Review: The Batman "The Big Chill"

You know, this episode's title will later get two callbacks with "The Big Heat" and "The Big Dummy." So let's see what previous episodes would look like with similar titles!

"The Bat in the Belfry"
"The Big Joke"

"Call of the Cobblepot"
"The Big Jerk"

"Traction"
"The Big Guy"

"The Man Who Would Be Bat"
"The Big Bat"

I think the third one's particularly on-the-nose, so perhaps it's for the best they didn't go with that title.

Plot/Themes
This episode was written by Greg Weisman, who brought us such shows as Gargoyles, Young Justice, and The Spectacular Spider-Man. And this episode fits with Weisman's usual style in that Batman is tested both physically and mentally by the villain of the episode.

Sure, the physical threat might not be as prominent as when Batman previously fought Bane...

The physical embodiment of physical threats.

...but Batman is still taken to his physical limits as he fights an armored villain while fighting off hypothermia. It's not that he's fighting a physically superior enemy this time; rather, he's fighting an enemy that saps his energy and ability to fight.

But not only that, Batman has to look inside himself as his resolve is tested. I mean, narratively speaking, Batman's obviously not going to quit after only a handful of episodes, but this episode isn't about whether or not Bruce Wayne can find it in himself to continue. The episode is about what Bruce Wayne finds within himself to continue.

We all know the story of Batman's origin, which is why cartoons these days tend to not show it at first. That way, instead of the origin story being an immediate obligation, they can save it for a later flashback in order to show exactly how the death of the Waynes influences Bruce even into his adulthood.

There are two way to interpret Bruce's dream in this episode.

He may be projecting his parents' murder onto Mr. Freeze, intentionally or otherwise, to fuel his crusade. Or it acts as a metaphor, reminding him that every criminal that goes behind bars is one fewer criminal on the streets. And in this case, I believe the latter.

I think it's important to remember that part of Batman's crusade isn't just to avenge the death of his parents, but also to prevent further incidents like the one in Crime Alley all those years ago.

So in the end, even though this episode heads into similar territory, this episode avoids the problems of "Traction" by focusing more on how Batman endures in his crusade, rather than if he'll endure.  Although in the end, the solution to the villain of the episode is the same as it is in "Traction"; shrug off physical injury and use a new Batsuit specifically to take down the new bad guy.

Characters
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze (Clancy Brown)
The problem with this version of Mr. Freeze is that he's not sustainable as a villain.

The Batman: TAS version of the character was a reluctant monster with tragic motivations. This version is basically a force of nature who revels in his post-human evil. Sure, he blames Batman (and to a lesser extent, that homeless guy) for what has happened to him, but it becomes obvious that even as he harbors a grudge over his transformation, he really enjoys the power. Luckily for Batman, Mr. Freeze doesn't really go mad with power until Batman has the means to defeat him.

But once Mr. Freeze reaches that point, he's really exhausted anything that makes him interesting as a character. No repentance, no remorse, and for all intents and purposes, no motivation.

Comparing him once again to the TAS Mr. Freeze, that version is always doing stuff to further his goal of curing his wife. This version just wants to watch the world burn freeze. And that doesn't automatically ruin the character, but it limits the kinds of stories you can tell with such a character.

So it makes sense that Mr. Freeze will only show up four more times in the rest of the show's five season run. Two team-ups, one glorified cameo, and "Artifacts," where archaeologists in the year 3007 excavate the Batcave in order to figure out how Batman, Oracle, and Nightwing defeated Mr. Freeze once and for all, so the 31st century can defeat him once again.

As for Clancy Brown's performance... meh. I mean, yeah, he's certainly good in the role, but it's Clancy Brown playing an evil guy with a sinister voice. That's, like, half of all Clancy Brown roles. So while it's a fine performance, it's something we've all likely seen before.

Bruce Wayne
This is the first time that Bruce has had to contend with a threat to Gotham he actually caused. While he contemplates abandoning his crusade, he does ultimately remember why he's doing this in the first place. And he fully understands that he's the only person who can handle a threat like this, even if he inadvertently created the threat in the first place.

Although I still have to wonder what happened right after Victor Fries froze. Seriously, did Batman just say "Well, he's frozen and possibly dead. My work here is done"?

Animation
There's some nice animation in this one. Nothing really to write home about, but nothing much to point at and criticize. So I'll take this moment to talk about Mr. Freeze's new look.

I like it.

As much as I miss the freeze-gun, Mr. Freeze's new look is definitely emblematic of Operation: Zag. Mr. Freeze is now a bulky physical threat who is not hampered by an external weapon. The ability to emanate cold blasts from his palms, coupled with the sleek exoskeleton, veers from the '50s sci-fi theme most other versions of the character have. And changing his domed helmet into an icy casing does make him visually distinct.

I can see how some might not like the new look, but I think such a drastic reinterpretation was pretty necessary to give the show a distinctly new identity for the character.

Final Thoughts
This is what "Traction" should have been.

Batman encounters a villain that knocks him for a loop, only to reaffirm his resolve and innovate to defeat this new threat. But where "Traction" focuses on the question of whether Batman can continue his crusade, but what allows the answer to be "Hell, yes."

Next time, cats and ninjas. Two things very likely to land on their feet. See you then!