(10/03/09)
If Blind as a Bat, reliant solely on the conceptual and not on the natural, were ideal, then Bruce would reveal his blindness at the end of the third act. Indeed, that is all that this is about. Batman’s blind; how will he take down a military chopper sabotaged by the Penguin with such an impediment? But it’s so dependent on this singular concept of a blind Batman that it lacks the material sufficient to build up to such a perfect reveal. We are rushed into the revelation of his blindness, only to frustratingly watch him cope with it for close to twenty minutes.
And yet, I feel the reason Batman succeeds is that several opportunities fall right into his lap, and the means by which he claims victory over the Penguin is something of a deus ex machina. For the majority of his pursuit of the Penguin and his goons, he has an electrode helmet thing that allows him to see only red-tinted images. Even when we fear for his life when it begins to go haywire, it still ends up magically start working again right when he’s in the most dire of circumstances. Watching Batman fly the Batwing and then stumble around for a good five minutes is not my idea of a grand old time.
I suppose we’re meant to take pride in Batman’s heroism and lack of self-concern. The Penguin must be stopped, even if the city’s valiant guardian cannot see. Leslie is ever watered down as Batman’s nagging maternal figure. She tells Batman not to fight crime for the sake of his health; Batman doesn’t listen. It is a shame that Leslie’s only worthwhile appearances were in Appointment in Crime Alley and Perchance to Dream. She is one of the figures of Bruce’s past that still remains, and it’s a shame that she can never be more than either a doctor or a moralizer. She’s less a character than a foil for our noble hero.
Artistically, I’m torn. On the downside, most of the settings are awfully bland, from the vacancy of the bridge, the repetition of the industrial sector’s backgrounds, and the dull look of the weapons demonstration. But then again those repetitious background as Batman flies through the foundries and warehouses remind me of the simplistic beauty of the series’ art deco design style. Red tinting doesn’t drastically alter the imagery, but the high color contrast is pleasing. Some of the animation is good; some isn’t.
Meanwhile, the Penguin further proves that he is a gimmick. He overuses his aviation puns and his motives are tiresomely bland. This could be any criminal mastermind deciding to hold a military vessel for ransom. But he’s not just any criminal; he’s a little pest who hobbles around and still manages to look ridiculous even at the helm of grandiose schemes. As this is his last show of the original eighty-five episodes, I will say that his The New Batman Adventures redesign, in which he exhibits less one-note villainy and more of that sly charisma we see so often in Rupert Thorne, is a grand improvement.
In the meantime, two things of note: Bruce Wayne would never commission the construction of a weapons system, and it is about time that the Penguin has found a practical use for his umbrella.
So at the beginning of the episode, Bruce Wayne is at a demonstration for a new Wayne Enterprises armored helicopter. Now before I go any further, there is something very wrong with this picture. Bruce Wayne would not back such a project, not even for his façade as a billionaire entrepreneur. Bruce Wayne does not like guns of any sort, and this helicopter that is loaded with firepower is a definite example of the guns that the man so hates. If you don’t think that a loaded helicopter counts, then I’ll direct you to ‘World’s Finest’, which is the episode that proves it. Here, the man sits idly by while his aircraft not only shoots down targets but also gets stolen by the Penguin.
This leads me to my next point. The Penguin is such an empty character. Aside from ‘Bird of a Feather’, he has never been anything more than a generic thug with an interesting name and appearance that can fit any criminal role imaginable. In ‘Birds of a Feather’, he was robbing from museums, in ‘The Mechanic’, he sabotaged the Batmobile, and now in ‘Blind as a Bat’, he’s finally moved up and has stolen a dangerous aircraft that can apparently shoot down anything in sight. Now apparently this was a one of a kind vehicle, because it not only seems like there weren’t any backup models constructed in case of a disaster like this, but Penguin is able to hold the entire city for ransom with it. And at the forefront of the whole ordeal is the fact that Bruce Wayne, and of course Batman, has been temporarily blinded during the grand scale theft.
Now, I actually really enjoy most of the episode’s remainder. I think it’s interesting watching Batman trying to cope with blindness and trying to carry on his mission despite the objections of Alfred and Leslie Thompkins. The scenes from Batman’s point of view are really cool and it’s a testament to Riba’s great direction how exciting he makes these simple point-of-view shots. Now I really dislike how long it takes for Batman to chase after the Penguin in the Batwing. It really is an enormous pacing problem and clearly the writers or directors couldn’t be pestered to fill the time with something more exciting. However, the episode picks up when Batman chases Penguin and his men into the foundry, where a lot of cool action scenes take place. Now granted, they still take far too long, but it’s still great watching a blind Batman trying his best to overcome his opponents.
The animation, while a step up from ‘Shadow of the Bat’, doesn’t compare to ‘Harley and Ivy’ or other great episodes animated by Dong Yang. Still, the point-of-view shots with the red color scheme look very stylish and there was a good bit down with shadows and silhouettes that I greatly enjoyed. Overall, I really enjoyed Dan Riba’s work on the direction in this episode. Its artistic competence really does elevate the episode slightly above average, but not by much.
‘Blind as a Bat’ is an okay episode. It continues along the same lines of ‘Shadow of the Bat’ in its blandness, but manages to stay a step ahead with its interesting premise and great direction.
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