Review: BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER 1×02 – “…And Be A Villain”
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Directed by: Matt Peters
Written by: Greg Rucka
Starring: Hamish Linklater, Diedrich Bader, Michelle C. Bonilla, Eric Morgan Stuart, Jason Watkins, John DiMaggio, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, Jeff Bennett, Kimberly Brooks, Lacey Chabert, Yuri Lowenthal, Bumper Robinson, Alex Wyndham
Reviewed by: Joshua Raynor
Summary
Batman: Caped Crusader 1×02 – When a glamorous movie star disappears, Batman and Detective Montoya find themselves tangled up in the dark web of a mysterious avenger haunting the soundstages.
Positives
This episode was fantastic! It felt just like a classic Batman: The Animated Series episode, having more of a mystery/noir feel with a touch of horror mixed in. This is exactly the vibe I was hoping we’d get at some point from this series. Legendary comic book writer Greg Rucka pens this episode and really brings his A-game to it, leaning on those darker tones while exploring the mystery of who this villain really is, especially for those unfamiliar with Basil Karlo.
Speaking of Basil Karlo, seeing him as the original comics version of Clayface was definitely an interesting choice. It allowed for a more cat-and-mouse type of story instead of a huge brawl between him and Batman. I definitely think it worked better for what they were going for in the story, but, as I’ll comment more on in the next section, it had its limitations.
We were also introduced to two other Batman characters this episode — Lucius Fox and Renee Montoya. Fox was barely in the episode, but it was great seeing him used in this universe, and I hope he pops back up in future episodes. Montoya, on the other hand, was a major player in this episode, being the one cop who was tracking down this mysterious new villain. We’ll definitely be seeing more of her, as she clearly states at the end that she’s not done with Batman.
Lastly, Harvey Dent seems to come off a bit more sleazy than I’m used to seeing him portrayed, as he’s typically seen as the goody two-shoes, at least on the outside, but this version seems to hide his bad side less. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing yet, though.
Negatives
I was shocked that they brought in Basil Karlo’s Clayface in his original comics form, and not the big, hulking behemoth that has become most synonymous with the character. It’s a far more subtle interpretation of the character, and with that comes limitations. We didn’t really get to see much of him transforming at all, which was a bummer. We know that he was impersonating various other characters throughout, but we didn’t get to see those transformations.
Verdict
Overall, this episode was just what I wanted from this series, and I hope we get more like it. And while I was hoping for the monster version of Clayface, personally, it was still really cool to see the original version of this character get some screen time.
Score: 4.5/5
