1x56 See No Evil

[9.2/10] What a cool, scary episode. I love the way that “See No Evil” marries too outstanding ideas -- the classic horror fear of a villain whom you cannot even see, and the very adult fear of disgruntled ex out to take your child away from you. It gives both force and depth to this one, along with a steady undercurrent of chill to the whole endeavor.

I especially love the opening to this one. At first, the audience has no idea what’s going on, but introducing Lloyd Ventrix in a series of point of view shots, where we can’t see him, only the world’s reaction to him, is a great way to not only give you a stalker, Halloween vibe to the episode’s antagonist, but to convey the invisibility in a subtle way before the show gets flashier about him. Him posing as his daughter’s (a very young Elizabeth Moss!) imaginary friend has a creepiness that’s hard to put your finger on, but which unnerves nonetheless.

But the episode does get flashy with it, and it tends to be extraordinary. Just the image of valuables floating away is striking, and the ensuing confrontation with Batman, involving wet cement and industrial paint, requires Batman to be more on his guard than usual and produces some striking images. That’s what I like best about Ventrix as a villain -- fighting him requires The Bat to be smart, not just stealthy or brawny, in his attacks, and poses a real challenge on that front.

At the same time, the invisible car chase sequence is superbly done, with the show letting us see the effects of Ventrix’s erraticness, and getting in a good gag of a pair of bums seeing Batman zipping by on the roof of the car and remarking, “I didn’t know he could fly.” Watching Batman then get his ass handed to him from an assailant he can’t see cements Ventrix as a real threat, and the subsequent water tower-assisted exposure of the bad guy (this is a WB show after all) is a smart way for Batman to turn the tables.

It’s also another instance where Batman gets to show off his detective skills, something often missing from other adaptations. It’s simple stuff, but when the episode started, I wondered how Batman would even find out about this guy. The fact that Bruce remembers an old Waynetech presentation about invisibility, finds the lab assistant, and then tracks down the errand boy is straightforward, but enough to show that Batman’s using his head and not just his fists.

At the same time, the episode makes Lloyd Ventrix terrifying apart from his invisible theatrics. Part of that is just the character’s design, with an angular face and red-brown eyes. But part of it is the tone of everything. There’s something inherently disturbing about a former spouse who’s been slapped with a restraining order insinuating himself into his former family’s life despite that, and his ex-wife’s fear is palpable. And yet for all that scariness, the show also manages to make him a little sympathetic, understandably wanting to see his daughter, even though his actions here confirm why that shouldn’t happen. The sense of him being willing to let the toxicity of the suit poison his mind since it’s the only way he can see his daughter adds a level of pathos behind the menace. It’s the shades of gray that helps set B:TAS apart. And Batman replacing “Mojo” as the girl’s imaginary friend is the perfect button to put on it.

Overall, this is an outstanding outing for the show, which balances the exciting fireworks of Batman vs. a phantom (no, not that one), with a very mature fear to produce something spectacular.