Batman Power Hour Companion: Act 6

You're almost there! It's the home stretch: the last ten minutes of my Batman: The Animated Series Video Power Hour! Get ready for some action-packed clips, the introduction of a few new heroes and villains, and one very special minute that holds a special place in my heart.


Clip 51: Trial
Air: 69 (May 16, 1994)
DVD: 203

In a scene that's straight out of Batman's worst fear-toxin induced nightmares, our hero has been captured by a group of his most fearsome adversaries and is being forced to stand trial for acting as the catalyst that led to the creation of his supervillain enemies. It's an interesting philosophical quandary that seems to haunt Batman through all his adventures. Two-Face's opening statement is enough to set the scene, but in the rest of the episode, the arguments posed by Batman's defender - Gotham City's post-Harvey Dent D.A. Janet Van Dorn - are compelling enough for the jury of Arkham inmates to arrive at a "Not Guilty" verdict. Not surprisingly, the criminals go back on their word and plan to carry out the Dark Knight's execution regardless. If you want to find out how he escapes, this episode can be found on Volume 3 of the DVD collection.


Clip 52: Beware the Gray Ghost
Air: 32 (November 4, 1992)
DVD: 118

Recognize the voice of Batman's scene partner in this clip? It's Adam West, the actor who portrayed the Caped Crusader in the iconic campy 60s film and TV show. In a meta-moment, West guest stars as washed up actor Simon Trent, whose claim to fame was playing the Gray Ghost, a TV superhero that young Bruce Wayne used to watch with his father as a child. When a nefarious fanboy starts modeling his crimes on the long-lost plots of the show, Trent is the only person Batman can turn to for help. After some initial trepidation (illustrated in this clip), the actor agrees to don his old costume one last time to help Batman catch the "Mad Bomber" (voiced by Bruce Timm himself). It's a touching nod, not only to one of the bat-giants on whose shoulders this show stands, but also to the impact that masked crime fighters on television can have on our lives.


Clip 53: His Silicon Soul
Air: 43 (November 20, 1992)
DVD: 162

Remember the duplicants from back in Act 4? Well, it turns out the master computer secretly made one of Batman before being destroyed, and now the proverbial prodigal robot is coming home to roost. This episode rivals "What Is Reality?" for the most sci-fi influenced one of the series, forcing its characters and viewers alike to wrestle with some tough epistemological questions regarding the nature of humanity itself. For example, the M. Emmet Walsh voiced Karl Rossum makes the distinction between memories - and their emotional attachments - and knowledge - which can be implanted as data - and it's partly that realization that causes Robo-Bat to embrace his computer-creator's mission of replacing all humans with machines. In the thrilling finale, it's revealed that the Bat-duplicant was a more accurate copy of the original than even its creator imagined - after it mistakenly believes it had violated Batman's one rule by killing the original, its robo-conscience kicks in and it destroys itself.


Clip 54: The Clock King
Air: 14 (September 21, 1992)
DVD: 125

This is one of the earlier episodes in the series and the Clock King actually earns himself a second episode in season 2. But he's so gimmicky and utterly unknown in the Batman Universe that I relegated his lone appearance to the very end of the power hour. The Clock King also has one of the more wacky origin stories of any Batman villain: during his morning commute, efficiency expert Temple Fugate (like tempus fugit, see what they did there?) runs into a young Hamilton Hill who suggests he break his rigid routine in an effort to relieve stress. This deviation of course proves to be a disaster that leads to Fugate's financial ruin, and now years later, the newly-minted supervillain is out to take his revenge on the man who has become mayor of Gotham. During this minute of my first screening with an audience, two of the more devoted fans quoted along with this line:

Batman: Give it up, Fugate! Hill committed no crime against you!
Clock King: He did worse: he made me late!

Clip 55: Baby Doll
Air: 74 (October 1, 1994)
DVD: 211

In one of writer Paul Dini's more twisted creations we have Mary Dahl, a washed-up actress with a rare condition (termed systemic hypoplasia) that kept her from aging. In an effort to re-live her glory days as the lead in a successful sitcom, she captures her supporting cast in order to celebrate her birthday. This clip takes place during one of her kidnappings where the villainess tries to use her deceiving appearance to draw attention away from her nefarious plot. And she would have gotten away with it, too, if she had been able to resist dropping her trademark catchphrase from her show: "I didn't mean to!" I dare anyone to watch this episode all the way through and not find themselves repeating it unconsciously. I also dare anyone to watch Baby Doll's episode from The New Batman Adventures, where she sparks up a one-sided relationship with Killer Croc, and not feel sick to their stomachs afterwards...


Clip 56: Make 'Em Laugh
Air: 77 (November 5, 1994)
DVD: 218

This episode features without a doubt the most talented and handsome voice actor to ever guest star on the show: the indomitable Stuart Pankin! This clip is taken from the opening sequence, where a comically absurd Condiment King attempts to rob a high-end restaurant but is foiled by Batman. It's revealed that the Joker has stolen the Mad Hatter's mind control technology to brainwash three comedians (the Condiment King is actually TV comic Buddy Standler, who sadly doesn't have any lines beyond his encounter with the Dark Knight) for the sake of winning the annual Laff Off comedy competition. Ultimately the Joker ends up with the trophy... except he ends up with it stuck on his head while his pants are around his ankles. Looks like it's the witnesses of his failed heist who have the last laugh in this one.


Clip 57: Christmas With The Joker
Air: 38 (November 13, 1992)
DVD: 102

According to the DVD order, this was the second episode produced, which is a little hard to believe, given its campy nature as compared with the decidedly gritty pilot "On Leather Wings," and the presence of Robin, who doesn't appear again for another 20 episodes. The only compelling piece of evidence is that the voice of Alfred is done by Clive Revill, in one of the three episodes he did before being replaced by Efrem Zimbalist. It's a decidedly uneven episode, but of the stand out moments, I've included my two favorites in the power hour: the expertly arranged minor key version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite underscoring the fight with giant nutcrackers and the expertly timed pun delivered by Robin after Batman uses a baseball bat to fend off remote controlled Joker planes: "They don't call you Bat-man for nothing!"


Clip 58: The Forgotten
Air: 12 (September 17, 1992)
DVD: 126

In early versions of this power hour, this spot was occupied by a scene from "A Bullet for Bullock" showcasing the jazzy arrangement of the title theme that led to the episode's Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition. But then I realized that the hour was sorely lacking in Alfred screen time, so at the last second, I added in this scene of him flying the Batwing (or, rather, overseeing the Batwing's autopilot as it flies itself). This sleek and stylish version of the Batwing is one of my all time favorite vehicles in his arsenal, not least because of the memories associated with the Kenner action figure version I owned in my childhood. Although Bruce Wayne truly accomplished an amazing feat when he designed a computer with the ability to operate an aircraft with little to no input from a human pilot, I find it more impressive that he was able to give the computer the capacity for sarcasm.


Clips 59 and 60: The Demon's Quest, Part 2
Air: 58 (May 4, 1993)
DVD: 161

Remember Ra's al Ghul's episode back in Act 4? Well, we finally get to the thrilling conclusion, and to end the power hour, no less! We're now in Ra's's desert stronghold, where he's plotting to use a satellite to detonate a series of bombs placed in Lazarus Pits across the globe in order to bring the world closer to a state of nature. But none of that backstory is really important to enjoy the exciting Errol Flynn/Basil Rathbone-esque fight between the two shirtless adversaries that occurs in the power hour's penultimate minute. Between the clips, Batman disables the satellite and bests the original eco-terrorist, who ends up plummeting to his presumed doom into the Lazarus Pit he loves so well. With her father's plan foiled, poor Talia is left alone and directionless, prompting Batman to express his undying love with the third kiss he receives in this power hour, but the first that he willingly initiates. (Bonus points if you can name the other two.)

Tell me this image wouldn't be great on the cover of a comic book...

And, again, it wouldn't be a story about Ra's al Ghul without him dramatically rising from the dead, which explains the very last image of the power hour.

So there you have it: 60 minute(ish)-long clips that, in my estimation, best encapsulate the spirit of this show while also giving a loose chronology of the timeline that kicked off the DC Animated Universe. During the last week, the YouTube video has eclipsed 4,000 views, which makes me feel pretty good about my contribution to the spread of Batman-related knowledge and (hopefully) positive emotions as well. And as with all the content I present on this blog, I hope you all enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed putting it all together.