Batman!

Back last fall, I took advantage of my now-defunct Amazon Prime account to watch some classic Batman: The Animated Series episodes, which I had not seen in many years. Yeah, there was something about curling up in my bed in that funky-smelling rental house, watching the great theme before the show started. Well, I did watch most of them, and for a lot of them I wrote down mini summaries/thoughts.

The series was in the early 1990s, but I saw them more toward the late 1990s, because at that time, eventually the original series was discontinued and replaced with Superman: The Animated Series briefly before The New Adventures of Batman & Superman which did include at least one crossover episode, but mostly added in new Batman adventures (drawn in Superman's crisper art style, which unfortunately I was not a fan of because they mangled the art of the villains, especially the Joker, who even lost his trademark white grin), while repackaging the Batman series. It was for the cartoon blocks, but the creative team made it great with stellar writing, great art (pre-Superman, at least), and pushing the boundaries of what was allowed to be shown (in censorship, there was a Spider-Man show in the 1990s that had some ridiculous limits of what was allowed). Eventually, after both were cancelled in favor of Batman Beyond which was a series where a new Batman took over in a futuristic Gotham City, and then Justice League/Justice League Unlimited which I think didn't work to its potential. While it did finish up a hanging arc from Superman, instead of an anthology series full of backdoor pilots, it ended up making Batman Beyond canon, which in addition to mucking up continuity in an episode where Superman was in Batman Beyond, and also ensuring a miserable ending for Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake.

Otherwise, it was a bright spot in the Batman mythos while the comics had Batman replaced with a doppelganger that actually killed people, and Joel Schumacher was making a laughingstock out of the Dark Knight, culminating in a point where no Batman movies were made in nearly a decade.

So without further delay, here's what I wrote down back in October. Keep in mind that although I never finished all the episodes, I did watch most of them.

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The Last Laugh - This was a great Joker episode with a great soundtrack (here), and includes Batman's battle with Joker's robotic henchman, Captain Clown. Captain Clown meets his end when "he" is crushed, but it begs the question--where did the Joker get a nigh-invulnerable, highly-advanced looking (when Batman rips off the "face") robot that can be programmed? Clearly someone is making this technology--if it's the Joker, why would he ever need to commit a crime again?

The Underdwellers - This was kind of a weird episode, since it used a one-shot villain with no origin story or real introduction. Just as well, since the episode referenced child abuse/slavery, and to make the Sewer King as repulsive a creep as possible, there wasn't any backstory to how he came to be. Most of Batman's enemies have a rather sympathetic backstory--an actor with an addiction to an untested compound, a district attorney with a bunch of repressed anger issues, a scientist trying to save his wife...but nope, none of that for the Sewer King.

Beware the Gray Ghost - This episode is one of the better ones, as it involves Bruce Wayne meeting one of his childhood heroes, a washed-up actor who played "The Gray Ghost" a long time ago, and was not able to get serious acting jobs later because of that association with the Gray Ghost. Of course, I was reminded of Adam West (the "original" Batman), which is exactly who cameoed as the Gray Ghost.

Dreams in Darkness - They actually showed a real gun with what is obviously supposed to be blood coming out of it! That's STILL hard to get away with in kids' shows today.

Mad as a Hatter - Up until the third act, the Hatter actually did nothing wrong except cheat a few people out of some money (the chef creating a spectacular meal on the house, for instance), what got Batman interested in investigating was the thugs that tried to commit suicide, and even that, the Hatter wasn't actually scheming for them to kill themselves, he was just trying to impress his date and avoid getting robbed.

Harley & Ivy - Ah, this episode. Much like "Beware the Creeper" later, they got away with a lot in this episode that normally wouldn't fly, namely some very, very light references that Harley and Ivy were, um, more than friends.

Vendetta - As much of this build-up of this episode suggests, I feel the pay-off just isn't worth it. Maybe if Killer Croc had an introduction (heck, I don't even think they gave him a real name), it might be better.

Perchance to Dream - With a device that will artificially create dreams, it's a wonder why the Hatter won't just market this and make money.

Appointment in Crime Alley - This episode ends in kind of an "aww, isn't that sweet" way, but Daggett gets away with extortion, kidnapping, and a bunch more things--as if he hasn't already ruined Matt Hagen's life.

Moon of the Wolf - This one annoyed me, partially because the werewolf in question never gets cured and simply disappears, or because Batman doesn't believe at first it's an actual werewolf and needs convincing. While this is perfectly reasonable, keep in mind that at this point, he's battled the Man-Bat, meeting Catwoman who literally became a cat woman, and others.

Almost Got 'Im - Batman can do a lot, but surviving an electric chair (shortly before it EXPLODES from too much electricity) AND pulling off a great Killer Croc imitation seems too high a bar for the Caped Crusader to actually do.

The Man Who Killed Batman - This is another episode that I enjoyed. Whether it's Harley playing "Amazing Grace" on a kazoo, or the line "I think I served you a subpoena once. It was a small subpoena", this episode was great.

Beware the Creeper - This was a fun episode. It definitely had some parts that normally wouldn't fly with children's TV (TVTropes' "Getting Crap Past the Radar" lists at least three incidents in this episode alone), but it feels like the script started out as a Freakazoid! crossover, especially since F! was by the same creative duo.