Editor’s Note: This is the fifth episode of Beware the Batman that was not previously aired during it’s original run on Cartoon Network late last year. No official screens or videos have been released by WB for the remaining episodes.
Beware the Batman returns, in episode 16, six months following the events of “Reckoning.” Alfred has left and been gone for six months. The Caped Crusader, meanwhile, has been, in the words of Katana, “brooding more” since he left. Gotham City also has undergone change since the blackout. Harvey Dent has used the crisis to get elected to the District Attorney’s position, and he intends to use his new power to end the “mask and cape” problem. On the other hand, Gordon, now commissioner, is supportive of Batman.
Gordon and Dent clash over Batman right away in this episode, but Gordon has his trust in Batman tested almost immediately. It is discovered that residue from a bomb that exploded in Mayor Grange’s office matches Batman’s batarang.
While Batman is trying to convince Gordon he is being framed, Harvey Dent shows up with specially requisitioned police officers to arrest him. Luckily, Batman and Katana are able to escape. Following their escape, Batman puts into action a risky plan that will force the hand of the one really behind the bombing. To do this, however, he must kidnap Dent. While confronting Dent in a warehouse, Anarky steps out of the shadows and reveals he is the one framing Batman. Batman, Katana, and Dent are then forced to play along with Anarky’s wicked scheme.
This episode stands out among all of the other episodes of Beware the Batman thus far. The plot woven for this episode is excellent. The darkened path down which Batman has trod, the entrance of Dent, and the plan of Anarky all work together to create (at least subjectively compared to all previous episodes) an epic episode.
A minor plot point to complain about is Anarky’s plan. It was well thought out ahead of time. Ordinarily, a villain putting together a plan like this is needed, but Anarky is not your average villain. For a supposed anarchist, his plan was very orderly. Granted, he did improvise a bit, but that was only after Katana had forced him to do so. As an anarchist, he should have had less of a plan. Order is not the friend of an anarchist.
The well-ordered anarchistic plan was not a major problem, however. The major complaint of this episode is that it did not happen sooner. The show began not wanting to introduce major Batman villains, yet here they are, 16 episodes in, introducing one Batman’s most well known opponents, Harvey Dent (A.K.A. Two-Face). The fans deserved this earlier. However, beggars cannot be choosers, and fans should be grateful that they received an episode like this at all, when all the previous episodes are taken into consideration.
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