Batman: Caped Crusader - Season 2: Episodes 6-10 Reviews (2026, Amazon Prime)

The second half of the season offered a redemption for one villain, introduced others, showed the sidekick seeds and gave us a chilling Joker.

Episode 6: Sudden Fear

The title alone made it clear that we were getting an episode focused on the Scarecrow (Josh Brener) and it's Jonathan Crane Jr. who donned the Plague Doctor look of the popular villain. It's a decent enough take on the character with him terrorising college students once again. It's also an episode that revealed that Renee Montoya was secretly hiding Harley Quinn and the latter not only helped Batman to take down Scarecrow but she even turned herself in. 7/10

Episode 7: Her Dark Reflection

I genuinely thought this was going to be a Poison Ivy episode but the villain was actually Thorn aka Rose Forrest (Fryda Wolff). Rose was a timid woman working in a family florist and then the Riddler callously murdered her father. I really have disliked this version of the Riddler, so I was fine with seeing him succumb to Thorn's charms before she took him out. A very effective episode with Thorn being a very effective villain. 7/10

Episode 8: Zero Hour

Anyone remember a time when Mr Freeze was actually called Mr Zero (Kevin Michael Richardson)? I mean, it was a very long time ago but this show decided to bring the idea back. Despite some good acting, this was a rather generic take on the more complex character we've had for decades. On the plus side, the return of Carrie Kelley was a highlight. From clashing with and bonding with Batman over The Grey Ghost (her costume choice btw) to the snarky rivalry with her and Officer Bullock (very Annie coded) and the fact that she found a loving adopted family. Carrie was better handled than the villain of the piece. 7/10

Episode 9: Dead Before Dawn

He's been skulking around in the background for most of his appearances this season but now was his time to shine. The Joker made his debut in Gotham by quickly murdering Hattie Tetch on her own talk show with his special gas. On top of that, he made it his mission to kill the Mayor and neither Batman nor Flass could do much to protect him. Matthew Needham played the role pretty sombre and there was a nice twist that had Alfred also a victim of the Joker's. 7/10

Episode 10: The Laughing Death

And now the finale. Or is this the series finale? Only time will tell. You've got the Joker poisoning all of Gotham and Batman and Alfred coming up with the cure to save the city. There's a nice enough confrontation between Batman and Joker with the latter trying to draw a brotherly comparison between the two. The Joker was given something of an ambiguous exit, which means he'll definitely resurface if this show gets a third season. 7/10

That's my overall review of the second season. It's mostly a strong second outing though some villains are handled better than others.

Batman: Caped Crusader - Season 2: Episodes 1-5 Reviews (2026, Amazon Prime)

Yup, new format for the second season of Batman: Caped Crusader. This post will cover the first five episodes. Written by Tyrone Finch & Bryce Abood, Geoffrey Thorne, Margaret Dunlap and J.M. DeMatteis. Directed by Christina Sotta, Matt Peters and Christopher Berkerley.

Episode 1: Brute Force

The opening episode debuted the Riddler (Ronan Raftery) and it's a much more trigger happy version of the character. In fact, he's kind of being set up as the main antagonist of the season. There's a large emphasis on Rupert Thorne's trial with this show's version of Calendar Man aka Julian Gregory (J.P. Karliak) also factoring into proceedings. Anyways, Rupert managed to secure a victory until a fatal encounter with the Joker (Matthew Needham). Oh and we've got a female version of Mad Hatter called Hattie Tetch (Laraine Newman) that's an anti-Batman news reader and hostess of her own show. 7/10

Episode 2: Roxy's Red Glare

Roxy Rocket (Wunmi Mosaku) got her own reinvention for this episode and it's actually more of a sympathetic turn as well. While it initially looked like she was being set up as a villain,  it was actually revealed that she was the one trying to stop her corrupt bosses from abusing her inventions.  It's a good take on the character. Oh and if taking out Rupert Thorne wasn't enough, the Joker made quick work of Hugo Strange (James Urbaniak) and we barely got to know the latter. 6/10

Episode 3: Deep Cover

This episode had Joker spying in the background but largely, it was focused on Riddler taking over Rupert Thorne's organisation. In this episode, he killed more henchmen to instill loyalty but his attempts to kill Desmond proved to be a bit trickier. I got to be honest, I don't really like this version of the character and the reason for his name here isn't great either. I did like Bruce going undercover as Matches Malone. That bit worked well enough. 6/10

Episode 4: The Devil's Due

I like a good supernatural themed story and this one had a welcomed return for Papa Midnite but the Mad Monk (Blythe Melin) wanting to sacrifice both Jim Gordon and Hattie Tetch just didn't quite work for me. Mad Monk was all ranting and little menace or fun in their interactions with Batman. Hattie's vendetta towards Batman definitely feels like something that needs to be fleshed out but she's a very different type of antagonist for him. It's also another episode with a silent Joker cameo. 5/10

Episode 5: The Spectral Hand

Oh, it's a Christmas episode and the return of Jim Corrigan. Having nearly killed Barbara Gordon, he signed up to an experimental procedure to get a reduced sentence. The procedure seemingly killed him but instead it turned him into the Spectre. I gotta be honest, he felt more like Solomon Grundy at times. Jim spent most of the episode going after past failed arrests and resolving them in a very final way. It appeared he had the same idea for Barbara until it was revealed that he wanted her forgiveness. This was by far the best episode in this season with the gorgeous Christmas setting and Corrigan's story ending on a poignant note. 8/10

Next blog post I'll cover Sudden Fear, Her Dark Reflection, Zero Hour, Dead Before Dawn and The Laughing Death.

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "Savage Time"

 

Written by Ed Brubaker 

Directed by Christina Sotta 

Joker (to victim): "Perfect."

Those ten episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader really did fly by, huh? This finale absolutely stuck the landing with it's conclusion to one character arc and the way another was nicely set up in its last scene. Not to mention another continuing problem for Gotham.

First of all,let's talk about conclusions because the way Harvey Dent's story played out in this episode felt very much earned. It's almost a shame he had to die but what I did love was seeing the character truly step up during a lot of bad shit in this finale.

Harvey might not have been keen on Barbara a ting as his lawyer, but the two of them really softened to each other as things progressed. Of course a plan to move Dent to a safe house would see both Bullock and Flass tasked with killing. Also, of course it would be Barbara having to do her level best to keep Harvey alive too.

That wasn't an easy task, given Bullock and Flass's determination to follow orders and Thorne having other men on his watch but at least Barbara and Harvey had Batman, Commissioner Gordon and Montoya to at least stop Thorne's men. However, Harvey still died in this episode but mostly when he saved Barbara's life.

Dent's arc overall has been a success for the show and while we lost him as a character, Thorne wasn't so easily done with. I did like that Batman made it clear to Thorne he was coming after him and it'll be interesting to see what extremes Rupert will resort to level the playing field next season.

Speaking of next season, for those of you who felt the lack of Joker was a thing, the last scene of this episode will please. He might be obscured and the actor voicing the character unrevealed but there was no denying it was the Jester of Genocide himself. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this plays out next season.

- Batman actually made progressed by referring to Alfred by his first name instead of surname. I hope this means he's softening a bit for next season.

- Harvey gave back a fellow Arkham patient a toy pig and I wonder if that was a reference to a certain other Gallery member who has yet to appear on the show.

- Despite not getting the best look of him, there's still some of the Joker's infamous purple colour scheme on him.

- Chronology: Exactly from where the penultimate episode left off.

Savage Time delivered a brilliant ending to an overall very strong first season. The show has unapologetically taken swings with characters and lore with most of them working surprisingly well. I can't wait to see where it'll go with it's second season.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "The Killer Inside Me"

 

Written by Jace Ricci

Directed by Christopher Berkeley 

Two Face (to Batman): "Oh, thank God, you stopped me. I couldn't control him. You gotta lock me. Please, please, before he hurts anyone else."

In the last few years (or since 2008), we have gotten a lot Harvey Dent's descent into Two Face (and we've still got another one with Joker: Folie A Deux on the way) and for the most part, thruve all hit similar notes with the character.

At the end of the last episode, Tony Zito (Vincent Piazza) splashed acid in Harvey's face and this episode, not only did he step out of the mayoral race but also was trying to distance himself from everyone. Unfortunately for Harvey, his old friend Bruce Wayne had different ideas by trying to get Harvey in a public setting to open up about his attack.

Not only was Bruce's motive completely selfish (something which Alfred rightfully called him out on) but it ended up doing significantly more harm by speeding up Harvey's descent into Two Face. I know this Batman has been more laser focused but his actions towards Harvey were too callous for their good.

Anyways, this set Two Face (though that name isn't used in the episode) to go after all of Rupert Thorne's henchmen, one by one. That meant some were badly beaten and others like Zito were burned to death. This show really doesn't have a problem with killing off characters.

Of course this led to an inevitable confrontation in Thorne's home where Rupert's own son, Matthew (Josh Keaton) was willing to die in order to protect his father. He almost did as well, until Batman stepped in. Two Face was more happy to take out all of Thorne's bloodline.

The face off between Batman and Two Face though was brilliant with the latter eventually breaking down and letting himself be incarcerated. I started this season really disliking Harvey Dent, only for these last two episodes to make him a sympathetic guy. That's one hell of a turn around.

- Barbara took it upon herself to stand in as Harvey's lawyer during the last scene of the episode.

- Renee was a bit too callous in the way she talked about Harvey's disfigurement. Even Bullock and Flass felt bad for him and they're awful.

- I'm not surprised Mayor Jessop's disappointment in Harvey dropping out of the race was more out of worry for it looking bad for him than concern for Harvey.

- Chronology: Two weeks since the events of the previous episode.

The Killer Inside Me was a superb Two Face origin episode. It was so good, I'd even say it was on a par with the two parter from Batman: The Animated Series. The design itself is a bit more grounded but I actually think it's rather effective too.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "Nocturne"

 

Written by Halley Gross 

Directed by Matt Peters 

Natalia: "You've got so much energy."

Batman: "I don't want to hurt you."

Natalia: "You won't."

As we head into the finale, how about a trip to the carnival? No, seriously let's as this episode gave us two Rogue Gallery members as well as the formation of another more iconic one by the very last minute of the episode.

Our main focus of course would be a young girl named Natalia Night (McKenna Grace). Otherwise known as Nocturna. She's afflicted with a condition that's basically vampirism but as the rules of this show mean bloodsucking wa out of the question, Natalia instead drained the energy of her victims. This was something her scientist brother, Anton (Haley Joel Osment) tried to dissuade her from doing.

Unfortunately for Anton, Natalia's hunger outweighed her conscience and her main targets were funnily enough, future Robins. As the episode went on, she drained energy from Dickie (Carter Rockwell), Jace (Henry Witchter) and Stephie (Amari McCoy). She even came close to draining Carrie (Juliet Donenfield) had Batman not stepped in to save the day.

As a villain, Natalia certainly alternated between being a menace to a tragic girl forced into extreme measures in order to survive. She was also the first villain that Batman was more compassionate towards, largely down to her being a child. By the end of the episode, Batman did help Natalia while reuniting future Robins with Leslie Thompkins (Donna Lynne Chaplin).

Not only did the main story bring out Batman's softer side but it also saw Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent showing their nicer tendencies too. Unfortunately for Harvey, his moment of doing the right thing came with a terrible price, resulting in the birth of Two Face. It did make for a powerful last scene where I genuinely felt bad for him.

Last but not least, the other Rogue Gallery member to appear in this episode was Waylon Jones (Cedric Yarbrough). He's not given much to do except help in beating up Bruce Wayne with the Bearded Lady and company. In this case, he's not really villainous, just protective of Natalia.

- Batman: The Animated Series also had Rupert Thorne involved in the origin of Two Face but here, he was more directed involved.

- Julie Madison (Grey DeLisle) was Bruce's date at the carnival and even looked after Leslie when Bruce asked her too.

- Natalia is usually an older character in the comics. Here she was a child who dressed like Wednesday Addams.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Nocturne might have had to have worked around the vampirism of the main character but it did a great job with Natalia nonetheless. I loved getting to see me of the Robins, Killer Croc of sorts. Even the Two Face transformation was handled as a great cliffhanger for the finale.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "Moving Target"

 

Written by Adamma Ebo And Adanne Ebo

Directed by Christina Sotta 

Muller: "You could've done better for me. I don't deserve to be here."

Barbara: "Actually, I think you do."

And we have our weakest episode of the first season. Yeah, I know the ones with The Penguin and Harley Quinn might not be fan favourites but sadly, I felt this one has been the biggest disappointment so far. Remember, I have three episodes left.

Anyways, one of the issues with the show might be that some episodes haven't been as promineny with Batman as they should've been and this one felt like a Batman lite adventure. Minus the handful of scenes he did actually appear in.

Another reason why this episode would be low on my list would be the fact that advertised villain, Onomatopoeia (Reid Scott) was so poorly utilised here. I didn't mind the fact that he was a hired gun but he was one of three and lets just say, he's badly used. We barely see him get to use his powers, he has very little lines and got taken out too quickly by Batman. Overall, he's horribly wasted.

On the other hand, he's almost better handled than Floyd Lawton (Roger Craig Smith). For a guy literally known as Deadshot, not only did he fail to shoot Commissioner Gordon but he got killed far too swiftly by Jim Corrigan to boot. Two characters very much wasted here.

Anyways for a good portion of the episode, we're led to believe that Jim Gordon had a hit on him. He was stubborn about keeping himself safe until circumstances forced him to go with Barbara, Renee, Corrigan and Marcus Driver (James Arnold Taylor) to a safe house out of Gotham. Needless to say, it didn't stay safe for now.

The twist of Barbara being the intended target by a disgruntled client of hers named Muller (Peter Jessop) was decent along with the last scene of the episode. I do feel they jumped into Corrigan turning bad a bit too fast but if this doesn't force Jim Gordon to weed out his corrupt cops, then he's a fool. At least we know Renee's trustworthy.

- Barbara mentioned growing up in the suburbs, which led to a minor conflict with her and Renee.

- Why did Jim dismiss the idea that Rupert Thorne might have been behind the hit at first? I'm surprised he didn't consider the possibility at least.

- We saw Arkham a few episodes ago, so it was Blackgate's time to get attention. 

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Yeah, this one wasn't the best. I appreciate some of the character bits that Moving Target tried to do but wasting both Deadshot and Onomatopoeia really wasn't it either. The first misfire (for me) with this series.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "Night Ride"

 

Written by Marc Bernardin

Directed by Christopher Berkeley 

Batman (re Gentleman Ghost): "What will you do with him?"

Papa Midnite: "You probably don't want to know that."

Batman: "No, I probably don't."

I'm gonna say something and I don't think it should be a controversial statement but Batman absolutely should embrace the supernatural side of things even more than it does. This episode was pretty damn great to be honest.

Enter the Gentleman Ghost (Toby Stephens), who wait for it, was actually a ghost and spent this episode terrorising the poor by also not robbing the likes of Harvey Dent on a public train. Of course not being robbed would negatively impact Harvey much later in the episode.

Away from Dent, the presence of an actual ghost meant that Batman had to resort to getting help from an expert in the field. Now this would've been a perfect place to introduce John Constantine (maybe next season) but instead we got Papa Midnite (Cedric Yarbrough). This meeting was a need in taking out the Gentleman Ghost.

I loved Batman and Alfred having to use magic (specifically burning an old deed) in order to defeat the Gentleman Ghost. Of course there was the last minute hitch of Alfred temporarily bring possessed by the Ghost before Batman finished off the Ghost once and for all.

Well, the Gentleman Ghost didn't completely disappear but was merely trapped in a test tube with Midnite making it clear he had his own nefarious revenge in mind. This version of Papa might not be a villain, but he's definitely got a dark side here though.

As for Harvey Dent, by the end of he episode he chose to get into bed with Rupert Thorne and all because his ratings were going down. This episode tried to imply that Harvey had a moral high ground before colluding with Thorne but his previous episodes really didn't set that up very well.

- Lucius Fox had a slightly bigger role compared to his earlier appearance. This included scenes with Gentlemen Ghost's descendant.

- I loved the scene Bruce had researching at the library with Wilma. It was a nice little character moment for him.

- What secret was Alfred keeping that he'd rather die than have Bruce knowing?

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Night Ride delved into the supernatural and I absolutely enjoyed watching it unfold. Gentleman Ghost might not be a typical Bat villain but they were great in this episode and we got a nice dynamic with Batman and Alfred to boot. Oh and more Papa Midnite please.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "The Stress Of Her Regard"

 

Written by Halley Gross

Directed by Matt Peters

Harley (to Batman): "I knew you'd come for me. I knew it when I profiled you for the police. I'm your type. How many criminals do you have to catch before you feel better, Batman? Ten? Twenty?"

If there's a character whose redesign has been the most divisive for Batman: Caped Crusader, then without a doubt that character would be Dr Harleen Quinzel. Have the changes this show made to the character been too severe to her?

First and foremost, I think Jamie Chung has been good casting as Harley Quinn but I do wonder if removing this version's association with the Joker a good thing. Not to mention, she's been toned down quite a lot compared to recent iterations of the character.

On the other hand, while we're yet to get a version of Poison Ivy, this show to it's credit isn't holding back on Harleen as a queer woman. In spite of her clear villainy in this episode, she genuinely seemed to be romantically interested in Renee and her friendship with Barbara saw her even risking her own life to save her friend.

So, what was Harley's great scheme? It mostly involved going after the rich and forcing them into being more altruistic with mixed results. Truth of the matter, Harleen just seemed to enjoy the psychological torture than the actual results in itself.

After she had inadvertently turned Fletcher Demming (David Krumholtz) into King Tut, her great scheme managed to come toppling down with both Batman and Barbara tracking her to William Hastings (David Kaye). Good job, Harley's love for Barbara overruled her need to outsmart Batman.

I will admit that I actually liked the Batman and Harley confrontation but unlike the one he had with Catwoman two episodes ago, it was a bit too brief for it's own good. I'm not entirely crazy on the green and yellow colour scheme of her jester look but at least she managed to escape to go up against Batman another time.

- Despite the lack of Joker, we did get a sneaky "pudding" thrown into the mix by one of Harley's victims.

- Renee revealed that she was a figure skater and Harleen gave Barbara the affectionate "Barbie" nickname.

- There has been an unintentional Gotham City Sirens with Barbara, Renee and Harleen in their scenes together. Will this show give us the actual group itself later in its run?

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

While I have mixed feelings on this show's depiction of Harley Quinn, I thought The Stress Of Her Regard was a lot stronger than expected. If anything at least Batman had decent screen time, we got King Tut, unapologetic LGBT romance and the promise of a return of a certain jester.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "The Night Of The Hunters"

 

Written by Ed Brubaker

Directed by Christina Sotta 

Flass (to Gordon): "Let me guess, was that about us?"

You know, the great thing about Batman media is that every once in a while we're reminded just how awful his grounded antagonists can truly be and with Detectives Bullock and Flass, this show has outdone itself. Four episodes in and both of them are absolutely vile in their corruption.

Frustrated with the Batman's presence, Mayor Jessop (William Salyers) opened the episode by publicly condemning Batman and also tasking Gordon in order to take Batman down. That also meant that Renee Montoya had to come up with ideas to smoke the Caped Crusader out in the open.

Unfortunately for Montoya, her tactics of getting officers to fake crimes didn't work and Batman easily saw through them. However a suggestion about using a freak by Harleen Quinzel came with some consequences and rather big ones. On the other hand, at least we got another rogue added to the mix.

This time, it was Firebug (Tom Kenny), aka not Firefly. Bullock and Flass sprung him from prison under the pretext of sending him to Arkham and then allowing him to escape. Firebug then unwittingly played his part by torching an apartment building on the rough part of Gotham.

Now, I think this episode conveyed a complexity with Firebug. Yes, he was dangerous and caused the big fire of the episode but he was set up by Bullock and Flass. Ultimately, he was also brutally killed by the pair,vwho then used his death to get into Mayor Jessop's good graces and undermine Gordon.

While this episode went to lengths to display Bullock and Flass's corruption, we were also reminded that Commissioner Gordon, Barbara and Renee are the good guys. I'm glad that Jim got to see Batman's heroic side with the latter saving children and I'm glad he's determined to fight back against the corruption in the GCPD.

- O'Brien is actually Eel O'Brien (Tom Kenny) aka Plastic Man. He does seem to be more pro Batman than GCPD. We also saw Jack Ryder (Corey Burton) and Jim Corrigan (Roger Craig Smith)

- Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen appeared in this episode while Harleen mentioned her mentor being Dr Crane and she was flirting with Renee.

- Harvey Dent continued with his mayoral campaign, going out of his way to publicly criticise Jessop.

- Chronology: A month since the start of the show.

The Night Of The Hunters was better than expected. I'm not a big Firebug fan in general but this episode was a rather tragic tale with real consequences felt. Now this is how you make an adult animated show.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "Kiss Of The Catwoman"

 

Written by Ed Brubaker And Bruce Timm And Adamma Ebo And Adanne Ebo

Directed by Christopher Berkeley

Batman: "Who are you?"

Catwoman: "Catwoman, dear. Obviously. What can I say? You inspire me."

This episode might be titled and focused on one of Batman's most enduring love interests and antiheroes going but in this episode, their meeting might have been a tad more on sided. Is it possible this could be a version of Batman that's not into Catwoman (Christina Ricci)?

As Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, there was certainly some flirtation at an exhibition for the Wayne Family pearls. Selina even seemed impressed when Bruce punched out a trash talking journalist/photographer to boot. However as their alter egos, things were different.

I mean, Catwoman was fun and flirty, happy to compliment Batman on his sexiness but she also wasn't above using a black panther to kill him when trying to escape with her goods. Of course, Batman seemed far less charmed by Catwoman's antics but saw her presence as an opportunity to present himself as a bigger threat to the criminal world. That was where O'Brien came in handy.

Along with the criminals, we're also seeing the corruption within the law itself. It was Harvey Dent who actually got Selina off her first caper gone wrong while Harvey Bullock and Arnold Flass (Gary Anthony Williams) tried to murder Catwoman. I'm surprised both were so sloppy about it, given that Batman was present and easy knocked their asses out.

Anyways, while Batman did manage to save Catwoman, her nine lives ran out and there was something funny in seeing her exasperated maid Greta (Jackie Hoffman) getting the better off. The classic costume looked good but this episode proved why it's rightfully never been attempted in live action. Overall, it's just impractical. Give her the purple body suit next time.

As for the rest of the episode, I thought the juxtaposition of flashbacks to the aftermath of the Wayne murders coupled with Bruce's mandatory session with Dr Harleen Quinzel (Jamie Chung) were a good secondary plot. The good doctor wasn't best pleased with Bruce refusing to see her voluntarily and I get the impression she's going to force his hand to renew their sessions later in the season.

- Selina's father was a criminal, who's currently in prison. I'm assuming it's Carmine Falcone, who has yet to appear in the show.

- Along with race bending Barbara, Jim and Flass, this version of Harley is Asian-American.

- Selina had claws, a cat car, a black panther and her own taser for weapons at her disposal.

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Kiss Of The Catwoman while not as strong as the second episode was definitely on a par with the first one. Catwoman was a fun adversary for Batman and I enjoyed the Harleen Quinzel subplot. So far these big swings are working in this show's favour.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "... And Be A Villain"

 

Written by Greg Rucka

Directed by Matt Peters

Clayface: "Do you see now, detective? I've been given a gift to match my talent. I can be anyone, fool anyone. Including you."

The way this show is going, I think it's going to strike that right blend of reinvention. If a gender swapped Penguin in the opening episode can work, then how about a merging of Clayface origins?

Enter Basil Karlo (Dan Donohue). Hes a skilled actor who's made a living off playing scoundrels but as an actor, he wanted to be a leading man. Sadly his looks somewhat detailed that ambitious and a team up with the dubious Jack Ellman (Jeff Bennett) would drastically change his appearance forever.

There's been a hope/rumour/wish for Clayface to be a lead villain in The Batman - Part II and with Matt Reeves involvement in this show, maybe this episode was testing the waters for the idea. If that's the case, then congrats, you've pulled the idea off beautifully. I now want Clayface for The Batman - Part II.

Playing on classic horror, the episode started with the abduction of movie starlet Yvonne Frances (Lacey Chabert) and Bruce Wayne was momentarily a suspect. Then Renee Montoya pretty much spent the episode interviewing everyone connecting to Monoscope Pictures. Then most of those people ended up being killed off as the episode progressed.

After having nothing to do in the opening episode, this was a great showcase for Renee Montoya. She worked brilliantly in trying to solve the case before Basil Karlo made his debut as Clayface. Can I just say that Dan Donohue certainly knows how to do a villain monologue and rather brilliantly? Basil certainly embraced the idea of being a villain.

In some ways, Batman almost something of a backseat compared to both Montoya and Clayface. However, he did help Montoya to take Clayface down and this episode did hint at a working relationship between Batman and Montoya by the end of it. Two episodes in and he's building on allies outside of Alfred.

 - Lucius Fox (Bumper Robinson) has been reimagined as Bruce's lawyer and appeared in one scene early in the episode.

- Harvey Dent appeared to give a subtle threat to Renee if she didn't back him up. The show has focused on his negative traits so far.

- The handsome movie star Darryl Manning was implied to be gay or was that Basil just pretending he was when he posed as Darryl?

- Chronology: Not long from where the first episode left off. 

I really liked this more than the premiere. ... And Be A Villain certainly added to the great explorations of Clayface we've had in animation and I absolutely loved the horror vibes off this one. This was a sublime episode. 

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Batman: Caped Crusader: "In Treacherous Waters"

 

Written by Jace Ricci And Bruce Timm

Directed by Christina Sotta

Batman (to Alfred): "I failed tonight. That can't happen ever again."

In a surprise move, Amazon Prime decided to drop all ten episodes of this show this morning and it's been a long time coming. This was a show that was announced over three years ago along with My Adventures With Superman. That show just concluded it's second season.

While that show took on Anime/Gen Z influence that has worked in it's favour, there's no denying that Batman: Caped Crusader decided to go with a more adult and noir take. For those thinking that this would be a spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series, you're not wrong. It's very much thst and it's own thing.

It seems that every episode will focus on a specific villain but with a story arc also creeping through for Batman (Hamish Linklater) to work his way through. The arc might have something to do with Rupert Thorne's criminal empire. The main threat of the opening episode. It was a very different take on a classic villain.

The villain being The Penguin, who has been reimagined as a woman named Oswalda Cobblepot (Minnie Driver). She's got a boat literally called The Iceberg Lounge, does a cabaret act and has embraced being called The Penguin. She's also a criminal mastermind who doesn't have a problem murdering her own son when she thought he was squealing to Rupert Thorne (Cedric Yarbrough) about her schemes against him.

Of course Oswalda killed the wrong son and when she realised her error, she did attempt to bump off her other son, Ronnie. Ronnie also decided to throw his lot in with Barbara Gordon (Krystal Joy Brown) before the two were rescued by Batman. Barbara also drily told her father, Commissioner Gordon (Eric Morgan Stuart) about the Batman's existence.

As for Oswalda, I did like her confrontation with Batman, albeit it was a bit shorter than expected. Even though he managed to take her down, Oswalda still succeeded in attacking the GCPD and even Batman realised when talking to Alfred (Jason Watkins) that he had given Thorne a victory. I'll admit that added a bitter twist to the end of this one.

- The title sequence is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly evokes the tone of this show. It seems each episode will have a subtle change too to suit the story.

-  Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader) is running for Mayor and there's a rivalry of sorts with him and Barbara.

- Harvey Bullock (John DiMaggio) was revealed to be working for Oswalda. Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) appeared briefly but had no lines.

- Chronology: It's playing up the noir element and that specific era but it could be more anachronistic like Batman: The Animated Series. 

This show has gotten off to a modest start. The changes made to the Penguin for In Treacherous Waters worked well with Minnie Driver injecting the right level of camp and menace for Oswalda. Hamish Linklater as also gotten both his Batman and Bruce Wayne personas down perfectly.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

DCU Blog - July 2024 Edition: SDCC Highlights And More

Well, July certainly turned out to be a very busy month for DC. Various things confirmed in the press and also at SDCC itself. Buckle in folks.

The second trailer for Joker: Folie A Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga was released last week, further solidifying the jukebox musical format. In theatres from October 4th. Harry Lawtey will play Harvey Dent in the movie.

Filming for Superman (2025) has now completed. Will Reeve, the son of Christopher Reeve will appear in the movie. The movie will be released July 11th 2025.

Casting for the roles of Ruthye and Krem have started for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. The movie starring Milly Alcock as Supergirl will begin filming later this year. The movie will be released June 26th 2026.

DC Studios unveiled their new logo. It's basically the same as the one from 1976-2005.

Kumail Nanjiani has been heavily rumoured for the role of Booster Gold in the DCU. The fact that James Gunn hasn't denied it is interesting. An announcement must be imminent.

Lanterns will now go to HBO as well as Max. Hal Jordan will be older than John Stewart in the project. Casting for the roles has begun.

The Penguin will air on Max and HBO from September 19th. It'll take a place a week after the events of The Batman. Colin Farrell will reprise the role for the sequel, due to film in early 2025 for an October 2nd 2026 release. Mark Strong is a recast Carmine Falcone.

The first trailer for Creature Commandos was released last weekend, confirming the December 2024 release on Max.

All 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will be released on Amazon Prime from August 1st. Hamish Linklater will voice Batman while Minnie Driver will voice a female version of The Penguin named Oswalda Cobblepot.

Joel Kinnaman will reprise his role of Rick Flag Jr in the second season of Peacemaker. Details as to how have not been revealed.

The third season of My Adventures With Superman will introduce Superboy and a bald Lex Luthor. 

The fifth season of Harley Quinn will be released on Max from November. Spin off series, Kite-Man: Hell Yeah! is currently airing on Max. 

The first trailer for the fourth and final season of Superman And Lois was released during the weekend. It'll premiere on the CW from October 17th. Tom Cavanagh will appear in the final season.

Paradise Lost is circling it's lead writers. Circe (Anya Chalotra) will be a main cast member in Creature Commandos.

The Sandman has added Ann Skelly, Ruari O'Connor, Indya Moore, Douglas Booth, Freddie Fox, Laurence O'Fuarain, Clive Russell, Jack Gleeson and Steve Coogan to the cast as Nuala, Orpheus, Wanda, Cluracan, Loki, Thor, Odin, Puck and Barnabas respectively. Boyd Holbrook and Jenna Coleman will also return as the Corinthian and Johanna Constantine for the second season.

In some bad news, the Arkham series will no longer be going ahead. So far, it's the only DCU project to have been cancelled.

Those are the highlights of this month. So far, this year has been shaping up nicely for DC.