Edward
Bartender
- Messages
- 26,510
- Location
- London, UK
I'm greatly enjoying it too. Two episodes left to go tonight. It's absolutely stunning. I agree that it has found its feet more this season. The one change I found a little jarring in the first series tbh was the very different look to Harley Quinn, but it's grown on me this time round (and, tbf, after Harley leapt from screen to page back in the 90s, she's had a lot of different looks over time, so...). The way they've told the story with such a slow-burn, the teasing of the Joker across most of the series, is beautifully done. I'm intrigued to see whether, having already had Harley in a relationship with Detective Montoya, they play out the Joker and Harley storyline at all in this version. It would be interesting to see that in this somewhat darker retelling.
Funny thing, though, the Riddler being such a big villain in this series. I hated the character for years (that Adam West rubbish did huge damage to the Batman property for me for a very long time), but in relatively recent times there have been three versions I've particularly liked, in Gotham (which also featured my personal favourite of all the interpretations of the Penguin I've ever seen), The Batman, and now this. This particular animated series feels to med a lot liked a revisitation of the noir feel of BTAS, with something of the Nolan "keep it real" vibe, the focus on organised crime, the absence of anything that could really be called a superpower, the way the villains are portrayed. It's got a similar feeling, to my mind, as The Batman, with the highly stylised feel to it, but at the same time the more 'realistic' vibe within that. (I'm not sure I'm articulating this so well, but...). Riddler in this was great. I loved the whole green suit and fedora look (caught my eye particularly because I've had half an eye on a green fedora recently, funnily enough; I've also always loved pairing green and purple. Traditional Riddler colours, ofc course). Quite enjoyed the 'riddling with ******s' aspect of the name's origins too. Was it only me, or did they consciously model his face on Jimmy Cagney?
Poison Ivy (I don't think they actually used the name in the episode, did they, or did I miss it?) was beautifully done too - I hope we see more of her.
As to nostalgia.... I think it's a fair suggestion that this is a series the target market for which is those of us who remember BTAS and want to see more in that vein. BTAS was first shown in the UK as a segment within a Saturday morning magazine show aimed at a broad youth audience (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_&_Kicking); these shows typically targeted 8-16 year olds, but in the 90s would often have a large late teens / early 20s cult viewership, typically thought of as either "hangover television" or "post-club television" depending on the demographer's stereotype. Cartoon were a big part of that. BTAS was one that was especially big; I also recall the 1990s version of the X Men cartoon appearing later on. In both cases, within the bounds of the slot-specific broadcasting restrictions, they were remarkably adult in the depth of storytelling, characterisation and emotion they portrayed. With them off the censor-hook for this version, I'm very glad that they've maintained the creativity they had before. Yes, we get touches that show these are intended for adults: the occasional mild swear, characters portrayed smoking (albeit always villains, a cute touch), a higher level of violence up to and including actual deaths, possibly the direct depiction of a same-*** relationship (I think this wouldn't be the challenge to get through in the UK now that it would have been on primetime kids' tv in the 90s; not sure re US network broadcasting? It's a while since I've been over there, so can't really gauge from my own, now dated, experience) . On the whole, though, it doesn't feel at all like they've done that "we're off the hook, now what can we ladle in?" - and it's the better for that.
I'm hoping that rather than just a dose of 90s nostalgia, this is a part of a wider revival of interest in quality, period noir pieces. Our period of interest in these parts has been somewhat unfashionable for a while, with big shows like Peaky Blinders that do hit upon it not quite spending long enough there to big it up. But everything goes round in a circle. I'm sensing that the long, long popularity of eighties nostalgia is starting to wane a little. The Sixties isn't what it was in that regard, so maybe it's time for the late 40s / early 50s to take centre stage again. Certainly if the Forties does come back here in the UK, it would be lovely to see it characterised by a lot more post-war stuff. For long enough there's been a sense in British popular media that there was nothing happened between VE Day and the Beatles. It'll be interesting to see when the new generation of Peakys comes out, set in the 50s, how that hits. "The Fifties" that usually gets sold over here is very, very much a nostalgia for the American fifties, much less the reality of the decade in Britain. (Interesting via Stranger Things to see that effect start to hit eighties revivalism in England too.)
But yes, more of this new Batman, please. I wonder how many series they have planned, and whether we'll get any feature-length spin-offs.
