"I Am the Night" Rewatch: "Fear of Victory" and "The Clock King"

Batman: The Animated Series

This is another post where I don't really have anything deep and profound to say. I will say that we are reaching the end of the first volume of B: TAS DVD's, so that is pretty exciting. I also want to thank everyone for taking time out to read these. It means a lot and I hope you're enjoying them. Here we go.

The Scarecrow returns... with a gambling problem?

Strange things are happening to the athletes in Gotham City. The best and brightest in their respective sports are suffering inexplainable panic attacks at the worst possible moments causing them to lose important matches/games. After receiving a mysterious telegram, Dick Grayson's roommate and star Gotham University quarterback, Brian Rogers, is the next victim. On patrol, Robin discusses this with Batman and both agree something is rotten in the state of Gotham. This becomes even more apparent when Robin himself has a panic attack involving a fear of heights that almost gets he and Batman creamed by a pair of garden variety thieves. Can the Dynamic Duo find out the source of these attacks and thwart them?

My, what big eyes you have.

The first Scarecrow episode I was kind of lukewarm on. I felt that it squandered the premise and things wrapped up a little too conveniently and a little too quickly. Scarecrow's second appearance is much better. 

First off, the character design is way better. Scarecrow's look in his debut episode was really lazy. It looked like I could have drawn it and I have zero artistic talent. I love the details they added to him this time around. The straw hair. The beady eyes. The jutting jaw and the gross bottom teeth. It all comes together to make something that is legitimately frightening and it is a great reveal midway through the episode. I'm glad they stuck with this design for the remainder of the series.

It's great to have Robin back and part of the action. When Batman and Robin are facing off against the thieves and they are dropping stones and gargoyles on them is really suspenseful. You know they will get out of it, but there is that sliver of doubt which is always great. Batman is kind of a dick to Robin when he is under the influence of Scarecrow's toxin. Joking about "driving real slow," but at times he can be super reassuring. I think this is just an example of the mind games that Batman plays with Robin to keep him subservient.

There are lots of great touches throughout the episode. The old school "leatherhead" football helmets. The various villain cameos when Batman and Robin go to Arkham Asylum to see if Scarecrow is still there. Robin is the one that figures out that Scarecrow has dosed the helmet and overcomes his fear just in time to catch the vial that would have dosed the stadium and sent it into chaos.

All-in-all, the Scarecrow gets the redemption he deserves in this episode and he even allows Robin some time to shine. Not too shabby.

Grade: B+

"I'm here to clean your clock, Fugate."

Seven years ago, anal retentive, tightly wound, efficiency expert, Temple Fugate had a chat with then lawyer, Hamilton Hill. Fugate is stressed because later that day he has to head to court for an appeal in regards to a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his company. Hill suggests that disrupting your routine a little can be helpful and that Fugate should take his coffee break 15 minutes later than his scheduled time. Fugate takes this advice and after a series of misfortunes, Fugate is late to the hearing, loses the appeal, his company and his sanity. In the present, Hamilton Hill is now Mayor Hill of Gotham City is running for re-election and Fugate has morphed into the Clock King, intent on taking his revenge on Hill who he blames for the loss of his company. It's up to Batman stop Fugate and save Hill's campaign and his life.

Yo-yos be dangerous... yo.

The Clock King was initially a Green Arrow villain that became a Batman Rogue (thanks Wikipedia!). I'm more familiar with him from the 1960's "Batman" series. He was ridiculous. A portly dude who wore a top hat and a cap with pocket watches glued to him. He was definitely played for laughs a little more than your average villain. I remember as a 10 year old being super surprised that The Clock King was getting his own B: TAS episode. After watching, I was happy he did.

Don't get me wrong. Fugate is initially played for laughs. The sequence of events that leads him to be late is pure slapstick, the papers blowing away, falling into the fountain. The mania of his court appearance. Even the initial attack on Hill's competence and the defaced campaign posters are played mostly for laughs. 

The show quickly ups the ante and begins to portray Clock King in a much more dangerous light. His plan to sabotage Hill's automated subway cars could have led to countless deaths and his plan to crush Hill between the hands of the Gotham City Clocktower when they strike 3:15 is both poetic and gruesome. Fugate is also a match for Batman. It's obvious that he couldn't take the Dark Knight in a fist fight but Fugate doesn't plan to. Instead using gadgets, agility and some mad fencing skills to keep Batman on his toes. 

This is a great example of the B: TAS writers, David Wise in this episode, taking a villain that had become a joke and reforming him into a credible threat for Batman.

Grade: A-

Two really great episodes that I think play really well off each other when watched back to back. A great showcase episode for a classic villain and a showcase for a villain who had been written off. What did you guys think? Let me know in the comments.

Next up, a return to Crime Alley and a visit to Wonderland.