Eighty-five episodes aired between 1992 and 1995, with twenty-four more following between 1997 and 1999 under the name The New Batman Adventures. And we’ll get there, dear readers, beginning August 1 (appropriately enough, for a new beginning of sorts). For the next three weeks, though, the promised postmortem in the form of a few Top 10 lists.
In recognition of his unparalleled achievement in outstanding writing, Paul Dini gets his own Top 10 list in two weeks. Dini wrote ten of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, and so he’s broken off into his own list so that we can get more of a sense of the heights of greatness this show achieved. (Next week, of course, it’s the Bottom 10, the curdled cream of the cartoon crop.) Without further ado, we present, “The Top 10 Episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (Not Written by Paul Dini)!”
10. “Be A Clown”
“It’s just so playfully weird, and the central role of The Joker is pitch perfect.”
This episode has not gotten the best rap of late, lumped in with other child-friendly episodes that fare much poorer on rewatch (like the execrable “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement”). But I’ve always enjoyed this underrated episode, which is certainly the first great Joker episode of the show and which captures the carnivalesque madness that Gotham’s citizens assume is the norm.
9. “P.O.V.”
“‘P.O.V.’ gives life to the GCPD beyond Commissioner Gordon, and the show is a richer experience for it.”
Batman by way of Rashômon, this episode remains a classic for its unconventional approach to telling a Batman story. It humanizes the supporting cast of the series in a way that illustrates how much the show is actually about Batman’s influence on his city rather than just his nocturnal crusade against crime. Various accounts of Batman reveal the dispositions of his city’s other defenders, and Harvey Bullock is revealed to be more psychologically complex than his donut addiction would suggest.
8. “The Clock King”
“‘The Clock King’ is a well-oiled machine, a tasteful timepiece of a thing that holds up for this reviewer, who always remembered it fondly”
If the animation were a little better and the set-piece a little bigger, this episode might have landed higher on the list for its strong plotting and note-perfect villain, with a fine casting choice to match. At the end of the day, this choice and #6 are largely interchangeable, tickling that same brainy fancy.
7. “Shadow of the Bat”
“It’s impressive how quickly Batgirl becomes an equal partner in Batman and Robin’s fight against crime.”
Three of my Top 10 are two-parters, and this one, which introduces Batgirl, achieves the task of leaving us wanting so very much more. Though Batgirl only donned the cape and cowl in two episodes, “Shadow” brings her to such life with a real sense of purpose, accomplishment, and optimism about saving her city. Kudos to Melissa Gilbert, who gives Batgirl an infectious confidence.
6. “If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?”
“Riddler is a master chess player in this episode, and ‘So Smart’ does a first-rate job of introducing him.”
One of Batman’s greatest foes gets a whopper of a debut in this episode, which is expertly smart and delightfully haughty, with a pretty solid twist ending. It’s only too bad that the writers never quite cracked the Riddler in the way that they understood Joker; Riddler was the villain this show deserved.
5. “On Leather Wings”
“‘On Leather Wings’ is a show bible unto itself, a manifesto for who Batman is (and even a wink toward how he came to be).”
Please don’t read my placement of the pilot episode as indicative that the show never lived up to the promise of its first episode. Instead, consider how strong this show started and how thoroughly it continued that pace of excellence. An unconventional choice of villain leads to a profound statement on what Batman is by exploring his polar opposite.
4. “Two-Face”
“After ten episodes, this one feels the most mature, the most thorough, and the most compelling.”
How appropriate that Two-Face gets a two-parter for his origin story (if only he’d been #2 on this list!). It’s one of the most sobered takes on a Bat-villain and a high bar for the show’s animation. Moreover, it takes full advantage of its nature as a two-parter by giving us two distinct halves of a very wonderful whole.
3. “The Demon’s Quest”
“All of it falls under the rubric of [Dennis] O’Neil and [Len] Wein doing a bang-up job with the script, adapting the original issues almost frame for frame”
As we round into the Top Three, it was anyone’s game, and I agonized over the placement, considering every possible permutation of that ranking. This globetrotting adventure takes Batman far out of his element but safely within his comfort zone as he faces kidnapping, global ecoterrorism, and the worst arranged marriage imaginable. But it’s a magisterial adaptation of a fine comic book issue with ample room to breathe.
2. “Perchance to Dream”
“There’s something oddly noble about an enemy whose endgame is to dispose of the hero by giving him everything he wants.”
When I reviewed this episode last July, I wondered if it’d be #1 on this list, and it’s painfully close. It’s an episode that is almost impossible to discuss without spoiling its central conceit – how Bruce Wayne can exist, happily, in a world where Batman also operates – but it’s an episode that ends up being an elegiac exploration of the core tragedy in Batman’s life.
1. “Beware the Gray Ghost”
“In short, this is an episode about me, a love letter to my genre and a defense of that selfsame love.”
This episode is pure poetry, a touching tribute to the very idea of superheroes and the creative forces that inspire us to become better versions of ourselves. The emotional resonance of Adam West, who passed not long after my review went up, as Batman’s role model is enough to draw out a tear or two, especially when his Simon Trent realizes, “It wasn’t all for nothing...” The notion that storytelling can heal wounds and save lives is perhaps the most important thing this show has every communicated.
Honorable Mentions (in order of airdate): "Appointment in Crime Alley," "Robin’s Reckoning," "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne," "Heart of Steel," "I Am the Night," "Read My Lips," "Riddler’s Reform"
Next week, it’s the Bottom 10. See you then!
“It’s just so playfully weird, and the central role of The Joker is pitch perfect.”
This episode has not gotten the best rap of late, lumped in with other child-friendly episodes that fare much poorer on rewatch (like the execrable “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement”). But I’ve always enjoyed this underrated episode, which is certainly the first great Joker episode of the show and which captures the carnivalesque madness that Gotham’s citizens assume is the norm.
“‘P.O.V.’ gives life to the GCPD beyond Commissioner Gordon, and the show is a richer experience for it.”
Batman by way of Rashômon, this episode remains a classic for its unconventional approach to telling a Batman story. It humanizes the supporting cast of the series in a way that illustrates how much the show is actually about Batman’s influence on his city rather than just his nocturnal crusade against crime. Various accounts of Batman reveal the dispositions of his city’s other defenders, and Harvey Bullock is revealed to be more psychologically complex than his donut addiction would suggest.
“‘The Clock King’ is a well-oiled machine, a tasteful timepiece of a thing that holds up for this reviewer, who always remembered it fondly”
If the animation were a little better and the set-piece a little bigger, this episode might have landed higher on the list for its strong plotting and note-perfect villain, with a fine casting choice to match. At the end of the day, this choice and #6 are largely interchangeable, tickling that same brainy fancy.
“It’s impressive how quickly Batgirl becomes an equal partner in Batman and Robin’s fight against crime.”
Three of my Top 10 are two-parters, and this one, which introduces Batgirl, achieves the task of leaving us wanting so very much more. Though Batgirl only donned the cape and cowl in two episodes, “Shadow” brings her to such life with a real sense of purpose, accomplishment, and optimism about saving her city. Kudos to Melissa Gilbert, who gives Batgirl an infectious confidence.
“Riddler is a master chess player in this episode, and ‘So Smart’ does a first-rate job of introducing him.”
One of Batman’s greatest foes gets a whopper of a debut in this episode, which is expertly smart and delightfully haughty, with a pretty solid twist ending. It’s only too bad that the writers never quite cracked the Riddler in the way that they understood Joker; Riddler was the villain this show deserved.
“‘On Leather Wings’ is a show bible unto itself, a manifesto for who Batman is (and even a wink toward how he came to be).”
Please don’t read my placement of the pilot episode as indicative that the show never lived up to the promise of its first episode. Instead, consider how strong this show started and how thoroughly it continued that pace of excellence. An unconventional choice of villain leads to a profound statement on what Batman is by exploring his polar opposite.
“After ten episodes, this one feels the most mature, the most thorough, and the most compelling.”
How appropriate that Two-Face gets a two-parter for his origin story (if only he’d been #2 on this list!). It’s one of the most sobered takes on a Bat-villain and a high bar for the show’s animation. Moreover, it takes full advantage of its nature as a two-parter by giving us two distinct halves of a very wonderful whole.
“All of it falls under the rubric of [Dennis] O’Neil and [Len] Wein doing a bang-up job with the script, adapting the original issues almost frame for frame”
As we round into the Top Three, it was anyone’s game, and I agonized over the placement, considering every possible permutation of that ranking. This globetrotting adventure takes Batman far out of his element but safely within his comfort zone as he faces kidnapping, global ecoterrorism, and the worst arranged marriage imaginable. But it’s a magisterial adaptation of a fine comic book issue with ample room to breathe.
“There’s something oddly noble about an enemy whose endgame is to dispose of the hero by giving him everything he wants.”
When I reviewed this episode last July, I wondered if it’d be #1 on this list, and it’s painfully close. It’s an episode that is almost impossible to discuss without spoiling its central conceit – how Bruce Wayne can exist, happily, in a world where Batman also operates – but it’s an episode that ends up being an elegiac exploration of the core tragedy in Batman’s life.
“In short, this is an episode about me, a love letter to my genre and a defense of that selfsame love.”
This episode is pure poetry, a touching tribute to the very idea of superheroes and the creative forces that inspire us to become better versions of ourselves. The emotional resonance of Adam West, who passed not long after my review went up, as Batman’s role model is enough to draw out a tear or two, especially when his Simon Trent realizes, “It wasn’t all for nothing...” The notion that storytelling can heal wounds and save lives is perhaps the most important thing this show has every communicated.
Honorable Mentions (in order of airdate): "Appointment in Crime Alley," "Robin’s Reckoning," "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne," "Heart of Steel," "I Am the Night," "Read My Lips," "Riddler’s Reform"
Next week, it’s the Bottom 10. See you then!
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