1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Warning, Today's episode contains lots of spoilers for thirty year 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: old episodes of Batman the Animated series Dunt dunt d 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: which is not. 4 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:12,399 Speaker 2: A big deal. 5 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: Truthfully, not a big deal. 6 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: You can just listen to this and then go watch 7 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 2: the episodes. It's not gonna ruin your enjoyment. It's gonna 8 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 2: be you. 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: Hello. My name is Jasoncepcion and I'm Rosie Knight, and 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: welcome back to X Revision, the podcast where we dive 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: deep into your favorite shows, movies, comics, and pop culture 12 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: with me. iHeart podcast. Will We'll bring you two episodes 13 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: a week every Tuesday and Thursday. 14 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 2: This is a very special episode. We're not gonna teach 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 2: you a PSA lesson, but it is the first episode 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: all Animation Month, and we're going to be celebrating Batman 17 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 2: the Animated Series to kick it off, and in the 18 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: back matter, we are going to be talking to some 19 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 2: of our favorite Batman fans about the legacy and lasting 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 2: impact of Batman the Animated series. 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: First the airlock. All right, folks, were stepping out of 22 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: the airlock to talk about our top five personal top 23 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: five episodes of Batman the Animated series. Rosie, do you 24 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: want to talk about your criteria? I love your list. 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,839 Speaker 2: Okay, so my criteria. I went for a mix of 26 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 2: the ones that I honestly do think stand out as 27 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: this is why this show is so fantastic, Like especially 28 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 2: the first one that I'll talk about after your first pick. 29 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: I think that's one of the ones where you can 30 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: show it to someone and they'll go, oh, this is 31 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: not why I expected from an animated series. This is more, 32 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 2: this is deeper, this is more emotional, this is more 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 2: brilliantly written. But also some of them are I just 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 2: I did Pepper in a few there, and I think 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: this speaks to the quality of the show that are 36 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: just the ones that I go back to or the 37 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 2: ones that I so deeply remember watching for the first time. 38 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 2: I have one on there that I watch every year 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 2: at Christmas. I put it in as my Christmas watching. 40 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: So yeah, it was. 41 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: Kind of a mix of personal things that I like 42 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 2: and also like what I think are some of the 43 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 2: best examples of why the show is so special. But 44 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 2: also I do think it speaks to the quality of 45 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: the show that really anyone's favorite episodes are probably some 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 2: of the best episodes because they're just all so good. 47 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: What was your criteria? 48 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: My criteria was Landmark episodes that significantly influenced the comic cannon. 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: So those are easy, right, There's several of them, those 50 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: episodes that contained interesting like meta commentary on fandom, on 51 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: the characters, on the fans relationship to the characters that exists, 52 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: like on top of what is you know, always really 53 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: fun and engaging Batman or Batman Rogues Gallery story. And 54 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: there's so much of that, whether it's like interesting casting choices, 55 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: little easter eggs in there, there's a bunch of those 56 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: episodes to choose from. And the other thing is there's 57 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: really I guess like people would say that a Batman 58 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: in the Basement is like the worst episode of Batman 59 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: Animated series. I think I think Bruce tim came out 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: and said that they really like they missed with that one, 61 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: and he's unhappy with it. I think he might have 62 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: said that he's like never seen it ever since it 63 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: came out. But it's really not there's it's that bad. 64 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: There's there's there's no truly awful episode of Batman the 65 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: animated series. The batting average is so high, and so 66 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: there's really a lot to pick from, and so I 67 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: really just tried to pick for stuff that I felt 68 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: like had a lasting impact. And also I like the Joker, 69 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: so I picked multiple Joker. Yeah episodes. Shall we get started? 70 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: Yes, your first episode, I want to go on for one. Well, 71 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 2: let's go one for one, and your first one not 72 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 2: a Joker episode, So start now. 73 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: A Joker episode. Heart of Ice. 74 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 2: Oh ten out of ten. 75 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,479 Speaker 1: Mark Bernardin talked about why it's great, and it is great. 76 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: You know, mister Freeze, we learn his backstory. He was 77 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: a scientist doing experiments and his wife was the subject 78 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: inside this cryo freeze chamber, and sadly, this like middle 79 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: management executive named Boyle comes in and makes like a 80 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: command decision in the middle of this experiment, and that 81 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: causes mister Freese's wife to pass away inside the cry damper. 82 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: And he develops this entire supervillain persona to seek revent 83 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: And there's this melancholy sadness to the episode that has 84 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 1: affected the way mister Freeze has been depicted, you know 85 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: later on, like in comics and in movies, and it's 86 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: just a wonderful episode. 87 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, they literally adapt this in Batman and Robin like 88 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 2: this is what mister Freeze onnos watcheneggis mister freeze backstory 89 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 2: is in the movie. We also get this kind of 90 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 2: recognition of like Batman understanding where mister Freeze comes from 91 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 2: in this episode too, where he's kind of at the 92 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 2: end he's like sympathetically watching him as he kind of 93 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 2: cries that he hasn't been able to avenge his wife. 94 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 2: Also the Nora Inner snow globe that becomes like a 95 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 2: huge part of his story, that becomes the you know 96 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 2: that's in Batman and Robin that's in the comics. This 97 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 2: is basically a complete reimagining of mister Freeze, you know, 98 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 2: his actual origin story that then went on to like 99 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 2: you say, completely changed, yes, everything comics, movies, whatever you're watching. 100 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 2: And it's also set off like a four movie or 101 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 2: four episode one movie arc in the animed stuff that's 102 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,559 Speaker 2: just about Victor Freeze, which I think is really cool. 103 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: It's really cool. It's such a big swing, particularly early 104 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: in the in a in the run of Batman the Enemy, 105 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: I think it's like the fourth episode to take like 106 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: this like massive swing like this, Yeah, it's and it 107 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: and it showed you how actually deep this show could 108 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 1: be because on the one level, it's just like a fun, 109 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: very consumable little Batman's story, but on it's got all 110 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 1: these other levels to it. The emotional level, the fact 111 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: that it's kind of like softly retconning a like giving 112 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: you an alternate take of a character. Uh, there's the 113 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: fact that, like aesthetically, there's all this kind of cool 114 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: tones blues and like mules and stuff that have worked 115 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: into it to really enhance the theme. It's just great. 116 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. Also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing 117 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 2: in an Animated Program. So really, like you said, big swings. Also, 118 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 2: I will say to those listening out there who love 119 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 2: to have the the intricate details. Batman Animated Series has 120 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 2: a weird situation when it comes to episodes because there 121 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 2: were multiple episode orders. Yes, so if we say episode 122 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 2: that might be a different running order. I think this 123 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 2: was episode four. I also think in some running orders 124 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 2: it was episode fourteen. It was shown differently on different channels, 125 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 2: so there may be some that's it. 126 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: You bring up a good point because this was also 127 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: the period of time where if you missed an episode 128 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: of Batman series, then you missed it. 129 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,679 Speaker 2: Good luck, good one you would hear. 130 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: About it and then maybe years later, you know when 131 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: it was when the run was like released at Blockbuster 132 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: or something, you might be able to watch it, but 133 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: you would just not. 134 00:07:58,280 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 3: No. 135 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, because they then they did the new Batman animated stories, 136 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: but then they compile it, it was just, yeah, run 137 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: order can be a mess. 138 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 2: It's also really interesting because this has aired on so 139 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 2: many different networks, and apparently when it aired on toon Disney, 140 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 2: they actually removed two lines where Batman says, my god, 141 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 2: they thought that was too expletative, and then mister Freezer's line, 142 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 2: I'd kill for that, So there were also different versions. 143 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 2: Obviously now I'd killed for that. Yeah, Michael Ansara, what 144 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 2: a performance, just such a such a that's such a 145 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 2: brilliant episode. I'm so glad you picked it. I mean 146 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 2: I literally read an anthology issue of that DC does 147 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 2: every year they do these fun like Nuclear Winter or 148 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 2: like they have different names, and I read a great 149 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 2: anthology issue that I believe was and it had a 150 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 2: Bruce tim story in it. There was about mister Freeze 151 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 2: and he, you know, creating all this snow and it's 152 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 2: stopping people from being able to get their Christmas presents, 153 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 2: but he allowed Robin to go and get the Christmas 154 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 2: present that he wanted for Batman, and the real reason 155 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 2: he made it snow is because he's thinking of his wife. 156 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 2: So even like twenty thirty years later, it's still influencing 157 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 2: how we see him as more of a tragic figure 158 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 2: rather than just another wacky kind of silver age rogue. 159 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's something else too in this episode and a 160 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: lot of the other episodes that I picked that I 161 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: kind of which would wish had influenced the depictions of 162 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: Batman more, which is he is such a he's you know, 163 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: he's trying to bring mister Freese to justice. He also 164 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: brings a boil to justice. That said, while he's this 165 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: tough protagonist, he's also like very empathic towards Miss Oh. Yeah, 166 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: he's he's deeply affected by mister Freeze's backstory. And there's 167 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: that there's a gentleness to the Batman, the animated series 168 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: Batman that I wish would carry away some of the 169 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: other stuff. 170 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,199 Speaker 2: There's something there's a softness to him that's. 171 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: Not just like a usful like I must bring all 172 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: Riddle to justice, you know, like there's something there's a 173 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 1: deeper well of emotion there with him. 174 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 2: And also he is softer as both Bruce and Batman 175 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 2: in this series, which I like he and you get. 176 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 2: I think that's why you get such brilliant relationships. And 177 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 2: also just like unbelievable casting. I mean Mark Hamier obviously 178 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 2: known best for being the Joker, but he's Ferris Boyle 179 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 2: in that episode, like it's a classic animated thing. Michael 180 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 2: ansaras mister Freeze who's so fantastic, Marie Devon as Summer Gleeson. 181 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: They just have really great casting. Like my next pick 182 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 2: has one of my all time favorite actresses in and 183 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 2: I always forget until I look up the show that 184 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 2: she's one other people. Okay, so my first pick is 185 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 2: on a similar vibe to yours. This is one that 186 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 2: emotionally kind of guts me every time I watch it. 187 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 2: It's called per Chance to Dream. It's written by Joe R. 188 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 2: Lansdale who did the tell of play Laren Bright. Michael 189 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 2: Reeves did the story directed by boy Curt Quinn. It 190 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 2: has Adrian Barbo as catwoman Selena Kyle, which I. 191 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: Love one of the best the B movie icon. 192 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 2: Swamp thing the Fog. Just like so many movies. Yeah, 193 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 2: I love her so much and in a very interesting 194 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 2: I think this is such a classic smart thing you 195 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 2: can do in animation. She voices Martha, and she voices Catwoman, 196 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 2: and I think there's likely yes. But also Roddy McDowell 197 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 2: is the Mad Hair, Diana Molders doctor Leslie Tompkins. So 198 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 2: I think the fact that they have these characters like 199 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 2: Leslie Tompkins is a key Batman character, but we've never 200 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 2: really seen her explore in the movies. Mad Hair, that's 201 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 2: such a random character. You're probably never going to get 202 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 2: to see him in the movies, but animated series gives 203 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,839 Speaker 2: this space. And the best thing about this episode is 204 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 2: it's just absolutely gutting and it's kind of a treatise 205 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 2: on grief and how if we were really able to 206 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 2: get what we wanted, would we actually sacrifice everything to 207 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 2: keep it. So basically, Bruce wakes up in a world where. 208 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: It's going through it. Yeah, he is going through. 209 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 2: In this episode, like his parents are alive, someone else's Batman, 210 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 2: like Alfred. There's no batcave. Alfred doesn't like. He basically 211 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 2: wakes up and his life is perfect, but he remembers 212 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 2: everything from the day before when his life was not 213 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 2: idyllic like this, And obviously the name is taken from 214 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 2: like the soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamler, and the whole episode 215 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 2: is him kind of trying to work out what's going on, 216 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,440 Speaker 2: why is he here? He starts to see things in 217 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 2: the news, and he starts to realize, well, this isn't 218 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 2: real life, but everyone else around him acts like it is. 219 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 2: And there is this constant offer to him of well, 220 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 2: if you just accept it, you can live in this 221 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 2: happy world, like if you just isn't this what you 222 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 2: always wanted? Like, you can do it. And eventually it 223 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 2: is revealed, of course, after he has to kill himself 224 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 2: by the way, which is like he has to literally 225 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 2: jump off the belfry to his death to escape this dream, 226 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 2: which is a very you. 227 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: Know, shades of vertigo. You get this very like vertigo 228 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:18,959 Speaker 1: fight like at the end. 229 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 2: And also we all know that the rule of like 230 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 2: you can't die in a dream, so you know, you 231 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: always wake up before you die in your dream. And 232 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 2: he wakes up and finds out that Javistech has had 233 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 2: him in this kind of terrifying dream machine attached to 234 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 2: his head, and he the kind of takeaway he has 235 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 2: is well, I did it, so if you have a 236 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 2: good life, maybe you'd leave me alone to live my life, 237 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,320 Speaker 2: you know, live my life of crime. It's such a 238 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 2: heart wrenching episode, and I just think that it would 239 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 2: have made a beautiful comic book. But there was a 240 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 2: freedom that they were getting in this era to tell 241 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 2: these stories that. Imagine if you'd have pitched a story 242 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 2: where you're like, it's just Bruce Wayne, it's not Batman, 243 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 2: a lot of people would be like, well, why are 244 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 2: you even making that? This is a kid's cartoon. But 245 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 2: this utilizes the duality of Bruce and Batman and what 246 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 2: Batman is fighting for. And also I think that there 247 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 2: is something quite beautiful about the fact that ultimately Bruce 248 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 2: would rather live his kind of broken real life than 249 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 2: live in a fantasy. It's that matrix thing, right, It's like. 250 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: Yes, you can accept the truth. Yeah, go back and dream. 251 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 2: Mm hmm yeah, I love that one. 252 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 1: What's your Name? My next pick is be where the 253 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: Great Ghost? Yes, a wonderful episode. We get a flashback 254 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: to a young television addicted Bruce Wayne, who is a 255 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: big fan of a TV superhero program, The Great Ghost, 256 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: who's this kind of like the Shadow esque crime fighter, 257 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: and then there is this kind of story on top 258 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: of it. We're in the modern day, there's bombs going 259 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: off everywhere. Batman makes the connection that, oh, a lot 260 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: of these attacks seem to be modeled after plots from 261 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: The Great Ghost. So he tries to find episodes of 262 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: the Gray Ghost to try and do his analysis. He 263 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: can't find these particular episodes that he needs, so then 264 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: he decides to track down the actor Simon Trent, who 265 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: played the Grey Ghost, and the depiction of Simon Trent 266 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: is like something you've never seen in a kids show, 267 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: Like he is living on the margins of Society's an 268 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: older guy, is completely alone. He can't pay his rent. 269 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: He's selling off like his memorabilia. He's like sitting alone 270 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: in his in his one bedroom apartment saying, well, I've 271 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: sold enough of my stuff to pay the rent this 272 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: month and then that's it, like I'm absolutely done. And 273 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: so when Batman comes to him, he's like he's really 274 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 1: stand off it. He doesn't like he doesn't want to 275 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: engage with that part of his life. He's unhappy with it. 276 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: But of course there's like a reproachment. He shows up 277 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: in costume to help Batman solve this crime. You know, 278 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: fucking Bruce. Wayne could give him five million bucks and 279 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: just say like you're good now. But if he doesn't 280 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: do that, that's a different for a different day. But 281 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: and then there's the you know, and then I talked 282 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: about like the meta commentary angle. Yeah, the voice acting 283 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: is Adam West, who I mean, it's like a mirror 284 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: image of his career. This is almost thirty years now 285 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: when he appeared in this after his turn as Batman 286 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: on the original Batman television show. And he brings a 287 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 1: kind of melancholy to the role, a knowing melancholy that 288 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: is like really affecting. And what's cool about it too, 289 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: is you get to see Batman as a fan. Yes, 290 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,159 Speaker 1: Like Bruce is just a flat out fan of the 291 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:11,119 Speaker 1: Gray Ghost. Like and there's that weird like moment where 292 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 1: Bruce realizes the parasocial relationship he has with the Grey 293 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: Ghosts where he has like disappointing and when he first 294 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: goes to visit him, he's like disappointed that the Grey 295 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 1: Ghost like projects him. He's like, Greg Ghost is my hero. 296 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: I don't know what I was thinking. You know, he 297 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: like walks away and then at the end, like he 298 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: rebuilds that wonderful vision of Simon Trent the Greg Ghost. 299 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: But you really get to see Bruce grapple with like 300 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: what it means to feel like you know somebody that 301 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: you don't know because they were on television. It's really 302 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:39,400 Speaker 1: cool episode. 303 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. I also think that it's like so much brilliant 304 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 2: meta text here because like a key part of why 305 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 2: the Gray Ghost is kind of unemployed and sad is 306 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,199 Speaker 2: because of type costing, Like he couldn't get out the roles, 307 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 2: and that is this really haunting kind of reference also 308 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 2: to George Reeves, who have generally played super Man in 309 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,479 Speaker 2: the Superman serials in the forties, who would end up 310 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 2: taking his own life and a lot of the reason 311 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 2: that he struggled was because he was never able to 312 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,399 Speaker 2: escape playing Superman. And there's so many layers to this. 313 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 2: I also adore the fact that the happy ending here. 314 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 2: Look as much as I would have loved for Bruce 315 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 2: to give him five million dollars million dollars, bro, like 316 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 2: go to the bank, put in your piece, give him 317 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,720 Speaker 2: like a monthly allowance. But I do love that, as 318 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 2: is the way with really smart TV shows. Instead we 319 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 2: get to see that once Trent is kind of recognized 320 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 2: not as the villain who's been doing these bombings, but 321 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 2: as a hero who helped Batman and them they re 322 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 2: released like all the episodes of the Gray Ghost, and 323 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 2: then he gets money from distribution. His merchandise goes up 324 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 2: in value of revitalized career. Kind of like you know 325 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 2: what would happen with Mark Hamill when they would revisit 326 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 2: the Star Wars franchise with the Force Awakens after many 327 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 2: years of Mark being the only one who kind of 328 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 2: kept the Star Wars love alive. Who would be going 329 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 2: to the conventions and stuff, and even obviously Adam West 330 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 2: and his family kind of managing to make money when 331 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 2: CBS would or whoever now has the rights to those 332 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 2: Batman DVDs would put them out. I just thought that 333 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 2: was such a cool, interesting ending, but also as the 334 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,119 Speaker 2: best TV does as a kid actually teaches you something 335 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:27,120 Speaker 2: about the business. 336 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it does. It was like it it's a 337 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 1: lot more hard hitting than you would expect, you know. 338 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that they can do that about stuff 339 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 2: that isn't solely about Batman. You know, this is actually 340 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 2: hard hitting, but it's about a character before this, you've 341 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 2: never heard of. 342 00:19:45,560 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, we'll be right back after a quick break. 343 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,400 Speaker 1: And we're back. What's your next one? 344 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 2: Okay, so my next pick because I think this is 345 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:09,680 Speaker 2: one of those it's. 346 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: Almost like this is a great episode. 347 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's such a great episode. And also I think 348 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 2: it's almost like a it feels almost like a fever dream, 349 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 2: because when you're a kid, you tell on everyone, oh, 350 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 2: have you seen the episode of you know, the but Men, 351 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 2: the animated series where it's adapting The Dark Knight returns 352 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 2: and everyone's like, what are you talking about? That definitely 353 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 2: never happened. Aha, it did in the Legends of the 354 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 2: Dark Knight, which I think is a really really clever idea. 355 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 2: This is veering into an interesting different territory here where 356 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 2: the show was relaunched in what I believe would be 357 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 2: its third season as The New Batman Adventures, and it's 358 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 2: still just as great. It's as it's basically run as 359 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 2: like season three if you watch it now, I believe 360 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 2: it's streaming on Amazon Prime, but basically it looks it's 361 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,360 Speaker 2: three kids who are reading the Gotham Gazette and they're 362 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 2: reading about criminals and they basically kind of see they 363 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 2: think they can see Batman in a photograph, and they 364 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 2: start having this conversation where essentially they talk about different 365 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,360 Speaker 2: eras of Batman, and then it is adapted as they 366 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 2: talk about them in the style of an old Batman comic. 367 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,199 Speaker 2: And you do get the most memorable thing here, and 368 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 2: this is Bruce tim episode Robert Goodman, directed by Dan Reebar. 369 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,199 Speaker 2: You get this feeling here of a future of an 370 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 2: animated series that never existed where this is all they 371 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 2: do and it's so great. And obviously there's a girl 372 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 2: called Carrie who's one of the people. There's a boy 373 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 2: called Nick, a guy called Matt Anna. Matt's telling a 374 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 2: story about his uncle and he's seeing a kind of 375 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 2: more of like a Golden age sort of Joker and Batman, 376 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 2: and then yeah, fifties, and then there's Nick and he 377 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 2: kind of tells more of like a Silver age one. 378 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 2: But obviously the one that we always remember is Carrie 379 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,440 Speaker 2: kind of telling this story about a girl Robin who 380 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 2: is Carrie Kelly and how she gets to see the mutants. 381 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:22,120 Speaker 2: And it's adapted in this kind of Frank Miller esque style, 382 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 2: which I think is really cool because even when they 383 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 2: did adapt the Dark Knight Returns, which Warner Brothers Animation 384 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 2: did a few years ago. They didn't adapt it in 385 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 2: Frank Miller's style. They adapted it in a much more 386 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 2: modern style. So here we get to kind of see 387 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 2: these mutant leaders. We get this huge, hulking Frank Miller Batman. 388 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 2: And while I feel like the memory of this is like, oh, 389 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 2: it's a direct adaptation, it's not. But you do get 390 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,680 Speaker 2: to see the mute. It is a broadly but it's 391 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 2: a badly beat, like like you will see it and 392 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 2: you'll be like, how did they do this like this? 393 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 2: And I think when I was a kid, this almost 394 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,879 Speaker 2: felt like it didn't exist. Like you talk about it 395 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 2: and people be like, no, no, man. 396 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: I did not see this live and it was one 397 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: that I heard about and I was like, exactly do that. 398 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 2: You're like, didn't do that. But I think this is 399 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 2: a great example one of trusting a creative team when 400 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,119 Speaker 2: they do something different, because there was a lot of 401 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 2: scandal when the New Batman Adventures came out, especially because 402 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 2: they were adding Batgirl as like one of the main three, 403 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 2: and but honestly, it's such a good episode. It's so 404 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 2: much fun. It is a really cool, exciting kind of 405 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 2: reminder of what can be done when you look directly 406 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 2: at the comics, and I will say something I think 407 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 2: that really stands out about and the animated series is 408 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,640 Speaker 2: a lot of times like Heart of Ice, I would 409 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 2: rather that they went crazy and just changed stuff and 410 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 2: did their own version. But occasionally if you dip your 411 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 2: toe back in and kind of do something like this 412 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 2: that's so interesting and so visually different and really harks 413 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,440 Speaker 2: back to the comics, that can be equally as good. 414 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 2: So I think this is a really fun one and 415 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 2: also just a great reminder that even though a lot 416 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 2: of our picks are from the first season, which I 417 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 2: do think is honestly a perfect season of TV, there 418 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 2: is great stuff later on and this is This is 419 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 2: one of my favorite episodes, and it's one that I 420 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:22,199 Speaker 2: love to show people because when you get to that 421 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 2: Frank Miller kind of imaginary tale where they're like, oh, 422 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 2: this is what Batman's like, everyone's like, whoa like the 423 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,479 Speaker 2: Dark Knight. This is so cool. It just it's definitely 424 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 2: one of those coolest, coolest episodes. 425 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: My next episode is a two parter. It is two 426 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 1: Face parts one and two. This tells the origin story 427 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: of Harvey Dent's turn to two face. The Harvey we 428 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: meet is already struggling, struggling mightily with anger control issues, 429 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: Like he's liable to just like pop off the drop 430 00:24:58,119 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: of a hat. 431 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 2: Actually so much, very very similar to the Harvey that 432 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 2: we get in Cape Crusader. Actually very very similar. Yeah, 433 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 2: a pre two faced Harvey who's still like is already there. 434 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's in the midst of a case against a 435 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:21,439 Speaker 1: mob boss, Thorn, and Thorn knows that Harvey has mental 436 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: health issues and is like actively trying to exacerbate them. 437 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: Harvey has been waiting for like the sting operation that's 438 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: going to like get the evidence that he needs to 439 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: really convict Thorn. But it turns out all to be 440 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: like a setup that Thorn manipulated it, and it drives 441 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 1: Harvey over the edge. Eventually there's a shootout like in 442 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 1: a in a chemical factory, and there's an explosion and 443 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: Harvey's face is burned. That's the end of part one. 444 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: There's when you know, there's a shoot at he falls down, 445 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 1: the electrical wires like fall on him. There's an explosion, 446 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,199 Speaker 1: and then Batman comes up. You don't see anything but 447 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 1: Batman just says, oh, no, Harvey, you know it must 448 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,160 Speaker 1: be bad. And then there's also like a very very 449 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: funny moment where the doctor is like taking the band 450 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: the doctor's like there might be some scarring. 451 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,440 Speaker 2: But then like the medical team who removed the bandages. 452 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 2: This very unprofessional guys. He's very unprofessional. 453 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 1: Also, I want to say that like this is actually 454 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,719 Speaker 1: and I mean this I joke. I joked about this 455 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: on a podcast I did with Chase six Trophies recent 456 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: podcast we did about the Dark Knight movie. Oh, I 457 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 1: joke about Harvey's gambling addiction. But like it's right up 458 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: front and center. This is a guy who has a 459 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: he was in the grips of a terrible, terrible gambling addiction. 460 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: Like he can't stop, he can't stop. He's talking about 461 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: the odds all the time. He's like, it's actually like 462 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: Pemmy recovery. Yes he needs it. And then part two 463 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: is Harvey's complete turn to to you know, big bad Harvey, 464 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: to the dark side, to two face. He's got Henchman 465 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: now you know, he's he's doing crimes. Batman meanwhile, is 466 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: like just torn up over the fact that he couldn't 467 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: help Harvey like he all he wants to do is help. 468 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: Harvey keeps telling him like there's nothing wrong with asking 469 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: for help, like we can get you help, Like, yeah, 470 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 1: we can do it. You know. Eventually, Harvey captures Thorn 471 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: and is going to kill him, but the good side 472 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,440 Speaker 1: of him pulls him back from the brink when he 473 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,080 Speaker 1: sees like a picture of like a regular life and 474 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: like a normal like family, and he's like, oh God, 475 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: and he manages to not do it, and he gets captured, 476 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: and of course, you know, Bruce puts him in Arkham 477 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,879 Speaker 1: and then there's this really bitterscream moment where like, you know, 478 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: he's looking at his friend that he's now captured, and 479 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: you could feel that he's like he takes it personally 480 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 1: that he as a personal failure that he wasn't able 481 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 1: to help help Harvey. And there's just like a lot 482 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: like there's a lot of funny stuff too, but I 483 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: think it's like a very it's a shockingly nuanced depiction 484 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,360 Speaker 1: of like mental health issues. Yeah, a cartoon. 485 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. I think they just did a really good job 486 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,760 Speaker 2: with bringing this to life. They do a great job 487 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,119 Speaker 2: with villains in this. My next pick is also a villain. 488 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:35,159 Speaker 2: But I just think that this episode showcases that like 489 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 2: soft touch, that that kindness. Also the fact that they 490 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 2: chose to make it a two part episode. They wanted 491 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 2: to give it the time so you could see Harvey, 492 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 2: you could see who he was before, you can see 493 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 2: who he is after. And once again, it's that soft 494 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,080 Speaker 2: side of Batman that you were talking about, where he 495 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 2: is kind of more devastated by the fact he couldn't 496 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 2: help than he is by anything else that happens. 497 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, he doesn't like beat the shit up of Harvey. 498 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: He takes his He takes his lucky coin and replaces 499 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: it with a big bag of like other coins. That 500 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: is the thing that like allows Harvey. Harvey just becomes 501 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: like completely submerged in his own like mania at that 502 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 1: point when he can't find his coin, that like Batman's 503 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: able to scoop him up. Yeah, like without violence essentially. 504 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 2: M Yeah, that's a really good point. 505 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: Actually, we'll be right back after a quick brick and 506 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: we're back. What's your next one? 507 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 2: Okay, So my next one, which I do think is 508 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 2: one of the most impactful episodes canonically of the series, 509 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 2: is Holly and Ivy. This is such a great episode. 510 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 2: I believe Paul Danny pitched it as like, well, if 511 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 2: we did Thelma and Louise, but with Poison Ivy and 512 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 2: Holly Quinn, I mean, who doesn't want that? Also January eighteenth, 513 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety three, this is the first time that we 514 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 2: get that Harley Ivy team up that now obviously has 515 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 2: become iconic. It's become a relationship, it's spawned TV shows. 516 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 2: I'm sure in the dream it would spawn movies, and 517 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 2: of course it inspired comic series like Gotham City Sirens 518 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:25,320 Speaker 2: and basically like Jokers Fleeing Batman, Harley's in the driver's seat, 519 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,479 Speaker 2: she doesn't do what he wants, and he basically like 520 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 2: fires her, and she's like, okay, fine, She's like I'm out, 521 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,719 Speaker 2: and she decides she's gonna take over from the Joker 522 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 2: and she's gonna do a heist, and eventually she kind 523 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 2: of gets entangled with Poison Ivy and they start to 524 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 2: kind of team up, and as Ivy says, this could 525 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 2: be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And we get 526 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 2: some really interesting law here too, because I'm sure this 527 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 2: was just a storytelling kind of narrative trick. Because Ivy 528 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 2: gives Harley an injection that allows her to kind of 529 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 2: avoid it simulates like Ivy's own immunity to toxins, right, 530 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 2: And that's so that she can just like hang out 531 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 2: in her area. She can hang out in the Ivy layer. 532 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 1: But she can hold she can hold the little pots, 533 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 1: she can hold the little pods. 534 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 2: But that in the show and in the comics becomes 535 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 2: canon to a why Harley can survive great falls, why 536 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 2: she has extra strength, why her and Ivy end up 537 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 2: being so close because they have these shared powers. We 538 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 2: also get a lot of moments that I think start 539 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 2: to ironically years before the comics would deal with this. 540 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 2: You're talking about almost twenty years before the comics would 541 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 2: deal with this. Ivy tells Harley off, She's like the 542 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 2: Joker's an abuser. You got to leave him, Like, what 543 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 2: the point of this? No, he's not he's a great guy. 544 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:57,120 Speaker 2: Or he's a great guy. 545 00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: Am I am I a pushover? 546 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 2: Also, this is old school Harley, which means you have 547 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 2: Arlene Sorkin voicing Harley. Arlene Sorkin who was the inspiration 548 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 2: for Harley Quinn after Bruce tim saw an episode of 549 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,560 Speaker 2: the old sitcom she was in where she was dressed 550 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 2: as a clown. And then they got Arleene Sorkin to 551 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 2: it during like a dream sequence, and they got Arleene 552 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 2: Sorkin to come and voice Harley, so you're getting that 553 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:32,400 Speaker 2: old school Harley. And there's a great moment where at 554 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,960 Speaker 2: the end when they're kind of fleeing Thelma and Louise 555 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 2: style poison Ivy says she's like, no man can take 556 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 2: us prisoner. And then Rene Montoya, who is a woman, 557 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 2: she disables their car and they get sent to Arkham Asylum, 558 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 2: you know, and this is, yeah, it's just so good. 559 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 2: It sets up I think this antagonism, this friendship, this 560 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 2: romance that probably at this point a lot of fans 561 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 2: hadn't even really considered, and it is a massive reset 562 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 2: for both characters. It continues on, especially in New Batman Adventures. 563 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 2: They do a lot of uh, kind of back together 564 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,680 Speaker 2: episodes with the par of them. But it's really, yeah, 565 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 2: it's just I think it's such a great episode and 566 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 2: so hugely influential, huge on the comics. 567 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: My it's a great lead in for my next one, 568 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,840 Speaker 1: which is Joker's Favor, which, of course first the introduction 569 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:33,400 Speaker 1: of Harley Quinn in a pre Harley Quinn kind of look. 570 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:38,600 Speaker 1: She's more just kind of like jokers lead assistant slash Henchy. 571 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: It's got such a fun opening, Like there's this just 572 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 1: normal citizen of Gotham who's like having a road rage. 573 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: It's like driving around when he like has a road 574 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 1: rate incident against the Joker, who also is just driving 575 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:55,920 Speaker 1: around like a like a station wagon with with his 576 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,240 Speaker 1: like luggage upped up. I guess he was like going 577 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: to the like out of town to go like relax. 578 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 1: The guy sees that it's a joker and tries to flee, 579 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: but the Joker catches him and is like, Okay, I'm 580 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,759 Speaker 1: not gonna kill you, but I'm going to ask you 581 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,080 Speaker 1: for a favor. You know, at some point he's going 582 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,239 Speaker 1: to come back and he's gonna say and he's gonna say, 583 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:15,719 Speaker 1: you owe me, so you have to do this thing. 584 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 1: And years pass in which this guy Charlie is like 585 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: like on edge wondering when's the fucking Joker gonna come back? 586 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:25,520 Speaker 2: So scary. 587 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:33,120 Speaker 1: Yes, Well, the Joker shows back up years later and 588 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: he wants Charlie's help taking down Commisser Gordon at like 589 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:41,759 Speaker 1: a big party at the police station. Uh, Charlie doesn't 590 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,640 Speaker 1: want to do it, but like he does it, and 591 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:50,320 Speaker 1: the plan involves the Joker inside of a cake showing 592 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:55,240 Speaker 1: up at this party. You know, Batman shows up too. 593 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: There's like a little bit of a scuffle. The Joke, 594 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:06,520 Speaker 1: with Harley's help, manages to like subdue all of the 595 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:12,600 Speaker 1: police notables, including Commissioner Gordon. They hang like a time 596 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:16,440 Speaker 1: bomb around like Commissioner Gordon's neck, but Batman manages to 597 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,400 Speaker 1: do away with that, chases down the Joker. They have 598 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:24,640 Speaker 1: this big fight like in this museum wonderful museum exhibit 599 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,520 Speaker 1: that like comes to life, and at the end of it, 600 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: of course, Batman takes a Joker in and Charlie is 601 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: able to like live a life feeling secure now that 602 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: the Joker has been put away. It's just like a 603 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,120 Speaker 1: it's just a wonderful, action packed episode. Like there's really 604 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: like a lot of really cool fun set pieces, and 605 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: it shows you because the Joker is played as really 606 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 1: fun for a lot of the series, but I think 607 00:35:57,719 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 1: he's so in this one, even though there's that kind 608 00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: of light hearted edge, because he's like really putting Charlie 609 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:12,200 Speaker 1: through it. For years. This guy's fearing for his life 610 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,719 Speaker 1: for his family's life. At one point, the Joker's like, well, 611 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kill your family, like if you don't help me. 612 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:25,240 Speaker 1: And it's so twisted and really evil of the Joker, 613 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:28,640 Speaker 1: and it's that's something I really love about it, in 614 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:32,240 Speaker 1: addition to, of course the fact that it's a landmark 615 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,000 Speaker 1: episode because of the introduction of Harley Quinn, who is 616 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:40,000 Speaker 1: now a major character for DC Comics, both in the 617 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 1: movies and television and in the comics themselves. 618 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:45,879 Speaker 2: Yeah, and one of the few times that we've ever 619 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 2: had a character who has introduced in animation that comes 620 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 2: over and becomes like, I mean, they call her the 621 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,799 Speaker 2: fourth Pillar of DC. Now, along Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, 622 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,960 Speaker 2: it's Harlee. You know, that who gets the TV shows, 623 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:00,920 Speaker 2: that who gets her own movies. That's she always has 624 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:04,120 Speaker 2: an ongoing series. And she was written as a throwaway 625 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:07,360 Speaker 2: character here, kind of something fun and different to do 626 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:11,480 Speaker 2: for a henchman, but instead she became so beloved that 627 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 2: they had to keep her on and I just think 628 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:16,840 Speaker 2: it's so cool and also as well, this is just 629 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 2: a great episode. I mean, you could do we could 630 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,239 Speaker 2: do a whole episode of X ray where we just 631 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 2: talk about Joker episodes. 632 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I love it so brilliant, Mark Campbell, I love 633 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: the Joker. He's wonderful. 634 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:31,359 Speaker 2: And my next episode is a Jokeer episode, which is 635 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,080 Speaker 2: this is this is the one I watch every year 636 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:37,400 Speaker 2: at Christmas. It's part of my Christmas watching that I 637 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:39,840 Speaker 2: always do to get myself in the spirit of things, 638 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:43,880 Speaker 2: including the Star Wars Holiday Special, which is you know, terrible, 639 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 2: This is not terrible, this is wonderful. And this was 640 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,439 Speaker 2: like I think the second episode ever of the show, 641 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 2: depending on air date, run time that you watch. And 642 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:55,799 Speaker 2: this is the first appearance of the Joker with Mark 643 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:59,319 Speaker 2: Hamill obviously legendary and he would go on to like 644 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 2: voice the Joke movies in video games, also Dick Grayson's 645 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:08,239 Speaker 2: first appearance in the series, and basically like it's so 646 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 2: good because Joker escapes from Arkhamosilum using a rocket hidden 647 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:15,239 Speaker 2: inside a Christmas the tree. So love the theming, Like 648 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 2: he's always he's always on theme. He's like, it's Christmas, guys, 649 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:22,040 Speaker 2: we gotta gotta make this fun. So Batman forces Robin 650 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:25,840 Speaker 2: to go outside and you know, be on the streets 651 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,879 Speaker 2: of Gotham patrolling, and Robin just wants to stay home 652 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,279 Speaker 2: and enjoy Christmas, which you know, I can relate. He 653 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,399 Speaker 2: wants to get into the spirit of things. Alfred would 654 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,399 Speaker 2: probably also rather that. But they go out and it's like, wow, 655 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:41,680 Speaker 2: perfect Gotham night, peaceful, no problems. Where's the Joker, don't know, 656 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,759 Speaker 2: Let's just go home. They're like, let's just go home 657 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:48,680 Speaker 2: and watch TV. Let's just watch It's a wonderful life. Alas, 658 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:53,240 Speaker 2: the Joker is revealed has like taken over the Gotham 659 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 2: airwaves and he's gonna do a Christmas special featuring all 660 00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:00,320 Speaker 2: these different people that he's kidnapp commissioned. 661 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,480 Speaker 1: Special is so great. He's he's in shadow, He's like 662 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:08,800 Speaker 1: laying on the Mandela and then like the lights colored Joker. 663 00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:13,880 Speaker 2: It's like really old school, like Disney, those Wonderful World 664 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,799 Speaker 2: of Disney specials, that what Disney used to do. And 665 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 2: this is like a truly epic episode where you also 666 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:30,719 Speaker 2: get this outrageous like Christmas toy massacre kind of like 667 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,719 Speaker 2: there's there's Donner and Blitzen and they have machine guns. 668 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,319 Speaker 2: And I just want to say, for whatever people have 669 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,200 Speaker 2: issues with the Joker. Is he a sociopath? 670 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:40,640 Speaker 1: Yes? 671 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:43,439 Speaker 2: Is he crazy? Yes? Is he always killing people. Yes. 672 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,759 Speaker 2: Should the Batman probably have put him out of his 673 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:47,920 Speaker 2: misery a long time ago, Yes, But one thing I 674 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:53,040 Speaker 2: will say that Man he commits to a theme, like 675 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:56,520 Speaker 2: everything in this is the most Christmas themed villainy. He 676 00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,800 Speaker 2: must have been planning this for like years, years and 677 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,759 Speaker 2: years and years and years. And he's also bringing some 678 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,880 Speaker 2: of the old school Joker things you want to see, 679 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 2: like he's hanging people over a vat of like molten plastic, 680 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 2: which kind of is akin to the acid. It's just 681 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:13,640 Speaker 2: so much fun that I can watch this episode a 682 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 2: million times. It definitely gives me a feeling of when 683 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 2: I watched it, like as a kid. Also at Christmas 684 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 2: and Batman are intrinsically connected to me because one of 685 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,200 Speaker 2: my first memories, probably from when I was about two 686 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:30,320 Speaker 2: years old, is watching the scene where the Jack Nicholson 687 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:32,720 Speaker 2: Joker falls in the acid when I was like two 688 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 2: at my uncle's house where they we must have been 689 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 2: having a family Christmas and I was sitting and I 690 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,520 Speaker 2: was watching it in the reflection of the window. So 691 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 2: I love Batman, I love Christmas. And eventually Dick Grayson 692 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,399 Speaker 2: and Bruce Wayne do get to go and enjoy it's 693 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,920 Speaker 2: a wonderful life and it is. It manages to be 694 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:57,320 Speaker 2: both action packed and super cozy and kind of holiday 695 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,440 Speaker 2: ish thanks to the wonderful work of The Joker and 696 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:06,879 Speaker 2: obviously super seminole, because Mark Hamill as the Joker is 697 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:08,439 Speaker 2: one of the best castings of all. 698 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:10,760 Speaker 1: He sings, he sings jingle bells. 699 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:14,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, and he's singing deck the Holes and at the 700 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 2: end he's just like Merry Christmas, Like Merry Christmas. And 701 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,840 Speaker 2: you know this sets up how much he loves to 702 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:26,359 Speaker 2: be having fun with Batman, Like those two just love 703 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 2: to be playing with each other and doing these kind of. 704 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:37,640 Speaker 1: Sick relationship that is not a it's kind of a 705 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:43,600 Speaker 1: warm one. That leads me to my next episode, Joker's Wild. Now, 706 00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:48,400 Speaker 1: watching this Joker is like the Michael Jordan of escaping 707 00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:51,920 Speaker 1: from Arkham. Oh he he never can do it. He 708 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:53,080 Speaker 1: can do it at will. 709 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:59,320 Speaker 2: A Christmas tree and a rocket like That's that already 710 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 2: is setting him up as the MVP of escaping. 711 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 1: Never dare him to escape Arkham, because he will. So 712 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:09,399 Speaker 1: in this episode, the Joker's like sitting around Arkham. He's 713 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,200 Speaker 1: watching TV with other I think Mad Hatter is there 714 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:15,680 Speaker 1: and like They're just like sitting on the couch watching television, 715 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 1: and there's a news report that a new casino is open. 716 00:42:18,719 --> 00:42:21,759 Speaker 1: It's called Jokers Wild, and it very very clearly infringes 717 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:26,400 Speaker 1: on the Joker's trademark look and is you know, quite 718 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:30,959 Speaker 1: clearly trading on the notoriety of the Joker in order 719 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:35,360 Speaker 1: to draw people in. And the owner of the casino, 720 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:41,080 Speaker 1: Cameron Kaiser, is it publicly He's like, no, what I 721 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: mean clowns. Clowns are popular, and jokers in the deca 722 00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:49,640 Speaker 1: cod multiple jokers in there. What are you talking about? 723 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,160 Speaker 1: Just the reference to the Joker on the deck, And 724 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,840 Speaker 1: but like privately he's like, yeah, I want to provoke 725 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: the I want to provoke the Joker to attacking my 726 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:02,040 Speaker 1: casino so I can get the insurance. Well, the Joker 727 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:07,760 Speaker 1: sees this TV report and becomes fucking enraged and he 728 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:12,880 Speaker 1: breaks out of Arkham that minute in a multi pronged, 729 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,640 Speaker 1: like very elaborate escape attempt. He does it, no problem. 730 00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:22,880 Speaker 1: He gets there, and then he realizes at the casino 731 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,920 Speaker 1: that oh wait, this is what he wants. This is 732 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:28,200 Speaker 1: what Kaiser wants. He wants me to wreck the place instead. 733 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:33,120 Speaker 1: I'm going to seize ownership of casino from this guy. 734 00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:36,839 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be the owner of the casino. Batman shows up. 735 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:41,160 Speaker 1: You know, there's like the Joker is doing all sorts 736 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:44,840 Speaker 1: of shit. He's like making it obvious that the game's 737 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,880 Speaker 1: are rigged. He's like terrorizing people, He's like driving cars 738 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,480 Speaker 1: through the fucking bedding floor and stuff. And eventually, of 739 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 1: course Batman takes not just the Joker down, but also 740 00:43:56,239 --> 00:44:01,879 Speaker 1: Kaiser for the insurance fraud. And it's great because this 741 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:06,240 Speaker 1: is it's a cool trick that this show does a lot, 742 00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:10,640 Speaker 1: because even though the Joker is nominally the antagonist of 743 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:12,120 Speaker 1: the show, and I just got done talking about an 744 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:15,480 Speaker 1: episode previously where the Joker is purely evil bastard who 745 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:20,040 Speaker 1: tortures a guy for multiple years, he's also like kind of, 746 00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,320 Speaker 1: you know, silently like the co lead. 747 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:25,600 Speaker 4: Of the show. 748 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:30,920 Speaker 1: And so they've created this episode where the there's a 749 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:34,600 Speaker 1: different bad guy. The bad guy is this guy Kaiser, who, 750 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:40,719 Speaker 1: if he had not provoked the Joker, would have the 751 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:43,319 Speaker 1: Joker would have remained in Arkham yea. And so it's 752 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,719 Speaker 1: this really cool balancing act that they do because you 753 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:50,600 Speaker 1: actually you're thrilled when the Joker escapes from Arkham. You 754 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,719 Speaker 1: want to see him confront Kaiser. It's fun to watch 755 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:59,000 Speaker 1: him like driving his Joker buggy through the fucking casino floor. 756 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 2: I think this is a really really smart thing you've 757 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 2: picked up on because this is a Pauldini episode. My 758 00:45:05,719 --> 00:45:08,719 Speaker 2: next pick is also a Paul Deanie written episode. This 759 00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:11,560 Speaker 2: man can write a villain so well, and I think 760 00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 2: it's why the Rogues Gallery sings in this and specifically 761 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:18,680 Speaker 2: the Joker, and something I'd love about jokers wild In 762 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:20,840 Speaker 2: a lot of shows, they would be like, well, the 763 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:23,920 Speaker 2: villain is popular and Batman is popular, so we'll have 764 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,799 Speaker 2: to have them team up. But you can't team up 765 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:30,799 Speaker 2: Batman and the Joker. It's just it doesn't work. So 766 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:35,719 Speaker 2: I love that they introduce a different antagonist so that 767 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,520 Speaker 2: you can follow the Joker as if he is the protagonist. 768 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:40,840 Speaker 5: We're going to take a quick break and we'll be 769 00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:57,200 Speaker 5: right back, and we're back, okay. 770 00:45:57,239 --> 00:46:00,799 Speaker 2: My last pick is going back to the kind of 771 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:09,000 Speaker 2: more recognized, beloved episodes. This is called Almost Got Them. 772 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,280 Speaker 2: It's yeah, written by Paul Deini again. It's another Rogues 773 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 2: episode directed by Eric Radomski, and it just is so 774 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:23,200 Speaker 2: good where it's basically Killer Croc, Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, 775 00:46:23,719 --> 00:46:27,200 Speaker 2: the Joker, and they meet a pocon night, like a 776 00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:30,080 Speaker 2: villain's pocon night, Like who's putting up the flyer for that? 777 00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:33,480 Speaker 2: Like how does this happen? And you have, by the way, 778 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:39,480 Speaker 2: Paul Williams as Penguin aka like multiple award winning songwriter 779 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:42,200 Speaker 2: the man who wrote The Rainbow Connection and all the 780 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 2: songs of Bugsy Malone. Paul Williams as the Penguin, Aaron 781 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:51,600 Speaker 2: Kinkaid's Killer Croc, obviously Adrian Bobo's Catwoman. It is such 782 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:55,040 Speaker 2: a smart idea for an episode, and it's another reason 783 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:58,840 Speaker 2: why this show is so fantastic. It's like a dialogue 784 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:01,360 Speaker 2: episode where they all just talk about times they almost 785 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,680 Speaker 2: caught Batman. So you get that kind of anthology of 786 00:47:05,239 --> 00:47:10,480 Speaker 2: different experiences, but you also get this hilariously like almost 787 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:13,920 Speaker 2: like mundane view of what it's like to live in 788 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,040 Speaker 2: Gotham and be trying to defeat Batman every day, Like 789 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:19,200 Speaker 2: it becomes your day job. 790 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:22,120 Speaker 1: It's That's what I That's what I was gonna say. 791 00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:24,360 Speaker 1: This is like a it becomes it's like a workplace 792 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:28,680 Speaker 1: contra episode. It's just like the the villains that work 793 00:47:28,719 --> 00:47:33,480 Speaker 1: at Gotham are just complaining about this guy and all 794 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:36,759 Speaker 1: the times they almost defeated him, And there's something so 795 00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:40,680 Speaker 1: fun about that. I just I love hangout episodes. I've 796 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:43,080 Speaker 1: talked about it a lot on this show. And there's 797 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:47,120 Speaker 1: just something about the idea that all the villains, the 798 00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:50,240 Speaker 1: top villains would get together and have like a cards 799 00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:53,840 Speaker 1: night where they're just all sitting around sharing war stories. 800 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:56,319 Speaker 1: There's something really like that's fun to me. 801 00:47:56,560 --> 00:48:01,080 Speaker 2: I love. Yeah. Also, it's like a hilarious It has 802 00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:03,239 Speaker 2: like a hilarious twist at the end where you're also 803 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:06,880 Speaker 2: like Batman, like what's wrong with you? Like once again, 804 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:10,040 Speaker 2: like get a fucking life, like please, like you just 805 00:48:10,600 --> 00:48:13,480 Speaker 2: he's just such a silly man. And I kind of 806 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:18,400 Speaker 2: love how this episode plays on that by showing that 807 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:20,680 Speaker 2: even when these people are just kind of having their 808 00:48:20,719 --> 00:48:24,800 Speaker 2: office comedy and chilling out, Batman has to get involved, 809 00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:27,480 Speaker 2: Like they can't have a night off. He always has 810 00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:30,799 Speaker 2: to be there trying to save Gotham and defeat these 811 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:33,799 Speaker 2: villains even when they're just chilling and reminiscing. Yeah, this 812 00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:38,440 Speaker 2: is like such a good one. And it also this 813 00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:39,840 Speaker 2: is one of those ones where if you're in the 814 00:48:39,840 --> 00:48:42,520 Speaker 2: comic shop or you know, you're hanging out with your friends. 815 00:48:42,560 --> 00:48:45,359 Speaker 2: There's some fun contradictions here where you try and kind 816 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:49,799 Speaker 2: of work out if they're like connections, or there are 817 00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:53,200 Speaker 2: these kind of teasers to other episodes, or what works 818 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:56,319 Speaker 2: and what doesn't work and how it fits, and yeah, 819 00:48:56,360 --> 00:49:00,640 Speaker 2: it's just I love this episode and it was a 820 00:49:00,800 --> 00:49:05,520 Speaker 2: really fun example of the kind of out there thinking 821 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:08,719 Speaker 2: when it comes to a kid's cartoon where every week 822 00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:11,360 Speaker 2: has to be the monster of the week, which we 823 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:16,400 Speaker 2: love those stories, Scooby Doo, legendary, kind of fun, succinct 824 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:22,319 Speaker 2: kids storytelling. This approaches storytelling more like a prestige TV show, 825 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:24,920 Speaker 2: and I think that's one of the reasons that it 826 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:30,160 Speaker 2: has stayed so fresh and so impactful. And why you know, 827 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:35,840 Speaker 2: thirty years later, we have a TV series, The Cape Crusader, 828 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:38,360 Speaker 2: that is a spiritual successor to this, that's like the 829 00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:39,960 Speaker 2: number one show on Prime Video. 830 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:42,920 Speaker 1: Coming up, we're turning to the back matter with some 831 00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:48,759 Speaker 1: special friends of the podcast. Okay, we're asking folks this 832 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:52,400 Speaker 1: little questionnaire about Batman, so we might as well ask ourselves. 833 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:57,160 Speaker 1: I like that five questions. First of all, Rosie, what 834 00:49:57,320 --> 00:49:59,240 Speaker 1: makes Batman in animation so compelling. 835 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:03,120 Speaker 2: I think freedom to bring the world of Gotham and 836 00:50:03,239 --> 00:50:05,480 Speaker 2: Batman and his villains to life in a way that 837 00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:08,000 Speaker 2: you probably couldn't do in live action. 838 00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:11,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's that, and I will add that 839 00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:19,959 Speaker 1: it's also provides an opportunity to engage with these kind 840 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:30,400 Speaker 1: of traditional old timey kind of storytelling spaces the forties 841 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:33,279 Speaker 1: the fifties in a way that feels current. You can 842 00:50:33,360 --> 00:50:37,359 Speaker 1: use these as a touchdown and that can frame what 843 00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:39,439 Speaker 1: you're doing in this wonderful way. There's just so much 844 00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:44,760 Speaker 1: freedom to create a vibe and a tone in animation, 845 00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:48,640 Speaker 1: and Batman is all about that tone. It never has 846 00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:50,640 Speaker 1: to be daytime, and even when it's daytime, it can 847 00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:53,600 Speaker 1: look like nighttime. All of that stuff. Second question, in 848 00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:57,360 Speaker 1: your opinion, how to Batman the animated series alter Batman's 849 00:50:57,360 --> 00:50:58,720 Speaker 1: place in superhero history. 850 00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:06,240 Speaker 2: I think it provided a renewed younger audience that wasn't 851 00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:09,560 Speaker 2: necessarily being catered to by Batman Returns, a movie I 852 00:51:09,600 --> 00:51:11,399 Speaker 2: love and loved as a kid, but for some kids 853 00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:14,600 Speaker 2: it was quite scary. It wasn't seen as toyetic, it 854 00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:16,759 Speaker 2: was hard to market it to kids. I think this 855 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:21,400 Speaker 2: opened a door to a younger audience, staying engaged with Batman, 856 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:26,960 Speaker 2: while ironically also becoming the definitive version of Batman for 857 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,640 Speaker 2: a lot of adults. I think Batman animated series also 858 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:39,000 Speaker 2: deeply secured the idea of Gotham as almost a steam 859 00:51:39,280 --> 00:51:46,040 Speaker 2: punk Dirigibles in the Sky, constant noir. I think that 860 00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 2: version of Gotham still hangs heavy over everything we do. 861 00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:56,000 Speaker 2: And obviously I also think that Batman in animated history 862 00:51:56,120 --> 00:52:00,920 Speaker 2: essentially gets to generally say that's the best animated series 863 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:02,839 Speaker 2: we've ever gotten, you know, and I love a lot 864 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:05,080 Speaker 2: of different animated series. We've been blessed with lots of 865 00:52:05,080 --> 00:52:08,600 Speaker 2: superho and comic book animated series. But I think for 866 00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:10,760 Speaker 2: a lot of adults, a lot of people our age 867 00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:14,279 Speaker 2: until this new era of say Invincible, this kind of 868 00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:19,240 Speaker 2: Western adult animation, for a long time, Batman was still 869 00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:21,640 Speaker 2: the standard bear for what you could do with a 870 00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:22,360 Speaker 2: comic book. 871 00:52:22,440 --> 00:52:24,360 Speaker 1: Yeah. I agree with everything you said. I don't have 872 00:52:24,440 --> 00:52:28,040 Speaker 1: much to add other than to say I think most importantly, 873 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:30,920 Speaker 1: and you touched on it, it was handing off Batman 874 00:52:31,080 --> 00:52:38,000 Speaker 1: to another generation of young fans and distilling the the 875 00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:44,320 Speaker 1: dynamics of Gotham City and the relationships between Batman, Alfred 876 00:52:44,719 --> 00:52:49,759 Speaker 1: Robin and his rogues gallery down into a form that 877 00:52:51,440 --> 00:52:56,239 Speaker 1: young fans could really grasp onto and immediately understand who 878 00:52:56,280 --> 00:52:58,000 Speaker 1: these characters are. I think that was really important. 879 00:52:58,040 --> 00:52:58,279 Speaker 4: Yeah. 880 00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:02,400 Speaker 1: Question three, what is the series' most significant contribution to 881 00:53:02,480 --> 00:53:03,120 Speaker 1: the comics. 882 00:53:03,320 --> 00:53:05,799 Speaker 2: I think that, as we talked about in our conversation, 883 00:53:05,920 --> 00:53:08,480 Speaker 2: there are a lot. I think that you picked a 884 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:10,279 Speaker 2: great one with Heart of Ice. I do think that 885 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:13,759 Speaker 2: changed everything for Victor Freeze. But I think, obviously I'm 886 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:15,120 Speaker 2: sure this is what all of our guests are going 887 00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:19,080 Speaker 2: to say, it's Harlequin. That was a game changer to 888 00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:20,880 Speaker 2: have a character who is meant to be a throwaway 889 00:53:20,920 --> 00:53:24,120 Speaker 2: hensch who ended up becoming so popular that they transitioned 890 00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:26,560 Speaker 2: her into the comics and who is now, you know, 891 00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:30,640 Speaker 2: a cultural zeitgeist in her own right. She has her 892 00:53:30,680 --> 00:53:34,279 Speaker 2: own movie, she has her multiple cartoon shows, she has 893 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:36,600 Speaker 2: a spin off of her cartoon show. She has stuff 894 00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:38,920 Speaker 2: that's for kids, she has stuff that's for adults. She's 895 00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:43,040 Speaker 2: been in Injustice, she's been in The Batman Arkham Games. 896 00:53:43,080 --> 00:53:46,239 Speaker 2: I think that is and she is still one of 897 00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:48,480 Speaker 2: the best sellers in comics to this day. So I 898 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:49,640 Speaker 2: think it's Harlequin. 899 00:53:50,280 --> 00:53:54,040 Speaker 1: I'll seem out for my answer. I think it's it's 900 00:53:54,160 --> 00:53:57,960 Speaker 1: showing that good ideas can come from anywhere in I 901 00:53:58,040 --> 00:54:01,879 Speaker 1: love that the storytelling space and that if you have 902 00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:08,880 Speaker 1: something that that sticks that originated in TV animated to you, 903 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:10,719 Speaker 1: it doesn't even be live action TV, it could be 904 00:54:10,719 --> 00:54:14,840 Speaker 1: any come from anywhere, then you should run with them. 905 00:54:14,840 --> 00:54:19,840 Speaker 1: And I think it's something that is it's proof positive 906 00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:23,239 Speaker 1: that a good idea just sticks, and that if you 907 00:54:23,400 --> 00:54:28,360 Speaker 1: have a great character inanimated, once the fans do the 908 00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:30,279 Speaker 1: thing that you want them to do, which is start 909 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:31,920 Speaker 1: watching the live action, when you start picking up the 910 00:54:31,960 --> 00:54:34,880 Speaker 1: comic books, they're gonna they're gonna say, where is this character? 911 00:54:35,080 --> 00:54:38,640 Speaker 1: Why isn't this character here? And it's a natural way 912 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:39,600 Speaker 1: to launch a character. 913 00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:39,879 Speaker 4: Yeah. 914 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:42,600 Speaker 1: Final question, what do you think the legacy of Batman 915 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:43,840 Speaker 1: the animated series overall? 916 00:54:43,920 --> 00:54:46,040 Speaker 2: I think we've touched on a lot and I really 917 00:54:46,120 --> 00:54:50,200 Speaker 2: like your kind of big picture answer. I will say, 918 00:54:50,239 --> 00:54:52,200 Speaker 2: just because we haven't really talked about him, I do 919 00:54:52,280 --> 00:54:55,719 Speaker 2: think one of the legacies, and definitely now that he 920 00:54:55,800 --> 00:54:59,880 Speaker 2: has sadly passed away, I do think it is Kevin Colmroy. 921 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:03,719 Speaker 2: Batman is like a definitive legacy. Not only that, but 922 00:55:03,880 --> 00:55:10,000 Speaker 2: introducing us to Kevin Conroy, his performance as Batman becoming 923 00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:14,520 Speaker 2: so definitive for so many of us. Also, I think 924 00:55:15,280 --> 00:55:19,480 Speaker 2: part and parcel of that is as young people understanding 925 00:55:19,520 --> 00:55:22,400 Speaker 2: what voice acting is. You know, you have Mark Hamill 926 00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:25,240 Speaker 2: from Star Wars, He's the Joker, so you start thinking like, oh, 927 00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:28,400 Speaker 2: doing voices, like that's a job. Kevin Comray for so 928 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:31,160 Speaker 2: many years people would say that's the best Batman. I 929 00:55:31,160 --> 00:55:33,720 Speaker 2: think Kevin Comray is a huge part of this legacy, 930 00:55:33,840 --> 00:55:36,920 Speaker 2: especially as he later shared with us that he was 931 00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:40,440 Speaker 2: also a queer man who had found, you know, a 932 00:55:40,520 --> 00:55:43,279 Speaker 2: voice through Batman and a place to be able to 933 00:55:44,600 --> 00:55:48,960 Speaker 2: live and be free as himself. I just think that 934 00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:53,360 Speaker 2: Kevin Comray, his importance and his part of the Batman 935 00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:56,560 Speaker 2: legacy cannot be ignored. So for this one, I'll say 936 00:55:56,600 --> 00:55:57,760 Speaker 2: Kevin Comray. 937 00:55:58,160 --> 00:56:03,399 Speaker 1: For me, it's animated as a strength for DC as 938 00:56:03,440 --> 00:56:08,480 Speaker 1: a media corporation. I think this this established DC as 939 00:56:08,520 --> 00:56:15,600 Speaker 1: a place where vibrant, hard hitting, emotionally resonant stories are 940 00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:19,480 Speaker 1: told and adapted from comics and told in animated form. 941 00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:23,799 Speaker 1: And as you know, in this era of live action 942 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:26,239 Speaker 1: comic book movies as DC, to be fair to them, 943 00:56:26,320 --> 00:56:30,239 Speaker 1: has played ketchup a lot of the time. They've been 944 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:36,200 Speaker 1: leading for all of this time, and it is a massive, massive, Yes, 945 00:56:36,560 --> 00:56:38,839 Speaker 1: it's a massive strength for the company and it has 946 00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:44,520 Speaker 1: been ever since Batman the animated series totally What makes 947 00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:49,479 Speaker 1: Batman in animation so compelling, I. 948 00:56:49,400 --> 00:56:54,080 Speaker 3: Think I think the thing about Batman is that you 949 00:56:54,160 --> 00:56:56,640 Speaker 3: ironically want to hide as much of them as you can, 950 00:56:58,120 --> 00:57:01,560 Speaker 3: because he's honestly a dude. It's with like funny little 951 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:06,160 Speaker 3: pointy ears on where's a very you know ghost cape, 952 00:57:06,840 --> 00:57:11,440 Speaker 3: you know, like, but in animation, like suddenly the shape 953 00:57:11,480 --> 00:57:13,960 Speaker 3: of him gets to be different, and it's the thing 954 00:57:13,960 --> 00:57:15,680 Speaker 3: they did in Batman and animate series all the time, 955 00:57:15,719 --> 00:57:20,120 Speaker 3: the cloak dynamics of like sometimes he looks like a 956 00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:23,080 Speaker 3: priest where it's all the way down the middle. Sometimes 957 00:57:23,080 --> 00:57:27,240 Speaker 3: it's the giant silhouette of a bat Sometimes it has 958 00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:31,160 Speaker 3: no physics to it anymore because it just gets to 959 00:57:31,160 --> 00:57:34,160 Speaker 3: be somewhat abstract. And you can't do that in live action, 960 00:57:34,560 --> 00:57:37,360 Speaker 3: you know, live action, it's it's too real. And Batman 961 00:57:37,560 --> 00:57:41,320 Speaker 3: is honestly a character that wants to defy reality, and 962 00:57:41,840 --> 00:57:44,760 Speaker 3: I think animation ends up being the perfect medium for him. 963 00:57:45,560 --> 00:57:48,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, with that in mind, kind of in your opinion, 964 00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:50,520 Speaker 2: this is a big question, but how do you think 965 00:57:50,600 --> 00:57:54,160 Speaker 2: Batman the Animated Series altered Batman's place in the kind 966 00:57:54,160 --> 00:57:56,760 Speaker 2: of superhero canon because it really did have that much 967 00:57:56,760 --> 00:57:57,440 Speaker 2: of an impact. 968 00:57:57,640 --> 00:58:01,320 Speaker 3: It had that much of an impact, and I think 969 00:58:01,600 --> 00:58:05,840 Speaker 3: ironically what it did was it for as serious as 970 00:58:06,320 --> 00:58:09,440 Speaker 3: Tim Burton's Batman film was in nineteen eighty nine, Batman 971 00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,360 Speaker 3: the Animated Series took the character and took the world 972 00:58:13,320 --> 00:58:16,720 Speaker 3: like it was dickenzie and drama, like it was never 973 00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:20,520 Speaker 3: a joke to them. Yeah, you know. And when you 974 00:58:20,520 --> 00:58:24,240 Speaker 3: get episodes like Heart of Ice, which suddenly makes mister 975 00:58:24,360 --> 00:58:30,640 Speaker 3: Freeze this this tragic hero of his own story, it 976 00:58:31,000 --> 00:58:34,480 Speaker 3: never took it as ironically, it never took it as 977 00:58:34,680 --> 00:58:37,600 Speaker 3: children's entertainment, and not that that is a pejorative in 978 00:58:37,720 --> 00:58:40,240 Speaker 3: terms of children's entertainment, but the themes were so rich, 979 00:58:40,760 --> 00:58:45,760 Speaker 3: the attack on the characters were so rich. It imbued 980 00:58:45,880 --> 00:58:49,040 Speaker 3: everything with a dignity that it had never had before 981 00:58:49,400 --> 00:58:52,040 Speaker 3: in a medium that had never really given him that 982 00:58:52,240 --> 00:58:55,880 Speaker 3: much play like he's a super friend, you guys, you know, 983 00:58:56,040 --> 00:59:00,400 Speaker 3: and like, but now Batman, Bruce Wayne and the tire 984 00:59:00,480 --> 00:59:03,920 Speaker 3: Rogues Gallery just has this heft that it had never 985 00:59:03,960 --> 00:59:06,959 Speaker 3: had before, and that heft is what has now survived 986 00:59:07,400 --> 00:59:12,080 Speaker 3: through every other iteration to it, like now it's it's Deckenzie, 987 00:59:12,080 --> 00:59:14,720 Speaker 3: and now it's Shakespearean, or it had never really been 988 00:59:15,160 --> 00:59:17,040 Speaker 3: before Batman the animated series. 989 00:59:17,480 --> 00:59:22,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, the show had a huge impact on the comics 990 00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: in many different ways, esthetically thematically. What do you think 991 00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:30,919 Speaker 1: the series' most significant contribution to the comic books has been? 992 00:59:32,080 --> 00:59:37,000 Speaker 3: I think, you know, and I will relish in the 993 00:59:37,000 --> 00:59:38,840 Speaker 3: fact that I'm the first person you're asking this question to. 994 00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:44,120 Speaker 3: Harley Quinn is probably the biggest significant contribution that came 995 00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:48,320 Speaker 3: directly from the animated series and has since just proliferated 996 00:59:48,320 --> 00:59:51,720 Speaker 3: through every iteration of Batman ever since, to the point 997 00:59:51,720 --> 00:59:54,240 Speaker 3: where we have a freaking Joker movie coming out that 998 00:59:54,360 --> 00:59:56,880 Speaker 3: is just all about Joker and Harley. You know, I 999 00:59:57,480 --> 01:00:01,280 Speaker 3: think it was It's it's that I mean Hardy, of course, 1000 01:00:01,800 --> 01:00:05,080 Speaker 3: I think it's the Joker, you know. I think Mark 1001 01:00:05,120 --> 01:00:08,240 Speaker 3: Hamill's Joker is the Joker people hear in their heads 1002 01:00:08,800 --> 01:00:12,080 Speaker 3: in the way that Kevin Conroy's Batman is the Batman 1003 01:00:12,120 --> 01:00:14,680 Speaker 3: they hear in their heads. Yeah, you know, and so 1004 01:00:15,400 --> 01:00:18,560 Speaker 3: the fact that it just sort of set those templates 1005 01:00:18,640 --> 01:00:23,240 Speaker 3: so incredibly strongly, you know that that I feel like 1006 01:00:23,320 --> 01:00:26,280 Speaker 3: that stuff and the Harley stuff are the the constant, 1007 01:00:26,920 --> 01:00:28,840 Speaker 3: pervasive influences of that show. 1008 01:00:29,840 --> 01:00:33,440 Speaker 2: And obviously this is kind of an ever moving question 1009 01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,680 Speaker 2: because legacy continues, and the legacy of the show is 1010 01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:39,520 Speaker 2: not over by any means. But what do you feel 1011 01:00:39,600 --> 01:00:44,600 Speaker 2: like the legacy of Batman the Animated Series is right now? Like, 1012 01:00:45,240 --> 01:00:46,880 Speaker 2: now that we're here in twenty twenty four, what do 1013 01:00:46,880 --> 01:00:49,080 Speaker 2: you feel like the biggest legacy of the show is. 1014 01:00:50,640 --> 01:00:54,400 Speaker 3: I think it was it was both faith in the 1015 01:00:54,480 --> 01:01:01,760 Speaker 3: character and believing that something as inherently silly as Batman 1016 01:01:02,360 --> 01:01:06,320 Speaker 3: deserve to be treated as well as it did. You know, 1017 01:01:06,440 --> 01:01:10,800 Speaker 3: I think the amount of care and craftsmanship that when 1018 01:01:10,800 --> 01:01:13,360 Speaker 3: it's a Batman the Animated Series is somewhat unlike any 1019 01:01:13,360 --> 01:01:16,800 Speaker 3: animated show that had come before, at least American animated shows, 1020 01:01:17,720 --> 01:01:19,800 Speaker 3: to the point where now we're living in this sort 1021 01:01:19,840 --> 01:01:24,000 Speaker 3: of golden age of animation. You know that that that spans, 1022 01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:27,880 Speaker 3: you know, both both audience and content type and creation 1023 01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:31,720 Speaker 3: type and country of origin. Like I think a lot 1024 01:01:31,760 --> 01:01:34,520 Speaker 3: of that we're taking animation seriously begins with Batman, the 1025 01:01:34,520 --> 01:01:38,480 Speaker 3: animated series, you know, begins with with the kind of 1026 01:01:38,520 --> 01:01:42,520 Speaker 3: like Alex Toff inspired character design, and they like the deep, 1027 01:01:43,120 --> 01:01:46,800 Speaker 3: like the weird noir of what that Gotham city was like, 1028 01:01:46,960 --> 01:01:50,160 Speaker 3: and the fluidity with time and space that that had, 1029 01:01:50,240 --> 01:01:52,840 Speaker 3: the the we could kind of do anything and then 1030 01:01:52,960 --> 01:01:53,960 Speaker 3: did do anything. 1031 01:01:55,320 --> 01:01:55,400 Speaker 2: It. 1032 01:01:55,640 --> 01:01:58,760 Speaker 3: I think it inspired lots of artists to be like, oh, 1033 01:01:59,200 --> 01:02:02,120 Speaker 3: what if I did this with this character? What if 1034 01:02:02,160 --> 01:02:05,880 Speaker 3: I gave this level of integrity and rigor to he Man? 1035 01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:07,880 Speaker 3: What if we did that with Shira, What if we 1036 01:02:07,920 --> 01:02:12,080 Speaker 3: did that with you know, name it like ThunderCats, Like 1037 01:02:12,480 --> 01:02:15,800 Speaker 3: things that had previously been sort of relegated to the 1038 01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:20,640 Speaker 3: sort of dust bin of juvenility. That's a word began 1039 01:02:20,720 --> 01:02:22,480 Speaker 3: to be reclaimed as like, you know what, it can 1040 01:02:22,520 --> 01:02:25,280 Speaker 3: be for us, for always. And so I think that 1041 01:02:25,280 --> 01:02:28,640 Speaker 3: that something like Batman kpe Crusader is just the latest 1042 01:02:28,640 --> 01:02:31,120 Speaker 3: in that long line of like this can always be 1043 01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:33,440 Speaker 3: for us, you know, we don't have to give it 1044 01:02:33,520 --> 01:02:35,200 Speaker 3: up when we get older. We don't have to put 1045 01:02:35,240 --> 01:02:37,640 Speaker 3: away childish things because they were never childish to begin with. 1046 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:41,480 Speaker 3: And I think I think there's something there's something kind 1047 01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:44,600 Speaker 3: of phenomenal about what you know, Bruce tim and Alan 1048 01:02:44,600 --> 01:02:48,080 Speaker 3: Burnett and Paul Deny and like that whole crew managed 1049 01:02:48,120 --> 01:02:52,040 Speaker 3: to pull together Lightning in a bottle that then just 1050 01:02:52,040 --> 01:02:54,880 Speaker 3: sparked everybody's imagination for decades to come. 1051 01:02:55,240 --> 01:02:59,080 Speaker 1: Okay, here's the here's the real hard question. Your ultimate 1052 01:03:00,080 --> 01:03:04,280 Speaker 1: Batman the Animated series episode. 1053 01:03:04,880 --> 01:03:07,160 Speaker 3: I mean, I'd be a knucklehead if I didn't say 1054 01:03:07,200 --> 01:03:11,880 Speaker 3: Heart of Ice. You know it's it's I had. I 1055 01:03:12,000 --> 01:03:17,560 Speaker 3: had never given mister Freeze a second thought because he 1056 01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:19,840 Speaker 3: was so silly. He was always silly, Like you know, 1057 01:03:19,960 --> 01:03:21,360 Speaker 3: is it do with a with a with a snow 1058 01:03:21,400 --> 01:03:26,360 Speaker 3: cone machine on his back? Who diamonds? You know, Like 1059 01:03:26,480 --> 01:03:30,560 Speaker 3: I've never been quite so disappointed as like going to 1060 01:03:30,600 --> 01:03:34,560 Speaker 3: see Batman and Robin and being like, this is how 1061 01:03:34,600 --> 01:03:37,160 Speaker 3: you're going to basterdize the heart of vice story? Like 1062 01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:40,320 Speaker 3: come on, what's an negger? Like I know what you're 1063 01:03:40,320 --> 01:03:44,080 Speaker 3: trying to do, but like it's you couldn't get there. 1064 01:03:44,640 --> 01:03:48,880 Speaker 3: But that level of pathos for a character who had 1065 01:03:48,920 --> 01:03:52,959 Speaker 3: been a joke is so endemic of what that show 1066 01:03:53,000 --> 01:03:55,600 Speaker 3: could do. And the love that everybody who made that 1067 01:03:55,640 --> 01:03:58,960 Speaker 3: show had for these characters was just like, yeah, you 1068 01:03:59,000 --> 01:04:01,959 Speaker 3: know what we are going to make you cry over 1069 01:04:02,000 --> 01:04:05,280 Speaker 3: the villain in a Batman story. And if you can 1070 01:04:05,320 --> 01:04:07,920 Speaker 3: pull that off, then that is a very specific magic 1071 01:04:07,960 --> 01:04:09,919 Speaker 3: trick that I think so many of us are trying 1072 01:04:09,920 --> 01:04:10,520 Speaker 3: to replicate. 1073 01:04:11,520 --> 01:04:14,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, the end of that episode is just its heartbreak. 1074 01:04:14,720 --> 01:04:15,760 Speaker 1: You do not see coming. 1075 01:04:16,280 --> 01:04:20,360 Speaker 3: It's heartbreaking and like power to you, guys. You made 1076 01:04:20,440 --> 01:04:22,560 Speaker 3: me cry a thing I never thought i'd cry at, 1077 01:04:22,600 --> 01:04:23,920 Speaker 3: which is a Batman. 1078 01:04:23,600 --> 01:04:27,480 Speaker 1: Cartoon mark next of your time. 1079 01:04:27,640 --> 01:04:29,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, oh my pleasure, gang, this is a. 1080 01:04:29,720 --> 01:04:35,280 Speaker 2: Blast stoke to have you back. On tomorrow's episode of 1081 01:04:35,360 --> 01:04:37,640 Speaker 2: X ray Vision, we're diving into episode two or four 1082 01:04:37,640 --> 01:04:41,000 Speaker 2: of The Rings of Power, including a wonderful interview with 1083 01:04:41,200 --> 01:04:44,480 Speaker 2: EP Jennifer Hutchinson. Then on Tuesday, check out a very 1084 01:04:44,520 --> 01:04:47,440 Speaker 2: special video game episode where we'll be covering all the 1085 01:04:47,520 --> 01:04:51,800 Speaker 2: news updates and of course Star Wars Outlaws. Friday, we're 1086 01:04:51,800 --> 01:04:54,920 Speaker 2: continuing Animation Month with a special time capsule episode on 1087 01:04:55,000 --> 01:05:02,480 Speaker 2: Miyazaki's latest film, The Boy and the Heron. 1088 01:05:06,960 --> 01:05:09,840 Speaker 1: X ray Vision is hosted by Jason Ken, Sumpsion and 1089 01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:14,120 Speaker 1: Rosie Knight and is a production of iHeart Podcasts. Our 1090 01:05:14,160 --> 01:05:18,400 Speaker 1: executive producers are Joelle Smith and Aaron Kaufman. Our Supervising 1091 01:05:18,400 --> 01:05:23,120 Speaker 1: producer is a Boo Zafar. Our producers are Carmen Laurent 1092 01:05:23,880 --> 01:05:27,520 Speaker 1: and Mia Taylor. Our theme song is by Brian Basquez. 1093 01:05:28,000 --> 01:05:32,320 Speaker 2: Special thanks to Soul Rubin and Chris Laude, Kenny Goodman 1094 01:05:32,680 --> 01:05:34,720 Speaker 2: and Heidi. Our discoored Moderata