My Batman the Animated Series reviews continue with episodes 26-30! My reviews will use an A(Great), B(Good), C(Ok), and D(Bad) rating system as well as my thoughts on the episode.
36. Cat Scratch Fever: Selina Kyle is sentenced to probation, pardoned for her thievery due to her assistance in the defeat of the Red Claw. But when she returns home, her precious cat Isis has gone missing. As she hunts over the city looking for her friend she stumbles across two strays and their would-be captors and Selina intervenes. Catwoman and Batman team up to take down Roland Dagget’s operation of biological terrorism spread by drugging animals and making them vicious and contagious. Unfortunately this Catwoman episode isn’t phenomenal. Dagget’s plan was a little too ridiculous in my opinion, and the Selina Kyle aspects of the episode were slow and boring. The animation wasn’t very good until the rapid dog chase scene. Catwoman lacks the sly charm her character is known for, and is written as kind of a pathetically obsessed woman who loves only her cat and Batman. I enjoy her when she’s in the costume being Catwoman, but otherwise I’m disappointed in her character. The villains weren’t interesting, the dialogue is weak, and the story is ridiculous. The shining moments are when Batman is trapped under the ice and his interactions with Catwoman. The episode was sorely lacking. Rating: D
37. The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne:Batman investigates a mysterious resort after the hospitalization of Judge Vargas. Professor Hugo Strange uses a device to visualize thoughts on patients he is psychoanalyzing to learn their secrets and extort them. When he learns Bruce Wayne is secretly Batman he contacts the Joker, Two-Face, and the Penguin, planning to auction off the tape that contains the proof of Batman’s identity. Bruce is able to take down his rogues and keep his cover safe with a little help from Alfred and Robin. The episode’s plot is a really interesting story concept, unfortunately it ends up being borderline silly. The episode is pretty fun, the Joker is genuinely funny, and it’s cool to see so many Bat-characters in one episode while introducing Hugo Strange. Strange is a lot less threatening of a foe in this episode, as he isn’t much more than an extortionist. The animation isn’t great. The end scene is both cool and frustrating. When Bruce Wayne and Batman are together with Gordon and Strange, maintaining his secret, that’s really cool. But why they had Dick wearing a Bruce Wayne mask is beyond me. It would’ve made sense if he was wearing the Batman costume, obviously, but I can’t get behind the idea that a flesh mask of Bruce Wayne would be convincing. I guess they were going for some sort of twist, but it didn’t sit well with me. Rating: C+
38. Heart of Steel part 1: A mysterious robotic suitcase robs Bruce Wayne of wetworks files, launching an investigation into the stolen A.I. technology. Bruce meets with an old friend, Rossum, to see if anyone had tried to sell him the technology. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon is replaced by a robot duplicate and Bruce attempts to learn a little more about Rossum’s A.I. projects through his beautiful assistant, Randa. The episode ends on a cliffhanger with Batman being attacked by the Batcomputer. Definitely a very cool episode! Not your typical Bat-story, as this involves a lot of sci-fi aspects like artificial intelligence and an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-esque replacement scheme. Normally it would feel out of place in Gotham, but they do a good job of making this plot fit into the Batverse. And I can’t not mention how excited I am by the introduction of Barbara Gordon! We finally get to meet Commissioner’s daughter, a welcome addition to the show. Barbara shows us another side of Jim. I’m glad they introduced her as Barbara before her debut as Batgirl, it helps make her feel like a more established character that goes through a transformation, like Harvey Dent. Overall a fun episode with some really exciting elements. Rating: B+
39. Heart of Steel part 2: We continue the story with Batman and Barbara Gordon discovering and infiltrating the robotic replacement scheme being orchestrated by the out of control A.I. computer, H.A.R.D.A.C. This episode was a nice transition from the first, with a really well developed mystery. The fight scenes with the robotic doppelgangers were fun, and I laughed out loud when the Randa-bot was crushed by the elevator. Again, the best part of the episode is Barbara Gordon, who’s wit and willpower bring her right into the investigation, where she proves herself to be a capable detective, crafty, and heroic. A great introduction to her character! The plot of this arc was a lot of fun, and a really cool, offbeat Batman story. Something about the animation in this episode really bothered me, sometimes the characters seemed to be moving too slowly and the facial expressions were a little on the wonky side. Rating: A
40. If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?: Edward Nigma is cheated out of millions of dollars for his video game idea by the slimy Dan Mockridge. Two years later, Nigma returns as the Riddler to exact his revenge on Mockridge only to be foiled by Batman and Robin, who deduce his identity. In order to protect his secret, Nigma attempts to kill the Dynamic Duo by trapping them in a labyrinth. What could’ve been a very cool episode to one of my favorite Batman rogues is kind of a dud. The dialogue is cheesy and the whole episode is a little too over the top. I like the Riddler, and I thought the riddles they used in the episode were pretty solid, and while the maze was good in theory, the killer animatronic robots and the flying hand was too absurd. I also don’t like that the Riddler’s just another guy out for revenge against another corporate stooge. Batman wastes too much time rescuing sleezeballs. Robin is also written as a little childish at times. I did really like the ending though, with Mockridge perpetually haunted by paranoia. Overall, a disappointing introduction to the Riddler. Rating: D
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