MovieChat Forums > Batman: The Animated Series (1992) Discussion > Top 5 Overrated BTAS Episodes

Top 5 Overrated BTAS Episodes

posted 8 years ago by moshbabylon
6 replies | jump to latest

While I don't hate any BTAS episodes there were a few that get more praise than I think they deserve. What's your 5? Here are mine;
(*Not including episodes from The New Batman Adventures & only episodes that got at least an 8.5 or higher on imdb.com)

ALMOST GOT 'IM
I like the whole idea of the episode but hate the execution. The short flashback stories were kind of laughable (exploding pumpkins and an "aviary of doom" lol) and the way Batman portrays Killer Croc as a complete moron who gets knocked on his butt by Ivy is embarrassing. Why would Croc be intimidated by villains he could easily handle in a fight? I guess Batman is just playing dumb, but it didn't really make any sense for Batman to act as an out-of-character Killer Croc. Plus, was it necessary to have that many cops undercover playing poker? None of the villains suspected anything? Still a good episode though, just a tad overrated.

TRIAL
Another good episode, but not as great to me as most people think. I like the whole question of "Did Batman create his villains or not" but then its mixed in with so much humor (from Harley/Joker, Mad Hatter, & Scarface) that it just seems like a footnote by the end. I also think it was odd that Scarecrow was absent in an Arkham episode but what's even stranger is how Riddler disappears from the Jury right when they are about to give a verdict. Maybe he had to use the bathroom, who knows. Then in predictable fashion the villains are embarrassed by Batman even though they could have killed him earlier if they wanted to (and apparently they did) and then Joker has to be the last villain standing of course, belittling the other villains' contributions; Mad Hatter's mind control over the guards making the Arkham takeover possible, and Batman's cunning capture by Ivy-Harley. It turned into a Joker episode when all he did was play a Judge.

HOUSE AND GARDEN
I wanted to love this episode because it has its creepy moments, but its hard to ignore how stupid it is. Batman believing Pamela had reformed herself made Batman seem so gullible. If he believes Ivy could become a good person after all her murders/attempted murders - then why was Batman less likely to believe someone less murderous like Riddler could be reformed (Riddler's Reform)? If he believes Ivy could change into a good person by all means Batman should believe even the Joker can be reformed. Also, semi-sentient plant creatures that can pass off as human beings without suspicion is a bit out there, even by BTAS standards. Ivy's weird longing for a normal family unit, despite her intense hatred for mankind, felt a bit forced/out-of-character.

DEEP FREEZE
The Grant Walker character is loosely modeled after Walt Disney and the myth of him being cryogenically frozen to keep himself preserved for the future, which is the only thing that can make sense of such a stupid character with such a stupid wish to be like Mr. Freeze. This episode is basically a big jab at the Disney legacy I guess, but I thought it made for a pretty bad Mr. Freeze episode. "Heart of Ice" is almost a bit overrated too, but it's at least worthy of being overrated (if that makes any sense to you). "Deep Freeze" just sucks in comparison, but gets rated generously because it's a Mr. Freeze episode.

HARLEY'S HOLIDAY
After good episodes like "Harley and Ivy" and "Harlequinade" I didn't see the necessity of yet another Harley-centric episode, especially one that didn't involve the Joker. I thought this episode was pretty forgettable, yet it's ratings are pretty high. I also think it's just bad writing to have an Arkham doctor give Harley a clean bill of mental health.

[–] daredevil1-1 8 years ago

Was hoping for a thread like this! I don't think any are bad, but most overrated episodes ever, by a mile:

1) Legends of the Dark Knight (enough about this stupid episode, it's on every single "best of" collection!)
2) Mad Love (comic was so much better, redesigns hurt it badly)
3) On Leather Wings (boring as hell)
4) Beware the Gray Ghost (too pretentious, a wank-fest for the creators)
5) Heart of Ice (it's ok, but waaaaay overrated)

[–] moshbabylon 8 years ago

Ever notice how 'On Leather Wings' is almost like a weak version of 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'? They both are stories where Batman is confused for someone else who is causing trouble and the GCPD have to go after Batman thinking he's become an out-of-control vigilante. The only difference it was believable in MotP & in 'Leather Wings' not so much because a) mistaking a giant flying bat for a gliding masked man in a cape isn't actually believable, and b) Man-Bat didn't kill anybody so why is the law going after Batman so hard?

[–] RipCity 8 years ago

I agree with you on Trial, House and Garden, Deep Freeze and especially Harley's Holiday being overrated. In fact Harley's Holiday is one of my least favorite episodes in the series, it's just too slapstick, and feels like it belongs in another show, not this one.

I was going to write a new Sig today, but everything changed when the fire nation attacked.

[–] moshbabylon 8 years ago

Yep, felt almost like a Jump the Shark episode for the series, especially in comparison to Season 1 episodes. Not even sure Harley's Holiday could even work in The New Batman Adventures. It was an experiment gone wrong.

[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 8 years ago

I don't know if these are necessarily overrated.
Night of the wolf-Somehow a werewolf really doesn't feel right being in a Batman cartoon.
I can't rememebr the name but the one where Penguin tries to reform was rather dull imo. It was on Nostalgia critic's best Batman episodes video.
The Clock King-Just seems too silly.
The Underdwellers-the villain isn't that memorable but I admit the homeless kids angle is pretty heartbreaking.
POV-I find this one to just be one of the less memorable ones.
1, 2 Freddy's coming for you. 3, 4 better lock your door.

[–] moshbabylon 8 years ago

I thought POV was overrated too. I like the idea of it, but it wasn't that interesting. 'Bullet for Bullock' was a much better Bullock episode.

I wouldn't say 'Night of the Wolf' is overrated, just not that good an episode. BTAS didn't do Dr. Milo justice. He was forgettable.

'Birds of a Feather' might be overrated, yeah. I remember it was considered one of the best Penguin episodes but it made Penguin seem overly pathetic, with him trying to fit in with Gotham's upper class. It seemed out-of-character to me, maybe not so much as Burton making him a sewer dweller, but still, Penguin was always pretty ruthless and hateful, it's hard to see him trying to reform at all.

The irony of Clock King coming off silly in BTAS is the creators re-invented Clock King in the series in a way that he could be taken more seriously. It didn't really work although his whole mental illness and OCD obsession with time did make me feel rather uncomfortable. The whole episode where he is able to literally manipulate time with a device was way too silly though.

As for 'The Underdwellers' - yeah, Sewer King was meant as a minor/forgettable villain. Some trivia though, in the comics (a series called "52") there was a Sewer King based off the BTAS version. He got stabbed to death with a sharpened letter opener for not affiliating with a gang known as Intergang. Sewer King is as forgettable and expendable as villains come.