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- The Mechanic

 "I need a new car..."

Yes, I know: I'm doing another episode of Batman: The Animated Series as opposed to the other series I'm blogging- Stranger Things, Dexter, Gen V, with The War Between the Land and the Sea starting within days.

Fear not; I'm still blogging all of the above. But I've been struggling with a rather unpleasant hernia for the last year or so which makes it increasingly difficult to concentrate, among other things, and is slowly getting worse over time. The good news is that my employers are kindly allowing me to work the hours I can, on full pay, and that the whole bloody thing should be sorted by surgery in late January. I should be right back to normal after that.

But that means there are days when I can only manage to focus on a twenty minute episode as opposed to something longer. Hence Batman: The Animated Series. It doesn't mean I won't keep blogging those other programmes when I feel up to it, or films. But that's the situation....

Plus, of course. this show leaves Netflix on 21 December....

That said, I enjoyed this episode very much. Not for the fairly standard blackmail plot, perhaps, but for the worldbuilding. The Penguin (I loved his vulture!) is getting nicely fleshed out as a character by now. As ever, the car chases are hugely entertaining. And yet again the cars and the clothes evoke, appropriately, the '40s.

Yet even better than that is the introduction of Earl- not, I believe, a character from the comics or any other medium? That Batman should maintain his own mechanic makes perfect sense and, of course, adds to the texture of Batman and his world. I particularly loved the monochrome origin sequence, featuring a very retro Batmobile and Batman in his pre-1964 costume.

Surprising to see John de Lancie in a fairly minor role here, but yet another strong episode.

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- Almost Got 'Im

 "Smaller words, please. Your losing Croc."

As an idea for an episode it feels trite, lazy, low effort. A bunch of Batman's foes- the Joker, Two Face, Poison Ivy, the Penguin and, er, Killer Croc all play poker and compete with stories (and flashbacks) about which of them came closest to killing Batman.

Except... it works, by subverting the very premise. Not only is an episode from the villains' POV a success in practice, it further fleshes out the villains' characters. The way they interact is fun. It's wryly acknowledged that Harvey Dent and Pamela Isley are exes. Everyone mocks Killer Croc for his limited intellect ("I threw a rock!"). Between the others, there's a kind of mutual respect... although the Joker is certainly the alpha male.

However, the twist at the end is delicious- it's all a trap. And, all the more intriguing, it's yet another riff on the fascinating pseudo-romance between Batman and Catwoman... however, they can't keep the "will they, won't they?" simmering forever.

Nevertheless, a strong episode.

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- I've Got Batman in My Basement

 "Befouled by a couple of fledglings!"

Well, they can't all be good, can they? 

Positives first, though: I like what they've done with the Penguin. The character was, perhaps, looking uncomfortably old fashioned and silly by the early '90s, particularly after Batman Returns where the character was radically re-evaluated. The comics would soon subtly revamp the character as a mob boss, de-emphasising tbe unbrellas and so forth. The Penguin we have here is a fascinating snapshot along that period of transition. Visually, he looks traditional, with only a slight visual nod to Danny Devito's look in trhe darker colours. The unbrellas and the Burgess Meredith mannerisms are subtly different but more or less there. And yet... this is a cultured, snobbish, patronising Penguin, whiuch is interesting. I look forwardto seeing the character in a better episode.

But... well, Batman can encompass all sorts of story styles and there's nothing wrong with telling a story from the point of view of a kid. But an unconscious Batman, a vulture, the kids trying to solve the crime and a Home Alone situation in Sherman's massive basement? Oh dear. The tone here is all wrong.

And... the Batcave is apparently common knowledge. Oh dear. Hopefully this will be a one off dud.