Batman: Caped Crusader continues its darker and grittier feel as Gotham becomes more dangerous, and our characters are changing along with it in surprising ways. In the first season Batman was dealing with the corrupt nature of this version of Gotham. Cops on the take, the mob controlling everything, and the morally questionable actions of the institutes that are supposed to protect citizens. Now, while organized crime is still active, it has gotten more bloody with new leadership. We also are seeing more individual criminals with their own chaotic visions or trauma lashing out at the world. We see less of the overt corruption but the cruelty of the world is on full display.
One big through line this season was Bruce Wayne learning to empathize and letting himself realize he isn’t as emotionless. In season one he was cut off from everyone, even Alfred was treated more like a servant than a confidant, and he had no other allies. There are now cracks in his lone fighter mission and he is starting to see the value in the people around him. Barbara has created an opening for Batman to work with Gordon and Detective Renee Montoya. Trust is still being built on both sides but it also is making Bruce start to care about people. One episode has Bruce going undercover in a prison to watch an inmate and it really challenges how he sees people in the criminal underworld. It was a highlight of the season for me.
The show likes to take well-known characters of the Batman universe and play around with them. Riddler’s changes were particularly interesting as a more violent mobster that still made his Riddler name work in a very different context. But then there was Mad Hatter, now being a female TV newscaster. While not a bad character, why she needed to be a version of the Mad Hatter I am not certain. Harvey Bullock and Arnold Flass, the two corrupt cops from last season, have some major changes with the fallout of the Harvey Dent shooting. They are no longer partners, and that has created some conflict that leads in some very surprising ways that I was not expecting. With the other major cast–James Gordon, Alfred, and Renee–each get a few moments that give us new insight into them. Barbara gets a full episode focused on her, and her and Renee’s friendship is still strong but she is not quite given the major moments she had last season.
Bruce Timm said of the original Batman the Animated series that, since it was a kids’ show, they were censored on more violent moments (though they could get it out on the dummy Scarface), Timm has made sure that is not an issue here. We see the results of shootings in grisly detail. It is not just random henchmen or side characters that are killed, famous rogue gallery members as we saw last season do not have plot armor. That continues here, and it is still jarring to see well-known characters die, though it does give the show a great sense of danger. While I do think certain core heroes are safe, I am not as confident as I usually am.
The animation and fight work here is still solid and fits the 1940ish style they are going for. It isn’t an action beat a second and nothing elaborate but it works well within the story. The first episode does deal with taking down a huge muscle-bound threat that was very intense and creative, but we have a lot more detective and character work that keeps things moving.
One thing everyone has been waiting for is Joker, who was teased at the end of last season getting ready to make his debut. We do not get him right away as he is teased throughout the season. When he does emerge the build-up has been worth it. Not just with what Joker has overall been planning but what this version is like. It is different in many ways in his mannerisms and parts of his goals yet he still feels like Joker. Matthew Needham’s voice work is exceptional and very different than I expected but works perfectly.
This was a very fun and still slightly different version of Batman. It is continuing with its style upping the violence and threats to Gotham and letting us see some real character growth in Batman. With where we leave things Gotham is still very much in danger, but there is a sense of hope and even better comradery in those wanting to make a difference.
Batman: Caped Crusader is on Amazon Prime.
