PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *cosmological, metaphysical, psychological*
I enjoyed my re-watch of BTBATB Season One but I wasn't expecting anything but more of the same formula. And to be sure, the series' showrunners didn't stray too far from that template. However, it's a mark of their stated enthusiasm as fans that Season 2 did delve into one aspect of DC superheroes far from the vein of camp aesthetics, and that's the trope of the heroic death.
Now, there are a lot of the standard adventures, which, even without the jokes, verged on the absurd by having Batman cross over with a host of DC luminaries, good and bad, famous and obscure. The most successful episode is probably "Death Race to Oblivion," in which various heroes (Batman, Guy Gardner, Plastic Man and sidekick Woozy, Huntress and Green Arrow) are forced to participate in a cross-country car race with various villains (Catwoman, Joker, Gentleman Ghost, and Black Manta). Many episodes reference famous (or infamous) moments in Batman comics, particularly from the goofier moments of the Silver Age. Batman gets super powers on an alien planet and meets a villain with the name "Rohtul." Batman gets split into three separate Batmen, each with his own portion of Bruce Wayne's personality (which not only resembles one of the Batman comics, but also a 2013 TEEN TITANS episode by some of the same writers). The only crossover of Batman with Superman references two or three Superman stories and Miller's DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, while the "teaser" for that episode shows Batman and Robin dressed in mummy-versions of their standard costumes, duplicating a famous 1960s gimmick-cover.
And yet, the shadow of Real Death intrudes fairly often. "Chill of the Night" has the Spectre and Phantom Stranger making a bet on Batman's soul, a bet suspiciously reminiscent of the story of Job. Spectre predicts that the hero will become vengeful when he finds his parents' killer, while the Stranger hazards that Batman will rise above such temptation. (In the episode's teaser Spectre also implicitly kills one of Batman's minor foes.)
A three-part story involves the giant starfish Starro trying to conquer Earth, but one of the heroes often regarded as a joke, B'wana Beast, nobly sacrifices his life to defeat the alien.
In "Emperor Joker," the magical imp Bat-Mite accidentally transfers his powers to the fiendish Joker, who then becomes near-omnipotent. Joker uses those powers to put Batman to death, revive him, and put him to death again. These temporary deaths are rendered to be as over-the-top as possible, but it's still rather grotty to imagine the crusader experiencing real death again and again, and presumably keeping those memories even after he manages to trick Joker out of his "emperor" empowerment. Ultimate nerd Bat-Mite does step up and help, and gets some aid from Harley Quinn (wearing a flapper-like costume, presumably to avoid stepping on Bruce Timm's toes).
There aren't any episodes as good as "Music Meister" from the first season, but "The Last Patrol" comes the closest. It's a patent love letter to the 1960s series THE DOOM PATROL, one of DC's quirkiest superhero titles, and one which atypically ended when all the heroes gave up their lives to save those of ordinary citizens. (I think later hands revived all of the Patrollers, but it's the thought that counts.) The episode works in not only a number of bizarre Doom Patrol villains but even reproduces images from old covers.
None of the episodes are actively bad. I could have lived without seeing Batman do a "Turnabout Intuder" body-switch with the Kathy Kane Batwoman. In another episode, Speedy, Aqualad and Robin-- who in comics would be the nucleus of the first Teen Titans-- get too big for their britches. and take on the insidious Ra's Al Ghul and his sexy daughter Talia. Robin even gets so full of himself he makes a pass at Talia, who's renowned for being one of Batman's many squeezes. I don't mind having a little Oedipus wreckage here and there, but that one just comes out of the blue and doesn't have any impact on the story.
Possibly some of the meditations on death came about because the showrunners weren't sure BTBATB would get a third season. But Cartoon Network did order thirteen new episodes-- half the number alloted to both Seasons One and Two-- and this contingency allowed the devoted Bat-fans behind the drawings to send off their series in style with a standout conclusion.
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