500th Post! Braddy's Favorite Episodes of Batman: TAS

Here we are – 500 posts later, and S.R. Braddy is still blogging. Go me!

To celebrate, I wanted to stretch myself a bit. I decided I wanted to do a bit of research but still have fun. Also, I knew my anniversary post simply HAD to a bit self-indulgent. And, when I think “research,” “fun,” and “self-indulgent,” I think of the fan-fiction I wrote about the sexy adventures of Carmen Sandiego.

Well, since I’d rather not scandalize my mother, I’ll just do a rundown of my favorite episodes of Batman: the Animated Series.

Rather than doing a straight Top Ten list, I thought I’d take a different approach. Here, I’m running down the top episodes for each of the main villains, a pretty exhausting chore. See, Batman has one of the all-time greatest rogue galleries, and as a result there are a LOT of great villain episodes. I recommend taking a bathroom break now, since we’ve got a lot to get through.


Best Man-Bat Episode: “On Leather Wings”

Hah! Like anyone really cares about Man-Bat. Still, the first episode of the series is one of the best of the show ever saw. This episode features probably the best display of the series’s trademark dark animated style. Also, I think it’s the only episode where Batman actually gets bloodied up.


Best Mr. Freeze Episode: “Heart of Ice”

Batman: TAS famously added a tragic backstory to Mr. Freeze’s otherwise one-note character. That story is deftly and beautifully portrayed in this standout episode from the series. Mr. Freeze’s character is never quite as interesting as he is in this episode. Still, this story rocks.


Best Clayface Episode: “Growing Pains”

Clayface is one of the few Batman supervillains who actually possess super powers. Usually, super villains don’t have a lot of depth to them; they’re mainly showcased for their ability to go a couple of rounds with the hero before biting the mat. In “Growing Pains,” however, we see Clayface as the catalyst for a real tragic story. You don’t usually come to Batman for heartache, but here you get it, and it’s pretty delicious.


Best Killer Croc Episode: “Sideshow”

You know, I’m a big fan of some of the more underrated Batman villains. Killer Croc is… not one of them. He’s got no depth – he’s just a thug (with some possible cannibalistic tendencies). Still, “Sideshow” tells the only compelling story you can tell with such a one-note character, where the crook finally gets a shot at redemption. SPOILER WARNING – he blows it.


Best Poison Ivy Episode: “House and Garden”

Another character I don’t care for much is given the star-class treatment in “House and Garden.” Poison Ivy just wants to lead a normal life. Of course, the words “Poison Ivy” and “wife and mother” don’t really go together all that well. This episode’s probably got one of the creepiest twists of any in the series.


Best Harley Quinn Episode: “Mad Love”

It’d be hard to deny (from a character history standpoint) that Harley Quinn is the most enduring legacy of Batman: TAS. She was originally created to be just another Joker henchperson, but, since the show ended, Harley’s become a major character in the comic world as well, often appearing on her own without the Joker. Personally, I feel that, if you remove the Joker from Harley’s story, you take out a key part of what makes Harley so fascinating. Watch this episode, and I think you’ll get that.

Actually, just about EVERY Harley episode is worth watching. She’s the breakout character of the series for a reason.


Best Two Face Episode: “Two Face”

Anyone who talks about Batman: TAS will tell you that the series did a bang-up job introducing the character Two Face. District Attorney Harvey Dent appears in several episodes before his tragic fall – heck, he’s even the victim once. The two-part “Two Face” arc is pretty intense stuff for a children’s show – which is probably why it’s so well-loved.


Best Penguin Episode: “Birds of a Feather”

I like the “idea” of the Penguin more often than the execution… usually. This story hits all the right spots and tells what I consider to be the perfect Penguin story. Penguin’s aristocracy is little more than a delusion, and, when that delusion is called into question, he turns violently vengeful.


Best Scarface Episode: “Read My Lips”

Another underrated villain, the puppet Scarface is played exactly right in the cartoon. His first appearance demonstrates exactly what makes him such a great character – he’s calculating and brilliant, despite his odd appearance. Also, the conclusion, where the Ventriloquist stabs a scar into a new puppet’s face, is disturbing in the best way possible.


Best Mad Hatter Episode: “Perchance to Dream”

Technically, I just gave away the twist ending to a twenty-year-old cartoon. Sorry. But there’s no doubt about it – “Perchance to Dream” is the greatest Mad Hatter story, possibly ever. The villain will stop at nothing to get Batman out of his hair – even if it means giving his archenemy everything he ever wanted.


Best Ra’s al Ghul Episode: “Showdown”

Batman’s barely even IN this episode! Instead, we get a flashback to a scene from Ra’s al Ghul’s past, where he goes toe-to-toe with a great underrated DC character, Jonah Hex (who’s a lot better than the movie made him out to be, by the way). This episode shows us not only Ra’s al Ghul’s eternal villainy, but his family side as well.


Best Scarecrow Episode: “Nothing to Fear”

Scarecrow’s probably one of the greatest Batman villains ever, but he rarely makes as big an impact as he should in the animated series. “Nothing to Fear” takes the top spot, if only because it gives us one of Batman’s most defining moments – “I am vengeance! I am the night! I am BATMAN!”

Seriously, yell that to yourself in the mirror before you go jogging, and those hills won’t give you NO guff.


Best Riddler Episode: “Riddler’s Reform”

Like Scarecrow, the Riddler is a potentially great character who didn’t really ever shine in Batman: TAS (although he LOOKS better than he ever did anywhere else). “Riddler’s Reform” is his only real highlight episode, where his obsession with conquering Batman ultimately destroys the happy life he is building for himself.


Best Catwoman Episode: “You Scratch My Back”

I’m not sure: do people actually LIKE Catwoman? I mean, someone has to – her costume’s always a hit at parties, and they’ve made a movie about… actually, let’s not bring the movie up. I think Catwoman gets more misses than hits, but “You Scratch My Back” shows the potential of the character, as she uses her charm to split up Team Batman for her own benefit.


Best Joker Episode: “Joker’s Favor”

If anyone ever needs an explanation of why the Joker is one of the best cartoon villains of all time, they should watch this episode. The Joker extorts a favor from an ordinary Joe and then keeps tabs on him for YEARS before cashing in. “Joker’s Favor” highlights the madman’s propensity for complex planning as well as his reliance on (seeming) chaos. This episode’s a personal favorite.

OKAY, I FELT LIKE INCLUDING A FEW MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SERIES:


Best Original Villain (Who Isn’t Harley Quinn): Kyodai Ken

Batman: TAS introduced a lot of new villains. The one I liked the most (aside from Harley) is a ninja whose vendetta is against Bruce Wayne himself, not Batman. Kyodai Ken knows who Batman is, and that knowledge proves to be his most effective weapon, as Bruce Wayne has to hold back during their fight to avoid exposing his secret.


Best Music: “A Bullet for Bullock”

As far as I’m concerned, Batman: the Animated Series has the best soundtrack of any children’s show, ever (suck it, Thundercats theme). Every villain has his or her own theme that subtly intensifies the action of a given scene. None of those themes are featured in “A Bullet for Bullock,” but the cool jazz definitely sets this episode apart from the others. I watch it just to listen, and I love it.


Best Alfred Episode: “The Lion and the Unicorn”

Alfred’s one of my favorite characters. No, really – I LOVE this guy. He’s a former secret service agent for British intelligence, and how does he spend his retirement? He’s Batman’s butler. Between this episode, which gives us just a glimpse of Alfred’s past, and the Poison Ivy episode where we meet Alfred’s girlfriend, I realized I’d probably read a whole BOOK about Alfred, the Bat Butler.


Best Batman Episode: “The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy”

This is probably the strangest choice on my list, but, if you ask me to show you what episode best shows Batman being Batman, it’s this one. Batman lays a truly elaborate plan to capture a criminal, one which requires Batman to put himself at great personal risk. He does it all, because he’s Batman, and there’s no way one silly little thug is going to get the best of HIM. There are definitely better episodes out there, but no other shows the cunning brainwork that goes in to being Gotham’s protector like “The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy.”

And now, just for fun: My five favorite episodes, presented without commentary.

• 5 – “Trial”
• 4 – “Baby Doll”
• 3 – “Joker’s Favor”
• 2 – “Almost Got ‘Im”
• 1 – “Beware the Gray Ghost”