[7.4/10] One of the things that’s been frustrating for me as part of my grand watch of the entire D.C. Animated Universe is what order to watch these episodes in. There’s the production order, which I mostly try to follow. There’s the release order, which helps me mix and match different series but often jumbles things up. And then there’s even an ambitious soul who’s put together a chronological order, which is well-intentioned but involves some hiccups in a “cinematic universe” that jumps back and forth across decades.
This is all a big wind-up to say that I watched “Countdown” as the final episode of Batman Beyond, since it was the last episode produced, and I low-key regret it. It’s a perfectly fine episode, a pretty good one even, but it feels more like an episode of The Zeta Project than an episode of Batman Beyond, which isn’t an issue for a garden variety outing, but starts to run into Star Trek: Enterprise territory for a series finale.
That said, I wasn’t crazy about “Unmasked”, the episode that actually aired last. It’s a perfectly solid episode that at least works as more of a thematic conclusion to the series, but it gets kind of lost in the After School Special qualities of the whole thing. If anything, it makes me grateful for the epilogue that comes later in the franchise, which ties things up in a way neither of the show’s closing episodes had a chance to do.
Suffice it to say, unshackled from the burdens of being a capstone to an influential Batman series, “Countdown” is still pretty good! After watching the first half of The Zeta Project’s first season, it’s nice to see the better-developed Zee and his running buddy Ro interact with Terry, and have the world of Batman Beyond intersect with the robot on the run in a fairly natural way.
To that end, my favorite element of this episode is the inclusion of Mad Stan in a feature villain role for the first time. He’s such a bizarre little mascot for Batman Beyond, and this feels like the right time to trot him out as the big bad, for lack of a better term. If there’s one thing about “Countdown” that makes it feel like an appropriate swan song for the series, it’s that.
For one thing, if there’s any Batman Beyond character who would get involved in “the Feds” chasing down a walking talking piece of military hardware, it’s Stan. His efforts to save Zeta as another “oppressed” individual standing up to government enforcers, only to treat Zeta like a threat deliberately sent to harm him that he can reprogram for his own ends when he learns the truth is the perfect character-based reversal. Henry Rollins’s vocal delivery for the conspiracy nut is always pitch perfect, and it makes sense as an inflection point for the two series.
Granted, the show struggles a bit to show why Terry would let Ro tag along, or be a part of the adventure generally, and the kiss at the end feels a little questionable. But otherwise, it’s neat to see the Bat and the Bot teaming up together here. The bomb attached to Zeta’s back makes for a solid ticking clock (even if the damage it ultimately does feels pretty minor in the grand scheme of things), but I like the fact that in his effort to enlist the NSA’s help, Terry unwittingly leads the Feds right to Zeta.
There’s some clever twists in the finish though. I love the fact that Bruce figured out that Stan’s insane ramblings and targets are usually based on minor news stories and tidbits that affect him personally. (Reminds me of another conspiracy nut in much higher places at the current moment.) The fact that the original Batman figures out that Stan’s target is the Department of Health, thanks to license fee increases for pets like Stan’s beloved and adorable pup Boom Boom, is a hoot.
But I’m an even bigger fan of the ol’ switcheroo that Terry and Zeta pull to shake off Bennett and his deputies. It’s a clever swerve to get Zeta out of harm’s way while keeping Terry above suspicion, and I’m always up for creative solutions to problems in the story.
That’s the thing. “Countdown” is a perfectly good episode of Batman Beyond and even a solid crossover in the vein of the old B:TAS/S:TAS guest appearances the prior series would do with some regularity. It just doesn’t feel like much of a sendoff for Terry or the 2040s incarnation of the Batman. Thank heaven the powers that be ultimately rectified that.
But Batman Beyond still goes out on a high note. I have to admit that I wasn’t as enamored with the show now as I was when I was a kid, watching it live. Maybe it’s just that the future the show predicted is both closer and further away from the one we have now. Maybe it’s that watching it back-to-back with Batman: The Animated Series makes it feel like a bit of a step down. Maybe it’s that the early 00’s attempts to be cool, young, and edgy don’t play as well to me now as when I was twelve.
Despite that, I still quite liked this series. I appreciate that regardless of the fact it was a sequel to one of the most beloved superhero series of all time, it largely resolved to be its own thing. Sure, it would harken back to Freeze or Joker or Ra’s on special occasions, but for the most part, it made this Terry’s ecosystem and rogues gallery with Bruce as a supporting player. That takes guts, and I admire it, even if those past connections were often my favorite parts.
I also appreciate how the series seemed to be really hitting its stride just as it wrapped up. The third season was the best in my opinion, with some ambitious stories that built on what the show had previously established. I’m sorry we only got a handful of further guest appearances to hang out in this world and the environment that the show’s creatives established.
For however much I might harbor more affection for other Batman stories, this is arguably the most original of them, one that pushed Batman past the present day, past the time-tested and familial, past even Bruce Wayne himself, and managed to create its own legacy in the process.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-06-30T22:21:37Z
[7.4/10] One of the things that’s been frustrating for me as part of my grand watch of the entire D.C. Animated Universe is what order to watch these episodes in. There’s the production order, which I mostly try to follow. There’s the release order, which helps me mix and match different series but often jumbles things up. And then there’s even an ambitious soul who’s put together a chronological order, which is well-intentioned but involves some hiccups in a “cinematic universe” that jumps back and forth across decades.
This is all a big wind-up to say that I watched “Countdown” as the final episode of Batman Beyond, since it was the last episode produced, and I low-key regret it. It’s a perfectly fine episode, a pretty good one even, but it feels more like an episode of The Zeta Project than an episode of Batman Beyond, which isn’t an issue for a garden variety outing, but starts to run into Star Trek: Enterprise territory for a series finale.
That said, I wasn’t crazy about “Unmasked”, the episode that actually aired last. It’s a perfectly solid episode that at least works as more of a thematic conclusion to the series, but it gets kind of lost in the After School Special qualities of the whole thing. If anything, it makes me grateful for the epilogue that comes later in the franchise, which ties things up in a way neither of the show’s closing episodes had a chance to do.
Suffice it to say, unshackled from the burdens of being a capstone to an influential Batman series, “Countdown” is still pretty good! After watching the first half of The Zeta Project’s first season, it’s nice to see the better-developed Zee and his running buddy Ro interact with Terry, and have the world of Batman Beyond intersect with the robot on the run in a fairly natural way.
To that end, my favorite element of this episode is the inclusion of Mad Stan in a feature villain role for the first time. He’s such a bizarre little mascot for Batman Beyond, and this feels like the right time to trot him out as the big bad, for lack of a better term. If there’s one thing about “Countdown” that makes it feel like an appropriate swan song for the series, it’s that.
For one thing, if there’s any Batman Beyond character who would get involved in “the Feds” chasing down a walking talking piece of military hardware, it’s Stan. His efforts to save Zeta as another “oppressed” individual standing up to government enforcers, only to treat Zeta like a threat deliberately sent to harm him that he can reprogram for his own ends when he learns the truth is the perfect character-based reversal. Henry Rollins’s vocal delivery for the conspiracy nut is always pitch perfect, and it makes sense as an inflection point for the two series.
Granted, the show struggles a bit to show why Terry would let Ro tag along, or be a part of the adventure generally, and the kiss at the end feels a little questionable. But otherwise, it’s neat to see the Bat and the Bot teaming up together here. The bomb attached to Zeta’s back makes for a solid ticking clock (even if the damage it ultimately does feels pretty minor in the grand scheme of things), but I like the fact that in his effort to enlist the NSA’s help, Terry unwittingly leads the Feds right to Zeta.
There’s some clever twists in the finish though. I love the fact that Bruce figured out that Stan’s insane ramblings and targets are usually based on minor news stories and tidbits that affect him personally. (Reminds me of another conspiracy nut in much higher places at the current moment.) The fact that the original Batman figures out that Stan’s target is the Department of Health, thanks to license fee increases for pets like Stan’s beloved and adorable pup Boom Boom, is a hoot.
But I’m an even bigger fan of the ol’ switcheroo that Terry and Zeta pull to shake off Bennett and his deputies. It’s a clever swerve to get Zeta out of harm’s way while keeping Terry above suspicion, and I’m always up for creative solutions to problems in the story.
That’s the thing. “Countdown” is a perfectly good episode of Batman Beyond and even a solid crossover in the vein of the old B:TAS/S:TAS guest appearances the prior series would do with some regularity. It just doesn’t feel like much of a sendoff for Terry or the 2040s incarnation of the Batman. Thank heaven the powers that be ultimately rectified that.
But Batman Beyond still goes out on a high note. I have to admit that I wasn’t as enamored with the show now as I was when I was a kid, watching it live. Maybe it’s just that the future the show predicted is both closer and further away from the one we have now. Maybe it’s that watching it back-to-back with Batman: The Animated Series makes it feel like a bit of a step down. Maybe it’s that the early 00’s attempts to be cool, young, and edgy don’t play as well to me now as when I was twelve.
Despite that, I still quite liked this series. I appreciate that regardless of the fact it was a sequel to one of the most beloved superhero series of all time, it largely resolved to be its own thing. Sure, it would harken back to Freeze or Joker or Ra’s on special occasions, but for the most part, it made this Terry’s ecosystem and rogues gallery with Bruce as a supporting player. That takes guts, and I admire it, even if those past connections were often my favorite parts.
I also appreciate how the series seemed to be really hitting its stride just as it wrapped up. The third season was the best in my opinion, with some ambitious stories that built on what the show had previously established. I’m sorry we only got a handful of further guest appearances to hang out in this world and the environment that the show’s creatives established.
For however much I might harbor more affection for other Batman stories, this is arguably the most original of them, one that pushed Batman past the present day, past the time-tested and familial, past even Bruce Wayne himself, and managed to create its own legacy in the process.