In honor of the newly announced batch of Batman: The Animated Series figures that DC is putting out I figured it would be nice for me to revisit the series. It’s no secret that this incarnation of Batman remains many fans definitive version of the character. It was such a timely and special series that if you’ve never watched it and didn’t know where to start I feel it is my duty to help you out. It established a mood and a look that no other series had at the time. They treated it as a show for everyone, not just kids. They got top notch talent all around. Everything from the voice actors to the animation. The music did not suffer either. Every episode was scored like a mini film. They even had old time cinematic title cards. Some of which will be showcased right here. The intro itself is one of the most beloved and memorable ones of all time.
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Without further ado, Here is my list of my 15 favorite episodes from Batman: The Animated Series.
15. P.O.V.
This is an often overlooked episode but a good one nonetheless. It tells the story mostly from the different perspectives of three cops and how a bad bust really went down. Things get more complex when we find out that each mention that Batman was also there. It’s great to see how each Detective describes their interaction with Batman while always furthering the story. It’s focus on building characters outside of Batman ( even if it’s Gotham cops.) is a testament to the commitment of the series to daring and different.THis is a common theme in the whole series
14. Harlequinade
Not quite as groundbreaking as other later episodes but at the same time it was. It gave us a very slight insight into the mind of Harley Quinn and her weird relationship with the Joker. This episode is more about the hilarious interaction between Harley & Batman. The premise is simple. Batman enlists the help of Harley Quinn to find the Joker before he detonates a bomb somewhere in Gotham. Sort of like Clarice looking for help from Hannibal Lector but with much more fun results. A great episode that keeps things funny without dumbing the humor down for kids.
13. Trial
An episode similar to another one that will appear on this list in that it is a who’s who of Batman’s rogue”s galley. The story asks the question: Is Batman the cause of all these ” super” villains? A new district attorney hell bent on getting rid of Batman is kidnapped along with the Dark knight and brought to Arkham Asylum. She is asked to be Batman’s defense lawyer against pretty much every major villain Batman has tangled with. The trial provides us with many examples of what makes these characters tick and the judgement is pretty surprising in some ways. It’s a great premise that makes for some fantastic moments of clarity, humor and suspense.
12. Perchance To Dream
I watched this one when I was super young and was shocked by what I was seeing. One day Bruce Wayne wakes up and finds that his parents are still alive, He’s married to Selena Kyle, ( Catwoman) and someone else is actually Batman. It’s an episode that ropes you into the story and the mystery behind it very quickly. It’s executed very well and allows us to see pretty much everything Bruce Wayne ever wanted. We actually see him happy for a moment. It gets juicer but why spoil it for you?
11. Sideshow
Another overlooked episode. Killer Croc doesn’t have many stories but the few that he does have are usually gems. On this occasion , Croc manages to escape from a train taking him back to Arkham. With Batman hot on his tracks he is forced to keep running to the point of exhaustion. Croc gets sloppy and nearly dies before he meets a group of retired circus performers that are kind enough to save his life and take him in. The unique thing is that, like him they are freaks. Croc is exposed to something that he has never been exposed to in that they judge him for his character and not his frighting appearance. Apart from it’s fantastic action sequences we get a brainy insight on an often brawny character. The ending really seals the deal.
10. The Laughing Fish
The only episode that does not start with an official title card. It doesn’t want to waste any time and we get a quick sense of the almost creepy feel behind it, The episode is heavily influenced from The Denny O’Neil & Neil Adams story that famously brings the Joker back to his dark roots & Steve Englehart’s & Marshall Rogers story also titled The Laughing Fish. You can tell that Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and company took special care in honoring that dark turn. The Joker poisons all of Gotham Harbors fish into looking like his ” unique” face and demands to be payed for any use of said fish. Due to the impossibility of his plan, Joker begins blackmailing everyone he feels is preventing his plan from going through by promising death unless they make it happen. Full of superb moments and my personal favorite laughing fit from the Joker of all time. The ominous ending is great as well.
9. On Leather Wings
The first episode of Batman: The Animated Series ever. This one introduces us to the character Man-Bat. A tragic, almost Jekell & Hide character who becomes a literal Bat. The perfect nemesis to a man who tries to appear like one. A case of mistaken identity soon follows and Batman must defend himself and Gotham from this new foe.The storytelling here is ahead of it’s time for anything put on TV for kids and the animation is outstanding. One particular chase scene stands out for me. The voice acting is stellar and really showcases the attention to quality the show had. It’s also a notable episode in that it is the only one that ever showed Batman actually bleeding. I remember this seemed so cool to me as a kid at the time. A great start for a great show.
8. Beware The Gray Ghost
7. Joker’s Favor
A quirky episode that shows us what happens when you piss off the Joker. We meet Charlie. A regular guy who is as boring and normal as it gets. Until he encounters the Joker in traffic and things become far from Normal or boring. Charlie gets cut off by the Joker and proceeds to voice his displeasure to him without realizing it was the Joker. Naturally Joker catches up to him and Charlie ends up pleading for his life begging him for mercy. Joker lets him go on the condition that Charlie grant him a favor on any occasion of his choosing. Charlie reluctantly agrees and lives for another uneasy day. Joker eventually looks to redeem that favor two years later. This is another example of having interesting characters explored in different ways allowing us to see how they tick. This is especially helpful for someone like the Joker who has so much mystery and little motivation for anything that he does. He tormented this guy for two years while hanging that favor over poor Charlie’s head, and the reason can only be because he’s the Joker. Another episode of first”s in the fact that it’s Harley Quinn’s first appearance ever. Her ever growing popularity shows what an accomplishment they had with this character. Very entertaining episode with some great writing from Paul Dini.
6. The Man Who Killed Batman
I love this episode. I really do. The character in the title card above is Sid the Squid. A small time hood who is a relative nobody. Harmless really. One day Sid goes on a heist with a bunch of his buddies and runs into Batman. They have a standoff and Sid accidentally manages to ” kill” Batman. Everyone ends up thinking that Sid actually meant to kill Batman and gets hailed as a hero of the underworld… But only for a while. Sid’s fame turns into infamy when other guys figure that if they kill the guy who killed Batman they’ll be number one. One of those guys ends up being…You guessed it. The Joker. However his reaction is not that of jubilation but of rage instead. Joker becomes thoroughly annoyed and eventually saddened that Batman is no longer around, as he so aptly put ” Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” Things get even weirder when Joker decides to have a sort of eulogy for Batman. Once again the focus is on the characters and what Batman means not so much on Batman himself. Canadian Actor Matt Frewer plays Sid perfectly and Joker’s eulogy speech is not to be missed.
5. Almost Got ‘Im
Another fantastic idea. Two Face, Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin & Killer Croc are having a Poker night when they decide to share stories about the time they almost succeeded in getting rid of Batman. The premise is simple but the execution is perfect. The stories are creative and much like the ” Trial” episode it’s just cool and fun to see a number of Batman’s foes just shooting the breeze. Some of the best dialogue of the show came from this episode courtesy of Paul Dini, a name that pops up a lot when referencing great episodes. It’s a wonderful slice of life for all the characters in a half hour. It’s a master class on how to tell a good short story. It also has perhaps the funniest moment in the shows history thanks to Killer Croc and a rock.
4. Feat Of Clay
A two part episode that I’m counting as one. We get our introduction to Matt Hagen AKA Clayface. it’s really an origin story that takes the best of all three versions of Clayface in the comics. It really makes us care about a really disgusting looking villain frankly. Matt Hagen was a movie star actor who had a terrible accident that left his face damaged, thus ruining his Hollywood good looks. To keep in the game, Matt had to resort to using an experimental cream that gave the appearance of having a normal face. He ends up getting screwed by his supplier and is given WAY too much of the stuff. The result is pretty much a walking pile of clay that can mold itself into anyone or anything it wants to. As Batman investigates what really happened, Matt soon discover his new gift is more of a curse and heads down the path of retribution. Ron Pearlman lends his voice to great effect as Matt Hagen/Clayface. He really emotes quite a bit even with the use of only with his voice. The animation is complex and fluid all at once.. One of the most emotional resonant episodes that stands the test of time.
3. Robin’s Reckoning
Most people prefer when Batman is flying solo and to be honest, Robin doesn’t show up all that much in the series but this episode is certainly his highlight. By this point in the series Robin is already established and things are pretty much normal until we find out that someone named Billy Merran is in Gotham. Batman decides to drop Robin and follow the lead on his own. This Frustrates Robin but we find out through Batman’s flashbacks that Billy Merran is really the alias for Tony Zucco. The man who was responsible for the murder of Robin’s parents. Its another two parter that really takes its time to show us what Robins went through and the bond that eventually gets established between Batman and him. It shows how they carry the same scars and must really face it on their own The flashbacks are great in every way including us being able to see a younger Batman in action. Once again the voice acting remains powerful. Kevin Conroy ( The Voice of Batman) does a particularly good job showing us the subtle difference in tone between young Batman/Bruce Wayne to regualr Batman. An episode filled with many complex themes and emotions. Compassion, Revenge, Redemption and love. It’s all in there.
2. Heart Of Ice
Paul Dini has been responsible for a large part of this list. Actually he wrote seven of the fifteen episodes on here including this installment. A masterpiece that is another a fan favorite. This one is a truly historic and groundbreaking episode for many reasons. Firstly, it’s the very first episode that I actually saw. Secondly it took a mediocre character and turned him into someone awesome in half an hour. That character was Mr Freeze. It gave him a totally rebooted origin. Another one of Batman’s many sympathetic villains. The origin proved to be so good that it became part of comic book and movie cannon. The story is that of a man named Victor Fries who is searching for a cure for his terminal wife, Nora. He preserves her chance of survival by keeping her in a kind of cryogenic state. Thanks to funding from Ferris Boyle, Victor is able to continue research and try and ultimately save his wife. Boyle eventually decides to shut down Victor’s project due to the immense cost, essentially dooming his wife and turning Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze. This episode set the bar of quality early on and paved the way for the rest of the series with it’s attention to character depth and character development. It took nothing for granted including the audience.
1. Two-Face
Here it is.My personal favorite Batman: The Animated Series episode of all time. This one is really when the show was firing on all cylinders. The true king of pathos in a character. Two Face. It’s important to point out that Harvey Dent had already become an established character in Batman’s world. He was in a large chunk of episodes just being regular Harvey. He was Bruce Wayne’s best friend and Gotham’s City’s District Attorney so it was that much more powerful when we saw all the personal demons Harvey was wrestling with. The man had the mob after him and an election to deal with. Top that off with a multiple personality disorder and throw in some rage issues. A lot for anyone’s plate. In an effort to save his election and his upcoming marriage to his new fiance, he goes into therapy. Once the Mob gets wind of this they use it to blackmail Harvey into backing off. The breaking point for Harvey comes when a horrible explosion permanently scars his face and his psyche. It’s a gut wrenching episode for everyone. They all lose something. The story of a man trying to step away from the darkness only to be swallowed whole is one that has to stay with people. It did for me. The story really benefits from the two part format and that allows it to take it’s time. The animation is some of the best the series has to offer. Everything from the lighting to the angles. The performances, the music, I could go on and on. A great inspiration for the comics and the films. Check out all these episodes if you’re curious but do yourself a favor and watch this one first if you’re skeptical.