Batman: The Animated Series – Top 10 Episodes – Part 1

Reviewing Batman: The Killing Joke prompted a little nostalgic look back at where I fell in love with Warner Bros. Animation and its take on the Dark Knight – Batman: The Animated Series. I watched some of my favorite episodes again, and the magic is still there. For people my age, this will forever be the definitive version of Batman.

Originally premiering in 1992, Batman: The Animated Series broke the mold on supposed “children’s programming.” Supervising Producer and series stylist Bruce Timm and his crew created a show that was more layered than anything seen before then. They were bolstered by the unbelievable success of Tim Burton’s first Batman film three years earlier and sought to elevate the material to a more mature place, just as Burton had done.

The art is gorgeous – from the animation to the backgrounds. It has a timelessness that never goes out of style. There’s a blend of the old world in the streamlined art deco design and black-and-white televisions, and the new world with supercomputers and awesome vehicles. Even the episode title cards were absolutely beautiful; a prime example of minimalist design, yet it brilliantly conveys the story to follow.

The voice acting is so good. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill were perfect as the voices Batman and the Joker, respectively. They are still, in my mind, the quintessential interpretations of these characters.

The stories told were powerful. Bruce Timm said that his approach was to treat these 22-minute stories like mini-movies, with quality storytelling and clear character motivations. Episodes touch on heavy themes of good and evil, fighting the good fight, revenge, grief and guilt in a way that is understandable to children, but still very engaging for adults. In fact, the series was so good that it was actually presented in primetime in addition to its weekday afternoon time slot!

My reviewing of some episodes made me really think about making a top 10 list. However, this task was very difficult, as there is something in virtually every episode I enjoy. But after some thinking, I believe I’ve narrowed it down.

10. “It’s Never Too Late”
Written by Garin Wolf
Based on a story by Tom Ruegger
Directed by Boyd Kirkland

When I first saw this episode as a kid, I thought it was the most boring of them all. There was no flashy villain from Batman’s infamous rogues’ gallery to threaten the Caped Crusader. As I grew older, however, I realized how powerful of an episode this was. Not every show needs a super-villain to be interesting, and smaller stories can be just as powerful as large ones if they are done right.

The story was simple and centered on a war between two aging mob bosses, and Batman’s efforts to stop the violence. Batman was simply a catalyst for the drama, and the story slowly focused on one of the mob bosses and the psychological demons that haunted him. The characters were so well realized. The themes covered surprisingly mature subjects like aging, forgiveness, and guilt. As the title suggests, it’s never too late to forgive and start down a better path in life.

9. “Bane”
Written by Mitch Brian
Directed by Kevin Altieri

I first encountered the villain Bane in the Knightfall comic book storyline, in which he literally broke Batman. I found him fascinating in that he was as intelligent as he was brutish. In this Animated Series episode, similar to the comic, Bane comes to Gotham to take on Batman using both his intense study of the Dark Knight and his physical enhancements courtesy of the chemical known as Venom.

Bane is wonderfully realized, topped off with a fantastic vocal performance by Henry Silva. But what makes this episode stand out the most is the animation. The sequences where Bane juices himself up on Venom are some of the best-animated scenes I’ve seen on television. The muscles bulge with grotesque intensity. The best of these sequences comes at the end when Batman damages Bane’s connection to his precious Venom. The regulator goes haywire and Bane is trapped in a horrific overdose that can be hard to watch. It’s a satisfying sequence, seeing a villain so haughty and self-assured brought down by the very thing he depends upon to aid him.

8. “If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?”
Written by David Wise
Directed by Eric Radomski

One of the core strengths of Batman: The Animated Series was that it took characters from Batman’s rogues’ gallery that I once dismissed in the past as corny or gimmicky and gave them new life and new layers. A fine example is the Riddler – an annoying trickster in other incarnations like the 1960s Batman television series – but now a formidable foe, maybe even a bit scary. John Glover gives the Riddler a wonderful pomposity, like a narcissistic Shakespearean actor psychotically obsessed with puzzles and riddles.

This episode is the origin story of the Riddler – a brilliant but arrogant computer game programmer named Edward Nygma. The Riddler desires revenge against his former boss for firing Nygma and taking the credit for a video game Nygma created. It’s an interesting twist because Batman and Robin actually sympathize with Nygma. But even the slimiest among us warrant mercy and grace. The end of the episode is one of the most satisfying, with the boss scared sleepless by the notion that his tormentor is still out there. The staging of the scene is as unsettling as any tense Hitchcock moment.

7. “Read My Lips”
Written by Joe Lansdale
Based on a story by Alan Burnett and Michael Reaves
Directed by Boyd Kirkland

The more serious tone of The Animated Series enabled its creators to explore more mature issues with Batman’s villains. The series really delves deep into just how mentally unstable and clinically insane most of these characters actually are. Case in point is the villain of this episode, or should I say, villains. Batman faces a foe that doesn’t realize he is one.

The villain is Scarface – a murderous ventriloquist dummy as mob boss manipulated by the meek and mild Arnold Wesker. Batman exhibits a great deal of sympathy toward Wesker, and deservedly so. Wesker is a prisoner of his own twisted mind. The final sequence is really heartbreaking, with Wesker screaming in agony as Scarface is accidentally shot to pieces. What is also exceptional here is the voice work of Scarface, done expertly by character actor George Dzundza. He voices both Scarface and Wesker, which is astonishing. They’re very distinct voices.

6. “Deep Freeze”
Written by Paul Dini
Based on a story by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
Directed by Kevin Altieri

I enjoy this episode on many different levels. It continues Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s brilliant reinvention of Mr. Freeze – a gimmicky villain who now had a clear motivation and an unbelievable amount of pathos. We honestly feel for Freeze, and his plight to heal his wife.

This episode also goes into meta territory with its clever riff on Walt Disney. The story involves Grant Walker – a theme-park-building billionaire looking to use Mr. Freeze as a means to freeze himself and live forever so he can keep building his utopian city of tomorrow. This is a play on the project Disney was working on at the end of his life – EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) – as well as all the rumors of his body being cryogenically frozen after his death.

Look tomorrow for Part 2 of The Film Avenger’s look at the Top 10 Episodes of Batman: The Animated Series