Topic: Batman: The Animated Series

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Yes! Trickster! Now I know!!

sorry the marathon has been slow, been scrambling with school projects and christmas writings. I have one review prepared (would be more if I didn't forget the dvd set at grandmas) and then I can get things done a lot faster what with the new internet connection. Would put it up tonight, but am just exhausted.

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3. Nothing to Fear
A horrifying villain, who goes by the name of Scarecrow, is spreading fear gas and wreaking havoc on Gotham State University. Batman investigates to discover that the culprit is really Professor Jonathan Crane, who was kicked out of the university years ago for conducting fear experiments and has returned as Scarecrow to get revenge. Under the influence of a treacherous fear gas, Batman must fight this wily strawman and his worst fear at the same time.

My Thoughts:

It was an average episode. A nice introduction to Scarecrow and decent action.

But looking closer, I appreciate the pychology in this. I've seen Batman portrayed where he is facing a problem or having doubts he had to relive the moment where he had to sit and watch his parents get killed. In this episode, however, Bruce fears his father would be dissapointed in him. To me, this makes much more sense. Get scared into doing something or try to do right by a loved one?

Scarecrow was never a favorite villain of mine, but I appreciate avoiding I feel is a common mistake.

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i know I've been slow with my marathon, but I plan to pick things up when its the weekend/chrstmas break.

I aint abondoning this thread!!

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I know, no updates, but I was watching at grandma's and I have about 15 or 20 more coming up.

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4. The Last Laugh
The Joker employs a lethal mind altering laughing gas to transform the citizens of Gotham into total fools. If Batman doesn't stop the Clown Prince of crime, everyone will soon go totally mad, including his friend and butler, Alfred. 

My Thoughts:

Just two episodes later they bring back the Joker. Not a very wise desicion, but ok ...

So Joker came back for April Fool's Day as it is his calling card to make a bad joke. Criminals taking advantage of chaos is very common but the laughing gas keeps it somewhat fresh, as well as a few other surprises the Joker displayed ... such as a robot clown.

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5. Pretty Poison
D.A. Harvey Dent becomes romantically involved with a mystery woman named Pamela Isley. When Dent is poisoned after a dinner date, Batman investigates and makes the horrifying discovery that the poison was administered through Pamela's lipstick. He tracks the woman down and discovers that she is really Poison Ivy, a plant-crazed villainess who harbors a secret vendetta against the D.A. Batman ends up in Poison Ivy' s lethal greenhouse, fighting for the life of his best friend, as well as his own.

My Thoughts:

Enter Poison Ivy! An early intro to Two Face as Harvey Dent is nice. The episode itself made me wonder what exactly led to Pamela being so obsessed with plant life. Though the show doesn't reveal that aspect of her origin, it was still very enjoyable.

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6. The Under-Dwellers
Batman encounters mysterious 'wee green people,' who have been committing petty crimes. He saves one from a speeding train and finds it is a small boy who doesn't speak. Batman soon learns that the boy belongs to a gang of forgotten runaways, the 'Under-Dwellers," who live deep within the Gotham sewer system. Their leader is the crazed Sewer King who forces the children to steal food and supplies for him. Batman leads a revolt, defeats the Sewer King, and frees the Under-Dwellers. 

My Thoughts:

Why does the Mole Man come to mind here? Alfred taking care of a little under-dweller adds humor to the show - teaching table manners, giving him a bath, etc. I'm also loving the use of temptation. A maniac who imprisons children - yeah, you'd wanna finish him off too. Still, I think the episode needed something, perhaps retaliation from the other children as well? I find it hard to believe their "ruler" could make his way out of a small army.

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7. P.O.V.
When Bullock botches a sting operation, he and the other officers involved, Montoya and rookie Wilkes, are questioned by Internal Affairs. Bullock's face saving story is so at odds with the other testimony that the I.A. investigator believes no one and suspends them all, pending further investigation. Eager to clear her name, Montoya follows up on some clues which lead her to the location of the gangsters they were after during the sting. With Batman's help she cracks the case and exonerates everyone involved, teaching Bullock a thing or two about the importance of teamwork.

My Thoughts:

An interesting episode. This, as the name shakily implies, is told from the point of view of the policemen. You can really see how Bullock is a pig taking all the credit. Montoya may normally be a background character of sorts, but comes out to be a resiliant and very believable key character. 

[Kathy]

Clowns? And you didn't run away from the TV screaming in terror?!? 

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8. Forgotten
When indigent men start disappearing from the bowery, Bruce goes undercover as lowlife Gaff Morgan to investigate. He is soon assaulted by several men, hit over the head and shanghaied, and ends up as an amnesia victim forced to work with other kidnapped men in a treacherous and remote mining camp. Despite his memory loss, Bruce's defiant nature causes trouble for his captors, who end up locking him in a sweat box. During this harrowing punishment however, his memory returns, and with newfound strength Bruce is able to escape, transform into Batman and defeat his captors once and for all. Later, as Bruce Wayne, he is also able to offer jobs to several of his kidnapped companions, thereby giving them a new lease on life.

My Thoughts:

I can't say undercover work really excites me, but memory loss is a nice twist. Though the dream sequences were a nice touch, for most of the episode I felt rather bored. I think the problem was it moved slowly, but I can't expect much considering Bruce can't remember who he is.

Alfred flying the BatWing was funny.

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funny....

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9. Be A Clown
Mayor Hill's son feels overlooked and unloved when his father throws him an elaborate birthday party that is more a political media event than a real celebration. Meanwhile, the Joker infiltrates the party dressed as a clown in order to plant a bomb. The Mayor's son, a budding magician, becomes so enamored of the clown's tricks that he steals away in the clown's truck when the Joker leaves. When Batman tracks down the Joker to a closed amusement park, the wily villain plays on the kid's naiveté and uses him to trap the Batman.

My Thoughts:

A pretty fun episode. The Joker as an actual clown corrupting a kid. The magic was interesting enough, cool to see Batman doing one of Houdini's escape tricks.

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10. Two Face - Part 1
District Attorney Harvey Dent is hiding a deep dark secret, even from his best friend Bruce Wayne. He has a second personality, that of Big Bad Harv, a hard nosed gangster. When crime boss Rupert Thorne learns of Dent's sickness, he tries to blackmail him. Unfortunately, Dent's "bad" side comes to the fore, and he physically attacks Thorne and his men just as Batman arrives on the scene. In the ensuing melee, a chemical explosion sends Dent to the hospital. When Dent's bandages are removed, the left side of his face is scarred and deformed, and his second personality becomes dominant.

My Thoughts:

Excellent portrayal of split personality. The only thing that wasn't explained was the significance of the coin he flips. As I remember it from movies, he is also traumatized to the point where he believes everything in life is left to chance.

His scarring is done well too. The skin itself reminds me of Killer Croc's scales, but other than that they put in real detail.

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11. Two Face - Part 2
Two Face begins an aggressive campaign against his hated rival, Rupert Thorne, who puts out a two-million dollar contract an him. Since Two Face used to be Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne's best friend, Batman wants to find him before Thorne does. Thorne's people snare Two Face first by using his former fiancee, Grace, as bait. Just as Thorne is about to rub him out, Batman intervenes.

My Thoughts:

The most expected part of the episode was Bruce's guilt trips. The love aspect was an important plot point for this half of the story. Fair action.

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Ok, i have a lot more but this is taking a lot out of me. continues tomorrow!