Hands down, best season of THE BATMAN, and that'd still be true if the last four episodes absolutely blew. After all, we have a Joker episode airing next week, and the Joker's had his share of clunkers on THE BATMAN. Still, 9 episodes in and not one abysmal episode is a peak for this show. Even Season 2, considered by many to be the show's best until now, had a few clunkers. The turnaround is amazing. It can't all be attributed to Robin alone; perhaps now that the show is a hit, the network is backing off on the writers a bit? After all, they made THE BATMAN vs. DRACULA without such hassling and did it well. This episode sees the best villian from Season 2, Robert "Freddy" Englund's Riddler return, as well as has Brooke Shields as his past galpal, Julie.
A while ago, one of the banes of the show's existance is their villians had little motivation. This season, though, has become more cerebral as we have gotten villians who have had full motivations and origins known. They didn't HAVE to go back and do an origin for Riddler, but they did, and the villian is stronger for it. Incidentally, THE BATMAN has had three episodes where Riddler was either THE villian or had a main role, which is about as many as B:TAS had. Stan Berkowitz wrote this episode, and as the guy has written for B:TAS, BATMAN BEYOND, JLU, and the 90's SPIDER-MAN, you know good things are coming.
The plot is relatively simple; the Riddler has captured the cargo ship of Mr. Gorman and has rigged it to explode, while tormenting him with riddles; he also has two burlier looking henchmen who have simple yet COOL costumes (green bodysuits, ?-marks on the chest, imagine Foot Ninja designed by Riddler). Batman arrives to intervene and Gorman is able to escape, but not before using Riddler's cane to blow up the rig, sinking his goods but also hoping to be rid of the villian once and for all. This leads to Batman & Riddler stuck in a cargo hold at the bottom of the ocean, with a limited air supply, pinned under debris and seemingly no way out. Batman calls for Robin on the Batwave, but alas the signal goes dead when they sink too deep, and Dick Grayson just can't seem to get out of Home Ec so easily today.
Believing this is the end, Riddler recounts his origins and how Batman played a role in them. Now, some people have knocked the Manson design for Riddler here, but I'll repeat myself; Englund makes it work. I doubt it was designed with that actor in mind, as these things are usually done in pre-production before casting, but it's a perfect fit. I'd never have imagined that Englund could do a good Riddler, but he's a far better Riddler than he was at Felix Faust in JLU (Faust being a rather generic evil mage).
The recent Batman cartoons have done well with Riddler's origin, usually casting him as a genius out for revenge against business men who don't appreciate him, at least that was the premise behind "IF YOU'RE SO SMART, WHY AREN'T YOU RICH?" from B:TAS (which had a great origin, actor, and design for Riddler even if it relied on a rather kiddie video game plot). This episode has much the same origin for Riddler, as Edward Nigma was a scientist along with Julie working on a device to boost brainpower, perhaps a nod to BATMAN FOREVER where Nigma worked for WayneTech doing much the same thing. They also alluded to a verbally and possibly physically abusive father who wanted his son to be a jock, not a nerd. Immediately hostile towards Gorman, who he believes will simply profit from his genius and toss him away, Edward seeks to make his name on his own. However, at a demonstration for his device, he all but lobotomizes someone frying their brain, and his rep was never the same. Fired and his relationship with Julie ended, Riddler became convinced that Gorman sabutaged his work, and so thus was out for revenge.
Having trapped Gorman in the past in his home with riddle themed traps (his "fetish" if you will), Batman happened to intervene and solved the riddles, leading to Nigma's defeat. Inspired by his new adversary, he donned a more "theatrical" theme. This flashback has it's downsides; Batman bares his SEASON 5 design, and not his past ones with the smaller chin. It also plays awkwardly with his debut in Season 2, as Batman surely should have recalled a riddle-themed trapmaster, especially since the flashback presumably occurs before Season 1, when Batman was mostly fighting gangsters.
As with some past episodes, Riddler has some smart riddles and some solid lines, and I liked how he now uses razor-tipped Question marked "scythes" as weapons; I always felt it unfair that Joker & Penguin could be karate experts here, but Riddler was still mostly feeble and helpless in a fight. In this episode he actually proved to be a challenge to Batman in terms of fistcuffs, which isn't bad; maybe he picked up a few moves since Season 2's finale. Batman inspires Riddler to help him escape when he deduces logically that it was Julie, not Gorman, who sabutaged his work as Gorman lacked the know-how, a conclusion not even the brainiac Riddler could have figured because emotions got in the way (he loved her). Given a new vengence motive, Riddler helps them escape but then suckerpunches Batman so he can go after Julie; by now Robin has arrived (after literally making himself vomit to get out of class, a cute little scene).
The ending comes by quickly; Riddler and his goons attempt to kill Julie (yes, kill her by frying her brain, no immobilizing cards here folks!), when Batman & Robin come to the rescue, but leave her for the police as well. Having some sympathy for Nigma's lot in life, Batman departs with his own riddle; "When is a villian not a villian?" Considering this is the first incarnation of the Riddler who one could claim is sort of
creepy, this episode did well to make him sympathetic. The better Batman episodes do that, rather than just have him stop generic plots, so this one is for the books.
The Timmverse never had enough of Riddler and as THE BATMAN is all but guarenteed a Season 5, hopefully we see more of him later on. An interesting modern take that could allow THE BATMAN to be original would be to incorporate Paul Dini's subplot from his DETECTIVE COMICS run, in which Riddler uses his fame to become a legally sanctioned P.I. who sometimes is a rival of Batman. I kind of doubt that, though.
Robin essentially just has a cameo role, but unlike Batgirl all his scenes are well written; perhaps the writers just can't get into Batgirl without making her annoying. Riddler is also one of the few villians who can claim to be in multiple episodes and have all of them be good (this episode was easily better than "WHAT IS REALITY?" in some ways).
This season is on a roll and THE BATMAN has suddenly emerged as the best comic cartoon on TV, and to think a year ago it was almost sinking fast. Holy comeback, Batman.
