get the return of Bruce's martial arts rival Kyodai Ken in this episode and we get a story that I really enjoyed. Kyodai steals his former master's prize student and in ransom for the scroll that will teach him the necessary fighting technique to get his revenge on Bruce Wayne. After he learns the technique, he also kidnaps Alfred to lure Bruce into a final battle. Bruce, knowing that Kyodai can recognize Batman's fighting technique, reveals his identity and fights Kyodai near an active volcano. Talk about a grand finale! It's absolutely amazing to see Bruce face someone that knows his identity. He completely sheds his cape and cowl to settle this, it's personal. But, when the volcano erupts and Bruce is called to do the right thing to get him and Kyodai to safety, he still offers his help. That is so telling of how great a hero Bruce is. Even when things are so bitterly personal, he will still always try to do the right thing in the name of justice. Fantastic episode.

Episode 17- Terror in the Sky: This episode calls back all the way to the pilot and focuses on another mysterious bat monster. This time, Batman is convinced that Kirk Langstrom is at it again, but we find out that this one's a new monster. Even worse, this person isn't even aware of what's happening to them. This episode was fine, but not as visually engaging as the last time we saw this whole Man-Bat thing on the show.

Episode 18- Almost Got 'Im: This is a flawless episode. In the span of 20 minutes, we are treated to an episode involving The Joker, The Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy playing cards and talking about their greatest stories of how they almost defeated Batman. The villains are one of the biggest selling points of the show's success, so to get many of them here in one episode is a true landmark episode. Each of them gets a chance to tell a story that puts Batman in a trap that plays to the each villain's strengths and personalities. I love the dialogue, the visual aspects of the stories, and the star-studded quality of the episode.

Episode 19- Birds of a Feather: Here's another favorite episode of mine, this time focusing on The Penguin trying to turn over a new leaf. When he finds companionship and comfort with a lady friend, he truly finds his happiness and acceptance in society. When he finds out that it's all a practical joke, you can really feel his embarrassment and heartbreak. He blames society for the way he is, and ultimately, the way he will remain. That's some heavy stuff to get across in 20 minutes, but this show excels in storytelling like that.

Episode 20- What is Reality?: We have another Riddler episode, this time stepping into the world of virtual reality. The animation style is definitely trippy, creating a world full of the color red. Funny, I would have imagined it being green for the Riddler. But I digress. There's plenty of puzzles and riddles scattered throughout the episode and the animation techniques definitely make for a visually appealing episode. Plus, I like the idea of Batman and Robin venturing into virtual reality to save Commissioner Gordon. It's very futuristic, but also heavily dated. You can tell that this episode is a product of the '90s, but in the best way imaginable.

Episode 21- I Am the Night: Wow, I wasn't expecting this episode to be as impactful as it was. While doing his annual visit to the alley his parents were murdered in, he misses a crime bust where Commissioner Gordon is shot. This causes some major friction between Batman and Bullock, and causes Batman to doubt his abilities. I mean he goes into a major depression, even by Batman standards and it requires a lot to pull him out of his slump. We also get some more time to know Gordon's daughter Barbara and the ending really says a lot about the respect Batman and Gordon have for each other. A really good episode for the emotions and fans who enjoy the relationships of the Gotham characters are sure to get a kick out of it.

Series Spotlight: The Penguin, voiced by Paul Williams

Just looking at the guy, you can tell that the animation style is calling back to Danny DeVito's portrayal of The Penguin from Batman Returns. Yet, in this version, they still try to keep him classy in a sense. He has taste for art and all things refined, but can also be repulsive in appearance and behavior. But, as we can pretty much infer when we watch "Birds of a Feather," it's possible that Oswald Cobblepot turned to a life of crime because society rejected who he was. When he has a shred of humanity with this one person that might care about him, he gives up that life. But when he finds out that affection was all part of a practical joke, he renounces his reformed life and turns back to a life of crime. It's actually pretty tragic to see this guy nearly had a happy life, but feels like this is the role he HAS to have. Perhaps he is right in this instance, society is to blame. The high society, that is.

Series Spotlight: Killer Croc, voiced by Aron Kincaid

This week's episodes were kinda lacking in the iconic rogues gallery, so I thought I'd take the time to share my thoughts on Killer Croc. It's not too far of a stretch to review him here, since he was featured in "Almost Got 'Im," well...he kinda was. But anyways, you get the idea that a character like Croc doesn't need to be the greatest criminal mastermind in Gotham, but can get around in the crime world due to his intimidating size and strength. He isn't utilized as frequently as other mainstay villains on the show, but I always liked when I'd see him, even if it was in small doses. Plus, Croc made an early living as a professional wrestler. Being a huge wrestling fan, that's something I just love to see in a character like Croc. But as we all know, he's not the ONLY villain on Batman: The Animated Series to have connections to wrestling. But I'll get to that at another time.

The Second Season of Batman: The Animated Series will conclude in Part 4...


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