“It’s never easy with The Joker.”Jingle bells, Batman smells... and The Joker got away, making good his escape from Arkham Asylum on Christmas. While Batman and Robin pursue their greatest foe, The Joker broadcasts his threats of murder and mayhem on television, daring the Dynamic Duo to stop him before midnight.
Contrary to what Batman tells Robin (who makes his DCAU debut here, Loren Lester’s boyish charm matching perfectly the grim baritone of Kevin Conroy’s Batman), media adaptations of Batman have flocked to The Joker and reinterpreted him in a number of ways that seem almost effortless because The Joker defies fixity. He is, in essence, a floating signifier, represented variously as a buffoonish Punchinello of crime, a sinister rictus grin of death, a charming sociopath, a master planner, or an agent of chaos. In this episode, we’re introduced to Mark Hamill’s iconic take on The Joker, regarded by many (including this reviewer) as the definitive take on the character.
But surprisingly, this isn’t a particularly strong debut, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Don’t get me wrong – this episode is eminently watchable because of how playfully strange it is, but it’s not a fair indicator of what Hamill will bring to the table. For one, the voice is a little off; it’s obviously a first try, a rough draft, a voice in progress, somewhat more thuggish than the snarling British accent Hamill will perfect in later episodes.
The laugh, however, is spot on. Future episodes, particularly those penned by Paul Dini, will see The Joker with some real bellyachers of lines that are at once hilarious and uncomfortable. Here, the greatest glee is in the chortles, guffaws, and freewheeling giggles that burble from The Joker in unpredictable configurations. Hamill nails the laugh instantly, defining the character by it in a way that’s almost inhuman.
The plot of the episode, though, doesn’t do Hamill many favors, nor is it a specifically Joker episode – by which I mean, you could substitute any Batman villain in the role and the episode still works. Luring Batman out on Christmas with a holiday-themed hostage situation isn’t intrinsically Joker, so we don’t get to see much in the way of dramatic fireworks. That is, however, until we get to the punchline of the episode, which I won’t spoil.
Dr. Andrea Letamendi has advanced the theory that the episode demonstrates the Joker’s psychological need for Batman, whom he regards as a surrogate family on Christmas, a repressed desire expressed in the abduction of Commissioner Gordon, Summer Gleason, and Harvey Bullock as the “Awful Lawful Family.” It’s a great theory that adds a nifty layer of depth to the character, and as we’ll see later in the series this Joker doesn’t want to see Batman dead because “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” As if it needed one!
If you’re playing along for the first time and haven’t seen the show before, don’t be alarmed: this is maybe one of the two least successful Joker episodes (“The Last Laugh,” reviewed two posts from now, being the other that doesn’t quite impress). That’s not to say this is an unwatchable episode, but when it comes to the Clown Prince of Crime the best is certainly yet to be. But hey, first time out of the gate, it’s never easy with The Joker.
Writer: Eddie Gorodetsky
Director: Kent Butterworth
Villain: The Joker (Mark Hamill)
Next episode: “Nothing to Fear,” in which Batman shouts his new catchphrase at The Scarecrow.
🦇For the full list of Batman: The Animated Series reviews, click here.🦇
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