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I can’t remember how old I was when a friend explained to me that Dick left because he was tired of Bruce’s shit, but Old Wounds wasn’t the first I’d heard of their falling out. At the time BTAS was originally on the air, I knew that there had been more than one Robin (of course there was no Jason Todd in BTAS). What I didn’t know, however, was how, _or if,_ TAS would handle it. Despite my disappointment with a lot of the new designs- particularly Catwoman’s, Poison Ivy’s, The Joker’s and far too many to mention- I wasn’t distracted enough not to greatly appreciate and enjoy this bittersweet episode of TNBA.
Well this episode it seems that Dick is telling Tim that Bruce is the real villain of the episode and not the Joker well it was his fault for threatening to beat the guy to death in front of his wife and son which the guy doesn’t deserve that punishment only the Joker does which this could be the same for Superman in the Legacy episode where he mistreated Professor Hamilton while he making a point. But Dick should own Bruce something because he brought him in and got his parents killer and this is how he repay by calling him the Manipulator of all Manipulator.
I love how Alfred also reused his joke in static shock and when static didn't buy it he responded with "Just for once I'd like to have someone fall for it."
"You're late" "Excuse me for having a life..." Quite memorable short dialogue. Unlike Richard, Batman long ago forgot what it means to be a normal person.
To me what the give the episode credit it showed Bruce was close to becoming something like Joe chill when confronting one of joker henchmen infront to his family much to Greyson horror showing sometimes you can lose your way without realizing how much harms your actions can do or turn you into the thing you hate
It's why we see Bruce so alone and recluse in Batman Beyond, he isolated himself from everyone, despite the efforts of Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake, for example, to reconcile. And then Terry McGinnis appears and essentially saves Bruce from himself.
1:54 Alfred telling Barbara that he is Batman is the most absurd and least believable lie that the butler could have told. The bat-suit evidently wouldn't hold even 1% of his power without being disintegrated by touch.
I read that there's another episode where he tries the same lie again on someone, and they don't believe it either. Alfred then says, "Just once, I wish someone would believe that." XD
@@lainiwakura1776 Made me laugh, too. Mostly because Alfred was kidding! Or rather, he was trying to lighten the mood. I think Alfred is the only member of the Bat Family who could have pulled off such a facetious explanation to Barbara during the most intense internal conflicts in the entire BAU! Due, in no small measure, to the impeccable delivery of Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
A line that honestly becomes much darker and more uncomfortable if you've already seen Return of the Joker and that pops up in the back of your mind when he says that line
I've always loved that about Batman. Batman is the crime fighter who does all he can to protect his city and Bruce is the compassionate one who hires the criminals hoping they'll change
Yeah, it's irrating when haters say Batman just beats up criminals and locks them away when it's been shown many times that he wants to give them a second chance and rehabilitate themselves.
Tim: "You guys used to be the greatest: Batman & Robin, the Dynamic Duo" Dick: "Maybe you should ask him" Tim: "I did, and you'll never guess what he said, 'Things Change'."
I remember the channel J's Reviews talking about the years of fighting Gotham's criminals taking a toll on Batman and as a result he became more detatched and his mind was solely focused on the mission of Batman and nothing else and that this was the straw that broke the camel's back for Dick Grayson. He also talked about he would need realize that he was not in fact in this alone by working with Superman and eventually the Justice League were he bonded with them (in his own Batman way) in order for him to grow. I really love that as a character arc for him.
@@PervertedNovaxc3 But Terry does help to heal that a bit. Especially with the fact of him taking over the mantle and becoming someone for Bruce to gain more of mentor student relationship in.
@leithaziz2716 Meh, his DCAU retrospective hasn't aged well, considering he mostly just summarizes the plot of each episodes and often repeats quotes. His videos have gotten better since then.
Dick Grayson seeing Batman interrogating the thug in front of his wife and son was a gripping scene. You can see that Dick saw himself in that little boy and wanted out of being Robin.
Yes, this more or less the reason why Robin quit - not "being enraged at Bruce for putting Barb in danger". Bruce is Batman since Joe Chill hurt his family & Robin witnessed Batman hurting a family like Joe Chill.
True i like how they showed this nasty side of Batman’s vigilantism that kid was one moment from having a “bad day” this wasn’t the same Bruce that sympathized with baby doll or even Harley
@Trunks Vert Yes, it was pretty much Dent's "Live long enough to become the villian" quote. Robin saw that Batman became the villian to achieve justice & couldn't stand it, so he wanted out. Then he quit.
You guys act like Batman was about to kill the guy. Interrogating him in front of his family wasn’t exactly a nice thing to do and I can get why Dick stormed out but it did end up giving the guy a wake up call to get out of the game and turn his life around. And if Batman was the brute Dick thought he was in that moment he would have called the police to lock him up or done worse regardless of whether or not he left. And even assuming Dick’s disapproval is what convinced him to ease up, it still shows that he’s not a bad guy at heart.
@@ammash3000 He was kind've headed that way, though, and Dick could see it. Hell, Batman never lost the "It's okay to manipulate them into doing what I want, because it's for the greater good" way of thinking, which is exactly what he did to Barbara. Dick was right about that. True, she may have started doing what she did as Batgirl because she wanted to emulate Batman, but Batman used that to 'recruit' her as part of his team. That, and Dick seeing him being rough with that guy in front of his kid, was what lead to him quitting. Him finding out about Barbara was just the final straw. Maybe the way Dick reacted to him being rough with the guy in front of his kid was what made him 'wake up' a bit, and realize that he was going too far. So, as Bruce Wayne, he hired the guy to help him turn his life around.
"Things Change" A short yet powerful statement. And while things normally change for the worse (the breakfdown of dick's relationship with batman and barbara) they CAN change for the better as seem in the ending. great epsiode
@unwaifu69 What do you mean good those two would've gotten together if Bruce wasn't so stupid and had just been more honest to both of them instead of driving them apart.
Some fun casting trivia... 1) Rocco and Henshaw were portrayed by Townsend Coleman and Neil Ross, respectively. Fans will recognize Coleman as the Tick and Michelangelo from TMNT and Ross most memorably as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin from Fox Kids Spider-Man 2) Connor is portrayed by Ian Buchanan, who would go on to portray Dr. Cuvier in Batman Beyond and the Ultra-Humanite in Justice League 3) Geena is portrayed by Pamela Hayden, most notably know for Millhouse Van Houten from The Simpsons.
I met Loren Lester (voice of Nightwing) and he told me that this is his favorite episode. I believe him. This episode is great! If I was to rank this episode for New Batman adventures this will be top 3. I love this episode and I have a friend who cosplays as Nightwing and we always watch this episode and knowing that we might hurt each other sometime but we change as time goes on. 4.5/5 AWESOME EPISODE!!!
Even though it's understandable that Dick was mad at Batman for roughing up Conner in front of his family, what Batman did was literally nothing compared to what other vigilantes would have done to the criminal. If instead of Batman, Rorschach had been in charge of interrogating him, poor Conner would have ended up with at least three broken fingers.
I think either way, Bruce should've been smart enough to not go after him knowing he had a family with him. He either was in too much of a rush to notice they were there, or just straight-up didn't care. Whichever the case, Dick was justified in believing that Bruce was getting too much to look after. Between the brutality, obviously no way of changing who he was at this point, and to top it all off the person he was hoping to start a normal relationship with being pulled into it, how could he not be sick of his life revolving around Batman? Evidently Bruce decided to help this guy out afterward, but it's kinda easy to imagine Bruce starts just using his alter ego as a means of easing his conscience about the people he affects. Is it better than literally any other vigilante? Maybe, but just because Bruce has his shit together doesn't mean it won't start to fall apart between his fingers.
@@CB0Otz what’s funny about this is the previous Batman animated series Bruce was more into helping these criminals try to change their life over like Harley’s holiday, twoface pt 2 even the baby doll episode …to the point he even sympathized with them I kinda like how they showed this nasty side of Bruce’s vigilantism
Favorite joker line for the episode it tied between "Nice entrance. Either you've never heard of a door or you just like pulling glass out of your shorts". and "Hey! Do I hit your kids? Oh. Actually, I do".
Considering how long we've seen Batman and Robin together in this series, it is so tragic to see their friendship destroyed by such a betrayal! And considering what happens with Bruce and Barbara later on... it only gets more messy!
What betrayal? Its Dick own fault that he can't figure out the girl he is dating is Batgirl despite her hair, eyes and mouth being exposed. You'd think being raised by the world's greatest detective would have given him some skills. The justification of "it was not my place to tell" is valid.
I loved Old Wounds as we finally got to see Dick address what really happened with him and Bruce to Tim, i thought the flashbacks were packed with tons of raw emotion which was some of the show's best stuff. I thought the first 2 parts of the Lost Years mini series did an amazing job in going into full detail of the whole collapse of the original Batman & Robin team. I really wished that they made this into either multiple episodes or a full length animated movie because the storytelling was so epic. I loved how the events of Old Wounds was also addressed in Batman Beyond when Barbara tells her side of what happened after Dick's fallout with Bruce. The whole rooftop scene where Robin completely rips into Batman with Batgirl looking on was the best moment of the entire episode and seeing Robin punch Batman in the face still makes my jaw drop to this day. One of my all time favourite episodes from the entire Batman animated run.
Finally! I'm happy to hear Walter's take on this one! Again, I say they built this up quite a bit. I want to think it honestly started with "Robin's Reckoning" two parter. At the same time, it just grew and expounded over the course of the series. Sure, they made up after arguments, but there may still have been resentment towards Wayne at the end all the same. Couple it with Babs keeping the secret of her being Batgirl (while he kept the secret of being Robin), it put a heavy toll on the moment. The rooftop argument definitely showed him pouring out all the resentment that's accumulated over the course of his tenure as Robin, and you can even feel it with that punch on Batman. My only gripe is generally Babs goes one completely different route with her relationship status...they had it working there, and I wish they would've kept Grayson and Babs together. Then again, animation imitating comics, I suppose...considering Grayson's relationship with Babs there too.
YES, I've been waiting for this episode since you said you would be covering TNBA. This episode is my childhood and that punch has been ingrained in my memory ever since seeing it
Really enjoying your review of this awesome show it’s sad that next week will be the finale of Bat May but I’m glad to discover these episodes I haven’t seen or heard about, I didn’t grew up watching the show when I was a kid but I’m glad with Max I can finally watch it definitely going to watch this one someday.
This is my favorite episode of Batman The Animated Series/New Batman Adventures; I’ve always been a huge Nightwing fan so seeing the events that led to Dick Grayson leaving Robin behind was great, it was also just a good bit of connection between Dick and Tim which I like as they both know the difficulty of being a sidekick to Batman
8:00 Batman must be ruthless when facing bad guys, but Bruce has a heart of compassion. Dick finally understood this and let him let go of this old wound.
This is my favorite Batman TAS episode, because it evolves the characters. The fight between Batman and Robin makes sense and seems legit. In my opinion it is the crown jewel of this series.
This was another episode I remembered vividly many years after I watched it. Even knowing that the two had to have some kind of falling out before the scene actually played, I was so shocked that Dick went so far as to knock Batman on his ass as he quit being Robin.
I want to say Joker's look from the Justice League was probably the best design for the character. It was so good that it even got it's own use in the Batman Beyond movie
I have a theory that Dick's punch to Batman for putting his girlfriend Barbara in danger made Bruce decide, as an indirect apology, to be more careful and close with her, something he truly did in the end. A certain stone gargoyle confirms it 😎👍
I do wish this series could've explored Tim and Dicks relationship a little more and explored what it means to be Robin under different perspectives and how they are similar yet different from Bruce
Also, that thumbnail is perfect. If it include a word bubble, I'd imagine it saying: Dick Grayson: This is for 30 years of "Batman slapping Robin" memes!
This episode is the best example of why I think J's Reviews was right about an ever growing detachment from humanity on Bruce's part. I know Walter complained about how unexpressive his redesign has been, but here, that's the point. Dick gets right up in his face and yells about how much of an inhuman manipulator he is, and Bruce's face is completely stoic, no reaction whatsoever. Furthermore, he fails to go to his adoptive son's graduation just so he can stop a guy running red lights, something the cops can handle by themselves. And then he doesn't care enough to let him enjoy the night with Barbara, then when Dick does show up, all he says is, "You're late." And then, yes, he goes too far in the scene with Conner. The same Batman who had to watch his own parents get murdered when he was just a boy, took in Dick when he saw his own parents fall to their deaths, and was so angry about the mistreatment of children back in "The Underdwellers", now couldn't care less that this guy's wife and child are in the room as he assaults him for information, probably traumatizing the kid in the process. Dick was absolutely right to ditch him that time. Also, notice how soft and emotionless Conroy sounds during the big blowout scene on the rooftop. Even as he tries to stop Robin from leaving, he can't even raise his voice an extra octave. All of these have to have been deliberate choices on Timm and company's part. Or am I reading too much into this?
I doubt the guy was running red lights. Dick could have said he was busy. I don't batman went too far with conner. That moment made conner turn his life around. If he didn't turn his life around his kid could have walked down the same path he was about to. Dick was going soft.
This is definitely a fantastic episode. Robin shines really well here. He has always been one of my favorite characters. It’s interesting to go into the darker depths of his mind and I also like that he’s not relying on Bruce for his future. This episode makes you respect Robin. Joker is a perfect villain for this episode. The evil plot isn’t that funny but at the same time I wouldn’t want to have any other villain at the root of Batman and Robin’s problems. Alfred is also really good in this episode. There’s a lot of great moments in this episode! The ending is very sweet too, and gives you hope for the team’s future! Great job on this review!
I'm harder on the bad ones because we know how good this show can be. Old Wounds is incredible. How crafty is it that this episode basically serves to explain not just Nightwing, but more than a few other questions about the New Adventures' status quo? And yes, seeing Barbara get knocked off a building yet again, triggered my "Over the Edge" anxieties, lol. That, along with "Growing Pains" makes Old Wounds 3 down and 1 more to go (Mad Love), when it comes to the 4 pillars of the new series. This one particularly stands out for its great pace, because it tells a LOT of story in a tight 22 minutes. I didn't want it to end! (Why couldn't TNBA have 2-part episodes?)
Considering this is a flashback, do you think that near death by falling for real may be why she imagined that would be how she died under the Fear Toxin?
Man, after the mediocre "You Scratch My Back" and "Animal Act" , this episode was a great redemption to Dick's character. I always thought it wasn't believable for his retirement from the Boy Wonder mantle to either come from being kicked out of the roost or simply deciding out of the blue that he's grown up (like in the Judas Contract storyline). Dick quitting due to the growing rifts with his adoptive father is compelling drama, and you really see how Bruce's personality becomes colder like we see in the show. Looking at what happens to Barbara afterwards gives the episode a Harsher in Hindsight moment, given Bruce not only sabotages his relationship with his ward but stole and impregnated his girlfriend.
I LOVED this episode it's the last time we would see Dick Greyson in the Robin costume and ONLY time for this run of the series. I was almost expecting him to have the redesigned costume that Tim Drake wore but they instead seemed to just recreate his appearance from before the art style change. There are subtle differences to make it fit in with the new art style but it's not overly dustracting like a lot of the other redesigns were. I also liked the scene revealing that Bruce knew who Batgirl was and choose to keep her secret until she decided to reveal it. It added another layer to the betrayal Dick must have felt to cause him to leave in the first place. Also while some other episodes have notably appeared to air in the wrong order from when they should have taken place in universe the fact that this story was done as a flash back with Dick retelling the events to Tim also made a lot of sense for the characters so I don't mind that this episode wasn't aired first. Actually to be honest I kind of wish they had left it a mystery a bit longer and had more episodes with Nightwing and the New Robin together building up to this episode later in the series. I love how they interact together here and would have loved to see more of them. I do want to make a note that I wasn't sure about this series or the new art style and story direction it was taking when it first started airing. I prefered the original art style and team dynamics with Batman and Robin not knowing who Batgirl was and wanting to see more of that series as it was. This episode is actually the one that changed my mind on the whole series and got me on board with the new direction the show was taking. So of course it makes sense why I love this episode so much when it bridges that gap between the old series and the new one.
This is an awesome episode, for many reasons. Everything you have mentioned, and probably some of Jokers’ most quotable lines. My personal favourite being “Hey! Do I hit your kids? Oh, come to think of it…”
It's actually a bit funny in hindsight, Dick calls out Bruce here for brutalizing that guy in front of his family... ...later, in Justice League Bruce takes a swipe at Etrigan for shocking an old man into a heart attack. Shows Bruce has something in there
If only we had a chance to see Richard and Bruce reconcile in this series or Batman Beyond. Knowing that Bruce was the one who reached out to help Dick as a child, that was disappointing to see their relationship crumble and not recover.
Nightwing: "...And that's why I stopped being Robin" Tim: "So, in a nutshell, the problem Bruce had is that his Dick got too big, right?" 😉 Nightwing: "...I am giving you a five minute headstart" Tim: 😢
I remember being so confused as a kid when I started to see the new Batman adventures on WB after watching the original series on cartoon Network for so long. This was the episode that put my fears aside.
Joker: "You should be sidewalk stroganoff?" Robin: "I changed the menu!" Proceeds to jack henchman in the face. One of the most impactful hits in BTAS. The sound, speed, and reaction of being hit with all the anger Robin had for Batman delivered to the face of closest bad guy.
for what seems like ruthlessness and brute force, batman's compassion is something that rarely shows but shines when it does. the Batman Beyond finale in Justice League being a prominent example, seemingly taking a lot of cues from Old Wounds.
"He manipulates" That statement always struck me as odd when I was younger. Because it sounds more like something you'd say to a villain character. But as I got older, and really looked back at the series, I began to see how he's not wrong. Batman's always been about grey morals, and doing what he thinks is the best in the end. True, he does his best to make a positive outcome. But it's always a very "End's justify the means" type of way. So yeah, this episode definitely aged well. You can really see why Robin would be angry, assuming Batman's only looking out for what he believes are people's best interest. Rather than just Teenage Angst.
Batman is a logical hero in this series. He believes truely he tries to do the best he can do for others.. but at the same time he is a control freak and someone who wants to keep his cards close. No one truely knows Batman and he wants it that way. There is a reason only three women truely tried to stick with him throughout comics/series and more. 1: Selena Kyle. She keeps coming back to him with feelings sometimes... but she understood best.. "Batman doesn't stick together." 2: Wonderwoman. Infact a perfect match for Batman. No matter what... Wonderwoman is probably one of the hardest love interrests to cause harm to... but Bruce knows.. people find ways to do so in twisted ways. 3: Harley Quinn. Despite what you think.... there are stories where Harley sticks with Bruce despite what ridiclous situations he gets stuck in. Injustice is a great example. Harley knows Batman/Bruce best... but they never get romantically involved ironically. But from all the women in the batman series.. she understands him best. And no talia doesn't count. There is a briliant line in Young Justice where Wonderwoman tells Batman: "Oh right you didn't take Dick Greyson under your wing to become like you? We know you..." And Batman responds: "So he didn't turn out like me..." We can even see it here... Batman knew.. Batman intervened.. and even knowing he was in the wrong... and letting Dick go become Nightwing... was Bruce's ultimate intent. He manipulated that moment so Robin could become his own man, wich ain't under the cowl with him. I wouldn't be surprised he also tried to get this moment to get Batgirl to quit too. The only reason in this universe why Batman has Robins... is because he sees them needing of it, keeping close watch, cause if no one teaches them.. then they will become just like him or worst.
That's one thing about Nightwing I always liked, he's very decisive when making decisions and never second-guesses himself. Even in the episode where he meets Catwoman, the show does well in showing that Dick has made a clear boundary with Bruce, Tim and Barbara, and all of them are made well aware of it.
Well, I just read the comic that tied into the episode, and it's pretty interesting. Sure, there's shot for shot recreations of "Sins of the Father" and "Old Wounds", but it also shows us Dick going around the world to train under various masters, fight baddies, and even gain inspiration for his Nightwing look by a mysterious Tibetan warrior.
Note: the whole scene about Batman practically attacking a poor man forced by the circumstances to be Joker's henchman and then Bruce giving him a second chance as a Wayne Enterprises employee would later be used in the story "Batman: Noel", which expands it as an adaptation of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol as viewed through the lenses of Batman, with Catwoman playing the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Superman that of the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Joker as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, while an unspecified Robin (though hinted to be Jason for obvious reasons) falls into the role of Jacob Marley.
i do love that this episode also manages to showcase somthing a lot of fans totally ignore about Batman....the IMMENSE Empathy he has for people that arent the joker. the security guard in this instance, he cared enough to personally (As bruce) offer him a way to turn his life around, he trusted him to work security even.
Considering how Bruce ends up dating Barbara, Dick's comment about Bruce saying that "He manipulates, pulls strings... anything to get what he wants." has a much more disturbing feel about it. Seeing how romantically close Barbara and Dick clearly are in this episode, and how Bruce clearly is manipulating Barbara for his own ends, really does make Bruce look at least a bit sociopathic.
Oh yeah that’s what bothers me a lot about Bruce’s characterization going forward in this universe. One of the socialites in Mask of the Phantasm did mention he was the “love them and leave them” type and he even seems to be aware of that. Like come on Bruce, this was the woman your son was crazy about and the daughter of a friend who you saw grow up before your eyes. Bruce had to be a sleaze rather than try to make it work with someone like Wonder Woman who was interested and didn’t have a previous relationship with a family member.
there is no way batman would've let Robin punching him like that slide, then again, it may also be Bruce simply trying to work things out in his own way.
Alfred: One of these days I wish someone would believe that I was Batman Kids WB Announcer: Next time ON BAT-MAY!...A Little Demon Boy steals a magic branding iron...And the dynamic duo must aid an ancient protector...It's Batman, Robin, and Etrigan the Demon fighting a creepy witch boy...Next time ON BAT-MAY!
Again, I think it would be fitting to make some mention or even a separate video, of the passing of Michael Reaves, about 2 months ago, after his long battle with Parkinson's. He was integral to many of the classic BTAS episodes, on top of Gargoyles and Real Ghostbusters cartoons. He even gratuitously made public his draft for a Series Finale for the final Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, Requiem.
Incidentally, in the Batman Beyond comics, they do bring Grayson back, and his stance on Bruce hasn't changed, but he accepts that's simply how he is. They love each other like family, but don't work together as a team
I really like how Bruce Wayne helped that guy he beat up as Batman, but it reminds me of a Batman Beyond story about the origin of Big Time, a petty criminal who was a childhood friend of Terry's. When he got out of a 2 year sentence Terry got the elderly Bruce to reluctantly give him a job, only for him to use it as a way to break into the company for a heist. When I saw that episode it made me wonder how many times he had been through that, not everyone looks for redemption...
My favorite Batman episode I loved the callback in Batman Beyond: Terry: Were All of you THAT bitter? Barbara: It comes with the territory. Look up Nightwing sometime, has HE got stories.
"Old Wounds" was certainly a mostly well-done origin for Batman's and Robin's falling out. I do take issue with how Bruce/Batman had become more arrogant and less likable in this season in comparison to past episodes. Bruce/Batman had his foolish moments in previous seasons, especially in "Robin's Reckoning" and "Feat of Clay." Still, he had least showed more compassion and empathy for his enemies and for Robin in previous episodes than he did here. He even did a better job expressing his feelings to Robin at the end of "Robin's Reckoning" than he did here. Maybe something happened between this season and the previous one which made Bruce/Batman more jaded and closed off. It would've been nice if the creators made an episode showing what caused that change. A similar thing happened to Superman in Justice League TAS and Unlimited: he was not as smart as he was in Superman TAS, he became reckless and arrogant, and he was easier for Lex Luthor and other villains to manipulate. Maybe the creators wanted an excuse for Bruce/Batman to have more conflict in his life, and so decided to make Bruce/Batman colder and more prone to alienating his friends. They just didn't find a way to explain how he came to be that way. Whatever the case, Bruce/Batman seems kind of clueless as to how much he's changed in his attitudes, and doesn't seem to understand why Dick was angry with him. That's why I wish Bruce and Dick had more opportunities to talk, as well as for Bruce to try to do a better job explaining himself. I especially wish Dick appeared again in Batman Beyond: not only to reconnect with Bruce, but also as a chance for him to bond with Terry McGinnis. Interestingly, the new Robin, Tim Drake, despite his being much younger than Dick, was able to handle the new difficult Bruce/Batman than Dick did. The episode, "Never Fear," was a great example of Tim Drake restraining Batman when Scarecrow's new gas made him unstable. I do find it hard to believe that Dick didn't determine that Barbara was Batgirl yet, or that Bruce, upon knowing Barbara was Batgirl, would keep that secret away from Dick for so long. Then again, Barbara didn't sense the obvious that Dick was Robin, nor did she suspect that Bruce was Batman, so there's that. I could've sworn that Dick and Bruce knew Batgirl's secret identity already in past seasons, but I guess I misremembered. I don't buy Batman's excuse to Dick when he said: "It wasn't my place to tell you." If you know your sidekick's girlfriend is another superhero, you should at least tell your sidekick so they wouldn't be taken by surprise later on. Then again, the episode needed an excuse to make Bruce/Batman alienate Dick, so they succeeded in that regard. It's still very weird that the creators chose to have Bruce and Barbara date without any episodes to back the idea up. I think Bruce has a better connection with Andrea, Selina, and even Talia than he did with Barbara, but the creators chose to take a different direction. Selina got rather short-changed when she was redesigned for New Batman Adventures, sadly. If only Bruce were able talk to Selina and Andrea again in Batman Beyond. Even with its flaws, the episode still does a good job portraying the falling out between Bruce and Dick, and give Dick and Tim the chance to bond as brothers. Makes me wonder how the series would've fared if the creators had the chance to develop more episodes before developing Batman Beyond.
