Batman: The Animated Series
There are a lot of great things about B: TAS. We've talked about a lot of them, but one thing I haven't mentioned is how it was willingly to use some of it's villains sparingly. Sure we get a lot of episodes with the Joker, but when a villain has a particularly impactful debut, the show isn't afraid to give that character some breathing room. A great example of this is Mr. Freeze. We are over fifty episodes in and he's only been seen once. The same can be said for Clayface. Well, it could be until the first episode we deal with in this blog post.
Clayface: "STELLA!"
Batman arrives in time to stop a man from robbing his own safe. But.. wait. It's Clayface! And he's literally falling apart. He has a plan to keep it together. Working with a doctor who was a medical consultant on some of his films, he robs Wayne Biomedical Labs, but Batman has other plans for his malleable malefactor.
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| Gross. |
This episode is successful for me because it embraces that. It leans all the way into Matt Hagen, whiny now deformed former actor. His tantrum when he catches Dr. Stella Bates watching his movies. The melodrama when Batman crashes their secret lab. It's all really great. It's great that Warner Bros. apparently exists in the B: TAS universe ad they distributed Matt Hagen's movies. The various movie references that are thrown in are perfect little easter eggs. I loved that Stella's last name was Bates and Batman casually tosses out that she used to own a motel, because of course she did. Clayface doing his best Stanley Kowalski. These references were most likely for the older people watching B: TAS and it's very much appreciated.
There is some great body horror. Clayface basically always falling apart. The splat sound effects. The climax where Clayface sucks Batman into his body and Batman tries to push himself out like some adult baby in a bat suit is so unsettling and so freaking awesome. Batman shooting Clayface in the head with his grappling gun?! The writers lean into this stuff that Batman can't normally do, but can with Clayface and it all works really, really well.
There are a couple of things that hold the episode back. Batman's reaction to helping Clayface. He says he wants to help him, but only on his own terms. Alfred is super judgmental when it comes to the women that Hagen used to date. Um... the ladies Master Bruce routinely takes out aren't scoring high on any IQ tests Alfie so maybe stop throwing those stones from your glass manor.
All in all though, a much better second outing for Clayface and even though he seeming dissolved int he river, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him again.
Grade: B+
Dr. Leslie Thompkins: [after Batman rescues her from a fall] "I thought I told you to take the day off!"
What happens when you're a crime boss who needs emergency heart surgery? Well, if you're Rupert Thorne you depend on your brother, Matthew, to do the job. Matthew had been doling out underworld medical advice ever since he lost his license following a brotherly bullet removal done outside the hospital. Rupert convinces "The Crime Doctor" to do the operation by holding the possibly of getting his license reinstated over his head. Matthew can't do it alone so he "enlists" the help of his old medical school classmate, Leslie Thomplins. Can an impaired Batman save loose end Leslie from being tied up after operation and help redeem Matthew, who was a friend of his father's?
There is a point in this episode where Batman finds a medical school yearbook with a photo of his father in it. The caption of the photo is 1907. He comments that was 40 years ago, which would mean that B: TAS takes place in 1947. I racked my brain and couldn't remember ever seeing anything that directly referenced that. Now, I didn't Google or anything to see if that were true or canon or whatever, but it was definitely my main takeaway from the episode, which should probably tell you a lot.
"Paging the Crime Doctor" is not an awful episode of B: TAS. Rupert Thorne has been developed enough throughout the run of the show that he can carry an episode without introducing any other more recognizable rogues and it's nice to see him get some added depth. I like how the show has up to this point introduced this close relationship that Bruce had with Thomas Wayne and the idea that he mourns how that relationship would have grown and strengthened had he not died. So, the final scene where Bruce Wayne meets with Matthew Thorne and asks for memories of his father is really impactful.
It's too bad that everything leading up to that is so pedestrian. I am so happy that they have included Leslie in the show, but is there a reason that she has to be imperiled every time she shows up? It's so predictable at this point and feels a lot like lazy writing. Matthew Thorne was a thorn in my paw (puns!) for a lot of the episode too. It never felt believable that he would honestly think that if he did this surgery that Rupert would get him his medical license back. It felt like character motivations serving a plot rather than the other way around.
My biggest gripe about the episode is a trope the show has trotted out before when Batman is going up against normies. The "injure Batman so these non powered thugs have a chance against him" trope. Early in the episode Batman is concussed when he's grazed by a beam from the medical laser. This is a recurring plot point throughout the episode and it's basically the only reason that these run of the mill goons are able to one up him. Batman isn't infallible. He's not perfect. This just smacks of a super lazy way to ratchet up tension.
But, yeah, 1947. Who knew?
Grade: C+
So, two more in the books. We are only like three episodes away from finishing my Volume Two DVD set so that is exciting! How did you all feel about these episodes? Was this Clayface episode as satisfying? Am I being too hard on the Crime Doctor? Let me know in the comments.
Next time, Batman meets a magician from the DCU and the writers crib from "Batman Returns."
What happens when you're a crime boss who needs emergency heart surgery? Well, if you're Rupert Thorne you depend on your brother, Matthew, to do the job. Matthew had been doling out underworld medical advice ever since he lost his license following a brotherly bullet removal done outside the hospital. Rupert convinces "The Crime Doctor" to do the operation by holding the possibly of getting his license reinstated over his head. Matthew can't do it alone so he "enlists" the help of his old medical school classmate, Leslie Thomplins. Can an impaired Batman save loose end Leslie from being tied up after operation and help redeem Matthew, who was a friend of his father's?
"Paging the Crime Doctor" is not an awful episode of B: TAS. Rupert Thorne has been developed enough throughout the run of the show that he can carry an episode without introducing any other more recognizable rogues and it's nice to see him get some added depth. I like how the show has up to this point introduced this close relationship that Bruce had with Thomas Wayne and the idea that he mourns how that relationship would have grown and strengthened had he not died. So, the final scene where Bruce Wayne meets with Matthew Thorne and asks for memories of his father is really impactful.
It's too bad that everything leading up to that is so pedestrian. I am so happy that they have included Leslie in the show, but is there a reason that she has to be imperiled every time she shows up? It's so predictable at this point and feels a lot like lazy writing. Matthew Thorne was a thorn in my paw (puns!) for a lot of the episode too. It never felt believable that he would honestly think that if he did this surgery that Rupert would get him his medical license back. It felt like character motivations serving a plot rather than the other way around.
My biggest gripe about the episode is a trope the show has trotted out before when Batman is going up against normies. The "injure Batman so these non powered thugs have a chance against him" trope. Early in the episode Batman is concussed when he's grazed by a beam from the medical laser. This is a recurring plot point throughout the episode and it's basically the only reason that these run of the mill goons are able to one up him. Batman isn't infallible. He's not perfect. This just smacks of a super lazy way to ratchet up tension.
But, yeah, 1947. Who knew?
Grade: C+
So, two more in the books. We are only like three episodes away from finishing my Volume Two DVD set so that is exciting! How did you all feel about these episodes? Was this Clayface episode as satisfying? Am I being too hard on the Crime Doctor? Let me know in the comments.
Next time, Batman meets a magician from the DCU and the writers crib from "Batman Returns."
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