Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 26-30 Reviews

My sixth blog and the episodes covered here are certainly gems with a few returns and two fairly interesting new villains as well added into the mix.

Episode 26: Perchance To Dream

I wasn't expecting to see the return of the Mad Hatter quite so soon after his first encounter but his reappearance in this episode was a delightful one. I found it interesting that he decided to get revenge on Batman by trying to give Bruce Wayne a cosy dream life (parents alive, Selina as his wife to be, no responsibility defending Gotham as the Caped Crusader etc), only for Bruce's will to override his latest mind control device. The only shame of the episode was that we didn't get enough actual scenes with the Mad Hatter but for a second appearance, this was fantastic, 10/10

Episode 27: The Underdwellers

This was another one of those low keys that I didn't expect to enjoy so much. In some ways, it's sort of similar to The Forgotten, only this time it's a group of orphaned children being kept as slaves and pickpockets by the rather cruel Sewer King - one of the most genuine boo hiss minor villains the series managed to do in it's 85 episode run. There's also some amusing moments when one of the kids is taken in by Batman and Alfred tried to get the kid to help around the Manor with some amusing results. 7/10

Episode 28: Night Of The Ninja

Kyodai Ken - a minor antagonist so good that this episode will then later spawn another encounter with him but more importantly, also an interesting character from Bruce's time in Japan. In this episode we learned that he was one of the few people who could beat Bruce Wayne in combat and subsequently, Ken was on a mission after he was banished, something which he blamed Bruce for as well. The fight sequences between the rivals were excellent to watch while Robin got some great character moments and even snooping reporter Summer Gleeson was surprisingly well served by the episode too. 8/10

Episode 29: The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne

Another episode where the connection between Bruce and Batman became dangerously close to being made public, also by a mind influencing machine of sorts. Only this time, courtesy of Hugo Strange (Ray Buktenica), who then tried to sell Batman's identity to the likes of the Joker, Two Face and the Penguin, only to be fooled by the same machine he was able to use for blackmailing purposes. It was nice to see three of the Rogues Gallery members banding together, more so when they decided to get even on Strange and Bruce's method of maintaining his secret provided an also excellent use for Dick as well. 8/10

Episode 30: Tyger, Tyger

One of my favourites from the series. It might be a thinly disguised take on The Island Of Dr Moreau with Selina mostly in a passive role (not good) but it's also a rather visually stunning episode that boasted a nice cameo from Kirk Langstrom, had a rotten to the core villain in Dorian as well as his creatures Gareth and Tigress and of course, Selina literally becoming a cat woman as well. Thankfully she's cured (offscreen) by the episode's ending and the quotation of the poem, The Tyger certainly enhanced the overall cryptic feel to this very interesting episode. 9/10

Next blog I'll be covering Dreams In Darkness, Beware The Gray Ghost, Cat Scratch Fever, I Am The Night and Almost Got 'Im.