Batman: The Zodiac Crimes / The Joker's Hard Times / The Penguin Declines

The Zodiac Crimes

"The pot's being put on the fire right now and Bamtan's in it!"

So it's our first three part story, so much so that, in these insanely busy days working from home while parenting a five year old, I'm having to blog it over two nights. It's also our first televised team-up between the Joker and the Penguin- although (and I say this before seeing the third episode) the Penguin very much seems to play second fiddle, being delivered in a box to the Joker's lair and working with the Joker's henchmen on the Joker's schemes. Whatever he says about insisting on a 50-/50 split, he's a glorified underling here- and seemingly defeted quickly as we get on with the Joker's scheme.

I'll admit that, although I like him well enough, I wouldn't put Cesar Romero's Joker in the top tier of baddies here- he's no Riddler, Catwoman or indeed Penguin. But his antics here, goading our heroes throughout, are entertaining enough. The zodiac conceit may be a quick and easy hook for a plot, but it works. And I like the orrery cliffhanger with the meteorite. But not as much as I like Robin's groovy dancing.


The Joker's Hard Times

"Holy mashed potatoes!"

No Penguin in this episode? Never mind; the Joker is entertaining enough, especially in the fun he has with the police car radio. For our first ever "middle" episode it zips along, even though much time is taken up with Venus as the latest in a long line of regretful criminal sidekicks with a crush on Batman.

Joker is entertaining again, particularly when stealing an extremely rare fish with a fisherman's net while throwing fish and puns at the Caped Crusaders. I'm warming more to this Joker. And the cliffhanger is gloriously silly- giant clams certainly don't eat people, but this one does!

Incidentally, there's a character called "Basil" but pronounced as we Brits would say it- do they only pronounce the herb "bay-sil"?



The Penguin Declines

"Women of America, beware! Don Juan Penguin is on the loose!"

It's another perfunctory cliffhanger resolution and on to the Joker's final two crimes... except things are running out of steam a bit. The Penguin is back, sprung from the hoosegow, but he's just as much laying second fiddle as he was in the first episode.And the Joker's two remaining crimes consist of getting Batman and... interfering with Gotham City's water supply. Yes, just as he tried last time- even the script acknowledges this. Yes, it's amusing that this time he's turned the water supply into strawberry jam, cue Chief O'Hara's comedy attempy at a shower, but can we not have a different idea?

At least we get some stock footage of the Batcopter for the first time in a while, I suppose. And the Penguin trying to be seductive is amusing and just the right side of creepy. Then it's all solved by chemistry and double double crossing the two baddies. But the whole thing, despite its two big name villains, feels very by-the-numbers.

Batman: True or False Face & Holy Rat Race

True or False Face

"Candy? Oh, but fresh fruit is so much more healthful."

Er, that's not a word, Batman.

So far every villain we've had has been from the comics, even Zelda if you squint a bit. False Face is no exception, even if he never was any more than a one off comics baddie. He's an odd and slightly rubbish choice. No disrespect to Malachi Throne (or "?" in the credits...), who gamely does his best, but it's impossible to put in a charismatic performance as a bloke who hides behind a silly plastic mask at literally all times. It's a pity; the character gets some great lines and is a great concept, but it was never going to work.

Stephen Kandel is a new writer- you can tell as Robin is suddenly always saying "jiminy". He cerainly likes his set pieces and car chases which leads to a disjointed but constantly entertaining episode which is actually rather good aside from the utter impossibility of Malachi Throne being able to act properly. Indeed, he even gets a more active and cool sidekick than usual in Blaze, a rather kickass character, but she's thee to provide the face of villainy that False Face can't. You can see why he never comes back, despite everyone treating him as another perennial baddie.


Holy Rat Race

"Not only possible, but true!"

"Please! Not that word!"

Finally we get that most traditional of cliffhangers as the Dynamic Duo are tied to the railway track- in was bound to happen sooner or later. The resolution is at once both delightfully silly and actually revevant to the plot as Blaze, who is much cooler than False Face, slowly switches allegiance.

Never mind that False Face's plan to counterfeit loads of money, rob a bank and plant fake money there makes zero sense- the episode quite sensibly keeps moving through a series of entertaining action set pieces which almost stop you from thinking about the plot. But there's only so many times False Face can be caught, escape and be caught again.

Eventually False Face stays caught and police lead him off, never to be seen again. Ah well. Not all villans can work.