"I Am the Night" Rewatch: "What Is Reality?" and "I Am the Night"

Batman: The Animated Series

Oh my gosh you guys. I have been slacking. Things have been crazy the past couple of weeks. I'm ready to jump back into this. Here we go.

Riddles are popping up all over Gotham City. That can only mean one thing. Edward Nygma is back in town and he's trying to erase all traces of his life from the city's computers. Nygma can't leave Gotham without proving once and for all that he is the superior mind. When he traps Commissioner Gordon in a virtual reality game it's up to Batman and Robin to save Gordon and best the Riddler for good.

Lemmings... er... Nygma-ings?

"What is Reality?" feels a continuation of "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" I mean that in the best way. One of the things I love about these Riddler focused episodes is how smart they are. Batman's intelligence is one of his key traits and it's really been showcased in both of The Riddler's episodes. It's always nice to see the Dark Knight use more than just his fits.

Another thing I enjoyed about both Riddler episodes is that it really highlights the partnership between Batman and Robin. Sometimes it feels like Robin is still the fresh faced kid who has no experience which rings a little false. Robin is in college. He should be on more of an equal playing field with Batman and in these episodes it definitely feels that way. When Batman goes into the VR machine to save Gordon he trusts Robin to guide him and it feels like a maturation of their relationship we haven't really seen in the show so far.

The visuals in the episode are top notch, much like the first Riddler episode. In particular, I loved Batman in an actual knight costume. The ending is another nice melancholy B: TAS ending with Riddler basically catatonic after overextending himself in the VR. 

Even though it hit a lot of similar beats as his first episode, Riddler's second appearance in B: TAS is a winner.

Grade: B+

It is once again the anniversary of the death of the Waynes. During his yearly visit to Crime Alley with Leslie Thompkins, Batman is feeling extra melancholy. That feeling intensifies when he is late for a stakeout and a criminal who calls himself the Jazzman shoots and seriously wounds Gordon before he is apprehended. Batman seriously considers hanging up the cape and cowl for good. Will Batman be able to pull himself out of his funk and stop an escaped Jazzman from finishing what he started?

Sad Bat

This episode tries to be a lot. It is meant to be maybe the most serious episode that the show has done yet. There are a lot of heavy themes. Gordon is shot for God's sake. That is a lot to handle, especially for kids. The show definitely has what it takes to pull something like that off, but for me, it just doesn't work for me. 

It all just feels a bit contrived. From the moment that Batman reads the paper and finds out about Penguin getting off, you kind of know where it's going to go and nothing about this story feels unique or different from what we've seen before. The episode tries to bring the murder of the Waynes in as part of Batman's existential crisis, but since we've seen this scene with Batman and Leslie at least once before, it sort of robs it of any emotional weight it might have had.

The episode works a little better once Gordon is shot. It introduces real stakes and something we haven't seen before. I would have to do some research but I don't recall ever seeing or reading a story where this happens before this episode, so that is something. Again, it's Batman's reactions that really cock things up.  His meltdown in the cave and Dick's pep talk all come off as super contrived due to the ham fisted, overwrought dialogue.

The Jazzman is kind of a lame villain. He doesn't come off as a huge threat and I get the impression the episode gave Batman this emotional crisis to make the Jazzman feel like a more credible threat.

I don't want to come off like I despise the episode because I don't. I'm more indifferent to it. I don't want to undersell how intense the episode is, especially for an animated series aimed at children. It's great to see the show take risks like this and one of the things I enjoyed the most was Barbara's role. She is the dutiful daughter, but there is also some great foreshadowing for her eventual taking up of the Batgirl mantle.

Overall, I applaud the effort, but hope for a little more if the show goes in this direction again in the future.

Grade: C+

Next time, Batman meets Talia Al Ghul and tries to not barf on Count Vertigo and Joker's annoyed a small-time hood was able to do the thing he wasn't: kill Batman.

Again, I'm sorry for the lack of posting the last couple of weeks. I'm planning on getting back onto a normal schedule. I hope you guys enjoyed and as always, I'd love to hear your comments!