Now, I could go into a whole argument on how B:TAS isn't as good as everyone says it is. But, that would be straying way off topic, and seeing as how I'm justifying my opinion on this series by talking about these 10 episodes, that would render the point of this whole thing moot. All I'll say is that Batman: The Animated Series had its fair share of mediocre episodes, as well. And yet, people praise this series as being the greatest in animated history. Why? Two episodes. Heart of Ice and Almost Got 'Im. Definitely fantastic episodes, but that's just what they are. Two episodes. Hardly enough to justify this series being the "greatest of all-time". Now, this point will come into play later when I talk about a certain episode, which is why I mention it here, but for now, let's get on with it! The Top 10 Episodes of (the largely unappreciated series, in my opinion) The Batman.
10: Cash For Toys
Season 3, Episode 6
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| "Cash Tankenson; the last line of defense you'll ever need." |
Remember JTV? That utterly lame Joker episode back in Season 2 where the only fun part of it was Patrick Warburton as Detective Tankenson, the impulsive detective? Many people seem to think that episode was the last time we get to see our old friend, Detective Shades, whereas people seem to forget all about his second appearance in this classic. Cosmo Krank, a new villain, is threatening Bruce Wayne's life due to his disapproval (and, basically, destruction), of his toy line. Commissioner Gordon pits Bruce with a bodyguard that has to watch him 24/7, making it rather difficult for Batman to come out and stop this villain from rampaging with his crazed line of toys.
And while I thought Krank was a good enough villain on his own, he's not why I was on the floor laughing at some of the best material this series has ever had. That honor goes to Cash Tankenson, who just so happens to be Bruce's new bodyguard. Just as impulsive as ever, Warburton brings this character to life, with, of course, help from the classic writing. One moment that will always stick out to me is seeing him begging for his life when some of Krank's toys have him, and then minutes later walking up to Batman delivering "About the whole 'Cash begging for his life' thing... that never happened, right?" It may be the last time we ever get to see our ol' Detective Shades, but it's definitely a proper sendoff.
9. Batgirl Begins
Season 3, Episodes 1&2
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| "Remember me? Plucky sidekick?" |
8. Riddled
Season 2, Episode 2
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| "Unmasking you would be all too easy, so, we shall play a game." |
Now that Detective Ellen Yin sees things from Batman's perspective (oh, and the two just happen to be partners, now), we have an opportunity for some interesting episodes involving the new partnership. And, while The Bat, The Cat, and the Very Ugly did showcase this partnership a little better, there's no denying that it's center-stage here, and portrayed rather well. The Riddler, who is new to this episode, is without a doubt one of the stronger villains on this series. His Maryln Manson-esque design surprisingly fits the character extremely well, and even barring the design, this is the greatest animated version of Riddler to date. For more reasons than this episode alone, but we'll get there when we get there. For this (Christopher Yost-written) episode, Riddler shines by showing us different kinds of clues and riddles than we're used to. I, for one, was definitely puzzled throughout the episode, but, loyal to the character, Batman managed to decipher every single one of his clues. And the finale involving Riddler attempting to guess Batman's identity (in the style of 20 Questions. Nice touch) was nothing short of brilliant.
7. Rubberface of Comedy/Clayface of Tragedy
Season 1, Episodes 12&13
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| "All it takes is one rotten day. Ever had a rotten day, Batman?" |
Largely cited as the episode that actually kickstarted the series and had it stop being a 22-minute toy commercial (deja vu, much?), this Season 1 finale certainly served as the best episode of the series up to that point. We get to see The Joker's first appearance in this series without him being over-the-top annoying (which, believe it or not, folks, happens a lot more than most say. This version of Joker is honestly a bit underrated. Penguin, on the other hand...), and we get to see our introduction to Clayface. And, can I be one of the many to say that this is the defining version of Clayface? I mean, this series took the character in such a tragic direction, basically gave him a Two-Face story, but in this case, it's a little more personal. Watching Ethan Bennett further descend into madness as Joker torments him (in, can I say, one of the best standalone scenes the series has to offer), and then seeing him mutate into Clayface and simply, in his own words, "melt, physically and mentally", is honestly one of the harder things to watch in this series. But, in a good way. It's such a tragic beginning for a tragic villain, and I love every second of it.
6. Seconds
Season 4, Episode 9
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| "You can't stop me, Batman, it's FATE!" "I don't believe in fate. I believe in choice." |
Okay, to be fair, The Batman is a little more heavy on the whole "supervillain" side of things than just the good, normal people who had a rotten day. A good example of the latter would be the previously mentioned episode, but these types of episodes rarely come up, which is strange for something like Batman, where that is the main theme that keeps the titular character going. Here, we have a perfect, textbook example of a story showing a good person making a bad choice at the wrong time. Francis Gray can travel backwards in time a measly minute or so, and uses this to his advantage, as his physique isn't the greatest, but allows him to anticipate attacks or obstacles. He gained this power simply because his family was in a bad place, and so, he was to steal a pricey watch, only to be thrown in jail, and forced to fix the guards' clocks (as he worked as a clock repairman). All of these clocks, however, drove him so mad, he could see the seconds he was losing, and unlocked the ability to turn back time. He uses this power to "get revenge" on Gotham, but when Batman brings in his son, it's too late, and his revenge has already begun. In this heart-wrenching scene (I was actually crying at this point), Francis manages to go back to 20 years, to right before he made the bad choice that started all of this. He decides to not make this choice, and his life ends up turning out great because of it. It's hard to talk about this episode. Partly because it's so deep into the Batman lore that it's easily one of the best Batman stories (and it's only Number 6!), but also because simply talking about the incredibly written plot, I've typed out as much as I want to type about a single episode, so, let's just move on before this episode drives me to tears again.
5. Gotham's Ultimate Criminal Mastermind
Season 3, Episode 13
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| "I am no ordinary criminal. I am Gotham's Ultimate Criminal Mastermind." |
Hugo Strange is one of the better-utilized villains on this series. He starts off as a protagonist, until Batman (and the audience) learns more about him, and it all comes full circle in this episode, where he becomes a full-on villain. The insane Arkham Asylum psychologist creates D.A.V.E (Digitally Advance Villain Emulator), with the (false) hope that it will help capture the many villains in Gotham. D.A.V.E has all of the knowledge of every villain past (he doesn't even know he is a computer program), making him the ultimate criminal, and, of course, the ultimate criminal will stop at nothing to create the ultimate crime. He anticipates all of Batman's moves, Gotham basically falls to its knees because of him, he even correctly deduces Batman's secret identity. And, as it turns out, Strange coded D.A.V.E to upload himself (i.e: it wasn't an accident), which gets him sent to the Asylum. But that leaves D.A.V.E, an undefeatable villain who is about to reveal the secret identity of The Batman, who gets so badly beaten, the only way for him to defeat D.A.V.E was to tell him that he is a program, not an actual criminal, which gives him the perfect opening for the final blow. What an incredible episode. Hugo Strange development, D.A.V.E is a seemingly unstoppable villain, it's a struggle, and like I said about other episodes, I love every second of it.
4. Strange Minds
Season 2, Episode 10
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| "Could it, perhaps, stem from a past trauma? Perhaps someone you once failed to rescue?" |
Like mentioned before, this version of The Joker has gotten a lot of hate. But, why? Because he's different? Need I mention that the entire purpose of The Batman was to not use the same exact characters that The Animated Series pulled off so well? It'd be one thing if people simply didn't like this version, but it's different, since people only don't like him because he's different. Oh well, fan of this Joker or no, you can't lie, this episode looks good on him. In a desperate attempt to save Detective Yin from Joker, previously built-up villain Hugo Strange ventures to inside Joker's mind, with Batman following his trail. What follows is 22 minutes of insanity. Seriously, the animation has always been this show's main strong point, and it shows here. The scenery is nothing short of brilliant and creative, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Strange seems more interested in how Joker's mind works than finding Yin, which becomes Batman's job. His deep-rooted need to save people takes center-stage here, and it's nothing short of beautiful. Even briefly in this earlier part of the series, they nailed Batman's character. The episode is definitely one heck of a ride, with a fun Joker and a definite Batman story. It's insane, it's triumphant, it's somehow only number 4.
3. The Batman VS Dracula
Released DTV: October 18, 2005
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| "You spurred my offer of eternal life. The next time, we do not part until maggots feed upon your flesh." |
I'm sorry, but if that line alone doesn't tell you just how dark in tone this Direct-To-DVD movie is, you may want to get yourself checked out. Pitting Batman against Dracula could be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. In fact, it was so dumb, they made it work. Arguably one of the few times The Penguin appears in this series where he's actually a great villain, he's not even at the forefront of the action. What we see here is possibly the single greatest interaction between hero and villain this series has to offer. Batman and Dracula as a "two sides of the same coin" thing surprisingly works well here. This is also more than just an extended episode. The movie is a lot darker than the series, or just about any form of animated Batman up to that point. Where you would expect small amounts of blood, you get a scene set in a blood bank where the blood is quite literally raining on the two characters in combat. I don't want to spoil too much, as you owe it to yourself to see this movie (and, plus, I know it is kind of cheating putting this on the list, but it's too good to leave out), I'll just leave it with that its intensity factor and sheer amount of cool moments, you're sure to be kept on the edge of your seat during this very different take on the Batman lore.
2. Meltdown
Season 2, Episode 6
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| "Being Ethan Bennett is hard, really hard. Being Clayface? Now that's cake. So say your goodbyes, because this is the last you'll ever see of him." |
Remember when I was talking about The Clayface of Tragedy and mentioned that it's heart-wrenching to see Ethan Bennett further and further descend into madness? Imagine that x10 for this episode. At the beginning of the episode, he is declared a sound mind, and the only way he can remain out of prison is if he doesn't use his powers, while in the meantime, Wayne Tech tries to find an antidote to his condition. But, consistently, he gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, forcing him to morph. All of this (including the coming of Joker, who he wants revenge against), drives him more and more insane until the climax, which is one of the most heart-wrenching parts of the series. A definite classic, and one of the quintessential episodes in showing why this version Clayface is undoubtedly one of the best.
Before I unveil Number 1, here are some
Honorable Mentions:
- The Big Heat
- The Laughing Bat
- Night and the City
- Grundy's Night
- A Fistful of Felt
- RPM
- Thunder
- A Matter of Family
- The Breakout
- Artifacts
- Strange New World
- Two of a Kind
- Rumors
1. Riddler's Revenge
Season 4, Episode 10
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| "And in that one instant, I lost my last chance to... to not be The Riddler." |
The Riddler is one of the more interesting villains on this show. And yet, at this point in the series, he's only had one of his own episode, this being his second. But, that doesn't matter. For a villain to be truly great, you don't need a quantity of episodes (arguably what ruined The Joker and The Penguin from early on), you just need quality. This, my friends, is the high point of the quality of The Batman, and it goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Heart of Ice. We get a backstory for The Riddler, and it's an incredibly good one. It has everything that has made Batman work in the past, but one key element is thrown in for good measure: tragedy. Whether you're a fan of this series or not, you can't lie that the one thing this series does better than anything else is tragedies. And it really shines here. The story of Edward Nigma and how he became The Riddler is some of the most heartbreaking stuff I've seen come out of Batman as a whole. And thus, he seeks revenge on the one who did him wrong, who ruined his life. There's a twist in here that's perfect, the episode is simply a ride all the way through. Without a doubt, this is the greatest animated version of The Riddler. Without a doubt, this is the greatest episode of The Batman.
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| "One last riddle for you, Robin. When is a villain... not the villain?" |
And that about raps it up! The Top 10 Episodes of The Batman. Like I said with the honorable mentions above, there are more than just 10 good episodes of this series. I marathoned this series recently and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is what inspired me to make this list. Here's the thing, though. After finishing this marathon, I then took to watch some randomly selected episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. I'm told that the show is better than The Batman in every way, and is one of the greatest animated series of all time. To that I say OBJECTION! In order for The Animated Series to be the greatest animated series of all time, it would have to defeat the likes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which has 60 astoundingly good episodes, with only 1 being mediocre (3 guesses if you're a fan of Avatar what that episode is. You probably only need one, though). So, you're telling me that every single episode of Batman: The Animated Series is good? I'm sorry, but that's completely false.
There are many terrible episodes of The Animated Series. I mean, the good episodes are really good, don't get me wrong, and I think the series is overall expertly done, but from the way everyone's building up the series, it sounds like every single episode of the series is on the same level of quality as Heart of Ice. Which is WRONG. I know this has turned into a rant on The Animated Series, but I'm sick of hearing it getting compared favorably against The Batman when few of these people even know what they're talking about.
Basically, I've reached this conclusion -- Heart of Ice came fairly early in the lifespan of Batman: The Animated Series, and so, there are so many people that think of the show favorably because of it. The Batman, however... didn't even have an episode of undeniable quality until its Season 1 finale, but since then, it has generated a wall of incredible episodes. And its quintessential episode, Riddler's Revenge, didn't show up until Season 4, almost 4 years after the series premiered. So, the general consensus seems to think every single episode of Batman: The Animated Series is like Heart of Ice, which is completely wrong. And they think that every single episode of The Batman is like The Bat and The Belfry, which is also completely wrong. From the way people are describing it, The Batman is mediocre because it has a lot of good and bad episodes, and yet, Batman: The Animated Series suffers from the same problems. And B:TAS's worst days are worse than that of The Batman. So really, it's one or the other, but not what seems to be the general consensus right now. Are both shows truly great? Or are they both mediocre?
But, basically, that's my opinion on The Batman and the hate that it gets: it's a very well-done and well-written series that doesn't get the love it truly deserves. I hope you enjoyed my endless ramblings and, of course, the list!
And of course, Happy belated Batman Day!
