Batman: The Animated Series- Blind as a Bat

 "Your aim appears to be a little off today, Batman..."

This is a fairly basic, run of the mill episode, the gimmick being that Batman has to deal with a plot by the Penguin while temporarily blinded, with the added warning that Lesley Thompkins has sternly warned him that he'll go blind if he doesn't rest.

We know how it'll end from the beginning, of course; the final scene, where he opens his eyes, has no real suspense. But it's a decent enough way to spend twenty minutes, even if not exactly earth shattering. yet again, it's nice to see so many recurring characters- Lesley Thompkins, Hamilton Hill- making this Gothan City feel real and textured. And there's a nice little hint of Bruce Wayne feeling uneasy about Waynetech manufacturing military technology.

There are some nice little moments, such as when there's initially no response to the Batsignal. I'm enjoying the typical overconfidence of the Penguin in the Animated Series. Ultimately, though, this episode isn't going to particularly stand out.

Batman: The Animated Series- Shadow of the Bat, Part 2

 "I hate wet shoes!"

A solid conclusion here, with the newly coined Batgirl earning her spurs and, in the end, the grudging respect of both Batman and Robin, after a few false starts. It's also nicely plotted, with Gil Mason and Two-Face plotting together to rule the law and the underworld respectively. I had to laugh, of course, at the sight of Jim Gordon not recognising his own daughter in that mask, but heigh-ho.

I suppose the plot was rushed a little, what with our baddies changing their plans to spring and then kill the Commissioner, a decision clearly based on the fact that the story needed to be wrapped up quick. But still, this is a solid debut for Barbara Gordon's alter ego. It gets points too for a solid set piece with Batman and Robin trying not to drown, especially as we're only really seen so much of the two of them together in the series thus far.

What's this about Harvey Bullock keeping Thorne's involvement to himself, though...? 

Batman: The Animated Series- Shadow of the Bat, Part 1

 "This place gives me the willies..."

Yes, I know- thirteen straight days without a blog post, something that hasn't happened in a loooong time. In my defence, I'm still adjusting to life after recovering from my surgery with everything being all busy again with fatherhood, my relationship and my career back to being full time again- all good things, but I have less free time than I did before February. I'm adjusting, but I'll get there. Plus there's been the heatwave, a lot of stuff to do, and, er, a YouTube "watch later" list that I'm slowly getting under control.

Anyway, it's back to Batman: The Animated Series. It may have left Netflix but it's now on Amazon Prime so I pick up right where I left off, and this is certainly a strong start to the new season. Functionally, this is the episode where Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl. It is, I think, the first time Bruce uses his "Matches" Malone disguise, something I remember from the comics back in the day. 

It puts all the world building that's been going on to good use in this tale of someone framing Jim Gordon for corruption. The story depends strongly on the supporting cast of both cops and mob bosses, giving Gotham a real sense of place. The animated series is properly established by now and uses all that world building to powerful effect, also giving us some tantalising clues about Jim Gordon's framing. And the ending, with Two-Face revealed and Barbara (with some help from her teddy bear!) debuting her proper Batgirl costume.

Most of all, though, I love how noir this is, from the first class animation to the plot to the mood. This is what peak Batman looks like. 

Batman: The Animated Series- Off Balance

 "As you said, detective... this is not over!"

This is a magnificent episode. An exciting story, a clever twist, Helen Slater (Supergirl herself!) and a nod to the fact that Gotham City is a kind of fictional knock-off of New York City by featuring a knock-off Statue of Liberty in the opening set piece... this one has it all. 

The conceit is delicious- a kind of criminal cult called the Society of Shadows, with eyes everywhere, which kills anyone who spills its secrets and whose agents use a mind-erasing drug when captured. Already this is intriguing. But they are led by a chap called Vertigo, whose powers induce a particularly trippy version of just that, combined with a penchant for set piece booby traps. And naturally this shadowy organisation is after Wayne Enterprises' latest MacGuffin.

Even more intriguing, though, is a lady of ambiguous loyalties who eventually saves Batman, healing him, and seeing who he is beneath the mask, apparently a friend... but then she gives her name: Talia. And yeah, at that point I knew.

It was still enormous fun to see how the episode ending, though, with Talia proving to be loyal neither to the law nor to Vertigo... but to her father, Ra's al Ghul. About bloody time...

And I love the fact that the title is a pun.

Batman: The Animated Series- I Am the Night

"A weary body can be dealt with. But a weary spirit... that's something else."

The title of this episode reminds me of Audioslave's "I Am the Highway"... but I digress before there's anything to digress from. Anyway, contrived though Batman's depression may be, this is a good episode. And contains another instance of homages to creators as cops refer to the "corner of Adams and O'Neil", a nice touch.

It's the anniversary of the murder of Bruce's parents, so he's already out of sorts, but then we have the double whammy of Jim Gordon being badly hurt while Batman is elsewhere and... well, for me, the contrived nature of it all doesn't work. This kind of depressive episode seems out of character for someone like Batman who, while I'm certainly no psychiatrist, just doesn't seem the type to doubt his purpose.

Regardless, though, it's a good episode for developing Bruce's relationships with those around him- Alfred, Robin, Lesley Thompkins, Jim and Barbara Gordon, and it gets away with its flaws. It's just that I suspect this is a highly popular episode... and, for me, it isn't quite up there.

Batman: The Animated Series- What Is Reality?

 "A pixel is worth a thousand words..."

It's 1992. Of course there's going to be a virtual reality episode. And, the zeitgeist back then being what it was, we get a Neuromancer-style Cyberspace experience with the Riddler controlling his own virtual world in an episode that's fun and fascinating in and of itself, in its use of the character of the Riddler, and as a product of its time, the year when Snow Crash was published and with the Cyberpunk genre changing all around it.

The Riddler begins by erasing all references to Edward Nygma, eager to embrace who he now is and forsaking a past of betrayal and nominative determinism. But much of the fun is seeing how quickly and easily Batman, Robin and even Alfred deal with some really rather difficult riddles.

Ultimately, though, the surreality and sheer spectacle of the thing is quite simply a joy- the chessboard scene, in particular, is such a delightful riff on Alice in Wonderland. And if, in a cartoon made in 1992, and episode like this did not exist, that would be deeply and profoundly wrong.

Batman: The Animated Series- Birds of a Feather

 "Society is to blame..."

Batman: The Animated Series is, by this point, quite well-established. We've seen lots of different types of episodes, but none quite like this one, a focus on a villain that is just... sad.

It's very much a Batman trope that Gotham only ever sentences the villains to hilariously short prison sentences and, sure enough, Penguin is about to be released from what feels like yet another five minute stretch. Yet, upon release, he finds himself strangely lonely and abandoned.

And he finds himself, well... mocked and bullied by an upper crust couple with loadsamoney and zero heart. He's catfished, falls in love... and betrayed. Even worse, he seems to have genuinely intended to go straight until motivated to punish the couple. Batman has no choice to stop him and... off goes the Penguin to prison, again. 

At least he'll only be there for five minutes.

Batman: The Animated Series- Moon of the Wolf

 "Thinking of acquiring a new pet, Master Bruce?"

This episode- a straightforward tale with a one-off villain, doesn't seem to be well-regarded. Perhaps that's understandable: fans don't want one-off villains, they want the rogues' gallery. Plus this episode, quite noticeably, gives most of the screen time to the guest characters and relatively little to the Batman, although we get more development of Batman's relations with Alfred, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock.

And yet... I rather like this clever little script from Len Wein, about a werewolf on the surface but, in reality, about someone who gains fame and fortune from using drugs to achieve success at sport, only to end up controlled and used by the provider of the drug. The ending is very nicely done- it's left open whether or not Milo will ever face justice, there being very little evidence, while Anthony Romulus (nice bit of nominative determinism there) is ruined. One thinks of the likes of Florence Griffiths-Joyner...

This episode has a real subtext and is about something. And art, even if it doesn't claim to be great art, should be appreciated for such things.

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Steel, Part II

 "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."

Part two continues the story in the vein we'd expect, and it's a very topical one in 2025, with the AI apocalypse clearly imminent: today, Chat GPT. Tomorrow, Skynet. And it's all cleverly done, with Mr Rossum revealed to have started all this for the very human reason of mourning his daughter, but the machines taking over... literally. I wish I knew more about R.U.R., the original play: no doubt there are references that go over my head.

It's not just Jim who gets a robot duplicate this time: Mayor Hill, even Bullock. Yet it's not Batman who gets the suspicion something's wrong- it's Barbara Gordon, who knows that that is not her father. She also does some rather effective investigating, and may even save Batman's life at the end. One might almost think, given her evident relish for this sort of thing, that she might be auditioning for the role of another flying rodent themed nocturnal crimefighter...

A satisfying conclusion to a highly effective two-parter, and a great showcasing of Barbara Gordon.

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Steel, Part I

 "Sounds as if the human race could be quite expendable."

This episode is really very impressive indeed. Not only is a strong start to what promises to be a gripping two-parter but, for an episode made in 1992, its concerns about AI are surprisingly contemporary... but then, are such concerns really that new? Humans have been worried about being supplanted by intelligent machines ever since Karel Capek wrote the play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), back in 1920, expressing fears of a robot revolution and coining the word "robot" itself into the bargain.

So yeah, I raised an eyebrow when we encountered a character called Rossum...

We begin as a young lady leaves a briefcase in the lobby of Wayne Enterprises, which bizarrely turns into a kind of metal spider, carrying out its pre-planned tasks in a way that immediately made me think of those AI drones that Ukraine is using against the Russians, a truly terrifying technology... yeah, thank you, Putin, for opening Pandora's Box there. I hope the next AI assassin drone gets you.

Anyway, it's all very good. We get Barbara Gordon, android duplicates and a creepy A.I boss computer. We get an obvious femme fatale who Bruce allows to discover the Batcave and his secret identity (oops!) despite being suspicious from the off. Let's see where this goes, but so far I'm liking it.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

 "Leave your message at the sound of the shriek..."

So we meet Dr. Hugo Strange, another member of Batman's traditional rogues' gallery, although perhaps one of the more obscure ones in recent decades, more a Killer Moth or a Gentleman Ghost than a Joker or a Tw-Face. Interesting, though, that we're getting some of the more minor and perhaps old-fashioned villains than, say, the Riddler.

I know relatively little of Hugo Strange except that he knows Batman to be Bruce Wayne and... yeah, this episode is fun and all, but it makes very little sense if one gives it any thought, and not only because the idea of mind reading futuristic tech getting recorded via videotape is hilarious in 2025. I mean, Strange auctioning Batman's secret identity to the highest bidder is hilarious for a start. The fact that the Joker, Two-Face and the Penguin (is the latter really established as a significant villain in the Animated Series by this point?) just passively go along with Strange until Batman tricks them is just silly- these are chaotic individuals who won't just behave as the plot wants them to.

And then, at the end, when Batman apparently meets Bruce Wayne... and it's just Dick with a mask and some stilts?

This episode is very, very silly. It's basically not very good. But it certainly isn't boring...

Batman: The Animated Series- Night of the Ninja

 "Defeat can be more instructive than victory..."

This is a nice little episode with what I suspect is a one-off villain, but a decent one nonetheless. Kyodai Ken is a rival of Bruce's from his days training in Japan, out for revenge, blaming Bruce for his self-inflicted disgrace. It feels right that Batman: The Animated Series should have a ninja episode, and all the ninja stuff is fun.

Also interesting is a bit of character development- Bruce's habit of not confiding in others and suffering alone is brought up by Alfred and Dick... although, given how essential he is to saving Bruce's bacon twice during this episode, it's very convenient for the plot that this should be one of those episodes featuring Robin.

It's also fun to have a bit more of a spotlight on Summer Gleeson, a persistent reporter who has mostly just been a bit of background flavour. Bruce being handicapped by not being able to be seen to fight too well by her is a nice idea, well handled.

Perhaps not an "important" episode. But a good one nonetheless.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Laughing Fish

 "Come on- he was a demented, abusive, psychotic maniac."

"Yeah, I'm really gonna miss him".

The above exchange says such a lot about the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker- twisted, perverse, but feeling weirdly real in its co-dependence. For this first time we get to see hints of the relationship I saw in Suicide Squad. It'll be interesting to see this develop.

This episode is the best Joker episode so far. But then, of course, it's based on an old '70s comic story, which I've read, by Steve Englehart. While i know him much better for his late '80s Marvel stuff, I do recall enjoying it in comic book form and it's no less compelling here, with the Joker's clever ways of using fish to get at the relevant functionaries.

Interesting use of Bullock here, too, questioning Batman's involvement, overruled by Gordon and ending up being saved by Batman from the Joker's inevitable shark. And A nice bit of Alfred's snark too. At this point, I think, the Animated Series is fully formed. And very good indeed.

Batman: The Animated Series- Robin's Reckoning, Part II

 "Looks like you could use some protection right now. And protection is my racket."

Immediately notable here is how especially good the animation is, especially the creative use of angle. There are lots of nice stylistic choices, such as the ever-creepy trope of an amusement park at night. And, as ever, the creative ambiguity surrounding the question of whether this is the 1940s or the present day gives a splendid visual style.

Yes, I suppose you could say this plays out predictably- in flashback, a vengeful Dick gets in Batman's way and inadvertently causes Zucco's escape. In the present, Robin's arrival saves Batman, and Batman intervenes to persuade Robin to find catharsis in justice, not revenge. Something along these lines was always going to happen.

Yet the final reconciliation works well in its nuance. The set pieces are impressive. And we get to see more of the seedy unpleasantness of Gotham at night. A good episode, then, not only because of its big ideas but also the little things.

Batman: The Animated Series- Robin's Reckoning, Part I

 "That Grayson kid's a real boy wonder."

Tsk. I don't think much of the child labour laws in Gotham City, allowing the Graysons to use their young, underage son in what's described as a "death-defying" bit of acrobatics. Nor do I think much of the health and safety situation. No safety net? Really? With a child involved...?

Yeah... you can sort of tell that Robin's origin story dates from the '40s, can't you? A bit like the way all the hoodlums dress and the cars they drive. It's a bit awkward in the modern age. So it's perfect that this  animated series takes place in a deliberately ambiguous fusion of the '40s and the modern day.

We still haven't seen much of Robin, but this episode serves to flesh him out really well. The narrative, contrasting "now" with flashbacks, also works well. The modern day narrative is simple- Batman finds out that Tony Zucco, killer of Robin's parents, is still alive, but refuses to tell Robin and goes after Zucco himself, refusing to involve his ward. So, naturally, Robin is furious, and this seems to presage a real rift between them.

Yet the flashbacks, taking their time to tell Robin's origin story, are the real point. It's lovely to see Bruce and Dick bond over both of them having had their parents murdered at a young age. So far, so impressive.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy

 "Do you know what it means?"

"Don't you?"

At last the Commissioner has come up with the Bat Signal, fairly late in the game. And I love how Batman gently notes the implausibility of such a thing being allowed!

Otherwise, though... well, the twist at the end was clever, but I wasn't all that impressed with this one. We have a villain, Josiah Wormwood, whose thing is to commit crimes via elaborate and unrealistically elaborate death-traps, much like  those we saw in the '60s TV series. Neither he nor "Baron" is particularly engaging or interesting. Indeed, the best thing in this episode may be the interaction between the Batman and Commissioner Gordon.

We get a Perils of Pauline style damsel in distress about to be run over by a train who turns out to be a hologram, though: I liked the subversion of this trope. But otherwise, a rather forgettable episode.

And quicksand doesn't actually do that in real life!

Batman: The Animated Series- Perchance to Dream

 "You don't like the fantasy world I've created for you?"

This episode is, I suppose, simple: we get a high concept... er, concept that simply plays out in its own inevitable way. Besides, the "protagonist wakes up to find their life was all a dream and reality is more mundane" thing is such well-trodden grounds that I've no doubt whatsoever that it will have its own TV Tropes page. Despite all this, though, this episode is bloody good- and perhaps ideal for a series with such short individual episodes.

So Bruce is knocked unconscious and wakes up to a reality in which his parents are alive, he's just become engaged to Selina Kyle (this being a dream of his ideal life, this is proof of how he feels about her!) and someone else is Batman. And yes, it's fun as we- and Bruce- are introduced to this new reality, which Bruce comes to accept. At last he can find true happiness.

And yet we know it can't end there. The way Bruce finds out is clever- books and newspapers are gobbledygook: we can't read in dreams because apparently it's a left brain thing. I'm not sure if this is a myth or not- left/right brain things often are, it seems- but, as a plot device, it works well. Although, surely, anyone under the influence of this machine would have the same reaction?

Still, the showdown with the Mad Hatter is satisfying, dramatic, and Bruce's solution is truly shocking. And it's the perfect character point- for Bruce, the truth matters more than happiness.

Batman: The Animated Series- Eternal Youth

 "Oh my.They even speak in unison."

This may not be a stand-out episode, but it's a solid one nevertheless, further establishing Poison Ivy's modus operandi as an eco terrorist who punishes those who despoil nature... and, frankly, while her methods are of course extreme, and not to mention lacking any semblance of due process, I'm certainly in favour of a much harder line on those who slash and burn rainforests.

Of course, this is a rather fun Alfred episode, and I love his dynamic with Maggie: I'd certainly be disappointed if we don't see her again. But the philosphical discussion between Batman and Pamela Isley is excellent too. And yes, turning people into trees is bonkers, so is that massive great big tree that quickly sprouts at the end, but I'm absolutely here for such things.

There are a couple of niggles, not least the highly convenient way the process is "not yet irreversible", which is both clumsy from a plot perspective and implausible, but overall this is nothing special, perhaps, but solid. Poison Ivy is by nowa well-established character.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Clock King

 "I'm here to clean ypur clock, Fugate."

Last episode may have been a little below the usual standard, but this one is as good as ever. The quality of this series is consistently high.

And Temple Fugit (see what they did there?) is an excellent villain with a nice gimmick, well handled, as well as a compelling backstory and a quirky character. The use of Hamilton Hill continues the world building, with the series continuing to stlowly develop a surprisingly large supporting cast. Oh, and I like what they did with the roads, all named after a prominent Batman or Detective Comics artist. There's also a nice reference to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last.

Perhaps the best sequence, though,is where the Clock King hasb Batman locked in a bank vault with only five minutes' worth of oxygen, and he uses his extreme cleverness to survive... although it'sfortunate this sequence occurs in a pre-digital age, dependent though it is on reels of tape.

I've no idea whether we'll see the Clock King agsin, despite his apparent escape. But I certainly hope so.

Batman: The Animated Series- Vendetta

 "I've had cats that made more noise than you...!"

Another good episode here. Oh, we introduce Killer Croc, whosew portrayal is fine but qho was never one of the more meaningful members of Batman's rogues gallery. No: this episode is noteworthy for how it fleshes out the broader supporting cast.

The conceit is very clever- Harvey Bullock is framed by Killer Croc for the murder of a prospective informer, with Boss Rupert Thorne in the mix. Right awayt it adds nuance to Bullock's character- a cop who cuts corners and not a pleasant individual, certainly, but not corrupt. The moment between him and Batman at the end, too, is nice and nuanced.

So are Batman's respective rapports with Gordon and Alfred, of course, but at this stage that comes as no surprise. But it's satisfying to feel this sense  of so many characters by now familiar- not just Bullock and Boss Thorne but also news reporter Summer Gleeson, Officer Montoya- this is an increasingly impressive aspect of the Animated Series.

And, by this point, we're on a solid run of really rather a lot of solid episodes in a row.