Welcome to the ninth edition of “Five Thoughts on Batman: The Animated Series.” This episode we see the return of the Joker as he tangles with the Dark Knight yet again.
1. This Moment in History
There’s one thing I can’t help but remember about this episode. It’s the fact that the meme of Batman giving a thumbs up is in it, and when that moment happens I couldn’t help but to die laughing. There’s nothing special about this moment and it’s only because of when and what culture we live in that this stands out. It’s not a big moment, but it’s what I can’t help but remember walking away from this episode.
2. Return to Form
This is something I kind of hit on last review, but it’s just as, if not more, important here. This is the first episode in the past four episode to tell a normal “Batman vs a villain” type story. This is a very good thing as it allows for the show to refocus on the things that make it great such as Kevin Conroy’s Batman, Mark Hamill’s Joker, and its rich depiction of Gotham. This episode in particular goes more in depth with Mayor Hill and that gives something to the whole series which will pay off when we see the character further down the line. It’s also notable that Hamill and Conroy are simply the best part of this show so anytime there’s an episode focusing on them then it’s going to be great.
3. Internal Logic
There are a couple internal logic things in this episode that are kind of questionable. First off it’s a little hard to believe that Bruce Wayne just happens to be in the social circle of everyone Batman works with. Gotham’s a sprawling metropolis and so far the show has only depicted him interacting with people as Bruce Wayne that he had already or would later on interact with as Batman. There’s also a moment where the Joker leaves a giant candle on a birthday cake with his face on it. There were at least ten or more people standing around this cake and none of them noticed that the face of the city’s most notorious serial killer was on it?
4. The Amusement Park
Setting the episode’s climax in an abandoned theme park, which is actually the Joker’s base of operations is great fun. Seeing the Joker interact with all the props which exist in that environment, such as the trick sword and the water tank he puts Batman in, is really interesting. In more recent times the Joker has been pulled away from the clown gimmick a bit and seeing him get to be funny in a fun environment is a delight. Even outside of the park you get to see him do stuff like shock the mayor with a joy buzzer and play as a clown for a group of kids. Then in a bit of more morbid humor you get to see him trick a child into running away from home.
5. The Moral of the Story
It’s really cool that there’s a moral to this story and that someone learns a lesson. As a viewer you go on this whole journey and at the end you get to learn why. That’s such a basic storytelling thing but for them to do it and it feel genuine to both the characters and the viewer is impressive.
