Mr. Mxyzptlk

Great animation but a pretty weak plot make for a decent movie made infinitely better because of 'The New Frontier' preview.

Thanks for liking the comment. I'll be listening come Episode 12.

I had a whole lot written but it all was deleted when I accidentally x-ed out of the tab. Makes me mad. Right now I'm listening to the 'It's about time' part. It's hilarious the way you describe it. Also of note was that I agree with James about Melissa Gilbert's acting and that's exactly what I was talking about during 'Heart of Ice'. The e-mails were all very interesting. Agreed on 'The Laughing Fish', I do think that Batman's actions are indistinguishable from those of Ferris Boyle ('Heart of Ice') in 'Mudslide', and the 'Moon of the Wolf' explanation was awesome. 'Blind as a Bat'- Yeah, Bruce Wayne funding a weapon makes no sense. Remember Bruce's deal with Lex in 'World's Finest', when he was dead serious about not equipping the machines with any weapons at all? Compare that to him here, where he's smiling and waving during the procession. Some of the animation is awesome and the idea is pretty cool, but it's such small material to justify a 22-minute episode. Red Claw comes back in 'The Lion and the Unicorn', where Alfred goes to Britain. Scores: Harley and Ivy- You: 8 / Me: 8 Shadow of the Bat- You: 6.5 and 7 / Me: 5 Blind as a Bat- You: 4 / Me: 6 Another great job. I'll be back come next podcast.

Can't wait to listen to it. I have a huge load of homework this week and a special event at school tonight, so I'll probably have my routine long post in by Saturday.

Where's the link to the interview?

And Dini was an excellent Joker writer so there's really no problem. Joker's first three episodes were awful due to the absence of Dini. Whatever your issues with 'Joker's Wild' (which really isn't that bad) or 'Make 'Em Laugh' (which I'm assuming is pretty disliked), 'Christmas With the Joker', 'Be A Clown', and 'The Last Laugh' are much much worse. Dini churned out every single good Joker appearance: 'The Laughing Fish', 'Joker's Favor', 'The Man Who Killed Batman', 'Harlequinade', and 'Almost Got 'Em'. The good easily outweighs the bad. I don't think you're right about 'Mask of the Phantasm'. Paul Dini was responsible for the third act, but Joker was present throughout the entire movie, and without the Joker there really wouldn't have been much of a story. I think Alan Burnett, who was really in charge of the story (at least to my recollection) had pushed Joker from the beginning, and assigned Paul to write all the Joker's appearances.

Check this out Everything that's been confirmed is compiled in this site.

So I got pretty deep into 'Mudslide' last night but most of what I said got deleted; basically, I was saying that I really like 'Mudslide' due to the animation and that I wouldn't let the 'The Man Who Killed Batman' nitpicks get in the way of giving it a perfect score. Paging the Crime Doctor- I don't like this one. Sure, it's a serious episode with references to Thomas Wayne and everything, but the episode just drags on, the plot is uninteresting; there really isn't much reason to sympathize with Michael Thorne. He's just 'I love being a doctor, but I'm forced to be a criminal. Why me?!'. It's totally unsubtle and melodramatic that it doesn't work. The episode is either some really expository dialogue or it's some brainless 'Batman vs doctors' fight scenes. The great ending just cannot justify the entire episode. I agree with James on this one, although I did think it was a good ending; the 21 minutes leading up to it just should have been scrapped for something better. It's STROMWELL! ARNOLD STROMWELL! COME ON, GUYS! Ha. Oh..never mind... Zatanna- Bland. I like that they introduced another DC character, but the plot is just a by-the-numbers 'stop the criminal mastermind' affair that is, quite frankly, boring. And Zatanna is a pretty weak character anyways. Oh yeah, I have a gift of saying words backwards, so that's why I like Zatanna better than the average comic-book character. I think Dini fixed up Zatanna in 'This Little Piggy', which I love as well (though a ton of fans really don't like it). Oh, I actually know the reason they couldn't use fishnets. They are apparently IMPOSSIBLE to animate. To make sure every single line that makes up the fishnets are in the same place in every frame is incredibly hard. And I agree with your nitpicks for once, especially the survival of the thugs after they fall out of the plane. And Montague Kane is the poor man's Ras Al Ghul. Ras minus the badassery. The Mechanic- Another episode I don't like. The only highpoint for me is that this is the last time the animation is done by AKOM, which is the worst animation company ever to work on BTAS. The plot is boring and Earl really isn't an interesting character. They should have used Harold the hunchback. I do like the old-school Bat-mobile though. The way the Penguin drives the Bat-mobile is as laughable as the show can possibly get. And James, the design from Justice League is the same one from Gotham Knights. They never reused the BTAS design after the series ended. It's cool though if you notice in Batman Beyond, Bruce's car is the original Bat-mobile turned upside-down. AWESOME catch with the wanted poster. Scores: The Man Who Killed Batman: You- 7.5 and a 9 / Me- 10 Mudslide: You- 7.5 and an 8 / Me- 8 Paging the Crime Doctor: You- 4.5 and a 7 / Me- 4 Zatanna: You- 5 and a 6 / Me- 5 The Mechanic: You- 3.5 and a 3 / Me- 4 Awesome. Best ending scene yet. Can't wait till next time. Great job as always.

Did he toss her around in that one? I can't recall. It's one thing to yell at someone; it's a whole other beast to throw and hit them. I'm not following you here.

Whoa, over 2 minutes! I definitely won't be able to finish it tonight. I also thought that Yuro Sensei didn't know, but maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention. Maybe you're right. I still think that Francine was being completely irrational and ridiculous, despite the case the e-mail makes. Say what you will about 'Joker's Wild', and I can agree to some extent, but 'The Laughing Fish' is still one of the series' finest episodes no matter what anyone says. It captures the character of the Joker perfectly, the Batman/Joker dynamic is at its finest, the score adds a level of creepiness to it, the humor is topnotch, and the pacing is excellent. Completely agreed about Jack Napier, though. That's why I'm glad 'Beware the Creeper' makes it clear that he was a nameless hit-man. I agree about 'The Zeta Project' and that you shouldn't review it, mainly because I haven't seen it nor care to see it, so I'd have to wait forever to be able to listen to the podcast again. Same goes for 'Static Shock'. Like her, I don't mind 'Teen Titans' being reviewed, because it's a great show, even though I don't think it's part of the universe at all. I'm pretty neutral on the whole Wiki thing, as I don't use the BTAS pages for anything, as I'm not as interested in easter eggs and references so much as reviews, which are my favorite BTAS-related stuff on the internet. The Man Who Killed Batman- One of my favorites. It's not only hilarious, but the Joker reaction to the ordeal so perfectly embodies the Batman/Joker dynamic. I'm glad you're liking it so far, although I definitely like it better than 'Almost Got 'Im'. This episode, for me, is one of the series' top five greatest episodes. I love listening to you guys just reminiscing on all the funny moments in the episode and just laughing yourselves silly. The peanut bowl scene is hilarious, but the character's pose and his facial expressions add so much to it. I think that Bullock has a deep respect for Batman. They have their own personal grudges, but they each fully respect what the other does. Batman disagrees with Bullock's methods, but he genuinely appreciates him (as evidenced by 'Vendetta'), and I assume it's the same way with Bullock. And even if he would rather have Batman off the streets, I don't think he would prefer that happening by means of death. As much as he dislikes Batman, I don't see him taking any pleasure in any person's death, even if it is Batman. I love the subpoena joke. And I do think that at this point Harleen Quinzel wasn't intended as her real identity. I definitely think this is Hamill's best performance. You should check out the book 'Batman Animated'. You can see Bruce Timm's original storyboards for the eulogy. Great stuff. And no, 'The Laughing Fish' is the first to capture his psyche. 'The Man Who Killed Batman' is the second. In my opinion, anyway. I'm stopping here for the night.

Didn't Darkseid only win due to his little weapon? Using raw strength alone, I think Superman would have won.

I just can't understand why. A lot of people explain it with 'it sent Batman through his essential conflict of whether being Batman is hurting/helping anyone and is it truly the right thing; Gordon's shooting is so dramatic blah blah blah'. I think that it's obvious that they were going for some defining episode, but when you actually examine it, it holds no weight. I mean, think about Batman's reasoning here: 'Because I didn't do as good a job as I could have, Gordon got shot, so not doing my job at all will keep people from getting hurt in the future'. The reasoning makes absolutely zero sense and yet because Batman explains everything with famous historical and philosophical quotes, people automatically accept it. As well, we already know he's going to be Batman again by the end of the episode, so if you're going to have the hero reach square one again, you should make it interesting by having him learn something or reexamine his reasoning or what not. But no. Here, the entire reason Bruce decides to become Batman again is 'Gordon's gonna die. Why was it I dropped the mantle in the first place? Oh yeah, to save people. Well that sure backfired'. I mean, there's absolutely nothing deep or character defining about it. He just acts irrational, wallows in depression for the episode's majority, and then reaches a completely logical conclusion of 'oh yeah, being Batman does save lives'. He gives no reasoning as to why giving up Batman will be of any benefit. Nothing whatsoever. Or maybe I'll just quote what I said on another message board (Note: it's probably a bit too mean-spirited and sarcastic): But yeah, I'll listen to the podcast tomorrow and see what I think. Well, it's two days later (I slept all day yesterday), but I'm finally starting the podcast. Almost Got 'Em- I think it's hilarious, but I think 'The Laughing Fish' and 'Harlequinade' are slightly funnier. Completely agreed about all the comments, although I'm not sure if it would make my top five. Probably my top fifteen. Killer Croc getting another chair? Never noticed that; awesome catch. I think the reason there are lot of cool tidbits in this episode is because it was directed by the great Eric Radomski. 'I threw a rock at 'em'- to me it's not the line; it's the perfect facial expressions that follow. Excellent. To me, one of the funniest parts is Batman just turning off the switch at the cat food factory. I do like the Poison Ivy line, although there is no better Ivy episode than 'House and Garden'. 'Flash and Substance' reference. Awesome. I'm a huge fan of that opening scene, with their tales of supervillainy being along the same lines as talking about your job or your home life, just how mundane they make them out to be is so hilarious. Nitpick- the name of the Justice League episode was 'Wild Cards'; 'Joker's Wild' was a BTAS episode you rather disliked. Animation-wise, I think it's average for the most part, but it gets really good in the Joker segment. I'm one of those people who believes that 'Heart of Ice' is THE GREATEST episode ever; I can buy the bat-symbol coloring flaws because it was an intentional homage to the old Filmation cartoons and the multiple camera angles on the security tape I just write off because I think it's ridiculous to knock an entire episode because of a minor flaw that helps add drama to the scene. Birds of a Feather- I find it slightly above average. I thought they did a decent job at giving the Penguin a good characterization. It's not a stellar episode as far as sympathetic villains go; I mean, Mr. Freeze's predicament is just heartbreaking, Two-Face is a good guy at war with an evil personality who's life has pretty much been taken away from him. Penguin is just a misfit who's aiming too high, so, while I can slightly sympathize with the fact that he's being taken advantage of, it really isn't very emotionally engaging. Yeah, I love the 'that would have cost you nothing' line; very nice. What bugs me is the 'better to have loved and lost and made some cash' line, because Penguin really doesn't seem that emotionally torn apart as much as he's glad to be a thief again. And yeah, I love Gordon's frustration at Pierce. I noticed 'Paur Street', but I didn't know about the other two. I thought that those two names meant something, but I wasn't sure. What is Reality?- Yep. The animation is terrible, all thanks to AKOM, the worst animation company ever. I think the episode is very very bland. The one thing I love is that there are some really cool riddles. Other than that, the story is boring, the virtual reality is a waste of potential, and, as previously mentioned, the animation is bad. According to Paul Dini, The Riddler was the hardest character to write for, because not only do you have to write like a genius, but you have to be able to write away to take down a genius. Yeah, I don't really get the Riddler's motives either. Ha, stupid bomb squad. The ending was sort of stupid, with the Riddler's talking to someone and then the 'Riddler as a vegetable' which was really a bad attempt at a creepy ending. It's never explained in 'The Riddler's Reform' how he came back. I just love the fact that you hate all the movies. I Am the Night- Here it is, the episode I've been waiting for. I love the 'goes completely emo' thing. I think I've already given my thoughts on this episode well enough, so I'll just sit back and listen. I don't think the animation is brilliant; I think it's very much above average, but it pales in comparison to any TMS or Spectrum ('Heart of Ice', 'Two-Face' pt 1, 'Robin's Reckoning' pt 1). I think the direction is what's really good (Boyd Kirkland brilliance). YES! It was trying to hard. Exactly, completely agreed. Glad that you hated the Nietzsche line. I was expecting James to appreciate all of the historical/philosophical dialogue, because he has a thing for literary references and highbrow dialogue, but I'm so so glad he hated the Nietzsche line. I was about to think you weren't going to point out the Adams/O'Niel reference. Good. I'm totally anticipating the scores for this one, because I just hate it so so much. Off Balance- Meh. I know it introduces some important characters, but I just don't enjoy it at all. What really bugs me about this episode that I haven't seen pointed out before is that Talia, after seeing Batman unmasked, refers to the drill as 'your sonic drill' or something, but she definitely says 'your', as in, she knows that it's Bruce Wayne. In 'The Demon's Quest', Ras makes it clear that he had to use Talia's description to figure out it was Bruce Wayne. So I think it's a bit of a contradiction. I liked the animation except for the part when the chest-symbol on Batman shrinks down to just a yellow oval with no bat whatsoever. But I do love the vertigo effects. I don't think I know anymore about the wall/door thing than you do; sorry. Oh yeah, what's really cool is that this episode is really similar to 'Tools of the Trade' from 'Superman: the Animated Series', in that Michael York plays a villain that torments the hero until the end, when we're introduced to the 'true' enemy (Darkseid and Ras Al Ghul). Scores: Almost Got 'Em-You: 9 and 10 (WHAT? A 10/10 from Mike; not even given to 'Heart of Ice') / Me: 8 Birds of a Feather- You: 7 and an 8 / Me: 6.5 What is Reality- You: 5 and a 6 / Me: 6 I Am the Night- You: 7 and a 6 / Me: 3 Off Balance- You: 6 and a 7 / Me: 4 Wow, one of the few times I'm more critical than you guys. Okay, again, great job. Can't wait for the next batch (featuring two favorites of mine).

I don't have time to listen to the podcast today due to school work, but based on the little comment about 'I Am the Night', I hope to death that it's given a low score. I find it to be one of the most overrated episodes with an irrational Batman characterization, tons of pretentious and awkward dialogue, and a conflict that has absolutely no interest.

In 'Beware the Creeper', I think it makes it clear that he had a bunch of different aliases and truly was a nameless gunman, but I don't think it ever specifically says anything about the name Jack Napier.

When?

^Seriously? I knew they turned it into a comic before making it an episode of the show, but I had no idea it was intended as a BTAS episode. Episodes like 'Harlequinade' do make it clear that they already had her origin at least partly worked out at the time though.

Okay, time for my comments: The condom story's pretty hilarious. I saw the trailer for season five already. I quit the series after season one, but it's apparently gotten a lot better. The trailer looks awesome. Yeah, Phil Lamarr's brilliant. I'm planning on getting my kids into the Timm-verse once I'm a father. On to my e-mail. Yeah, I think 'Teen Titans' isn't in continuity at all, but I'm seriously glad it's being covered because I adore the show. YES. Unrated version is easily the superior film. It's easily my favorite DCAU film. Joker's Wild- I enjoy this episode, simply because it's one of the few BTAS episodes that seems so perfectly like a comic-book storyline. It's pretty funny; all of the Joker's lines and the famous Bruce Wayne/Joker exchange is absolute brilliance. Oh yeah, I DESPISE the Jack Napier stuff. Yeah, there have been a lot of complaints of Batman's omniscience, i.e. he's allowed to know everything for the sake of plot purposes. I can buy it here, simply because Bruce does have a reason for suspicions in the first place (Cameron's obvious denial of building it in the Joker's image), so I can accept that he took some step off-camera to reach his conclusion. Oh yeah, the animation is what brings the episode down for me. AKOM is the worst studio ever to animate BTAS. The moment that absolutely makes me cringe is at the start of the third act where he's talking to Batman, and the black spots around the eyes just go away and it looks horrendous. Oh yeah, a lot of people think that the guard was working for Cameron. I personally like to believe it's the guy who becomes Lock-Up, simply because they look so similar. 'Christmas with the Joker' bad? I disagree a whole lot. At least Joker has some good lines in 'Joker's Wild'. I can't think of a single funny line throughout the entirety of 'Christmas with the Joker'. And there isn't near the amount of stupidity ('They don't call you Batman for nothing', 'Operation: Cause and Effect'). And 'Joker's Wild', as many plot-holes as there are, at least has something of a plot, as opposed to the mess that 'Christmas with the Joker' was (Joker just causing trouble for 20 minutes). 'Simpsons' reference- awesome. I won't let the wording problems bring it down for me. As much as I don't mind the electric floor (because I don't think the episode meant to be taken that seriously), your rants are hilarious. Tyger Tyger- I think it's incredibly lame, but not in my bottom five (which is something like: 'I've Got Batman in my Basement', 'Cat Scratch Fever', 'The Forgotten', 'Moon of the Wolf', and 'Prophecy of Doom'). It's such straightforward story with absolutely no suspense. You know Batman's going to save the day and the mad scientist is going to be taken down, so the character who's supposed to have a shred of interest to keep the story moving, Tygrus, is a really flat character with absolutely no interesting character traits. He loves his father, realizes his father's evil, saves the day, and then we're supposed to feel all sorry for him when he walks away. Sorry, but, 'There's nothing for me anywhere' is a forced sympathy-evoking line that holds no weight, in my opinion. He just assumes the worst, that there's no possible way he'll ever find a father figure more caring than an evil mad scientist, and Selina's loss technically just brings him back to where he started at the beginning of the episode. And there's really nothing that tells me he was better off under Dorian's care anyway and that they had a close enough relationship for his arrest to constitute a huge loss. The episode doesn't make Tygrus' plight very sympathetic at all, I don't think. Everything Mike said I'd have to agree with though. I think the animation is the definition of average, but yeah, definitely solid. And those lines are awesome. Oh yeah, as much as I think the story is lame, I do like Conroy's reading of 'Tyger, Tyger'. Moon of the Wolf- Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible. Before I even hear what you have to say, I'll just say: the animation is BAD, the flashback makes no sense (at one point in the flashback, Milo is actually telling it; it makes no sense), the story is boring, and the electric guitar stuff just doesn't work. And now the bashing. Hilarious. Lightning powers. I thought Mike was being serious with the lightning explanation, but that Storm thing just had me laughing uproariously. I actually think Batman Beyond's 'The Winning Edge' is lame as well. While not as bad as 'Moon of the Wolf', it still goes overboard in the message with a nonsensical climax. Disease thing makes no sense as well. I wish I was a scientist, but I'm pretty sure it's completely and utterly wrong. Coloring errors. Mike's impression of the production team is hilarious. Pollution explanation hilarious. I think the funniest moment in the episode is when Batman's getting gassed. He's choking, and he actually says something like, 'of course...GAS'. I don't think anyone's going to point out the obvious while getting knocked out by a gas attack. Day of the Samurai- Second best one you guys are reviewing (right behind 'Joker's Wild'). I think the episode is a bit better than the first, mainly because I think it has more visual appeal, and the 'samurai over ninja' angle is pretty good. But yeah, it's nothing spectacular. I LOVE Batman's Kaznian line in 'Maid of Honor': Mercenary: [Kaznian] You can't understand a word I'm saying and even if you could I wouldn't tell you anything. Batman: [Kaznian] I can [close-up of Batman's shadowed face] And you will. Love the plot-hole stuff. Terror in the Sky- I think this one is completely unnecessary. 'On Leather Wings' was so awesome I just don't think you need a sequel. And Langstrom's a total jerk to Batman with that 'it's your fault I'm this way because you didn't cure me completely'. I wanted Batman to just say, 'Hey, you're the one who did this to yourself, you 'tard. I at least helped you temporarily. No one paid me, no one helped me. I chased you around the freaking city and bled the only time in the series, and now it's MY fault? You ungrateful bastard.' One of the times there's a male striking a female well before 'Justice League' was Joker smacking Harley in 'Mad Love' so that she falls out of the building. I can't believe they got away with that. Yeah, Dr. March's unspoken guilt is easily the best moment of the episode. Superpowers stuff is still awesome. Scores: Joker's Wild- You: 3 / Me: 6 Tyger Tyger- You: 4 and 6 / Me: 3 or a 4 Moon of the Wolf- You: 1.5 and 1 / Me: 1 or a 2 Day of the Samurai- You: 5 and 4 / Me: 5 Terror in the Sky- You: 5 and 3 / Me: 4 Okay, great job as always. I'll be back next week.

Why does it matter? At best, it will be a masterpiece. At worst, we'll get the pleasure of knowing Alan Moore is out there cringing in disgust and we'll still have the graphic novel to get the bad taste of the movie out of our mouths.

I'm a casual fan of the show. I've known of its return for quite a while, but I'm not particularly psyched for it.

I'll throw in my two cents. Haven't seen the movie, but I probably will eventually. It's apparently better than anything the show's done in years. As for the series, the classic era is 2-8, with my rankings going as follows: 4>2>5>7>6>3>8. I bought season 9 with high hopes, but I really find it mediocre and I have no desire to purchase any of the seasons to follow it. 'Family Guy''s a load of trash, but I watch it because I have nothing better to do at 3:00 in the morning when I can't get to sleep. Never seen 'South Park'; don't really care to.

Well, I think George Newbern was pretty stale during JL's first season, but pumped it up from season two on to the end of JLU. I think each actor brought a different side of Superman out; Newbern was great with Superman's anger and he played the morally ambiguous Superman of the Cadmus arc very well. Daly played the more idealistic Superman. In the end, I love them both, but I think Daly did a more consistent job.

Yeah, but I think her Sub-Zero and TNBA actresses made it sound a bit less corny, or whatever the word is I'm looking for. Or maybe, and this more relates to 'Shadow of the Bat', the writing on her just isn't very solid; I think her talking to herself and spelling out everything she's going to do is really overdone, and the show should communicate the fun she has more through her visuals: how much energy she has when she moves, her facial expressions, etc. I think that her lines wouldn't have been so bad had they been handled with one of her later actresses, but Gilbert just made them sound a bit flat and always reeking of the exact same attitude. But maybe it's because I got so used to her TNBA actress that hearing Gilbert just doesn't sound right. Like how it was hearing the different actor for Superman in 'Justice League' after being so used to Tim Daly's work in 'Superman: the Animated Series'.

Dude, they love the seasons of 'The Simpsons' that were actually good (1-8), but seriously, most people with a mind for critical analysis can easily see the horrible flaws that overtake the rest of the series.

Hooray! Just so you guys know, I probably won't respond with a massive rant this time like last time. Judging by the introduction paragraph, I'm sure I agree with you about each of these episodes. Mike, guess what? I totally share you viewpoint on when 'The Simpsons' declined. Awesome. Thanks for mentioning me. Seriously, it's no problem to me whether or not you respond. Totally understand, and I'm so glad you appreciate my posts. 'Night of the Ninja'- Okay. Yep, Robin was definitely on in this episode; he has some pretty hilarious lines. Yeah, I definitely think the episode is average. It seems a bit bland and the animation is pretty weak. I greatly prefer 'Day of the Samurai', which takes the animation and fight scenes up a notch, and does a better job of conveying elements of Batman's character. I definitely noticed that this was another point in Robin's journey toward Nightwing. I think the only other time we see Batman shutting Robin out is in 'Second Chance' (another favorite), so I'm definitely glad that we saw more of it in this episode. 'Cat Scratch Fever'- In my bottom three for sure, and I love that I'm in for a bash-fest. Atrocious voice-acting? Agreed. Melodrama central? Agreed. Animation horrible? Agreed. Hearing your criticisms is like music to me. I just hate this episode so so much. I think that they had Milo be a failure in JLU because all of his appearances in B:TAS were horrible. Yes! You mentioned the horrible 'you're hot' exchange. This may just be my favorite podcast yet. I think the reason the animation is so horrible is that Timm recognized how bad the script was so they shipped to Akom, the worst animation company that ever worked on B:TAS. And yes, this may just be my least favorite as well. 'The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne'- I just have to say right off the bat: a machine that can see people's thoughts could have limitless applications. Can you imagine what the movie industry could do with that? You just have to imagine a fantastic movie, and the thought machine would bring it to life. Imagine how much money could be made! I think the episode is very average. Joker is easily the highlight, but the animation is pretty lackluster and I just don't buy that Robin can imitate Wayne at the end. 'Heart of Steel'- A definite favorite of mine. Awesome that you seem to agree with me. I like it because it's sci-fi and the designs are awesome, and the animation is great. It's a nice diversion from your typical Batman episode. Batman HAS fought robots! You forgot about CAPTAIN CLOWN! But seriously, I also love that we get to see more of Wayne Enterprises, which is pretty absent from the rest of the series. I actually don't really like Melissa Gilbert as Barbara. She's always talking to herself and she always has this gung-ho 'I'm up for adventure' attitude that really gets old. Oh well. About Alfred lines, I love his 'then the entire human race would be completely replaceable. Except for butler of course.' Never thought about a 'The Killing Joke' reference. There are quite a few coincidences that have happened throughout the Timm-verse, one being the 'Legacy' episode of Superman having no connection at all to the 'Son of Darkseid' Superman story that was taking place in the comics. Great catch on the license plate and who Rossum is named for. I remember on the commentary Bruce Timm talks about how Rossum's name was something of an in-joke, but he never explained it, so now I know. 'If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?'- I'm not the biggest fans of the episode. I loved it as a kid, but now, I really think he's not used to his full potential. I mean, he's a man who can trick a guy into handcuffing himself, and yet he has to rely on goons and a freaking maze that really was pretty easy for Batman and Robin to navigate. Not much of a challenge from one of the greatest minds. I've read the first volume of 'Justice', and yes, the Riddler explanation is excellent. I also think that the origin story is a bit, well, redundant. I mean, we've already had Mr. Freeze suffers a tragedy because of a sleazy above-the-law villain whom he later gets revenge on, Two-Face suffers a tragedy because of a sleazy above-the-law villain whom he later gets revenge on, and now this episode is the exact same thing, and I think that storyline had worn out its welcome by this point. Never noticed the maze of cubicles. Nice catch. Score time: I agree with your score for 'Night of the Ninja' for the most part, completely agreed on 'Cat Scratch Fever', I'd probably vote a little lower on 'The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne', surprised that Mike rated an 8 on 'Heart of Steel', and I'd definitely agree on that, and I may go slightly lower on 'If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?' Okay, I'm done. Great job. Can't wait till the next podcast.

^Okay, I'll be waiting. Anyway, on to the fact that Hatter shouldn't in the dream, well, here's my attempt at a retort. Batman represents the nobility that Bruce can't have in a dream world. It's the thought in the back of his psyche that begs Bruce to ponder which life is truly what he wants: the one in which he has his family but lacks any righteousness of his own, or the life he currently lives, which is one of heroism born of tragedy. It's a struggle between two personas. That's why Batman appears as far as I'm concerned. As for why it's the Hatter, well, as argued by Mr. Allman, it's because the Bruce Wayne persona views his Batman persona as an adversary, an antithesis to everything Bruce Wayne is in his dream world. But yeah, that's where I'm stuck. Even if Batman represents madness (as symbolized by the Hatter) or an adversary to what Wayne wishes he could be, it's clear that the Hatter is an entity in an of itself and is separate from the world Bruce Wayne is actually constructing for himself. So I love the conversation between the Hatter and Bruce, but at the same time, it's hard for me to really come up with a reason for it even being there. My only conclusion is that the dream machine is flawed, or that dream logic itself is flawed, so either way, due to some nonsensical but valid reason, Hatter can exist to explain his scheme. But maybe that Hatter isn't an entity in and of itself. Everything he says in his little monologue could have easily been figured out by Batman persona, seeing as how Batman in any form is the World's Greatest Detective. And the fact that he exposes the dream may not be the Hatter's dream self talking; it's the Batman persona's way of telling Bruce that he's fallen into a trap, all the while, in the guise of the Hatter, pointing Bruce toward the real enemy. The question after that would be, 'why would the Batman persona try to convince Bruce to stay if he's so intent on getting Bruce out of the mess?'. Perhaps the Batman persona has taken on the role of the Hatter completely, which would mean adopting his villainy as well, all in his quest to have Bruce see the real picture. Now this paragraph is just theorizing, and I don't even think I buy it, but it's an interesting way of thinking about it. Oh yeah, another flaw that I don't think as been mentioned that I'd actually mark against the episode is that the episode's point of view drifts to that of the cops while their chasing Bruce. If it was really Bruce's dream, wouldn't it always be told from his point of view? So it's impossible, even in such a flimsy reality, that we would ever see the cops' point of view as their chasing Bruce. Oh yeah, Mike, you'd actually enjoy this a lot, but Bruce Timm himself isn't too fond of the episode. This is what he had to say over at the Toonzone forums: 'ftmwhe' refers to the Justice League: Unlimited episode 'For the Man Who Has Everything', by the way, which really is a Superman version of 'Perchance to Dream'. Okay, back to the Podcast. I think that the Hatter really shouldn't care about Batman's identity. Batman's his enemy, and whoever is under the mask is insignificant, so that's what I think about that. The Mad Hatter is one of the most insane members of Batman's rogues gallery, so he's not one for rationalizing that unmasking him could help him or peak his interest. Oh, you're anecdote from Ultimate Spider-Man with Kingpin's 'I have no idea' is almost exactly like the scene from JLU's 'The Great Brain Robbery', when Luthor and Flash have switched bodies, and Luthor, in Flash's body, runs into the Watchtower's men's room. He looks in the mirror and says. "Lex, what have you gotten yourself into? Well, at least while I'm here I can figure out the Flash's secret identity. (He unmasks himself) >Pause< I have no idea who this is." And I have read the first six hardback volumes of the series, by the way. Great stuff. Okay, finally at 'The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy'. Yes, I completely agree with all of your jabs at the logical flaws. The only thing about this episode I can actually enjoy is the fact that the big Batman reveal at the end took me by surprise the first time I saw it. Oh wow. Wormwood masturbating. Just wow. Okay, 'Robin's Reckoning'. Well, I don't think it's the best of one's you're reviewing. I'd place 'Perchance to Dream' and 'The Laughing Fish' higher, the former for being really deep and the latter for being the greatest most definitive Joker episode of all time. As for the episode, I think the second episode just really takes a dip in quality, especially in the animation department. The first one was usual Spectrum animation brilliance. The second episode they were forced to use Dong Yang's animation, which is almost always just average. Another reason is that after the awesome origin, nothing can ever reach that level of brilliance. And the Batman line at the end is, I don't know, sort of cheesy in a sappy kind of way. I don't know. What I wonder is, if the whole reason Batman was shutting Robin out was because he cared for Robin and didn't want him to get hurt, why does he refrain from telling Robin until the end? Oh well, I still regard it highly for the brilliant first part. I know what you mean when you say you want to scream at the Graysons. The moments before the rope finally snaps are some of the most suspenseful in all of the DCAU. Oh yeah, Bullock's '30s uniform is scene again in a 'Mask of the Phantasm' flashback. I just had a thought. The big difference between Batman and Robin is that the killer of Robin's parents was caught and Batman still hasn't found the man who murdered his parents. So I'm guessing part of the reason Robin goes off to get a life at college as illustrated by 'Old Wounds' while Batman continues with the mission is that Robin has already tasted the satisfaction of revenge. The killer is caught and part of the motivation is now null, so he feels that he should be allowed to enjoy himself, whereas Bruce continues to treat him like his lackey in crime-fighting. I know the big moment that put Robin over the edge was watching the terror in the eyes of the child as Batman brutally interrogated his father (the child being a metaphor for himself and the boy's terror at Batman representing the harsh lifestyle that Batman has forced on Robin's childhood), but I wouldn't be surprised if the fact that he's already felt the satisfaction that Bruce never could adds to the division between them. I haven't seen the 'Teen Titans' episode where Raven goes into Robin's mind for a long time, but I assume it's 'Haunted', in which case, I never noticed that reference, awesome find; and James, you NEED to see it as soon as possible. Ooh, the 'Batman Beyond' episode you're talking about is 'Shriek'. I love the music-less fight scenes. The reason for it was that Shriek went deaf (oh the irony). Okay, back to the podcast. Yeah, the design on Batman changes in the flashback. I actually thought that he was blue when the car's headlights illuminated him, but I suppose the rest of the time it was entirely black; I forget ('Avatar' features an all black bat-suit as well). I think that the reason he looks a lot more detailed is because it seems a bit like a different model entirely. I think Spectrum (the animation company) just went all out on this episode, which is probably one of the major reasons it won an Emmy Award. When you talk about how crazy everything must be for 'young Richard Grayson' (heh), it's probably part of what Nightwing is referring to when he says to Tim in 'Old Wounds' that he didn't exactly have a normal childhood. Starting 'The Laughing Fish', one of my favorites. Didn't 'Heart of Ice' technically have an animated title card? The story is hilariously perfect! Yeah, Mike, it's not supposed to make sense! Yeah, raise the score! Raise the score!!!! Ha, that's me posting completely in synch with the podcast. Well, I don't think I'm going to post a massive retort. I will link you to my favorite site for B:TAS reviews. If you bother to read it, I'd recommend reading some of the other reviews; they are really very interesting reads, even if I don't necessarily agree with all of them. And yes, it's run by the guy who's reviews I'm always quoting for my arguments. Score time. I'd have to disagree completely with the 4 for 'Perchance to Dream', which I would give a 9.5 or a 10, but oh well, I see where you're coming from there. You're criticisms were surprisingly convincing. 3 for 'Laughing Fish'? NOOOOOO!!!!!! That's a 10 for me easily. Oh well, it's surprisingly interesting how much fun it is to listen to disagreeing opinions. Okay, finally the conclusion to my commentary on your reviews of those five episodes (that's sort of weird), I was highly entertained and can't wait for the next podcast. Oh and about feedback being offered by means of E-Mail, do you think this thread could count as an alternative to E-Mail when it comes to offering Feedback? Because everything I would say in a feedback E-Mail is already posted here. It'd be interesting to hear you guys responding to my posts in the feedback section on the actual Podcast, but oh well, it's just a suggestion. As for the next podcast, here are my hopes: 'Cat Scratch Fever' will get butchered brutally, 'The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne' will be rated slightly below average, 'Night of the Ninja' will get a 5 down the line for just being an interesting little romp, 'If You're So Smart Why Aren't You Rich?' will be seen as entertaining, but largely nonsensical in places, and 'Heart of Steel' will get a bit above average for being so weird and eerie. So overall, another enjoyable episode, can't wait for next episode, and great job guys.