Batman the Animated Series Mad as a Hatter Full Episode

Batman: The Blithe Series straddles a weird line betwixt being a story about a vigilante seeking justice for murder by fighting dangerous murderers and being a daytime kids' show. That dichotomy has led to some of its very best and very worst episodes. In the all-time moments, the limitations forced the team to become creative. In the worst, the team was pushed into a corner and forced to create some dumb episodes. This week, thankfully, is the former. This calendar week Batman: The Animated Serial introduces the states to a villain that sits somewhere betwixt Mr. Freeze'southward very personal story and Scarecrow's power to hone in on 1 of Batman's real weaknesses. This calendar week information technology's the Mad Hatter.

"Mad as a Hatter"

The first interaction between Bruce Wayne and Jervis Tetch doesn't wait at all similar their final interaction. Jervis Tetch is an employee of Wayne Enterprises working on neural microchip engineering. When Bruce steps in to see him, the billionaire is warm, congenial, and generous. Tetch's boss, on the other hand, threatens decapitation if Tetch underperforms again. That'll be important later.

Things start going downhill quickly, though. Tetch is obsessed with Lewis Carroll'southward Alice in Wonderlandand views his whole world through that lens. His assistant Alice has the misfortune of a certain name and golden blonde hair; Tetch fixates on her.

One thing that sets Tetch apart from about of Batman'southward other villains is that he knows what he's doing is incorrect right from the start and says equally much. Tetch, voiced by Roddy McDowall, carries a forest-sized flame for his assistant Alice, and finds out that she has a boyfriend. He says that information technology would exist "better to withdraw like a gentleman." It occurs to him, of class, that his mind-command technology could make her behave still he likes, but he doesn't desire to reduce her to a "soulless shell."

Of course, the look on his face when he finds out that her boyfriend, Billy, has injure her, tells us that his understanding of right and incorrect is on deeply unstable ground.

Indeed, as before long as Jervis has Alice in his carriage, he's using his mind-control tech to create a more impressive and likable version of himself to present to the much-younger woman. Thanks to his encounter earlier in the day and an ascertainment from his erudite butler, it doesn't have Batman long to figure out just what'due south going on and to pursue Tetch.

Here, we offset to really meet how the limitations of the show'due south timeslot and audience pushed the squad behindBatman: The Animated Series to be more creative. This is a psychological sci-fi story about a guy with a pair of fixations on a person and a story. As Batman starts pursuing Tetch, the story fixation starts to really have shape.

As Batman enters Gotham'due south Wonderland park – becauseof course, it has a Wonderland park – the show could've gotten cartoonish, only it doesn't. It just getscreepy. I'1000 going to coin a term for it: Whimsicreepy. The way Tetch'south heed-controlled minions look in their Alice-themed costumes is downright spooky, with their trivial man faces poking out of these hilariously oversized costumes.

And then there'south Tetch's boss, who'd threatened him with occupational decapitation before, threatening Batman with actual decapitation. Nice callback.

While Bats ends upward on top as usual, the Hatter's item skillset seems to straight target Batman'south fear of hurting innocents. Information technology'south like shooting fish in a barrel to dial someone in the caput, but hard to punch someone in themind.

This time information technology'due south personal

Function of what sets Tetch apart from and so many of Batman'southward other villains is that what he wants in this moment is very personal. He's a lonely human being seeking connections in the world. He feels what he thinks is dear and wants the opportunity to express it. At this stage, information technology literally doesn't get whatever further than that.

I can even come across the defense force attorney arguing in court that Batman substantially created the Mad Hatter and his future exploits by humiliating Tetch when he was crying out for help.

Tetch'south response to even modest provocation, though, reminds the states that, indeed, he would not have stopped with Alice. With how he feels the world has slighted him, it's unlikely he would've stayed happy with that arrangement for long.

The Mad Hatter is a neat Batman villain in general, but his Whimsicreepy nature makes him a perfect fit forBatman: The Animated Serial. The show is able to play in surprisingly mature spaces while looking downright silly and never stepping into the outright macabre.

Next week, Batman: The Animated Serial brings usa another powerful come across between Scarecrow and Batman that was probable inspired by a pair of Batman stories and may have laid the background forBatman Begins and the Batman: Arkham Asylumgame.

If you need more than BTAS commentary now, we have every episode of the series ranked from the worst to the best!

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