#20 DEC 6, 2017 · 8 yr ago
Batman the Animated Series is one of those shows where I would have a hard time giving a Top 30 Favorite episode list. There are so many that are so good that its hard to narrow it down to even that.
I'll take a stab at a Top Ten though:
1) Almost Got 'Im: The Joker, Two Face, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc sit around playing cards and trading stories about how each of them "Almost got Batman". Its a great concept that allows the bad guys to be the stars, and make them appear more human by just getting to see what they do when they aren't scheming or committing crimes. The individual stories are all great too. On paper, this concept could have easily been a clip show, using footage from past episodes to pad it out, but nope! We get all these nice gems with the villains being the fabric that holds it all together.
2) Heart of Ice = OK, I know everyone loves this episode, but when there's a reason for that. it is legitimately one of the best episodes. They took a one note gimmicky villain in Mr. Freeze and turned him into something worthy of Shakespeare. The backstory they give him provides emotional resonance and visuals that are now synonymous with the character.
3) I Am The Night: Batman doubts himself and whether or not he's doing any good, and his doubts grow even further when Jim Gordon is hurt in the line of duty. I think what I like about this one is how all the characters react to Jim's tragedy and how they almost feel like a family. Batman reacts like his father was the one that got hurt and its his fault, Robin has to be the voice of reason to talk some sense into him, Barbara has to be the rock that keeps everything together, and Bullock is the emotional one looking to point the finger as an outlet for his pain. Its all very good, and I think it works better because they didn't use one of the main rogues for the story. It allows the heroic side to stand out more.
4) Two Face Part 1 and 2 = Two Face, the criminal persona of Harvey Dent, ha always been one of my favorite Batman villains, and the series provides a superb origin story. I always looked at Harvey's fall from grace as being one of Batman's greatest failures, and they really capture that here. Also, it was a stroke of genius to introduce Harvey much earlier in the show, establish a bond between him and Bruce, and then do the origin. This only enhanced the tragedy. I also love that Harvey displayed a dual personality before the scarring. Its almost like his fate was predetermined.
5) The Man Who Killed Batman = The biggest strength of this episode is that Batman isn't in it for a majority of the episode. We get to see how people in Gotham (most noteably The Joker) reacts when Batman is no longer around. Making a nobody like Sid the Squid the focus of the episode was great too. He wants to be a big shot in the underworld, but when he appears to have accidentally bumped off Batman, he gets more than he bargained for.
6) Its Never Too Late = A more human driven story about a crime boss that is given a chance at redemption. This is a weird episode where I almost feel like it could have worked whether Batman was in it or not, but this one always felt real and human to me.
7) Mad Love = I'm not going to lie. The "New Adventures" episodes don't appeal to me quite as much as the older seasons, mainly because I wasn't a fan of the change in visual style. I get they were trying to get it to match with their Superman show, but the visuals looked much better suited for Superman. For Batman, I liked the black on black, goth-noir style. Oh well, now hat I'm off that soapbox, I think the strength of this episode is the exploration of the Joker/Harley relationship and trying to give us an understanding of why someone like Harley would be attached to someone like The Joker. There are moments in this episode that are uncomfortable to watch and one in particular that even brings a tear to my eye when I watch it.
8) Feat of Clay Part 1 and 2 = Another great origin story as we see Matt Hagen turn into Clayface. The shapeshifting blob monster was an instant favorite of mine as a kid, but going back and looking at it, Clayface really was a visual masterpiece. The fluidity of the animation for his tranformations were flawless and they amaze me every time I watch it. It also helps that the story surrounding it is great too as another one of Batman's rogues gets a tragic origin.
9) Read My Lips = Couple of things. 1) I love puppets and ventriloquism. I am a big Jim Henson fan, and when its done well, I think ventriloquism can make for a successfully funny and charming act (look at Chuck and Bob on Soap or more recently, Darci Lynn on America's Got Talent). Because of this, The Ventriloquist (and Scarface) has to be one of my favorite Batman rogues. And I love what the show did by making him a superb ventriloquist to the point that its easy to accept that they are two separate characters. And 2) I love 1940s noir type of stuff. Batman TAS was loaded with that old school noir type of look, and this episode in particular was drenched with it with its detective story set up, jazzy music, and other little touches here and there. Honestly, this feels like a Batman episode made for me. It also manages to convey a bunch of different emotions whenever I watch it. The ending where Batman gets The Dummy to turn on The Ventriloquist manages to be tense, dramatic, and hilarious all at once.
10) Beware the Grey Ghost = This is how you use a guest star. RIP Adam West. For most kids, myself included, Adam West was our first Batman. So imagine how cool it was for me to hear the voice of my first Batman working along side the (at the time) new Batman? It was a dream come true. They also told a very nice and poignant story with West's character, while also still celebrating him. They could have easily made fun of the old show, but instead, they tipped their cap to it and let both Batmen share the spotlight and its great.
