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- 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- Two-Face, Part II

 "Chance is everything. Whether you're born or not. Whether you live or die. Whather you're good or bad. It's all arbitrary."

After our first "Previously On" moment, we skip forwardsix months and see Two-Facewell into his prgramme of harassing Boss Thorne. We get to see how he looks and behaves... and he's a fascinating, riveting character, far more so than anything I've read from the comics and at last giving us a worthy screen version of the character.

This is a fascinating character study of Harvey Dent, at the centre of which is a debate between and Grave, his former fiancee, on whether or not life is all down to chance. Yet this is also an episode about the guilt of Bruce Wayne, haunted by nightmares about his failure to save not only Dent but also his parents.The characterisation of this series is suddenly on another level.

And we end on a hopeful note. Two-Face is still very much presented as Harvey Dent here.

Incidentally, I continue to be fascinated on how the setting is deliberately a conflation of the '40s- card, fashions,tommy guns- and the contemporary, with beepersand female detectives. Episode after episode, it's a design choice that really works.

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.

Batman: The Animated Series- Pretty Poison

 "She's not right for you..."

This is, perhaps, a simple episode: Harvey Dent is poisoned by his girlfriend, one Pamela Isley, the poison administered by a kiss, and all done in revenge for the flowers made extinct by the building of Gotham's new prison, Harvey's dream. And so we have some detective work and a showdown involving a splendid Venus flyutrap.

That's it.

Except... there are so many little things, so many nuances. I'm loving how we're starting with Dent back in the days when he used be more, er, singular, and Harvey's rapport with his friend Bruce Wayne is fun. I also like the script's wry commentary- what kind of man has a prison as his dream? The caption "A better, safer, Gotham" as we fast forward to the finished prison is delicious.

Then we have the juxtapostion of Batman recapturing an escaped prisoner to Harvey's description of rich businessman Bruce, who has, er, no secrets from Harvey. Incidentally, are they going for businessman Bruce, 70s style, with Lucius Fox, back in the days when Steve Engelhart did his run, as opposed to Bruce the playboy? We'll see.

Bullocks and the donuts is a delicious touch, though. As is the plot, the revelation, Poison Isley's personality and the conclusion. Even if, like me, you know who Pamela Isley is from the start, this episode is particularly good.