The Mayhem Critic
Hello, my fellow readers. It is I, the great James Stryker bringing you another great chapter of The Mayhem Critic. Today, Sean the Mayhem Critic is doing another Top 11 countdown. This time, he's going to be doing a Top 11 countdown of one of his favorite animated shows from his childhood and one of the greatest animated shows ever to hit our television screens. And of course I'm talking about Batman: The Animated Series. So here it is, the new chapter of The Mayhem Critic. Enjoy.
P.S.: As before, I do not own anything involved in this story. All material belong to their respective sources. Batman: The Animated Series is owned by Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Comics, Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
Episode Thirty
Top 11 Batman: The Animated Series Episodes
We see Sean the Mayhem Critic sitting in his living room, this time he's wearing a red Batman t-shirt showing Batman and his rogues gallery of villains, denim jeans, a pair of white Converse low tops and is seen wearing a Batman mask.
"Good evening, fellow readers. I'm Batman, the critic who defends the night. Tonight, I will be taking a look at one of the greatest animated shows ever to hit our television screens: Batman: The Animated Series. Excuse me, have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" Sean asked, speaking in his Michael Keaton voice before speaking in his regular voice. "Sorry about that, my friends. I won't be speaking in my Michael Keaton voice. Let's try Christian Bale. This cartoon just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good!"
Sean clears his throat after speaking in his Christian Bale voice.
"Alright, let's try Adam West. Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb!" Sean said, speaking in his Adam West voice. "Okay, now let's try Ben Affleck. Son of a bitch. Ooh, how about Val Kilmer. I'll get drive-thru. Umm, George Clooney?"
Sean then starts talking in his normal voice. "Hi, Freeze. I'm Batman. Okay, you know what I won't be doing this review in a different voice. I'm just gonna do this as myself."
(Clips from Batman: The Animated Series is shown)
Sean: (Narrating) What can I say about one of the greatest animated shows ever? It's one of the best nostalgic shows ever with great animation, an excellent voice cast like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill and an excellent team of writers like Alan Burnett and Paul Dini. The show was dark, tragic and funny at times and serious as well. And this show is still awesome after 26 years when it first aired. Plus, I am thrilled when they announced that they're going to release the complete series on Blu-Ray and trust me, I'm getting the complete series set. As much as I love this show, I love all of the episodes. But which one's still hold up? Which one's are the most dramatic? Which one had you cracking up? Which one was thrilling and action-packed. There's a lot to choose from and be warned there will be spoilers but I will try to keep them to a minimum for those of you who are new to watching the show and for those of you who watch the show.
"That's why I'm going to be counting down the Top 11 Batman: The Animated Series Episodes. Why top 11? Because I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!" Sean said in his Kevin Conroy voice. "Here it is, the Top 11 Batman: The Animated Series episodes."
(The interlude shows the final scene from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, showing Batman standing on top of a building as he sees the Bat-Signal in the sky, and swings off into the night)
Number 11: Girl's Night Out
Sean: (Narrating) A good episode crossing over with Superman: The Animated Series, in this one Batgirl teams up with Supergirl after Live Wire forms a partnership with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy after the electric vixen escapes from Metropolis SCU custody and the trio start wreaking havoc by going out on a crime spree.
Poison Ivy (Voiced by Diane Pershing): (To the security guard) You don't wanna shoot little old us, do you?
Sean: (Narrating) Plus, I love how they made Harley a complete ditz in the episode.
(Harley tries to break open the ATM with her mallet with Poison Ivy and Live Wire watching her)
Poison Ivy: At least she's consistent.
Sean: (Narrating) The villains are my favorite part in this episode and I liked the interaction between Batgirl and Supergirl. And it was written by a woman, the late Hilary J. Bader.
"And after watching that episode, I wonder if somebody made a smutty one-shot about Barbara Gordon and Kara on Fanfiction. Looks like I have to make one, maybe have somebody co-write it with me." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) If you liked the team up of Batman & Superman, then you'll love the team up of Batgirl and Supergirl. That's why Girl's Night Out is number 11 on the list.
Reporter: So, who was responsible for the caller?
Detective Harvey Bullock (Voiced by Robert Costanzo): Just a couple of rookies.
Barbara Gordon (Voiced by Tara Strong, credited as Tara Charendoff): Rookies?
Kara (Voiced by Nicholle Tom): You bum!
Reporter: Impressive.
Detective Harvey Bullock: Well, they show some potential.
Barbara and Kara: Yes!
Number 10: Beware the Gray Ghost
Sean: (Narrating) This is a really good episode. The episode centers on The Gray Ghost, an old TV show that Bruce used to watch as a kid. Years later, we cut to some crazed psycho who's imitating the one of the villains from the show.
(We see the Mad Bomber blowing up buildings)
Batman (Voiced by Kevin Conroy): Pay up, or pay the consequences. One million in cash, or the Gotham Bank is next. Signed, the Mad Bomber.
"Well, somebody's been watching too much television." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) Since all of the episodes of The Gray Ghost were destroyed, Batman turns to the only person who can help him, and it is the actor who played The Gray Ghost. His portrayer Simon Trent, who's now a washed-up actor who's having trouble looking for work. And guess who he's played by.
(A clip from Game of Thrones is shown)
Bronn (Played by Jerome Flynn): Jaime Fuckin Lannister.
"No." Sean said. "Maybe this clip from Family Guy would help."
(A clip from Family Guy is shown)
Mayor Adam West (Voiced by the late Adam West): I love this job more than I love taffy. And I'm a man who enjoys his taffy.
Sean: (Narrating) For those of you who have parents who grew up watching the 1960s Batman and yes I'm one of them and my mom watches that show and has it on DVD. Simon Trent is voiced by the original TV Batman himself: the late Adam West, who me and my mom met at the comic expo in my city back in 2015.
Simon Trent (Voiced by the late Adam West): What do you want from me?
Batman: Some madman is blowing up Gotham piece by piece. Somehow it's connected to the Gray Ghost. To you.
Simon Trent: What are you talking about? I'm just an actor. The Gray Ghost was a part I played.
Sean: (Narrating) I loved this episode because we get to see flashbacks of Bruce's childhood and it also shows the dramatic downside to both having and losing fame, showing Simon Trent at his downfall. But I ended up laughing seeing Batman fangirling and having a shrine dedicated to a TV show.
(A clip from The Simpsons is shown)
Homer Simpson (Voiced by Dan Castellaneta): Nerd!
Sean: (Narrating) Aside from having Adam West guest star in the show, we get one of the creators of the show playing a villain. And that's Bruce W. Timm and my God they got his likeness down.
"Yep, one of the creators of Tiny Toon Adventures and Batman: The Animated Series played a villain in the episode. A geeky little toy collector." Sean said.
Ted Dymer (Voiced by Bruce W. Timm): (After his toy store explodes) No! My toys! My toys, my beautiful toys!
Sean: (Narrating) Two Batmans for the price of one. I love it. And it makes an excellent episode with great animation and great writing. Coming in at #10 on the list.
Bruce Wayne: You know as a kid, I used to watch you with my father. The Gray Ghost was my hero.
Simon Trent: (Smiles) Really?
Bruce Wayne: And he still is.
Number 9: Fire From Olympus
Sean: (Narrating) I remember owning The Adventures of Batman & Robin on VHS when I was young and the one that I owned was Freeze: Fire & Ice. This was the episode that I saw after the second Mr. Freeze episode Deep Freeze. In Fire From Olympus, the episode centers on a shipping CEO named Maximilian Zeus, voiced by the late Steve Susskind. Here's the deal with Maxie Zeus, he thinks he's the Greek God Zeus.
Maximilian Zeus (Voiced by the late Steve Susskind): (To Batman) Begone, Lord Hades. Get thee back to thine own realm. Do not come again to Olympus until bidden.
Batman: I think I get the message.
Sean: (Narrating) Aside from suffering delusions of grandeur, his nutjob mistakes Batman for his brother, Hades.
Maximilian Zeus: (Sees Batman appearing in his Batwing) Like the shadow of ebon-winged night, he rises from the dark realm. Behold, the coming of my brother, Lord Hades.
"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!" Sean exclaimed.
Sean: (Narrating) Also in the episode, Maxie Zeus steals a weapon called an electron discharge cannon to fire lightning bolts into the sky. And to top it off, his assistant/girlfriend Clio, voiced by Bess Armstrong from Jaws 3-D and One Tree Hill, is concerned about him because of how nutty he his and Batman sees how nutty Zeus is as well. When you see someone wearing Greek Mythological clothing and dresses up as Zeus by firing lightning bolts….
(A clip from the Nostalgia Critic's review of The NeverEnding Story III is shown)
Nostalgia Critic: You're crazy!
Sean: (Narrating) I have one question to ask, who the hell designed Mount Olympus? Who was the architect? Not the fictional Mount Olympus, I mean the office building that Maxie Zeus works at. This place is huge! You could see clouds passing by. What were the blue prints for this building like? All I could think about how long did it take to build this place? Overall, it's a pretty interesting episode, coming in at number 9.
Maximilian Zeus: Now at last, mighty Zeus is home.
Number 8: The Demon's Quest Parts 1 & 2
Sean: (Narrating) Remember the episode Off Balance back in season two of Batman: The Animated Series, where it showed the big bad for season three?
(A clip from the episode Off Balance is shown)
Ra's al Ghul (Voiced by David Warner): As you said, detective, this is not over.
Sean: (Narrating) Well, he makes his big appearance in the two-part episode The Demon's Quest. The episode begins as Robin returns to his college dorm room, only to see some guy wearing an Anubis mask and two thugs.
(One of the thugs shoot Robin with a tranquilizer dart)
Robin (Voiced by Loren Lester): Hey!
Sean: (Narrating) He gets shot and taken hostage. Batman and Alfred talk about how nobody has seen Robin or Dick Grayson in weeks, only for Batman to receive this in the mail, a photo of Robin being held hostage with a knife to his throat and Ra's al Ghul just walks into the Batcave knowing who Batman is.
Ra's al Ghul: So, they know your identity, detective.
Batman: Who are you? How did you get in here?
"Okay, so in the first five minutes of the episode, we've seen Robin getting kidnapped and held hostage, Batman being given a photo of Robin tied up with a knife to his throat and Ra's walking into the Batcave knowing who Batman is. Okay, this is an awesome opening." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) Anyway, Talia, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul has been taken as well and that's part of the plot. During his quest, Batman has to survive a few deadly encounters like a bunch of assassins trying to kill him and black panther as well because Robin's life is at stake. Anyway, long story short, it turns out that Ra's al Ghul was the mastermind behind the whole charade and because he is dying, he wants Batman to become his successor as ruler of his vast empire and Batman has proven his worthiness and because Talia loves him. So, Batman turns him down. This episode have a lot of great moments, aside from David Warner being awesome as the voice of Ra's al Ghul, there one little moment that I really like and this is considered one of the best moments of season three. Every time Batman would step ahead of Ra's, his servant Ubu…
(The Ubu Productions logo is shown)
Man: Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog.
(Ubu barks)
Sean: (Narrating) His servant Ubu would push him back.
(Ubu pushes Batman back after he steps ahead of Ra's)
Ubu (Voiced by the late Manu Tupou): Infidel!
Ra's al Ghul: Forgive my servant. He feels that no one should precede me. Call it overzealousness.
(Ubu smiles and walks away)
Batman: I think I'll call it strike one.
(Next scene)
Ubu: Infidel!
(Pushes Batman back and walks with Ra's)
Batman: Okay, that's two.
(Next clip)
Ubu: The master gave you no permission to leave.
Batman: I didn't ask for any.
(Ubu tries to punch Batman, but Batman grabs his hand)
Batman: And that's three!
(Batman breaks Ubu's hand)
Ubu: Ouch!
(Batman throws Ubu)
Sean: (Narrating) We get some great action as well, especially in part two where we get an awesome swordfight between Batman and Ra's and we get a little scene before the episode ends with Batman showing pure pimpdom when he kisses Talia, even though he wouldn't have a chance at love again after Andrea Beaumont in Mask of the Phantasm. The Demon's Quest marks another excellent episode, coming in at number 8.
(We get a shot of Ra's hand coming out from out of the Lazarus Pit and we hear his evil laughter)
Number 7: Joker's Favor/Joker's Millions
Sean: (Narrating) Okay, so I know I'm probably cheating on this one but come on, these are two Joker-centric episodes that are both written by the great Paul Dini. In Joker's Favor, we meet this ordinary man named Charlie Collins, voiced by Ed Begley Jr., who's driving home after having a bad day from work and he ends up cussing out a reckless driver, who happens to be The Joker.
The Joker (Voiced by Mark Hamill): I'm just going to have to teach you some manners.
(He reaches into his coat)
Charlie Collins (Voiced by Ed Begley Jr.): Please don't. I have a family, a wife, a little boy. Please. I'll do anything to make it up. Anything.
The Joker: Anything, says you?
Sean: (Narrating) And this poor guy finds himself forced to assist The Joker in one of his crimes, and this crime involves infiltrating a testimonial dinner for Commissioner Gordon and plant a bomb.
The Joker: Commissioner, I'm here to present you with a small token of affection, from me and all the guys doing 25 to life.
Sean: (Narrating) Not only that this is a great episode, this marks the first appearance of Joker's sidekick and love interest Harley Quinn, who would go on to be incorporated into the Batman comics and she became a very popular character.
Harley Quinn (Voiced by Arleen Sorkin): Oy, beauty school's starting to look pretty good about now.
"Thank you, Paul Dini. Thank you for creating an awesome character." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) Then, we have Joker's Millions in season four. It's based on the comic book story with the same name that was first published in Detective Comics #180 in February 1952. In the episode, The Joker is revealed to be having money problems. We knew that back in World's Finest. He ends up inheriting a massive fortune from his old rival King Barlow, who kicked the bucket.
The Joker: $250 million dollars. (Jumps in joy) Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! Whoo! Good ol' King Barlow. I take back almost all the nasty things I've ever said about him.
Sean: (Narrating) It's the Joker inheriting $250 million dollars. This episode writes itself and it makes a pretty hilarious premise. You have the Clown Prince of Crime inheriting millions of dollars from a rival mob boss and goes on a spending spree by buying a mansion and stuff. Hell, he even held auditions for a new "henchgirl", which pisses off Harley.
Harley Quinn: (After finding out that Joker is holding auditions for a new "henchgirl") I'LL KILL HIM!
Sean: (Narrating) And he hires new hench-girl, who he calls "Fake Harley". And she's voiced by Janice from Friends. And how do I know that she's voiced by Maggie Wheeler? Well, because Fake Harley has an annoying voice and laugh.
Fake Harley (Voiced by Maggie Wheeler): Ooh, thank you Mr. G! I promise I'll be the best Harley ever.
(Fake Harley laughs)
The Joker: Maybe I should've hired the fat guy.
Sean: (Narrating) This episode had a lot of great and hilarious moments and we get the best Joker moment in the episode where he finds out that King Barlow got the last laugh on him with the biggest joke ever. Plus, this episode has some of my favorite lines and this one has got to be my favorite in the episode.
The Joker: I'm crazy enough to take on Batman, but the IRS. Nooo thank you!
Sean: (Narrating) It's two Joker-centric episode enough to put a smile on your face, coming in at number 7.
The Joker: (Laughs) Let the good time roll! (He keeps laughing)
Number 6: I Am the Night
Sean: (Narrating) You know for a kid's show, it can deal with some serious topics and we get some dark, serious stuff in this show. And this is one serious and dramatic episode. This dealt with Batman questioning his career choices from time to time.
Batman: Sometimes, old friend. I wonder if I'm really doing any good out there.
Sean: (Narrating) This episode gives a lot of credit to us when we were kids and when I watched the episode on Boomerang a couple of years ago, I have to give them credit for this deep, mature storyline for a children's show and episodes like this is what made this show last as long as it has. This episode focuses on the anniversary of the death of Bruce's parents and Batman having some serious doubts about his calling whether he's doing any good. Then, we get to the dramatic and seriousness of the episode when Batman is late for an appointment that he was supposed to meet up for a sting operation with Gordon and Bullock. Then, a shootout breaks out and when Batman arrives and apprehends Jimmy "The Jazzman" Peake, the mob boss who has it in for Commissioner Gordon, Batman is too late.
Detective Harvey Bullock: Commissioner? (Sees Commissioner Gordon lying on the ground) Oh, my God.
(Batman gasps after seeing his friend lying on the ground)
Sean: (Narrating) Yeah, that shocked me. That was some pretty heavy shit for a children's show. Feeling guilty that his best friend and confidant has been shot and his life in critical condition, we get one of the most powerful scenes in the history of the show.
(Batman destroys his forensics lab and screams in despair)
Sean: (Narrating) Got to give praise to the episode's writer Michael Reaves, this was a powerful and mature episode for a kid's show. This episode proves that you can't always be there to save the people you care about.
Commissioner Gordon (Voiced by the late Bob Hastings): Got to keep fighting. Never stop. What I try to live by. Maybe if I'd been younger. I could've been like you. Always wanted to be a hero.
Batman: You are a hero, Jim.
Number 5: Over the Edge
Sean: (Narrating) During season four's run, some of the episodes were pretty dark and this one is one of them. With a title like that, you know that some serious shit is about to go down and trust me a lot of shit goes down in the episode. The episode starts with…
(Batman and Robin are running for their lives as the GCPD star shooting at them)
Commissioner Gordon: Bruce Wayne, stop where you are!
Sean is speechless to what he has seen. "Holy shit! What the hell just happened?"
Sean: (Narrating) That's one way of starting the episode off. I mean, what is going on here? Why are the GCPD shooting at Batman and Robin? Why are they chasing them? How does Commissioner Gordon know who Batman is? Why did they shoot up Dick's Robin costume? Why did they arrest Alfred?
"And why the hell does The Joker look like Mickey Mouse?" Sean asked.
Sean: (V/O as The Joker with the voice of Mickey Mouse) Ho ho, let's put a smile on your face. (Laughs)
Sean: (Narrating) In fact, every "holy shit" moment happens in the episode. We find out in a flashback, during a fight with the Scarecrow, Batgirl is ambushed on the roof and gets killed, she lands on the hood of a squad car in which Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock were driving in and then he finds out that Batgirl was his daughter the whole time and that she was working for Batman.
Commissioner Gordon: How could you? I worked with you, trusted you. And you never told me.
Sean: (Narrating) He blames Batman for the death of his daughter and vows revenge, he then finds out that Bruce Wayne is Batman and goes full force with his men. And to top it all off Nightwing gets arrested, Batman tells Robin to turn himself in and Commissioner Gordon makes a deal with Bane of all people to take down Batman. Good God. Then we come to the climax of the episode, where they're having a funeral for Barbara and Gordon has his men on the lookout for Batman, knowing that he'll show up. And Batman and Bane have a fight to the death.
Bane (Voiced by Henry Silva): Do we fight to the death?
Batman: It makes no difference now.
Sean: (Narrating) How can anyone not like this episode? It's action-packed and it's pretty dark. Now, I would talk about the ending but this episode is too damn good and I don't want to spoil it and yeah I have a big problem with the ending and it could've been improved. A great "What If?" scenario and it still holds up pretty strong. That's why Over the Edge is coming in at number five.
Number 4: Heart of Ice
Sean: (Narrating) Another good episode written by Paul Dini and much like how the show created Harley Quinn, they also recreated Mr. Freeze. And when I said that this show dealt with some heavy shit for a kid's show, this episode's another example. They gave him a different and much darker backstory. In this version, Victor Fries was a scientist trying to cure his deathly ill wife Nora Fries who he cryogenically frozen to save her. Because it was draining the company's funds, his former employer tries to shut the experiment down. But when Fries tries to fight them off, he gets kicked into a bunch of chemicals, making it impossible to live without being in sub-zero temperature, and thus Mr. Freeze is born.
Batman: Freeze!
Mr. Freeze (Voiced by the late Michael Ansara): That's Mr. Freeze!
Sean: (Narrating) This episode is considered to be one of the best episodes of the show because of Mr. Freeze's backstory. It's so good that they used it in the comics, video games and in Batman & Robin.
Mr. Freeze (Played by Arnold Schwarzenegger): The Iceman Come…
Sean picks up a batarang instead of his signature pistol, threatening to throw it. "Don't tempt me, Arnold."
Sean: (Narrating) Props to the late Michael Ansara. In my opinion, he played the best Mr. Freeze ever. Originally, the creators considered Anthony Zerbe as the voice of Mr. Freeze. Hell, even Anthony Hopkins was considered for the role of Mr. Freeze as well. Yeah, Hannibal Lecter as the voice of Mr. Freeze. Can you imagine that?
Mr. Freeze: (With Hannibal Lecter's voice) A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. (Makes a sucking noise)
"Thank God they stuck with Ansara." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) Plus, they give Mr. Freeze some of the most awesome lines ever.
Mr. Freeze: Think of it, Batman: to never again walk on a summer's day, with the hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold. Oh, yes. I'd kill for that./You… beg? In my nightmares I see my Nora behind the glass, begging to me with frozen eyes./How I've longed to see that look frozen on you./Yes, it would move me to tears if I still had tears to shed.
Sean: (Narrating) A memorable and excellent episode with a classic yet tragic character and with beautiful music to accompany it with. You know what they say about revenge. It's a dish…
Mr. Freeze: …Best served cold.
Number 3: Trial
Sean: (Narrating) A topic always asked by fans of the show, "Did Batman create the villains or did the villains create Batman?" Well, they explore it in this episode. Originally, Trial was supposed to be the plot of the first Batman animated movie that would become Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, but instead this episode became a half hour episode. In the episode, Batman is put on trial than none other than the villains putting him on trial. They take over Arkham Asylum, capture Batman and force District Attorney Janet Van Dorn to defend him. The only downside is that Van Dorn says that Batman is a disgrace.
Janet Van Dorn (Voiced by Stephanie Zimbalist): Not only does Batman create these so-called super-criminals, he takes it upon himself to be their judge and jury with no regard for the legal system.
Sean: (Narrating) Actually, they make some pretty good points. We get one of the best scenes of the episode where Batman's on trial, with Two-Face as the prosecution and Joker, oh boy, Joker as the judge.
The Joker: (Slams his gavel down) Guilty!
"Move over, Judge Judy. There's a new judge in town." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) With a huge cast of characters, callbacks to previous episodes of the show and the episode focusing on the psychological and philosophical, makes it an excellent episode, coming in at number 3.
The Joker: (Imitates Porky Pig) That's all, folks!
Number 2: Lock-Up
Sean: (Narrating) During the show's final run on Fox Kids, the show's creators tried a lot to come up with new characters and they came up with a new villain for the show's rogues gallery and I wish that they've used that character some more in episodes. The episode centers on Arkham's new chief of security named Lyle Bolton, voiced by Bruce Weitz aka Bruno Mannheim from Superman: The Animated Series. And this guy is crazy. And I mean crazy, villains like Scarecrow, Scarface and Harley Quinn are scared of this guy. When you watch the episode, you'll see how scared Scarecrow is when he sees this guy.
Scarecrow (Voiced by the late Henry Polic II): (While Batman and Robin are escorting him inside Arkham) Look at me, Batman. I'm shaking with fear. Me, the Scarecrow. I wasn't even going back to crime this time. I just had to get away from him.
(Batman, Robin and Scarecrow see Lyle Bolton as Scarecrow gasps in fear)
"And this coming from a guy who dresses up like a silly-looking scarecrow." Sean said.
Sean: (Narrating) And because of complaints from the inmates, he loses his job and becomes the ruthless and brutal vigilante known as Lock-Up. And he gets his revenge on the people who are responsible for him losing his job like Mayor Hill, Commissioner Gordon, Dr. Bartholomew and Summer Gleeson.
Lock-Up (Voiced by Bruce Weitz): You apprehend them, Dark Knight, and Lock up will put them away. Together we can make this city safe again.
Batman: By kidnapping innocent victims? I don't think so.
Lock-Up: If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.
Sean: (Narrating) It's a shame that Lock-Up was on the show for only one episode but he has no real motivation. I remember watching this episode on Boomerang back in the eighth grade and I thought that this was an interesting episode and I enjoyed it and the climatic fight between Batman and Lock-Up on a sinking ship. My God, that was amazing. If you haven't seen the episode, then check it out.
Lyle Bolton: (While in his cell in Arkham) They thought they could trap me in world of lunatics but I showed them. Now I can keep an eye on everyone. They'll never slip past me again.
"Now before we move on to the number one episode on the list, here are some of the runners-up." Sean said.
Runners-Up
A Bullet for Bullock
Mad Love
Legends of the Dark Knight
Bane
Deep Freeze
Robin's Reckoning Parts 1 & 2
Baby Doll
Never Fear
Old Wounds
The Laughing Fish
Harlequinade
Number 1:
"And the number one favorite episode from Batman: The Animated Series is…" Sean said before revealing the episode.
Judgment Day
Sean: (Narrating) Another dark and suspenseful episode from season four and by the way, this is the final episode of the series, a creepy new vigilante known as The Judge, voiced by the late Malachi Throne, serves his own brand of justice to Gotham City by taking down criminals lethally.
"Hmm, a deadly vigilante taking down criminals lethally? Am I sure I'm not talking about the Phantasm?" Sean asked.
Sean: (Narrating) Yeah, this Judge character kinda reminds me of the Phantasm from Mask of the Phantasm, except the Judge has a powdered wig, black robe and no face. But they do share one thing in common is that their voices are really creepy.
(A clip from Mask of the Phantasm is shown)
Phantasm (Voiced by Stacy Keach Jr.): Your angel of death awaits.
(A clip from Judgment Day is shown)
The Judge (Voiced by the late Malachi Throne): Is there no honor among thieves, Mr. Cobblepot?
(A clip from Mask of the Phantasm is shown once more)
Phantasm: Time to pay for your sins, Mr. Bronski.
(A clip from Judgment Day is show)
The Judge: I am the law. (Pulls out a sword) And I find you guilty!
Sean: (Narrating) Not to mention, a councilman by the name of J. Carroll Corcoran condones the Judges actions by bringing down the criminals.
"Oh, let me guess, he's corrupt like that one city councilman from…." Sean said as a photo of Councilman Arthur Reeves from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is shown next to a photo of Councilman J. Carroll Corcoran from the episode Judgment Day. "Oh, Christ! It's Mask of the Phantasm all over again! Except, this guy approves of the Judge's methods!"
Sean: (Narrating) And the mystery of the episode like Mask of the Phantasm is who is the Judge and why is he trying to kill Gotham's criminals? Why is he judge, jury and executioner? Alright, I'm going to spoil it for you so here it is. In the climax of the episode, the Judge takes down Two-Face's goons in the courtroom and right when the Judge tries to kill Corcoran, Batman arrives and has a showdown with the lethal vigilante. And after a struggle with the Judge, he's revealed to be….
(A clip from Game of Thrones is shown)
Bronn: Jaime Fucking Lannister.
"Shut up!" Sean exclaimed.
Sean: (Narrating) No, actually the Judge is revealed to be none other than Two-Face, who created a third personality. Jeez, I'm lucky that he hasn't created a fourth personality for himself. An episode that's judge, jury and executioner. We herby find Judgment Day….
Two-Face (Voiced by Richard Moll): Guilty… guilty… guilty…
"And those were my top 11 favorite episodes from Batman: The Animated Series. If you have any episodes that you like from the show, then feel free to comment. I'm Sean the Mayhem Critic and I got to go to the store to buy some more Sprite. See you guys next time." Sean said as the young critic got up from off of his couch and walked out of the house.
Sean locked the door behind him before walking straight to a car, which is the Batmobile from Batman: The Animated Series right when the door slides open.
"What? You haven't seen anyone drive in a Batmobile before?" Sean asked right when the door slides shut and drives away as the late Shirley Walker's Batman theme starts playing.
And that was the Top 11 Batman: The Animated Series episodes. I hope that you all liked the episodes that I picked for the list. Next time on The Mayhem Critic, Sean takes a look at the 1990 action comedy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and relieves his childhood. After the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles review, I will be working on either a review of the movie Ghostbusters II, Halloween II (The 1981 version not the shitty Rob Zombie version), Number One With a Bullet or Batman/Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero. Which one should I review after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Don't forget to review this story, add this to your favorites and follow it for future updates. If you want to co-review a movie with me, feel free to PM me and we'll talk. I'll see you guys next time. Till next time, my fellow readers.