I meet Kevin Conroy once, I told him “As a kid, I used to watch the show with my father, The Batman was my hero”. He immediately knew what I was referencing and said “That was one of my favorite episodes”. Great guy.
It actually does make sense that Batman has a Grey Ghost shrine in the cave. Doug said it himself, the Grey Ghost series is one of the few happy memories Bruce Wayne has of his childhood.
Henrik Magnusson That and Bruce Wayne has never emotionally aged. He comes across as a 12 year old in everyway. If anyone does not follow his moral view point then they are evil and need to go to jail. Batman is a 12 year olds dream; the JOKER is a grieving man who has lost his memory and his past.
Anna@Bella A bit of an over analysis since Batman is usually portrayed to BE morally right, especially in this show. Also, I think it's a universal concept that murderers, mobsters and theives are bad for society. That's not unique to the mindset of a child.
It also makes sense because the Grey Ghost was one of his main inspirations to become a superhero. If it wasn't for the Critic cutting it off for his "Lock of Hair" joke, it would have then shown the Ghost saying something like, "Then it WASN'T all for nothing."
Just imagine what the actor must have felt the moment he learned that not only was Batman was a fan of his, but he himself had partially inspired one of the DC comics most famous heroes.
'Think about it Batman: To never again walk on a summer's day with a hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold... Oh yes, I'd KILL for that.' - Mr. Freeze Makes me tear up every time.
To me that will always be the best version of Mr. Freeze. The show could've made him just another villain but they made him stand out. The way his character arc finished in Batman Beyond is what was perfect but also sad at the same time.
@@yoda908, he's one of the only characters who I wished had figured out Batmans identity, acknowledged it, and left it at that. Similar to the Joker in the batman beyond movie.
"I hope that somehow you can hear me...somewhere a warm hand waits for me...on a summer's day....and I pray you will forgive me...forgive me...No one can forgive me...."
What's surprising is that, watching the complete series, they did use to date in an episode, where Ivy tried to poison dent because he dug up some flowers.
One of the best episodes for me was I believe it was called 'The Favor' where the joker is about to kill this guy and the guy tells him he'll do anything so the joker tells him that one day he'll come back for a favor and years later obviously he does come back. I won't spoil the rest but that one is one of my favorites .
+Ben Covarrubias other great episodes are -feat of clay , joker christmas special , tyger,tyger and it's never too late is the best episode of the series imo
+Ben Covarrubias That was honestly one of my least favorite episodes. I understand the message at the end is to stand up to your tormentors, but some loser with a bomb would NEVER be able to scare The Joker like that.
Fun fact: Notice all that black? That's because instead of using blank white sheets of paper to draw and animate all of the characters/scenes, the creators used black sheets of paper to save time on animation and detail, seeing how this show almost always takes place during the night.
All fantastic choices but here's an overlooked one... "It's Never Too Late" It has zero supervillains, only a mob boss Batman needs information from/Need to testify (Can't recall completely which). It deals with the mob boss' inner conflict and childhood trauma. It's incredibly well written and one of the most "Human" episodes. Chances are, if you're reading this, you've already seen it.
@Purple Confidential I don't think that the church or religion turned people away from the episode. Especially since it wasn't really the primary focus of the episode.
What's awesome about The Gray Ghost is that creators would've scrapped the episode if they couldn't get Adam West to voice the character. Not only that, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm bought the Batman costume from the 60s show and personally gifted it to West. As if to say, "Without that campy 60s show, we couldn't create this one."
@@chayden153I always flinch and hide when I see Harley get beat up by Joker. I can only hope that Harley will do the right thing and stand up to Joker and leave him for good
Batman TAS: "Without Batman.....crime has no punchline" ~ Joker Teen Titans GO: "*BOYS* are better than *GIRLS!!*" ~ Robin Batman TAS: "I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow, someplace... someplace where a warm hand waits for mine" ~ Mr. Freeze Teen Titans GO: "I am a magic god." ~ Robin Batman TAS: "Why couldn't you just let me make-believe!?" ~ Baby doll Teen Titans GO: "*WAFFLES, WAFFLES, WAAAAFFLLLEEEES!*" ~ Beast boy + Cyborg .....see the difference?
We're getting a show later this year called "Justice League Action". It sounds stupid, but Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are reprising their roles in it, so that's enough for me.
Fun fact: The original ending of the baby doll episode was gonna have Batman shed a tear while comforting Baby Doll Batman would then hold Baby Dolls hand and take her to the police. They had to cut it because DC said batman doesn't cry. That's why the episode ends so depressingly
+Néa Walker i don't know if that would make the episode better or worse but the whole noy crying is stupid, im new to comics but i know that batman can feel and show emotion and he can be broken...or maybe the ending that we got was more brilliant because of how depressing it is..
+Theolppoman Yeah It creates this inhuman and gloomy atmosphere that batman Is renown for.I've Never watch a cartoon that made me this sad to be honest.It was really a masterpiece and I'm glad to have been raised by them.It treated you with respect,even If you were a kid,and It was not afraid to made you feel something:something to you'll think about for a while ,after.
+Néa Walker That was when Denny was in charge of the Bat books and he was a stickler for character like that. This was also at a time when DC even still owned by Warner was allowed to function as it's own company. Not anymore. Dc doesnt like something about the films or TV they can't object or veto any Warner decision, but Warner can basically tell of DC if they dont agree to any decision DC makes.
Those stem from those who have seen multiple story lines of the characters. Believe it or not there are quite a few where Joker has never hurt her and has even admitted his feelings for her. In fact the creator of Harley Quinn, Paul Dini came out with a comic on the two called Harley loves Joker that is very cute. Also in Suicide squad the original released version it's just a story about two crazy people completely obsessed with eachother and are constantly in that puppy love phase, that's the part that a lot of people wish their relationships can be like. The deleted scenes aren't a factor they weren't put in so it technically doesn't count.
Roppinine, omg thank you for that! I was honestly getting so tired hearing the same broken record playing of people saying the same things about Joker and Harley without being aware of the complex shades and different comic iterations. I'd also add that Dini made Harley Joker's girlfriend because he wanted to humanize him and not just victimize her. He was aware the core of their relationship was unhealthy, he hoped that Harley was going to move on from the Joker and was going to create her own path eventually, but he also wished the two would manage to work together as equal partners eventually as well. Unfortunately, Paul Dini was never able to write that story yet; through his years at DC he did try to move stuff towards it though, through his issues in Gotham City Sirens and Streets of Gotham and now being back with the Harley loves Joker comic...I hope he'll eventually reach the conclusion that he always hoped for seeing how current writers either haven't been able to work on Harley's obsession with the Joker in continuity (her falling in love with Rick Flag is sort of inconsistent at the moment; though Joker's busy with his own shit as well) and others demonize Joker to further victimize Harley because...at least that riles people up, am I right? 8'D
People who love the movie version of their relationship should read some Suicide Squad issues (or other DC series) with Punch and Jewelee. They're basically SS Joker & Harley without the abuse; and yes don't worry they are both hot, covered in tattoos and hot topic items, dress up like clowns & are totally "random" like the young people say; I still like them, they're cute. (they are originally ennemies of Captain Atom IIRC) I recommend the "Batman: I am Suicide" arc if you're not familiar with them, pretty good introduction.
Episodes that I remember hitting me really hard where the story of Clayface and the disturbing Poison Ivy-episode "House and Garden". When you do something that can make even Batman widen his eyes in shock and horror, you know you're pretty messed up.
One of my favorites was the episode called "Nothing To Fear" where batman said the quote: "I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman." that quote always stuck with me
LOL, I remember that episode, and I also remember when Harvey and Ivy dated (one of the first episodes of the series). That was one of the best laughs I had from the whole show!
That comes years after the events of "Almost Got Em" and at that time, Joker did come the closest to killing Batman which makes him losing it when Harley tries to kill Batman all the more terrifying.
That's a popular theory on the Joker's views toward Batman. One time comic Joker did think he killed Batman, and went straight because his enemy was gone.
"She almost had me, you know. Arms and legs chained, dizzy from the blood rushing to my head. I had no way out other than convincing her to call you. I knew your massive ego wouldn't let anyone else take the honor of killing me. Although you have to admit she came a lot closer than you ever did... Puddin'." -Batman
COOLMCDEN 219 I thought Joker went comatose in Dark Knight because without his nemesis Batman he's lost the one person who he feeds off. Although it's been a long time since I've read it.
I agree that Almost Got 'Em is the best episode of the show. There are so many little things that make it so perfect- like Two Face putting half-n-half in his coffee and acknowledging the time that Poison Ivy tried to kill him back when he was still Harvey Dent. You can also see the Joker cheating at cards several times. I also loved how it ended, with Catwoman in the midst of her transition from villain to hero on account of her affection for Batman. I would have put the origin of Two Face as the second best episode (no pun intended). As you correctly pointed out, there was so much about his downfall that made his character so tragic. My biggest complaint about the Dark Knight films was that they didn't give him enough time to be Harvey Dent like BTAS did. They should have introduced him in one movie and then not turned him into Two Face until the next one. And while the Dark Knight's version of his transformation was cool, it was still not nearly as good as this one, with his history of dual personalities and the evil one finally becoming dominant after his accident. I really wish that BTAS had provided some closure for Two Face, either by his death or by Batman curing him. That almost happened once. As for my own list, I'd definitely add I Am The Night. For those of you who don't know, in that one Commissioner Gordon gets seriously wounded during a drug bust which Batman was supposed to help with, but Batman was late getting there because he went to Crime Alley first to lay roses at his parents' death site. Batman then gets deeply depressed because Jim Gordon, who he has really come to see as a father figure, is dying and he once again feels the guilt he felt as a child for not saving his parents. He seriously begins questioning whether he's actually accomplished anything as Batman and whether he should just quit before someone else close him gets hurt or killed. For a minute there, he might have even been contemplating suicide. In the end he shakes it off and Gordon recovers, but still really deep stuff. Love it!
I Am The Night has always been a favorite episode of mine as well. It surprises me how much this episode is overlooked in series rankings. There are so many great choices in this series in all fairness though.
My personal favourite episode so far is "The Man Who Killed Batman" Mostly because it really works as a general what-if story. And the Squid character really works as a victim as misfortune. Finally, the ending is a perfect way to conclude the story.
Massive Spoilers for Almost Got Him below: Watching it again knowing that Killer Croc is actually Batman himself in disguise, what he chooses to do for his "almost got him" story is brilliant and really shows off his impromptu acting skills. Delivering the story in such a way that requires no details, barely any time, and plays off the stupidity of his guise so that the other villains just completely think nothing of it and move on right away. And he doesn't wait for his turn, he wants to get it out of the way asap.
Great list! One of my favorites is "House & Garden". Specially Poison Ivy's ending and Batman closing line about her: "For what is worth, I believed her when she told me that for the first time in her life she was happy".
That one is pretty good. But honestly my favourite is "It's Never Too Late". It's a very simple story, no supervillain in it... But when I rewatched it as an adult, it really hit me with how serious and heavy this show can become sometimes. There is no humour in this one, so people may overlook it, but it's worth the watch.
My favorite episode was Robins Reckoning. To me it made Robin more than a kid who tags along with Batman sometimes. Christmas with the Joker was great too
I agree completely and what made Robin's Reckoning just above and beyond for me was the animation. It was so detailed at times with like amazing lighting and character work it was fantastic.
yea all the episode was amazing, the voices, the voice of young Robin damn thas was adorable , and when batman told him" I don't if the pain will ever go away,but it will come better"
Perchance to dream is a half-hour long lucid dream. It's basically about someone having suspicions that something is amiss, and as the evidence mounts he becomes lucid while never really taking control of his dream, but the progression to his becoming conscient of being in a dream is typical of how lucid dreams go. Even the newspaper scene makes sense in that regard, reading in dreams is hard because things shift constantly including letters, and the lettering trailing off into chaos is also consistent with how dreams tend to be amorphous so one second you're reading a newspapce and the next you're thrust into something chaotic.
For all the love and nostalgia Doug has for the batman the animated series, he's never talked about its spinoff/squeal, batman beyond ! personally, it's one of my favorite dc animated series
Worst BTAS episode: Batman in my Basement. Of all ways to introduce the Penguin, and you square him off against four KIDS and an unconscious, incompetent Batman... Gripping. Truly gripping.
I know, right? Because verbal spoilers and footage spoilers are apparently one and the same. And in this case, actions speak louder than words. The Nostalgia Critic must've been clueless not to have noticed this mixup.
Apparently Joel Schumacher was planning to do a fifth 'Batman' where Nicolas Cage played the Scarecrow and used to his fear toxins on Bruce to make him hallucinate seeing his past enemies of the previous films. Harley Quinn, revealed to be the Joker's daughter, would also get revenge on Batman for killing her father. Jack Nicholson would have returned as the Joker since he was still under contract. I would have really liked to see Batman facing his former adversaries. It's too bad Batman & Robin was such a fail.
"Over The Edge" gave me nightmares as a kid. Like reoccurring nightmares where I was Batman living through that over and over again with this feeling of dread and helplessness because it kept happening. God that sucked...
U should've brought up the fact that the Grey Ghost's goggles were used by Bruce in Batman Beyond to hide his identity when Inque enters the batcave lol. I always loved that little treat!
The DCAU and DCEU use different versions of the characters though. The DCAU meshes all different versions together, where DCEU specifically uses the late 80s versions. Like Man of Steel was actually very in line with the post-crisis "Man of Steel" series. A true fan would accept all versions of these characters.
I go to this video to watch it after hearing the news today and the video happens to start up just as Joker is giving the eulogy for batman. What are the odds
Aww, you missed the most soul-wrenching line of The Gray Ghost: "So it wasn't all for nothing?" Made me bawl as a kid, REALLY makes me bawl as an adult. Rest in peace, Mr. West.
I think, for not having used the same guy in the Arkham games, those had perhaps an even better voice for Freeze. Maurice LeMarche (the voice of the Brain) plays him, and his dulcetly resentful voice combined with the extremely good adaption of the Shakespearean tragedy aspect of the character makes for, in my opinion, at the very least as good of a Mr. Freeze as in Batman: TAS. They even include his habit of making sophisticated tragic monologues, and like the series they did it in a way that doesn't go overboard and tugs at your heartstrings. At the end of the day, all things (including the story-lines of Subzero and the wrap-up from Batman Beyond) considered, the animated incarnation of Mr. Freeze is always going to be a tough act to follow.
Oh My God I loved the episode where Bruce Wayne lost his memory and Alfred had to save him after he got locked in a prison in disguised as a homeless man its just awesome
I just love that one moment in "Almost Got'm" where everyone is just incredibly shocked out Joker's revenge on Catwoman by literally turning her into cat food. We all know what they were all thinking when Joker said that: "That poor woman."
2:38.; Notice the poster of The Grey Ghost in the background?... That same picture would later be used over the end credits, but, with Batman in place of The Grey Ghost.
The _Mad Love_ episode couldn’t be done today. Despite the context of the imagery and the power of the story, there’d be a TwitMob piling on until it got banned. It wouldn’t even be up for discussion.
All the more reason to go for it, especially if you know this could turn out to be something good. Sometimes it’s a lot better to take risks than to play it safe.
Honestly the saddest thing about that episode is people genuinely say Harley and the Joker are "couple goals" when it's literally written to be an abusive relationship.
The problem with Suicide Squad was that DC was trying to do Guardians of the Galaxy with Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and some gangster that can shoot fire from his hands.
+Huy Bii yeah they keep the seduction/manipulation from the joker which is fine. But her transformation feels worse cause now she's permanently changed by the acid. In her animated debut it's just makeup she can still be her own woman without being linked to the joker like that. If she changed her outfit after leaving the joker and being part of the suicide squad or the Gotham city sirens that would've been more impactful. Now she's scarred and will always be linked to an abusive relationship that doesn't define her.
Christmas With the Joker is fine, but I wouldnt say its one of the BEST episodes. Its really more a story you'd see in the Batman comics made in the 60s. I mean, Joker going through all that trouble just to get Batman to get a pie shoved in his face? Thats Adam West all over
You know what sad little thing I just realized about the Grey Ghost Shrine Batman has? That's probably the ONLY happy thing he actually remembers. I mean how much shit do we really remember at the age Bruce was when his parents were killed.
"The forgotten" was one of my favorites because it took a different approach, it was a shot back to the old prison movies of the 1940's but with batman only appears towards the end.
My favorites are while on the list I think their good episodes. Soul Of Silcon Moon of The Wolf( Good Halloween Episode ) See No evil The Underdwellers ( We see batman care about children in this one) Lockup Pretty Poison The laughing Fish "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" "I Am the Night "Trial" Make 'Em Laugh
