Batman "The Last Laugh" Review

The Batman character has been in alot of animated shows and movies for many decades with Batman: The Animated Series being without a shadow of a doubt his most famous animated outing. With the caped crusader due to return in animated form this Thursday in Amazon Primes Batman: Caped Crusader now was the absolutely right time to take another look at an episode from this truly wonderful show and so then join me as I review that see's Alfred fight for his sanity with the episode in question being called simply just "The Last Laugh" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when The Joker gases most of Gotham in his Joker gas it's up to Batman to stop the clown prince of crime before it's far to late. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad but that's also the problem as the plot of this episode wasn't all that good either with the plot of this episode being best described as being OK at best which is of no fault of the makers of show as there's no way that you could make a plot this ridiculous that good and to this episodes credit it knows that it's not a good episode and really leans into it but at the same from this show you do expect better plots and not plots that feel like that they belong im a show that's made with little kids in mind with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is voice acting legend Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Star Wars and voice acting legend Mark Hamill as Joker. Also starring in this episode is Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth , Bob Hastings as A Driver and Joker's Unnamed Henchman , Mari Devon as Summer Gleeson Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles legend Pat Fraley as Jest and Richard Moll as The Batcomputer.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. Which is something that really isn't new for this show as this show has always had some really good acting in it but at the same time the acting that's in this episode isn't really as good as the acting that's in other episodes from this show as while yes the actors that are in this episode do indeed turn in some solid performances they don't turn as good of a performance that we the audience really know that they can do and the episode does suffer because of it of how OK at best that this episodes acting really is with the acting not really being helped by the episodes script as this episodes script really doesn't give the actors in this episode alot of work with interms of what it is that there respective characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does hurt the overall quality of the acting that's in this episode.

Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the greats that are currently over at Akom Production CO.. Now then interms of what I personally thought  felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us un this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good and was more then up to the already high standard of animation that this show already has with this episodes animation being one of the best things about this episode as that's just how good this episodes animation is with the episode having some really good looking backgrounds that really do look like a piece of art as they look that really good with all of the characters in this episode also having some really good looking and fluid movements to them as well and as a result of that is the fact that the animation in this episode really does look like that it belongs in a feature length film as it looks really that good and more then holds up all of these later and is better then alot of modern animation that we get in TV shows today.

This episode straight up does a plot line that was copied poorly by the dreadful Batman & Robin as in this episode Alfred accidently gets hit with some of The Joker's gas and the Batman has to save him. Where as in Batman & Robin Alfred just so happens to have the same illness that killed Mr. Freezes wife and Batman has to save him before he dies this plot line is done so much better in this episode as it's something that's done completely by accident as there's no way that The Joker would have known that Alfred was there cleaning in the first place when he just could have been going after Bruce Wayne where in Batman & Robin it feels a bit contrived that Alfred just so happens to have this illness that was never mentioned nor even hinted at before now and it just so happens to be the exact same one that that films villain's wife had which just seems to much like a coincidence where as here it does seem like a genuine accident and where as this film mostly plays it laughs which does work for this episode Batman & Robin has it tie into the fact that Alfred is a father figure to Bruce Wayne which is a solid way to do a plot line like this.

This is more of a light hearted episode which does make sense given that the main theme of this episode is Batman learning to take a joke and smile and the fact that this episode is set on April Fools Day. With this episode really taking full advantage of the fact that it's more of a lighthearted episode with both Bruce and Alfred cracking jokes at points in the episode and while this does make alot of sense given when this episode is set it does feel out of place as while out of this episode and the christmas themed episode "Christmas With The Joker" this one was the first one to make it to air and while having a more lighthearted episode like this one does indeed work given that this was still very early on in the shows run given that it was the fourteenth episode to be produced and fifteenth episode to air it does seem odd that the makers of this show would go for a more lighter episode when they still have forty other episodes to make up it's first season and as a result of that is the fact that this episode should have been further on down in the airing order just to allow this version of the caped crusader to become more fully established and while the episode does have some decent jokes in it with Batman smiling at the thought of killing off The Joker for good being a painfully funny joke it's still something that doesn't really save this episode.

The Joker in this episode really was the true star of this episode as he rather rightfully does have a funny crime that is only funny to him. With the idea of making everyone laugh until there driven insane is only something thar he would do and it's only something that only he would find funny and because of that is the fact that he does come across as being all the more creepy because of it as now he has this weapon that has no known cure to it and is just there just to give him a laugh and to cause who ever he is using it on pain and misery with this episode really being helped by the fact that The Joker doesn't have an end goal and while this would usually be a bad thing in this episode and for this character it is something that really does work as in "The Dark Knight" The Joker himself states that he's just a dog chasing a car he and that he wouldn't know what to di if he caught it and it's the same thing here as really all he's doing is causing chaos really just for the sake of causing chaos and while yes there is something about the stock market going down the drain because of The Joker's action while The Joker himself really does nothing with that knowledge as he really just stands there and smiles as chaos unfolds on the streets of Gotham and all around him.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty two minuets and thirty one seconds. Which is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this show and to this episodes credit this episode really does have the right amount of plot to really cover that amount of running time and while this episode doesn't take as full advantage of that running time as we don't get to see how Alfred getting infected with the laughing gas affects Bruce Wayne which would have been interesting to see which is something that Batman & Robin really does get quite alot of credit for doing it is understandable why they didn't go down that route in this episode as the episode doesn't have alot there interms of running time in the first place and as a result of that is really something like showing Bruce Wayne react in someway to the possibility of losing his father figure really wouldn't be included in the final cut of the episode as it adds nothing to the overall plot of the episode and would have felt like filler in the grand scheme of things and yet by removing a scene like that the episode also oddly feels incomplete like there's just something missing that really would have made the episode feel better then what it actually was but I will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is an action show that means that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. However that's also the problem as this action that's in this episode isn't all that good either with this mainly due to the fact that the episode is alot more light hearted in more lighter in tone and as result of that is the fact that the episode really can't deliver all of the top notch action that the show really does usually deliver with the only tense moment in this episode action wise being one Batman swings over some fire to get to The Joker on the other side side and that's really it and while there are some good fights in this episode that all just lack that extra something that keeps them from being truly great fight scenes with them coming across as being rather watered down action scenes due to the episode more lighter tone and not something that's consistent with the rest of the show in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Overall while this isn't the shows best episode mostly due to the episode more lighter tone it does also have some really good aspects going for it like The Joker being really true to his character for example but those good things don't stop the episode from being nothing more then a really average episode at best in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode that are in this very episode and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in his very review from the official Batman: Caped Crusader fandom wiki page , the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from these very episodes that I used in this very review being the really great the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from these very episodes and are really of course on the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Batman "Harlequinade" Review

 

I've been reviewing episodes of Batman: the Animated Series for a while and all of the episodes that i've covered have been very serious episodes. Well i've finally found that's a bit more comedic in tone which is very fitting given the episodes main character and it might also be the inspiration for the Batman And Harley Quinn movie as well and so then join me as I review that really is alot funnier then what it really had any right to be with the episode in question being called simply just "Harlequinade" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when The Joker decides to blow up Gotham using a nuclear bomb Batman and Robin have to team with Harley Quinn to find out where The Joker is hiding out. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very review well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good and was also really entertaining and engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is the late Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Loren Lester as Richard Grayson / Robin. Also starring in this episode is Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon , The Twilight Zone star Lloyd Bochner as Mayor Hamilton Hill, Star Wars and voice acting legend Mark Hamill as The Joker , Arleen Sorkin as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn , Dick Miller as Boxy Bennett and Neil Ross as The Dealer.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that he actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. Which for this show isn't all that surprising but what is surprising is the fact that Kevin Conroy can pull a more comedic Batman as well as the more serious version of his Batman and still turn in a really good peformance.

Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the greats that are currently over at Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good which again for this show really isn't all that new with the characters having some really nice and fluid movements to them and the backgrounds looking really great as well.

As I said at the start of this review this episode is alot more comedic then previous episodes of this show. Alot of that comes down to the fact that we are seeing Batman and Robin teaming up with Harley Quinn which gives us a great dynamic as we get to see both Batman and Robin play the straight man to Harley Quinn's funny man and that is something that works as it allows our heroes to be their usual selves and it allows the episode to really get alot more comedy just out of it's set up and it's premise alone.

While this is a really good episode there are some things that I really didn't like in this episode like the fact that Harley sings a song which is a funny song but it adds nothing to the overall plot of the episode. I also didn't like that this films more comedic tone clashes with the seriousness of The Joker's plan to kill to millions of people and as such I really do think that the makers of this show should have just stuck with one tone instead of having two that clash which only serves to create tonal whiplash for us the audince. 

This episode does show us something that I really did love and that's the fact that we get to see Harley Quinn herself go to some really dark places mentally. With the character even threatening to and almost killing The Joker with her only being stopped by the fact that she was using a fake gun but it's just that one action alone that goes to show you that the Harley Quinn who has a PHD and was a good person is still in their and will only come out when she's pushed to her limits and heck even seeing her realise that The Joker might not be good for her is a pretty dark and heartbreaking scene.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty two minuets and thirteen seconds. Which for an episode that's as comedic as this one is is the perfect amount of running time to have but I will admit that this episode doesn't have alot their interms of either plot and story with some of the early scenes between Batman and Harley Quinn just feeling like that there on repeat which is a shame because this episode really does have some really good pacing to it with this episode really just flying right on by.

So now then this is an action show and that means that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. With the action in this episode being very minimal at best and what action we do get is fairly solid but apart from the final fight the action in this episode is very repetitive at best in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this was a solid episode and was hugely entertaining with this episode being one that I would not only highly recommend to fans of Harley Quinn but also to fans of this show as well because it really is that good of an episode in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that means that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page ad Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from the actual film that I personally used in this very review being the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom page simply because of the fact that all of the images that are from this actual / very episode and that I personally found that are all currently up and on Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page are all very really fairly high in quality and as well as all of the images also being very really fairly high definition.

Batman "Joker's Favor" Review

 

Ladies and gents it's been about two maybe three months since I last talked about an episdoe from the classic animated series Batman: The Animated Series. It's also been about a month since I last talked about anything featuring the character of Harley Quinn as such I thought that i'd take a look at a very important episode for the Harley Quinn character because without this episode there would be no Harley Quinn and so here is my revuew of the first ever episode to feature Harley Quinn "Joker's Favor" which as i've mentioned is from the classic Batman animated series called Batman: The Animated Series. enjoy the review everyone because trust me this is a good episode.

The plot of the episode is that Charlie Collins a normal everyday guy cusses out The Joker and when The Joker threatnes to kill Charlie Charlie then says he will do The Joker a favour and a few years later The Joker has come to collect on that favour which Batman must stop before something deadly happens. Plot wise the episode isn't the strongest since the plot is at best fairly average but with that being said the story itself is still so good and it's so much fun seeing this rather odd story play out on screen.

Starring in the episode is Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon. Also starring in the episode is Robert Costanzo as Harvey Bullock , Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Alfred , The Always Great Mark Hamill as The Joker , Ed Begley Jr. as Charlie Collins and Arleen Sorkin as The And Only Harley Quinn. There really aren't that many actors in this episode infact every actor that i've listed in this review are the only actors that appear in this episode.

As for what I thought about the acting in the episode it should really come as no surprise to anyone who has seen any of my previews review on Batman: The Animated Series that I think the acting in this episode is so freaking good. All of the actors in this episode do such a good job portraying there respective characters even Arleen Sorkin who has basiucally had to create the sound for Harley Quinn does such a good portraying her even tho Harley Quinn isn't on screen for a very long time.

The animation for this episode was done by Dong Yang Animation Co., Ltd. and I have no idea who they are or what they've worked on for that matter. Which is a shame because like alot of the episode in Batman: The Animated Series the animation is fo freaking good i'm not going to say that it's the best animation that's in this series but it's not the worst either it does enough to leave an impression on you and nothing more which for me is a good thing.

Like I said before this episode marks the first appearence in any media for one Harley Quinn which means without this episode we wouldn't have all the Harley Quinn stories that we love , Margot Robbie wouldn't be playing Harley Quinn in any DC Extended Universe films and the Harley Quinn animated TV show wouldn't be a thing. So if you love Harley Quinn then you owe thanks to this episode and Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for creating her.

In a rather odd move Batman isnt this episode alot despite the show bareing his name infact he only appears in the third act of the episode and even then he isn't on screen very much. In fact alot of the episdoe is spent with either The Joker (Mark Hamill) or with his unwilling accomplice Charlie Collins (Ed Begley Jr.) as such the episode becomes more of a dark comedy as we see Charlie struggle to deal with The Joker's own form of dark jokes which to me makes the episode more interesting since if Batman was in this episode alot more then it would feel like just another episode of Batman: The Animated Series this way the episode gets to do something new and something different with it's characters whilst at the same time still being a comic book animated TV show.

Despite this episode being the debut story for Harley Quinn (Arless Sorkin) just like with Batman (Kevin COnroy) she's actually not featured in the episode that much. Infact she's only on screen in a very small handful of scenes and yet at the same time she's leaves a lasting impact which just goes to show that this character was born to be one of the best things to come from Batman: The Animated Series or at least I think so anyways.

Hell in this episode instead of being treated like a co-villain with The Joker she's instead treated more like henchmen / henchwoman and not one that's high up in the ranks either. This just goes to show you how far the writers would later develop this character since she goes on to become the main love interest of The Joker as well as well being one of Batman's more unoredictable foes and all of this started because of this one story.

Now then for me at least one of the more interesting parts of the episode is the fact that near the end of the episode we see our boy Charlie threaten to kill The Joker using one of his bombs. Of course the bomb is filled with confetti but just that idea alone the idea that one mad when he's finally had enough is willing to sink to the same depths as The Joker to me says that anyone can become someone like The Joker when they've finally had enough and they finally snap.

Now then since this is an action show and there is action in this episode that does mean that I have to talk about the action that's in the episode itself. Which sadly like the plot is one of the episodes more weaker elements since there isn't that much action in this episode with the only action set peiece taking place near the end of the episode that ending action set peiece is mostly played for laughs and as such any drama that could have been built up is now lost but it is still pretty entertaining action tho which is for me at least a good if not great thing.

Overall this was a really good episode and is honestly a pretty solid debut episode for Harley Quinn since she is really entertaining in this episode. That being said in terms of the show this isn't the strongest of episodes i've covered the reasons as to why I think that this episode isn't that strong in many ways but at the same time if your a die hard Harley Quinn fan be it from whatever piece of media you've seen the character in then this episdoe is a must watch as for what rating I give the episode it gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me.

All of the images that I used in this review were gathered from either the official Batman fandom wiki page , the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page or the official DC Extended Universe fandom wiki page. For once I cannot say were it's best to get omages from this episode from just because even tho the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page has a lot verity of images there not all high definition but the poster which I got from the official Batman fandom wiki page is very high deifnition so I  say use whichever website you want to use for images from either Batman: The Animated Series or this episode which as said before is called Joker's Favor. 

Batman "Pretty Poison" Review

 

Batman fans it's been nearly two months since I last talked about anything from the classic Batman: The Animated Series. Well I thought that i'd rectify that by taking a look at another episode from the show but choosing just one episode from a see a solid episodes was a hard choice and so I chose an episode that I honestly have not seen and after watching it i'm kicking myself because such a good episode and so here is my review of the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Pretty Poison" enjoy.

The plot of the episode is after Harvey Dent is poisoned while in a date Batman has to find out who the culprit is and why they did it. I will say that even tho I had this originally written this part of the review to not include who the culprit is it quickly came to me that it would to hard to do the review with all the images and the cast list which have the character listed but I will say that the plot of the episode is so freaking good that you should watch it anyways.

Starring in the episode is the great and only voice of Batman in my opinion Kevin Conroy as Batman / Bruce Wayne and Richard Moll as Harvey Dent. Also starring in the episode Richard Moll as Harvey Dent , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth , Diane Pershing as Poison Ivy / Pamela Lillian Isley , Ingrid Oliu as Officer Renée Montoya , Lloyd Bochner as Mayor Hamilton Hill , Robert Costanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock and Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon.

As to be expected from this show the acting in the episode is top freaking notch which is something that I wouldn't usually say but for this show it really does deserve it. All of the actors in this episode do such a good job and it helps that the script for the episode is so good with all of the characters having alot of personality and so all the actors have to do is just say the lines and they'd have a great performance , I honestly can never praise the acting in this series enough because it really is so freaking good it's in my opinion the best acted as well as best written Batman show animated or not that's out there that's how good it all is.

Now then boys and girls this series had a different animation studio working on each episode as such the animation for this episode was done by Sunrise. I don't think that this needs saying but i'm going to say it anyway the animation in this episode is so freaking good every background and every character movement leaps of the screen it really does go to show that Warner Bros threw alot of money at this show.

Speaking of the backgrounds I freaking love them not only in this episode but in the show as a whole simply because they add to the atmosphere of the show. This show is filled with tension in every scene and the backgrounds help with that because how gothic they look to out it bluntly the backgrounds in this show could almost be seen as works of art they are that good and that stunning to look at and i'm surprised that people haven't talked much about them.

In case you couldn't tell by the episodes name or the fact that I listed the character when listing the actors but the main villain of this episode is one Poison Ivy. Yeah I really liked how they did her in this episode they made her out to be this femme fatale type of character with her using her charms to get exactly what she wants and that to me is perfect for the character of Poison Ivy since she is someone who hates the race f men for what there doing to the earth and so she would have no issue with using her charm to lure her male suitors to there death if need be.

This episode I believe is one of many that let's us get to truly know the character of Harvey Dent as played by Richard Moll. I honestly believe that letting us get to know Harvey before he becomes Two-Face is such a smart move because the origins of Two-Face is a tragic one and you can only really feel that tragedy when you've really gotten to know the man behind the monster as such this honestly works because when doe does eventually become the villain we really do feel it because we've had all of this time to get to know him.

Now sadly this episode isn't perfect because it does fail on a few things the first of which being the most important thing for any batman product and that's the mystery. This isn't really a fault of the episode itself but the name of the episode gives away who did it and so there's no more mystery because we know who did it and so all we have to do is find out the why and it also means that we are ahead of the main character which should never be the case at all in my opinion.

The other thing that I thought the episode did wrong was the fact that this was a single parter to me this episode would have had much more of an impact if it was at least two episodes. This way you could have that cliffhanger of if Harvey is going to make it out alive or not , doing this in one episode means that any suspense that you could build up you now can't because it has to be resolved in twenty two minuets.

Now then since this is an action show and there is some action in this episode that does mean that we have to talk about the action that's in this episode. I honestly feel that the action this episode while it was indeed pretty good that's all it was which for a series as good as this is not a good thing whatsoever and the fact that there's very little action to me just makes a great episode feel boring because we already know who the culprit is and so there's nothing that interesting to keep us watching the episode in my opinion.

Overall like I said this is a well written episode which shouldn't come as a shock since the writer of this episode Tom Ruegger also created and wrote Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures. That being said the episode does have it's fair share of problems all of which keep the episode from being as good as we know this series can be but with that said this is still an rather enjoyable episode as such it gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.

All images used in this review were gathered from either the official Batman fandom wiki page or the official Batman: The Animated Series fandom wiki page. I'll admit I wasn't expecting these images to be anywhere close to high definition and apart from the poster which is very HD I got exactly what I expected as such I cannot recommend either website because the quality of the images is the about the same on either one.