Friday, August 22, 2014

Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 76-80 Reviews

The third season came rather quickly and it ended as quickly too as the final five episodes see a few more Rogue returns and the start of another interesting alliance as well.

Episode 76: Harley's Holiday



It might have taken the show it's sweet time but we finally got an episode with Harley Quinn that not only didn't feature the Joker but as far as I can remember, it didn't actually mention him either. It's a bonkers episode with Harley's attempts of going straight not lasting and all because of a misunderstanding with a paid/unpaid dress and briefly taking Veronica Vreeland (less annoying in this episode compared to past appearances) hostage. I really felt bad for Harley here. While she did almost give into her crime committing ways a little too quickly, it did feel like she actually wanted to change for the better and even Batman seemed to sympathise with her plight as well. The last scene between Harley and Batman is priceless, especially for the shared reaction of disbelief between Robin and Poison Ivy. 9/10

Episode 77: Make 'Em Laugh



Speaking of the Joker - this was an interesting episode for him. At first it just appeared that a bunch of light entertainment people were unsuccessfully trying their hands at crime, then it looked like the Mad Hatter was controlling them, only for it then to be revealed that it was the Joker involved all along. I found the fact that the reason behind this escapade was something more mundane (a disguised Joker losing a comedy competition, gets revenge on the judges by ruining their reputations) worked pretty well in the episode's favour but the ending did seem to go a little overboard with the Clown Prince getting royally embarrassed as he was being arrested. Still, at least he didn't get royally spanked like Robin did in this one. 8/10

Episode 78: Batgirl Returns



Maybe it was the success of Harley & Ivy, but whoever thought of an episode where Batgirl and Catwoman team up to solve a crime, you have my thanks. As a team, the pair of them work so well, that you don't actually miss the Dynamic Duo (handy considering that Batman's relegated to a dream sequence/Bruce is in Paris on business and Robin's kind of a third wheel here) and while it was a little predictable that Catwoman always intended to steal the Jade cat, my only disappointment is that Batgirl didn't allow her to get revenge on Roland Daggett once and for all. On the plus side, I really liked that this episode implied another future team up between Selina and Barbara. It's just a shame that it never came to pass but at least we'll always have this episode. 9/10

Episode 79: Lock Up



Now this was an interesting one. I was a little curious to see an episode where perhaps the residents of Arkham Asylum (Harley, Scarecrow and Ventriloquist/Scarface) were being mistreated and they were at the hands of the volatile/power mad, Lyle Bolton who then became crazed vigilante named Lock-Up. The same vigilante who then kidnapped Summer, Gordon, some doctor and the Mayor in order to set a crazed example before he ended up being eventually taken out by Batman and Robin and locked up in Arkham himself. Like Baby Doll before it, it's one of those episode I found more interesting than expected. 8/10

Episode 80: Deep Freeze



The third season came to the conclusion of bringing back someone we really hadn't seen for ages. With the likes of Killer Croc, Clayface and even the Riddler, part of Mr Freeze's impact has been down to the fact that he didn't appear a lot in the series. In fact, this was his second and final appearance (of sorts) and while he's not strictly the antagonist of the episode (that would be Walter and his daft plot to freeze Gotham), there was some nice enough continuity to his previous adventure and he seemed initially taken in with Walter's offer before coming to his senses courtesy of the Dynamic Duo. The last image of the story as Freeze found himself relocated to the perfect (for him) environment is certainly striking. 8/10

Next blog I will be focusing on The Terrible Trio, Showdown, Catwalk, A Bullet For Bullock and The Lion And The Unicorn.

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