Seven opinions about Batman: The Animated Series

Opinions are ten-a-penny – everyone has them and are happy to share them at their own convenience. This of course includes me, who is always ready to share opinions about Batman: The Animated Series.

Why? Because Batman: The Animated Series is the greatest Batman show of all time and it is always worth talking about endlessly (whether you want to hear about it or not).

Today I want to share seven opinions about Batman: The Animated Series. These opinions are mine, and mine alone, but you may find them agreeable.

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There are no bad Scarecrow episodes

First up, there are no bad Scarecrow episodes. I repeat, there a NO bad Scarecrow episodes.

Not counting cameo appearances (Trial, Lock-up, Over the Edge, etc), Scarecrow appeared as the main villain in four episodes of Batman: The Animated Series: Nothing to Fear, Fear of Victory, Dreams in Darkness, and Never Fear. Each episode saw the Scarecrow battle Batman, utilising his signature ‘fear gas’ along the way.

In Nothing to Fear and Dreams in Darkness, Scarecrow uses his gas to cause Batman to experience fear-inducing visions, while in Fear of Victory, it is Robin who falls foul of the Scarecrow’s gas. Meanwhile, in Never Fear, Scarecrow uses his concoctions to completely remove Batman’s sense of fear.

But whether he is enhancing fear or stripping it away completely, the Scarecrow does not appear in a duff episode. Across all of his major appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, the Scarecrow only appears in good stories!

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The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy should have been a Riddler episode

In The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy, Batman investigates the theft of some bearer bonds, which leads him to the path of Baron Wacklaw Josek – a European nobleman. However, Josek informs Batman he is not responsible for the crime and instead Batman should seek out death-trap specialist, Josiah Wormwood.

What follows is a game of cat and mouse as Batman and Wormwood cross paths. This ‘game’ involves life-and-death scenarios, as well as some riddles.

And it’s because this episode includes riddles that it feels like a good fit for classic Batman villain, The Riddler. Not exactly a perfect fit, but a good fit nonetheless.

However, this episode is NOT a Riddler episode. While Josiah Wormwood does look very similar in appearance to the Riddler, it’s not him and the Riddler does NOT feature in this episode.

The reason The Riddler is not used in this episode is because The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy is based on a comic book story of the same name, which featured Wormwood as a villain. So, when the episode was adapted for the small screen, Wormwood was retained as the villain.

But The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy really SHOULD have been a Riddler episode. It would have required a few tweaks to the story, but it would have worked better with the Riddler as the villain.

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Mr. Freeze’s story should have ended with Subzero

Of all the villains in Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Freeze is arguably the most tragic. As detailed in the classic episode, Heart of Ice, Mr. Freeze was once a brilliant scientist who was transformed into a cold-blooded villain, who lost everything, including his job, his wife, and his humanity.

In fact, Mr. Freeze’s story is so tragic that his debut episode quickly made him a fan-favourite foe. His story then continued in the episode, Deep Freeze, the movie Batman: Subzero, and the episode, Cold Comfort.

But here’s the thing, Mr. Freeze’s story should have ended sooner than it did. Heart of Ice set up his story, Deep Freeze continued it, and Subzero concluded it.

Cold Comfort was largely superfluous. Other than offering up a redesign for the character, Cold Comfort felt like an unnecessary add-on.

Sure, opening up Mr. Freeze’s story helped to pave the way for an additional appearance in futuristic spin-off series, Batman Beyond, but this additional appearance could have happened regardless. Cold Comfort simply wasn’t needed and Subzero should have been the end of Mr. Freeze’s journey in Batman: The Animated Series.

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Some episodes of Batman: The Animated Series improve with age

While most Bat-fans regard Batman: The Animated Series as a benchmark of quality for Batman stories (and animated shows in general), it’s fair to say that not every episode of the series is top tier. Some episodes are amazing, others less so, and then there are mid-level entries which are good, but can easily be forgotten on a first run-through of the show.

These episodes tend to feature one-off villains or less iconic foes. However, go back to episodes such as It’s Never Too Late, See No Evil, Appointment in Crime Alley, Paging the Crime Doctor, The Mechanic, and Fire From Olympus, and there is a lot of good writing and/or fun to be had.

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Baby-Doll should have been a one-time villain

Introduced in the episode, Baby-Doll, Mary Louise Dahl (aka Baby Doll) was a complex villain with psychological problems. Having struggled throughout her life with a rare condition which prevented her from physically ageing, Dahl lost her mind and attempted to create a fantasy life at the expense of others.

This fantasy life formed a key plot point in the episode Baby-Doll, which in itself was a superb episode of Batman: The Animated Series. And because it was such a great episode, and it positioned Dahl as an equally great character, she was brought back for a follow-up appearance in Love is a Croc.

Unfortunately, Love is a Croc was not a good episode at all. Not only was it slow and lacklustre, it also had nothing much to say about Dahl and wasn’t worth her reappearance.

So, Dahl should have remained a one-off villain. Love is a Croc didn’t ruin the impact of Baby-Doll, but the episode was redundant and a waste of such a good character.

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The Terrible Trio is the worst episode

As a life-long Batman: The Animated Series fan, I will protect and defend the show wherever, and whenever. But that doesn’t mean I don’t recognise the show’s worst moment. And if you’re wondering what that is, it’s the episode The Terrible Trio.

The story revolves around three rich guys who pull off robberies while dressed in animal masks. Not the most dynamic tale in existence, is it?

But, it could have worked fine if not for two problems: The script is truly awful and the animation is worse. The animation was produced by Jade Animation, who produced some of the worst looking episodes, and this one really is as clunky as they come.

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Early Joker episodes are hit and miss

And finally, don’t come for me in the comments section, but during the early days of Batman: The Animated Series, Joker episodes were hit and miss. For every Christmas with the Joker, there was The Last Laugh and Be a Clown, which were NOT good episodes.

The Joker didn’t quite hit the mark until The Joker’s Favor. Incidentally, this episode marked the first appearance of Harley Quinn, and if you want another unsolicited opinion, his team-ups with Quinn were when the series really nailed the character.

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