^{Credit: Batman: Caped Crusader (Amazon Prime Video)}

There was a good show somewhere in the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader, trying to get out. Bruce Timm of Batman: The Animated Series brought his signature to the aesthetic, leaning even more into a 1940s backdrop. With this Batman series being more serialized, Caped Crusader also opened itself up to new possibilities. Season 1 didn’t always take advantage of its serialized nature, however. For example, the first season saw Harvey Dent become Two-Face over several episodes. In just two episodes, though, Batman: TAS handled his character arc with far more depth and striking imagery. 

Caped Crusader Season 1 did provide some fresh takes on familiar characters. Instead of being the Joker’s henchwoman, Harley Quinn is introduced as Bruce Wayne’s court-mandated therapist. This opens the door for a fascinating dynamic, but Bruce’s sessions with Harley end after one episode. Two episodes later, it’s revealed that Harley has been kidnapping her corrupt patients, subjecting them to torture. It would’ve been so much more effective if Bruce kept coming back to Harley for psychological help, gradually coming to trust her. Maybe even to the point he almost tells her that he’s Batman. THEN they should’ve revealed Harley’s true nature!

Of course, I’m not here to rewrite the first season. I’m here to review the second, which is similarly hit and miss. Like Season 1, Season 2 provides some inventive interpretations of classic villains like Poison Ivy, as well as baddies who never quite took off in other continuities like Roxy Rocket. Speaking of underutilized DC characters, it’s nice to see Carrie Kelley back in action after standing out last season. Once again, Carrie only pops up in one episode, which makes sense given that this is a bloodier Batman show. In Batman: TAS, it was already pretty irresponsible for Bruce to bring minors like Tim Drake on life-threatening adventures. In a show where people die regularly, it’d be borderline child abuse. 

Hamish Linklater’s Batman is also still struggling to accept help from others, although he's slightly more open to Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon, and loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. In one of the season’s stronger outings, Bruce goes undercover as an inmate to infiltrate a convict’s inner circle. Bruce initially sees him as a means to an end. As the episode unfolds, though, Bruce comes to empathize with him. He may be a criminal, not unlike the one who shot his parents, but Bruce sees that he’s a person, too. In moments like these, we see potential for a show that could be placed beside Batman: TAS. Yet, for every idea that takes the Batman mythos in an intriguing direction, there’s another that downgrades it. 

Instead of being an Alice in Wonderland fanatic, this show’s version of the Mad Hatter is a talk show host named Hattie (Laraine Newman), who’s like Hedda Hopper if she lived long enough to be a Fox News host. That’s… a choice, but it’s one I started warming up to by the time we arrived at an episode where Hattie gets roped into a plot with a bat cult. Just as I was starting to enjoy the character, though, the show doesn’t do much with her. This is a trend with Caped Crusader. Characters are introduced, only for them to have their potential squandered. 

Of all the characters, the biggest misfire is Dave Franco’s Riddler, who unfortunately gets the most screen time this season. Despite being one of Batman’s most recognizable foes, Riddler only played a main role in three episodes of Batman: TAS. The character proved challenging to write for, partly because his riddles either ran the risk of being too simple or too complex even for a master detective like Batman. The writers also felt that the Riddler posed little physical threat to Batman. Their solution in Caped Crusader? Remove the riddles altogether and give him a gun! Wait, so why is he called the Riddler then? Because he riddles his enemies with bullets… That’s… really forced.

I wouldn’t mind this trigger-happy reimagining of the Riddler if he were an interesting character. This guy is more like a poor man’s Ralph from The Sopranos, however. All he does is scream and shoot people. There’s zero nuance, and for a villain who’s portrayed as a wild card, I could predict everything he did. Even in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which turned the Riddler into a gritty serial killer, he still left riddles for Batman to crack. Sorry, but a Riddler without riddles is like the Scarecrow without fear gas, Mr. Freeze without ice, or the Joker without laughs. 

That said, I was worried about how Caped Crusader was going to handle the Joker here. After being teased at the end of Season 1, it seemed Season 2 would center on the Clown Prince of Crime. While the Joker’s presence looms over this season, Caped Crusader takes its time revealing him as his plan comes together. This builds tension, as the Joker becomes creepier with every glimpse we get. Yet, it became clear that he’d be played less for laughs, running the risk of being too serious. 

When the Joker is finally allowed to take center stage, he's like a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Hans Landa. That might not be how I usually envision the character, but it ultimately works. Even if he doesn’t crack as many jokes, this Joker remains an agent of chaos who has his own ways of making others laugh. The Joker’s master plan also delivers in a finale right out of a horror picture. At this point, I was half-and-half on Season 2 overall. The final episode has me leaning more positive than negative, although Caped Crusader is still a glass half full (or empty, depending on how you look at it). 

Caped Crusader is a show that I want to love, especially whenever observing its slick, noir-inspired animation. While there is talent in the writers' room, it always feels like the scripts could’ve used one more rewrite. I do think that Timm and company have something here, but for every step forward, they take another back. Considering how Batman: TAS set the gold standard, perhaps expecting lightning to strike twice was too much to ask for. That said, Caped Crusader serves as a reminder that Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Eric Radomski, Michael Reaves, Frank Paur, and several others were just as responsible for that show’s success. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!