A Gotham City accountant named Charlie Collins (Ed Begley Jr.), finds himself constantly pushed aside by multiple bad drivers on his way home after a rough day at work. No longer taking this kind of abuse much longer, Charlie loses his temper and chases after the next car that dared to cross his path to let out his frustration. Unfortunately, his action just made his bad day a whole lot worse when he discovers that the driver he takes his anger on is Gotham City's notorious crook the Joker. After trying to flee from the Joker, he is eventually caught and about to be "taught a lesson" causing Charlie to plea for him to spare his life with the promise that he'll do anything he asks of him in return. The Joker lets him go, vowing to call him when he needs a favor done. 2 years later, Charlie under a new name and living far away from Gotham City has been tracked down by the Joker and is needed to help the Joker plant a bomb kill at a testimonial dinner dedicated to Commissioner Gordon. Unsure how to save the Commissioner, he tries to find a way to signal Batman for help before he's forced to aid the Joker.
As you probably have noticed this is another episode, where Batman is not the focus and is barely in it. It's strange how most of the episodes in this series are more about the villains and side characters than they are about Batman. For a show titled "Batman: The Animated Series" you would think it be more focused on Batman. But despite Batman being in it very little his presence doesn't feel as wasted and unexciting when compared to his minor appearances in episodes such as "
Be a Clown", "I've Got Batman in my Basement", or "
Prophecy of Doom". He gets one of his best scenes that beautifully establish his relationship with Commissioner Gordon. Is given an exciting action scene when he chases the Joker inside a replica of an ancient temple with real working booby-traps in the same building where the dinner is being held (I have so many questions about this set-up). And offers a highly rare moment that Batman almost never does in the series that's shown in the very last scene which is quite refreshing to see.
It is disappointing to not see Batman take much of the spotlight, however Charlie's situation with the Joker is intense enough to be captivating. In the Joker's last appearance "Be a Clown" as frightening as the idea of a kid being in danger at the hands of the Joker was, the kid wasn't interesting as a character or had that much of a personality to makes him stand-out. Charlie who you at first think is going to be this typical bumbling dimwitted innocent with the same amount of charm and interest as the Joker's previous victim had is in many ways relatable. That's not to say that Jordan isn't and didn't have reactions that a kid watching the show can't connect with, it's just that the voice acting was pretty bland as his arc was too generically predictable. Charlie by comparison has something that both kids and adults can relate too. As kids can relate to his fear of the Joker, and trying to save lives that are at stake; adults can relate to him for his frustration with people and his job that Ed Begley Jr. perfectly sells to make his feelings towards everything feel natural. On top of him being relatable, throughout the episode we see different sides of his character to fit each particular situation for him to seem more human from an angry worker, to a loving Father, to a helpless victim seeking for salvation, to a madman who has had enough of being pushed around by people. Honestly, Charlie just maybe (at least by far) the most human and engaging innocent civilian who is not a criminal or has any heroic abilities.
Now considering how relatable, well-written, and nicely acted as the character Charlie is, because he's so emotionally helpless and always thinking of what to do, this effectively puts us in his shoes as he's being stalked and threatened by the Joker, who is just as scary here as he was when we saw him before. There are of course plenty of gags and one-liners that bring a big laugh thanks to the clever writing and Mark Hamill's delivery. He wouldn't be called the Joker if he wasn't slightly funny. But good heavens the lengths he goes too to find Charlie and bring him back to Gotham is just unsettling, and since the Joker is highly unpredictable you're never entirely sure what he intends to do with Charlie, resulting with the viewer being just as paranoid as he is, even with the knowledge that this is a cartoon starring Batman. It is merely the anticipation of the Joker's plans with Charlie and what he may do if he betrays him as he jumps back in fourth from a bouncy clown to an insane killer that increases the levels of anxiety.
If I were judging this show by the order of air-dates, this would technically be the first time the Joker appeared in the series, which certainly isn't a bad one! However, I'm only judging this by production order but regardless of how you watch or judge the series this is still an important episode for creating the Joker's iconic and legendary better-half Harley Quinn. When watching her in this episode though looking sexy in her iconic red-and-black jester outfit and speaking in a high-pitched New York accent provided by Arleen Sorkin, she does very little. We see her assist the Joker, but we don't see them really work off-each other often or have that tragic abusive relationship that makes the two such a fascinating couple. Come to think of it, we see her more without the costume than we do with it on. Probably because the creators weren't expecting her to become this popular in the series, who at the time intended her to be nothing more than just a colorful and beautiful small-time criminal working for the Joker. The reason why she was created in the first place was because the writers felt that the Joker dressing in drag to carry out his plan would be out of character, resulting to the start of arguably the best original villain that the series created.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The episode's story is as basic as the Joker's previous outings in the series, but offers plenty of emotion, suspense, and new material to keep it from being just another battle between Batman and the Joker. Mark Hamill brings a perfect balance of laughs and chills to this deranged clown. How the episode plays up the dangers surrounding Charlie’s situation gives us a highly intense experience. Charlie is one of the best characters in the show who is not a superhero, villain, or part of the police force. The little that Batman does in this episode provides enough cool moments that make him such a grand hero as we are given a few moments that contains a little more depth to his character. And for me to say that the creation of Harley Quinn is a welcoming new addition to the series would be a complete understatement!
Harvey Bullock has arrested nervous convict Spider Conway to testify against Rupert Throne. As Conway is being transferred, a mysterious figure kidnaps him after blowing up the boat he’s on. Batman witnesses the explosion and finds a toothpick by the prison where Conway was transferred out of belonging to Bullock. Suspicious about Bullock, Batman steals his police file discovering that Bullock was taking money from Throne in the past as Conway was working for him. As Batman cracks the case, he begins to find strange clues that lead him to a half-man, half-crocodile criminal who goes by the name of Killer Croc.
I apologize for spoiling where the mystery is going for some of you newcomers, but it's just too obvious that Bullock isn't going to be the mastermind behind all the kidnappings. Mainly because we see glimpses of the monster, who goes as far to impersonate Bullock later on in the episode, so it does not come off as a shocking twist that Bullock isn't the villain. The only real question to this whole mystery is why is Killer Croc kidnapping these criminals and framing Bullock in the process, which is fine, especially if you've never heard of Killer Croc before, it just fails at giving us the same kind of clever red-herring as what "
On Leather Wings" provided. However, I will say that the build-up to Killer Croc's presence is quite intense! The voice acting and animated reactions from the people being abducted as they look at him, combined with the shadows, music, and the little we see of Croc keeps you in suspense as your eagerly waiting for him to reveal himself.
When Killer Croc does fully reveal himself, he looks monstrous, threatening for how strong and bulky he is, but he isn't as scary as he was built up to be. That doesn't make him a bad villain, since he does appear to be a challenge for Batman when they fight. It's just when you had villains as scary as ManBat, the Joker, and Clayface, you'd expect him to be on the same level of fright as them given his effective build-up. But to be honest, that's nowhere near as disappointing as the lack depth and backstory given to this character. I'm not saying that every single Batman villain in the show needs an episode all about their origins or a flashback sequence dedicated to them. There is some insight given to Killer Croc's past about him living as a freak in a carnival as a wrestler who then turns to a life of crime, which is something compared to not providing foes and allies like Penguin and Catwoman some kind of background. The downside is he has a past that’s so interesting that could be given some serious emotional depth diving into the trauma and psyche of the villain to giving us a better understanding of why he's a criminal, that it instead it gets traded off for simple dialogue and Batman searching through the papers. It wouldn't be so bad if we felt some kind of emotional attachment to the villain, but its nonexistent here.
Now with that said, Killer Croc is not really the focus in this episode. The real focus is on Harvey Bullock on how both Batman and the Gotham City police perceive him as Batman tries to figure out what's going on that leads to both Batman and Harvey seeing each other in a new light, which is handled incredibly well. We all know that Harvey is a jerk who hates Batman and is willing to make-up stories about him to make himself look good (as evidenced in "
P.O.V."). So to see Batman at first trying to find evidence of proving his guilt to later on protecting him makes the situation between the two of them a lot more fascinating. Despite the two not liking each other, they're still enforces of the law where Batman proves to Harvey that even he would still help him regardless how much Bullock despises. And even though it's obvious that Killer Croc is the villain, a part of me wanted to see Bullock get some kind of payback for all the hate he gives to Batman. The fact that we learn that he has a bit of a crooked past with the mafia, makes you want to see him put behind bars just as much as Batman does. But when he finally does get put away midway through the episode, it feels unsatisfying for how unjustified it is since he's clearly being put away for a crime that he had no involvement in. Furthermore, as much as Batman hates him, Commissioner Gordon though has his troubles with Harvey too, does have a soft spot for him for being a good cop, that proves that Harvey is not as selfish of a detective as we would like to think he is.
What's always welcoming when watching an episode of the show is seeing Batman spend time with the supporting characters. I keep forgetting how helpful Alfred is to Bruce/Batman from not just a father figure standpoint, or him putting himself out there to help Bruce, but for how he unintentionally give his employer ideas through his simple daily duties while Batman tries so hard to understand what a clue could possibly mean or lead too. The notable members of the Gotham City police force though having little to do (with the exception of Bullock) still have their moments to shine. Reene Montoya who has left little to no impression in her previous appearances in "Beware of the Grey Ghost" and "Joker's Favor", is given a little more to say and do. Commissioner Gordon shows a little more sentimentality towards both Batman and Bullock, while still having moments of being a tough and serious leader. And the cops involvement in the mystery and how they are voiced gives the episode a bit of a detective noir feel to it.
The animation supports the feel of watching a classic detective noir for its dark rainy environments, effective use of colors and sounds of lightning flashing, slummy environments drenched with shadows, an eerie score to heighten the tensions and mystery, and having a large variety of angles to tell its story. It's one of the best animated episodes that the series has ever created that make the scenes involving the police give it more of a classic dark edge, and since Batman is involved in all of this, naturally the imagery of him spying and fighting criminals is going to look stunning as well. The highlight involving Batman, the animation, and even Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock is when Batman sneaks into police headquarters on a dark and stormy night as the two cops argue. The scene is simply drenching with just as much atmosphere and high dramas if we were going to combine Harvey Dent's therapy session from "Two-Face" from the acting and similar environment, and Batman driving Vicki Vale to the BatCave in the Burton film for how much a simple scene can strongly embody the feel and spirit of Batman. However, Batman's greatest scene of spreading fear to the criminal mind is how he interrogates Throne, which I can't express in words of what a treat it is to see the very mobster who created Two-Face get his dose of fear from the "Caped Crusader".
OVERALL THOUGHTS
From a mystery and origin stand-point it’s not one of the show's cleverest or emotionally gripping episodes as many of the previous episodes which is disappointing and a waste for how the episode clumsily fits Killer Croc to the story. However, this episode is not what I would consider as mediocre or forgettable territory by any means! Batman's relationship with Harvey Bullock through his suspected crimes is riveting. Killer Croc is still an interesting and threatening foe. The episode giving half of its focus to the police characters is just as neat to see as in the episode "P.O.V.". The animation is one of the show's strongest for how artistic and atmospheric it is. And the amount of scenes and moments greatly exposing what a great and intimidating crime fighter Batman is, is almost endless.
Robin's alter-ego Dick Grayson and his college roommate and football star Brian Roger have recently heard through sports newscasts that several athletes have been having panic attacks in the middle of a game, resulting them to lose the game. Brian a little nervous about a big game he has on campus that could possibly draft him into the big leagues, tries as best as he can to put his fears of missing his big chance aside, only for him to hallucinate his opponents on the field turning into monsters causing him to break-down and lose the game. Things don't go well for Dick as his alter-ego Robin when he soon develops an incredible fear of heights as he fights crime with Batman, that are causing him to nearly die and holding Batman back from taking on criminals. Batman discovers that Robin and the athletes have been drugged by none other than the master of fear himself the Scarecrow, and must serve justice to the crazy masked scientists as Robin tries to fight through the effects of the drug.
Understanding from the very moment when I saw the title card that this episode was going to feature the Scarecrow, I was excited while also hoping that this episode will give more updates and depth to the villain. Thinking that the episode was going to give this villain a grand introduction in his first scene, he's instead kept in the shadows while watching the drug take effect on the players. And when he's shown to be interacting with people, he's wearing an uncanny disguise as a courier named Lucky. Considering that we already know what the Scarecrow looks like and who he is, it didn't makes any sense to why the writers and animators went out of their way to keep him hidden. When he finally does reveal himself to a thug (voiced by Tim Curry) after all this time, it became clear that the reason why he was being kept in the shadows was because his design has been completely changed. Unlike in his debut episode where he looked like a rejected "Tiny Toon" foe with a silly sock puppet like face, he looks like a scarecrow made to resemble Freddy Krueger and the grim-reaper from his creepy skeletal face and body shape, straw-hair, yellow eyes with pupils, and hideous teeth. This was the kind of design I was hoping the Scarecrow to look like in his first appearance. It’s legitimately terrifying and how it is revealed is captured through the right amount of pacing and suspense that ends with a surprise scare that literally made me jump.
His new design is awesome, but I'm afraid nothing else about him in this episode is memorable. His voice has changed slightly to sound more angry and tough while also sounding sophisticated that's not bad as his lines are delivered well by the same actor who previously voiced him Henry Polic II, but it's not chilling enough to match this outstanding update to one of the scariest villains in the franchise. The hallucinations that his victims see from his drug aren't as imaginative as they were when he used his fear gas. We get only 3 scenes of people seeing nightmare imagery that isn't there, that go from silly as
the monsters playing baseball in "Goosebumps", to suspenseful, to crap your pants scary, which is cool seeing this imagery get gradually scary as it goes along. Still it makes me wish that they went as all out with these nightmares as they did in the Scarecrow’s debut episode. But the biggest let-down regarding the Scarecrow is his plan, and to keep spoilers to a minimum all I'll say is his reason for drugging athletes isn't going to lead up to something as grand as you'd hope it would be. It seems more like a plan you’d see from the 60s Batman show.
The Scarecrow though the cause of all this doesn't get that many scenes to shine, and neither does Batman. The focus of the entire episode all leans toward Batman's sidekick Robin, since he was the one to witness these crimes before Batman does who has to also overcome his fears in order to save the day. This plot is exactly reminiscent to how Batman had to do the same when he first fought the Scarecrow, except that it's not a fear that he's felt for years, which easily makes this story pale in comparison. That's not to say that Robin’s struggle isn't effective, because it is from the animation successfully creating the weight of the heights where Robin stands and the feel of Vertigo as he looks down, sweats, and speaks in a voice full of fear and reluctance that Loren Lester greatly captures when voicing the character. I just wish there was more to Robin's struggle and the Scarecrow's plan in general since the stakes surrounding the situation aren't high enough to be a thrill ride unlike the previous episode with the Scarecrow. As Robin is given an story arc, we do learn a few little things about him that are shown or implied, like him used to being part of a circus doing breathtaking stunts involving heights, and why he suddenly appears aiding Batman in "
Christmas With the Joker" to then suddenly vanishing afterwards with no mention about him at all
His chemistry with Batman is still just as enjoyable to watch as it was when we last saw them together, as the two seem like brothers for how they support and work-off each-other. Batman himself may have little to do in this episode but he does have his moments. He gets a harsh scene of him intimidating the jailer who's obviously hiding something from him. A hilarious encounter with a woman when he breaks-in to her bedroom during a fight. And a weird and slightly disturbing scene of him testing the drug on cats that he keeps locked away in the BatCave (I know that Batman is mentally disturbed, and I can easily expect Keaton's Batman to test dangerous chemicals from criminals on cute household pets; but I would never suspect Conroy's Batman to take that twisted route). These moments aren't what I call the best of Batman in the series, but they still none-the-less are memorable for how dark, funny, and odd they are. For me above everything that the episode does well (yes even the Scarecrow's new design), my favorite moment goes to when Batman passes the jail-cells in Arkham Asylum containing a few criminals that Batman has fought and locked away as we see what they do when sitting alone in their cells. The atmosphere and things that we see the criminals do and say are part of what makes this scene the highlight, but the real reason why this scene is so special is because this is the very first time that we see Batman's foes together in the same location in one episode. They're not interacting with each-other, or part of the Scarecrow's plan, but it's still incredible seeing them back-to-back living in an infamous prison that we don't spend that much time at.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This episode isn't the strongest when it comes to plot, for giving the Scarecrow a weak reason for his motivation, rehashing Batman's struggle with the Scarecrow to Robin, and for not having enough stakes to make the situation interesting, but it has elements worth seeing. The Scarecrow's design is a major improvement. It's delightful seeing Robin return and be the focus. Some of the scenes involving the Scarecrow and what the nightmares that the people see are intense. Batman is given some amusing moments. And seeing most of the villains together for the first time is a real treat. The stuff with Robin and the villains being present together aren't as compelling and fleshed out as these characters and ideas would later be in the series in episodes like "Robin's Reconking" and "Almost Got Em'”. However, even some of the greatest of ideas (as corny as it may sound) start out as small as a seed before it can grow and bloom into something amazing and unforgettable.
Mayor Hamilton Hill is running for re-election; however, someone is humiliating him in front of the citizens of Gotham by using technology against him and vandalizing his election banners. Bruce sees a mysterious figure on top of a building where one of the banners mocking Hill is placed and suits up as Batman to find out who the criminal is and what he is up to. He discovers that the mastermind sabotaging Hill's campaign is a new villain called the Clock King. The Clock King wants to get even with Hill for causing his company to go bankrupt during a lawsuit years ago after giving him advice to not be so punctual all the time. Due to his loss for taking Hill’s advice he believes that it was a ploy for him to lose the case since Hill was an attorney with the law firm representing the company that was suing against his.
As I was watching the episode there was something about its storytelling and environment that felt different. The tone, style, and dramatic dark edge that the series is best known for was all present so the episode didn't feel out of place, but there was something about those elements that just stood out in a weird way while strangely feeling familiar. When the episode was over and I started getting my review ready it suddenly hit me making me realize that it was using the same formula as the episodes for the classic 60s show. A mysterious criminal pulls off a minor crime that gets Batman's attention; he finds a few clues helping him track down the criminal mastermind he's up against; gets caught in a Death-Trap that the Clock King sets-up and escapes; discovers what his real intentions are; and we get a showdown between Batman and the villain in a visually distinctive location. If you're not fully convinced that this isn't referencing the 60s show or resembles it, most of the story happens during the afternoon instead of night time like all the other episodes. Does the episode use any cheesy puns, corny fights, or ludicrous writing, absolutely not! Even taking place mostly at day-time and having the same structure of the 60s show, the episode looks gritty, feels dramatic, gets legitimately suspenseful at times, and contains thoughtful writing.
For example, when Batman is caught in The Clock King's death-trap, Batman doesn't have some kind of convenient gadget or piece of knowledge that he suddenly knows about that saves him, nor is it being complete luck. We see him grasp the situation and physically use his brainpower to what is available to him to save his skin as the clock is literally ticking right in front of him. And as every single second goes by you feel the pain that he's suffering and how every ounce of his time counts, making it one of the most suspenseful and smartly written situations that Batman's been through in the series. From an animation stand-point, though not at all bad, it's not one of those episodes that offers that much atmosphere or fascinating visuals to bring depth to the story. But there are still plenty of impressive or memorable bits of animation, like Bruce suiting up as he climbs the stairs. Some of the reactions that the characters have. And the background designs for the climax at the clock tower looking nearly as atmospheric (if not as big and visually stunning) as the fight between Basil and Ratigan in "The Great Mouse Detective". The music however, does give the episode plenty of weight, by making everything feel so huge despite the animation not being as big; and heightening the drama as well as emphasizing the pacing for intense scenarios for how the score mimics and moves like a ticking clock (complete with a chiming like-sound).
Batman is great in the episode, and his faithful butler Alfred assisting him in the first half with finding clues has some good funny sarcastic comments, but the Clock King is the character who makes the episode another criminally overlooked one. I wasn't too interested in an episode revolving around a villain as gimmicky as the Clock King in a show that usually treats their villains seriously by giving them an edge or a past to make them feel human. I even saw his design before I watched the episode feeling repulsed by it for how bland (he just wears a suit and a bowler hat) and silly (glasses with the face of clock, how am I supposed to find it intimidating) it is. But as soon as his origins story was over, I found myself with the same kind of awe as how the show executed the origins of Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface! It wasn't nearly as dark and emotionally distributing as those, but watching how this guy has an obsessive compulsive disorder with punctuality made me feel and relate to the stress that he feels for how nervously frustrated he behaves. He's the kind of guy who doesn't tolerate changes to his carefully planed out schedule, fearing if he makes any alterations or that an inconvenience gets in his way, he'll feel like that it's the end of the world, that on many levels is quite relatable. And when he does try to alter his schedule hoping that it will help relive him from his OCD, his worst fears happens when he breaks it and ruins him for life resulting with one of the saddest breakdown scenes that I've ever seen on the show.
His origins maybe powerful, but that's only the first few minutes of the episode, and we still have to see how he acts as a villain, because if he fails to be a menacing and challenging threat for our hero then he'd overall be a weak foe no matter how emotional of a backstory you give him. At first it seemed that way, he's not doing anything big, he's simply causing vandalism and messing with traffic, why should I be worried by that? And he doesn't possess any powers either, except for a sharp cane that's shaped like the hand of a clock. So how does Batman not get the opportunity to tackle him as soon as he meets him? Because he uses his brains instead of bronze to get Batman. Given how this guy obsesses over time, with everything now gone, he decides to use it to study and outsmart Batman, whether knowing exactly when a train will pass-by to make his getaway, or studying Batman's every move knowing how long it would take him to throw a punch. Sure, he'll use his cane and time bombs to injure Batman during combat, but he'll mostly use his wits to save himself, much like how Batman takes down criminals. And while being a threatening foe for Batman, Alan Rachins gives to the character so much personality that his odd design legitimately fits his character. He's highly sophisticated as well as taunting believing that he's the smartest human being on the planet for how much he knows about time. But he also feels like a regular guy who's completely snapped for how nervous he sounded before turning into a criminal and always sounding robotic and distant from any kind of remorse for how much he's blinded by hate and revenge (that I'll admit is a little too similar to Mr. Freeze, complete with glasses to conceal his emotions).
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This is another great example of the show taking something silly from the Batman franchise, and turning it into something serious and deep. It successfully takes the storytelling structure of the 60s Batman show and blending it in the shows edgy world as its set place at a completely different time of day for the caped crusader where the show still finds ways to make it look dreary. And the show's take on such a goofy villain is a dignified portrayal that's cold, clever, and tragic. Give it some good animation, a score that gives the episode plenty of weight, and plenty of great moments involving Batman and his unsung partner in fighting crime Alfred, and you have one of the great unsung episodes in the show to introduce a new villain.
The crooked and greedy business entrepreneur Roland Daggett plans to secretly bomb the slum of Gotham City "Crime Alley" in order to build a shopping Mall in its place. Meanwhile as Daggett sends his goons to do the job, Batman is preparing to make a trip to "Crime Alley" to meet Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Diana Muldaur) at a certain time, only to find himself caught in a series of random crimes taking place within the area. Leslie stumbles upon Daggett's plan and is taken hostage to be blown to bits with the rest of "Crime Alley" and the citizens still living there by 9:00 clock sharp.
For a while, I was hoping to see an episode from the show give its take on an infamous part of Gotham City, and what I got overall was satisfying. The stuff involving Batman's relationship with the area and the person he's trying to see are handled in an adult way with little to no dialogue, making it some of the best moments in the series that show how deep the show can be. The exposition to Crime Alley gives all the details to newcomers who never heard of it in a appropriate matter, while it ties to the character of Bruce Wayne to help form a connection.
When we get to Crime Alley as Batman, we go from one action scene after another while the clock is ticking with Batman having no clue of what's currently at stake. All the action scenes offer every single element that we admire of Batman that leads to some cool imagery of him fighting and hiding in the shadows; and moments of interrogation that are so threatening that it simply helps define why Conroy is considered by most to be the best Batman. The highlight (at least for me) when it comes to action and thrills is the run-away trolley that involves Batman using his Batmobile to stop it before a major accident happens. It's a pointless detour because at least the crimes that Batman prevented beforehand had some kind of relevance to the plot, but its still a thrill ride as we see the Batmobile perform an ability taken from the Burton films (one out of two references to those films). There are indeed one or two funny moments as well, such as Batman's interaction with a member from the S.W.A.T. team. And after all this chaos that we witness Batman, we get a rare kind of ending that starts out disappointing but is saved by its last final moments that are very touching, overall creating a bittersweet conclusion that's usually welcomed in a show like this, proving its ambition of wanting to take its audience seriously.
There's plenty of things in the episode that shows the strengths of the series, but judging it on a whole the experience felt lacking and average that prevents it from being as one of the greats. Ed Asner still gives his character a personality so slimy that you'd like to see him be brought to justice as badly as Batman feels, but he's not as entertaining to watch as John Vernon is as Rubert Throne. He was fine in "Feat of Clay" for being the asshole who changed Hagen's life, he's just not an interesting enough everyday rich and powerful criminal to carry an episode as a leading villain as Throne was in "It's Never Too Late". And his henchmen are as intimidating as the thugs in the 60's Batman show, which isn't a bad thing, but the people supporting Daggett don't help make up for him not being as engaging.
Crime Alley itself though having tender moments and plenty of action, I was quite underwhelmed how the episode dives very little in the lives of people who live there. You do get the idea that most of the citizens living there are people living in poverty than being filled with black hearted criminals, which is great to see a kid's show tackle on, only it feels a bit underplayed. A lot of it focus' more on the action, Batman trying to save the Alley on time, and his relationship with the area than it does dive into the life of the people living there and why it became the way it is. I was just expecting a bit more, than Batman's brief encounters with the citizens. Of course Leslie symbolizes the good that lives there who is a humbly sweet character, but she’s nothing more than a damsel in distress for Batman to save except that they share some kind of past together to make the stakes a little higher, as if a time limit wasn't intriguing enough. In addition, I'll admit that after watching an episode based around time, it seemed a bit repetitive to pull something similar like it again, which wouldn't be so bad if it felt intense, but it doesn't. As much as the episode showed the passage of time, it hardly moves at a pace where you're feeling every single second of the time, and the impact of the problems building up like how "The Clock King" and "Pretty Poison" handled it.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I was hoping that the episode gave a little more depth to Crime Alley given its history and the people living there, than having it be an unexciting race against time that just throws random situations at Batman that's controlled by a generic cooperate villain. However, it's certainly not a waste of time for having its great moments of emotion and action. It's just overall a standard episode when compared to many of the others I've reviewed, that'll make you glad that you saw it for the things it does get right, just don't expect it to be a mind-blowing experience with so many different layers of emotion.
