(8/25/09)
The Riddler is Batman’s sole intellectual nemesis. At least in his first appearance he is devoid of any obvious psychological malady, and he betrays a sense of supercilious condescension and total control over the participants in his cruel schemes. Batman rarely finds himself pushing his intellect to the test, but the Riddler is the one that strains him to do so.
… Or perhaps in a more competent episode such would be the case. But alas, masterminds in action cartoons are never really allowed to enact master plans that eliminate options and raise the stakes. Rather, the Riddler becomes a gimmick, someone with limitless access to neat contraptions and giant mazes and whose sole sign of genius lies in his quips and riddles, neither of which elevate the man to the status of mental perfection he truly deserves.
When dealing with a man who is ostensibly leagues ahead of everyone else in mental capacity, it stands to logic that a screenwriter might place him in an ambitious plot, having him using his mind to serve all manner of devilish ends. But Edward Nygma begins as a mere employee of an electronics company. For some reason he is relegating his expertise to company work, and for all his brilliance does not seem to understand the mechanics of corporate ownership. He is fired by Daniel Mockridge, the generic corporate rich boy with an obnoxious grin.
And so like Harvey Dent and Mr. Freeze, Nygma dons a costume and deems himself the Riddler, all for revenge. But his methods are ironically less thought out than those employed by Two-Face and Mr. Freeze. The Riddler makes a show of his vengeance, what with his control of Gotham’s electricity and his riddles setup so as to be read by all Gothamites. He is cocky and for all of the insurance you would think he would have in the case that Batman and Robin might show up to stop him, all he offers in defense is a couple of henchmen.
How John Glover’s masterful vocal performance, so full of smugness and self-assurance, contradicts the stupidity of his schemes. It boggles my mind that the Riddler apparently had any intention of bringing Batman and Robin into his personal vendetta, and yet the entire construction of the maze seems to serve no purpose other than to challenge the costumed heroes. Why else would he not put a bullet through Mockridge’s head when the chance clearly presents itself?
I think this is a serviceable adventure yarn. I loved watching Batman and Robin run the gauntlet of the labyrinth as a child. And yet to a more sophisticated viewer the episode leaves much to be desired. And at the same time the Riddler is conflicted between mindset and action, so too is the spectacle torn between Eric Radomski’s stylistic direction and Blue Pencil’s rubbery renderings.
This is one of those episodes that I adored as a child. It had the Riddler and Batman and Robin racing through a maze of riddles and all sorts of exciting traps. While I find it to be quite average after having seen it so many times, I’ll go ahead and list off what I like about it, seeing as how I’ve already gotten this paragraph off to such a positive start. The Riddler has a perfect design and a perfect voice, and even when he’s not used to his full potential, he still exudes an obsessive sinister and wickedly smart demeanor. While his episodes are generally poor, he’s always so much fun to watch. The second thing I like is the same thing I loved as a child: the maze. It really is great fun and Batman’s willingness to break the rules is perfect.
But as for the rest of the episode, it’s pretty average. Edward Nygma is a typical guy working at a software company who gets shafted out of a profit that is rightfully is, so he gets a revenge streak and goes after his company’s owner, Daniel Mockridge. Here’s where the episode falls apart a little; the Riddler, established as a genius, only employs a few gimmicky tricks, some dumb henchman, and his maze. While his maze is quite dangerous, there is no logical reason for the Riddler to lead the dynamic duo to where he’s holding Mockridge at all. Why didn’t Riddler just kill Mockridge when he had the chance or if he didn’t want to kill him, why not just leave town with him? There is no reason that the Riddler would encourage Batman and Robin to stop him.
I know that the Riddler is supposed to have a psychosis that forces him to leave clues, and one could rationalize his willingness to provoke Batman’s and Robin’s intervention as part of that disorder, but it isn’t touched on at all, receiving not one moment of exploration. ‘Riddler’s Reform’ did a great job of showing what motivates the Riddler’s obsessions and why he must always leave hints at his crimes, but here he’s just a clever man out for revenge, no real psychology to it.
The episode is the first to be animated by Blue Pencil, and it’s about on the level of Dong Yang’s work. This is also the first episode directed by Eric Radomski, one of the two major producers for the series. I think part of the reason I can overlook a lot of the episode’s flaws is that Radomski makes it so much fun to watch. The music is also a bit more noticeable and the title card theme is one of the most memorable in the entire series.
The episode is a lot more showy than substantial. The Riddler is the type of villain that should mastermind devious tricks and traps, but here the episode would rather him just churn out goons for the sake of action and a maze for the sake of action. I still give the episode an average rating though, because it’s still genuinely exciting from a child’s point of view, and half the time that’s how I prefer to view the series.
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