[9.5/10] This one is special, if for no other reason in that it is an episode with so many layers. You have the in-universe connection between past and present, where Batman has idolized this T.V. serial adventurer and, in a very particular way, gets to partner up with him to save the day. At the same time, you have a minor passing of the torch, a shared sign of respect, between Adam West and Kevin Conroy. And you have series co-creator Bruce Timm himself playing the bad guy, a nerd obsessed with the old show and doing his own modern spin on it. It is a wonderful connection between Batman: The Animated Series and Batman ‘66 that works as both text, subtext, and metatext all at once.
But what’s great about the episode is that even if you didn’t know all of the behind the scenes stuff, it’s just an engaging story filled with striking imagery. The notion of a modern criminal emulating one from a forgotten T.V. series, requiring the actor to come out of his obscurity to help save the day with the real life hero he inspired is a superb premise. It incorporates Batman’s detective skills, giving him a real need to speak with the actor who once portrayed his idol, and it makes you feel sympathy and eventually warmth and joy for Simon Trent, getting a rare second act.
Beyond the story, it’s just a well-designed and edited episode. The intercutting between a young Bruce watching the Gray Ghost’s adventures in the past with Batman investigating the copy cat in the present is a great way to introduce both the crime setup and Bruce’s emotional connection to it. This is another episode with a lot of explosions, and it gives the show a chance to bathe Batman and his cohort in a visually gripping red light. By the same token, the show captures the aesthetic of the old T.V. show really well, making it dynamic but a little more exaggerated than the show’s already stylized visual approach.
Still, knowing the behind the scenes stuff definitely enhances it. There’s something pitiable about Adam West playing a character who has trouble gaining work after he’s become typecast as an iconic hero, given his own struggles to escape the shadow of the cape and cowl. And rewatching this episode twenty-five years after it aired has the ring of irony to it, given that Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, is still playing this role to the present day. The Mad Bomber himself even has a particular resonance, when a certain set of fanboys obsessed with their favorite properties have metastasized into something angry and dangerous (even if they’re not exactly blowing up buildings with toy cars yet).
And yet, the most heartening thing of all in this episode is the notion that even if the Gray Ghost, or Batman for that matter, aren’t real, what they stand for, what they represent, inspires young people to follow their examples. That’s the ultimate tribute to West, Batman ‘66, and to stories of the Caped Crusader writ large. People like The Mad Bomber may take things too far, but for tons of folks who grew up watching shows like Batman: The Animated Series, The Dark Knight was a role model: someone tough but kind, powerful but noble, troubled but caring.
Tales of masked adventurers foiling the bad guys may seem like kids stuff, but Timm and company prove in this episode, and with this series, that the inspiration they provide is real, and mean more than the people who dream up those stories may ever know.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-10-10T04:37:04Z
[9.5/10] This one is special, if for no other reason in that it is an episode with so many layers. You have the in-universe connection between past and present, where Batman has idolized this T.V. serial adventurer and, in a very particular way, gets to partner up with him to save the day. At the same time, you have a minor passing of the torch, a shared sign of respect, between Adam West and Kevin Conroy. And you have series co-creator Bruce Timm himself playing the bad guy, a nerd obsessed with the old show and doing his own modern spin on it. It is a wonderful connection between Batman: The Animated Series and Batman ‘66 that works as both text, subtext, and metatext all at once.
But what’s great about the episode is that even if you didn’t know all of the behind the scenes stuff, it’s just an engaging story filled with striking imagery. The notion of a modern criminal emulating one from a forgotten T.V. series, requiring the actor to come out of his obscurity to help save the day with the real life hero he inspired is a superb premise. It incorporates Batman’s detective skills, giving him a real need to speak with the actor who once portrayed his idol, and it makes you feel sympathy and eventually warmth and joy for Simon Trent, getting a rare second act.
Beyond the story, it’s just a well-designed and edited episode. The intercutting between a young Bruce watching the Gray Ghost’s adventures in the past with Batman investigating the copy cat in the present is a great way to introduce both the crime setup and Bruce’s emotional connection to it. This is another episode with a lot of explosions, and it gives the show a chance to bathe Batman and his cohort in a visually gripping red light. By the same token, the show captures the aesthetic of the old T.V. show really well, making it dynamic but a little more exaggerated than the show’s already stylized visual approach.
Still, knowing the behind the scenes stuff definitely enhances it. There’s something pitiable about Adam West playing a character who has trouble gaining work after he’s become typecast as an iconic hero, given his own struggles to escape the shadow of the cape and cowl. And rewatching this episode twenty-five years after it aired has the ring of irony to it, given that Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, is still playing this role to the present day. The Mad Bomber himself even has a particular resonance, when a certain set of fanboys obsessed with their favorite properties have metastasized into something angry and dangerous (even if they’re not exactly blowing up buildings with toy cars yet).
And yet, the most heartening thing of all in this episode is the notion that even if the Gray Ghost, or Batman for that matter, aren’t real, what they stand for, what they represent, inspires young people to follow their examples. That’s the ultimate tribute to West, Batman ‘66, and to stories of the Caped Crusader writ large. People like The Mad Bomber may take things too far, but for tons of folks who grew up watching shows like Batman: The Animated Series, The Dark Knight was a role model: someone tough but kind, powerful but noble, troubled but caring.
Tales of masked adventurers foiling the bad guys may seem like kids stuff, but Timm and company prove in this episode, and with this series, that the inspiration they provide is real, and mean more than the people who dream up those stories may ever know.