Batman: The Animated Series- Two-Face, Part I

 "I'm more worried about the mental scars..."

Our first two parter, and... the series seems to be stepping up a gear. This is seriously impressive stuff. It was clever to have us know Harvey Dent from earlier in the series: everything in this episode feels earned, which only deepens the feelings of real tragedy.

This seems to be much deeper than the Two-Face origins- admittedly 1970s and earlier- with which I'm earlier.We have Dent as an incorruptible but intense District Attorney, but he has pre-existing demons. Boss Thorne, from the comics, is present and correct, but this episode plus front and centre the stgmas around mental health which were very much a thing in the '90s ('40s?), with Harvey enduring the stress of an election campaign to boot. It's a potent mix and very well realised.

The tragedy at the end packs a punch- Dent's disfugurement, no fault of his own, and his mental health issues have cost him his career, and now his fiancee.

And so, for the first time, we end on a cliffhanger and plunge into part two with a real sense of quality.