(6/10/09)
To understand a character is not to sympathize with him. Matt Hagen is a loud raving narcissistic movie actor, and yet accompanying his flaws is a rational motivation for what he does. It is understandable that a man defined by his success as an actor would feel crushed after finding his face disfigured. Not all tragic characters must be like Harvey Dent and Victor Fries, whom we feel deeply for; some lack any sympathetic qualities whatsoever, and yet we still find ourselves fascinated by what happens to them. How does an imperfect man like Hagen respond to an accident? He digs himself deeper into a hole until revenge is his only option. Unlike Fries and Dent, Hagen is responsible for what he has become; that is why I love this episode.
In ‘Two-Face’ and ‘Heart of Ice,’ Dent and Fries are transformed solely due to the actions of an outside transgressor. Though this makes for touching stories, there is a more true to life quality in Hagen’s story. In ‘Feat of Clay,’ we trace Hagen’s own choices that led to his ruination. He was in an accident and given two choices: accept the tragedy and move on with his life or refuse to abandon his role as an actor and become a lackey for the slimy Roland Daggett. When he chooses the latter, his success is temporary. He acts, but at the expense of addiction he can only fulfill by performing criminal acts, and when he runs out he is faced with yet another choice: to do what he could have done earlier and accept his tragedy or make things worse and try to steal from Daggett. This series of events culminates until he is a monster: a physical manifestation of what Hagen has been his entire life. He is not only grotesque in appearance, but he retains the ability to transform himself. Regardless of his deplorable attitude, he is a fine specimen of a character to study.
What I also liked about this episode upon watching it again is that Hagen is something of a big nothing until he emerges as Clayface. Batman doesn’t even know that he has anything to do with his alleged arrest until part two, and Daggett figures he’s gotten rid of him by the end of part one. Only we know that something is waiting to emerge. There is a dramatic irony here that is delicious, and perhaps the feeling isn’t the same for everyone, but as soon as Clayfacae makes his explosive debut in the hospital, replete with TMS animation, I feel adrenaline pumping through my body, excited to a glorious extreme.
See I used to really dislike part one. I thought it served no purpose, and while it does have its weak scenes and those that are completely unnecessary, the most notable being Bruce’s arrest, it does a fantastic job of building up the suspense for Clayface’s big appearance. Look past the exposition for a second and recall the haunting image of the Renuyu being poured down Hagen’s throat in silhouette. Recall the lengthy interrogation scene that further reminds us that Hagen is still completely beneath Batman’s radar. Recall Daggett’s utter malevolence and how this sets up Hagen’s glorious attempt at revenge in part two. I rather like the multiple plot threads being weaved, regardless of how poorly written they were, if only for the reason that Michael Reaves tied them all together so well.
Yes, part two is one of my favorites of all episodes. It is most certainly not the most adept at narrative, but it excels in areas that have very rarely been surpassed. Reaves on the script, Altieri on the direction, Walker on the music, and TMS on the animation? Few combinations work so well in this series. This is an episode in which I can impassively listen to Walker’s Clayface theme, so tragic but with a tinge of hope. I can take in Altieri’s dynamic compositions. And I can watch TMS’s fluid movements and beautiful shadow work.
Simply take a look at the fight scenes. This is not the kind of fast paced martial artistry and laser dodging that dominates fight scenes today. Rather every blow, every action, is animated as a dynamic event that deserves extreme foreshortening and the kind of composition that makes a permanent imprint on your brain. I recall Clayface lifting his arms, peeling away a layer of drippy clay to reveal gigantic lobster claws; Batman leaping high into the air to deliver a flying jump kick; Batman yet again swinging from one of the studio rafters to topple over the lumbering monster like a cannonball. All of these moments thrill me.
If there is anything about part two that I disapprove of, it’s the forced flashback at the beginning, when Hagen plunges into a recap of his accident and his working for Daggett. Clearly, this is intended for those who missed the first part, and yet it is still inexcusable for being an artificial melodramatic construct that serves no purpose to those who watched part one.
'Feat of Clay' is great; it thrills and excites and weaves a fairly complex story by typical Saturday morning standards. The first part is the weaker of the two, but it still builds anticipation, and part two, the superior episode, would not work quite the same way without it.
Hagen’s personality might just be the only thing that remains consistent between the two parts. Indeed, part one is boring, dull, and poorly animated, doing little to further the plot. Part two, however, is sheer brilliance all around. Its inconsistency makes it hard to judge, but I’ve determine that there are more things right with part one than there are wrong with part two, making this one of the most enjoyable two-part episodes of the series.
In episode one, we are introduced to Matt Hagen, a movie actor with a severe facial disfigurement. His conflict is that he is dependent on Roland Daggett, the head of Daggett Industries, who provides him with a skin cream that temporarily reverts Hagen’s face to normal and gives Daggett dominion over him. While this is an interesting situation, it dominates too much of the episode, and part two is able to touch on it in as brief a time as is necessary while part one devotes so much time to showing Hagen in pain and Daggett discussing his sinister plans.
The most unnecessary part of the episode is Bruce and his run in with the law. In the beginning of the episode, Hagen, disguised as Bruce Wayne, commits a crime that puts Lucius Fox, one of Bruce’s business friends, in serious danger. The only purpose it serves is a small burst of surprise that quickly fades as we learn what is going on. However, it bleeds over into other parts of the episode, getting in the way of the more interesting parts of the episode. Indeed, after Bruce is sent to jail in the big cliffhanger moment at the end of the first part, it amounts to absolutely nothing. The beginning of part two shows Bruce getting bailed out and that plot point is never revisited.
The final low point of part one is the tacked on action scenes. Bruce’s interrogation of Daggett’s lackey goes on for much too long. As Batman flies the man around the city with his Batwing, music blares and suspense builds up, but the payoff is anticlimactic as Batman gains hardly any information. Like much of the episode, it’s a waste of time and only gets in the way of the plot.
The one thing that makes part one truly worthwhile is the gruesome transformation of Matt Hagen to Clayface. Watching Daggett’s goons pour gallons and gallons of the Daggett’s cream down his throat is actually shocking and the cliffhanger of the episode works if for no other reason than the desire to see what happens to Hagen.
Part two is what makes this episode memorable. The plot progresses briskly as Batman finally figures out what happened to Hagen. There is so little exposition that plenty of room is made for what are probably the best action scenes in all of ‘Batman: the Animated Series’. Tokyo Movie Shinsha, the animation studio, is the real star of the episode, as it brings to life sequences so visually beautiful that it almost makes up for the mediocrity of part one.
The action scenes themselves are indicative of Hagen’s newfound power as Clayface. Contrasted against the tragic transformations of Freis and Dent, Hagen’s change is welcome and exciting, allowing for more thrills than part one could hope to provide. The action isn’t the only thing that makes it a great second part. Batman’s interrogation with Germs, Daggett’s henchman with a severe fear of germs, is endlessly amusing and watching Daggett get his just desserts is enjoyable as well.
Technically, I’ve already touched plenty on the animation, so I’ll turn instead to the brilliant musical score. Part one had serviceable music, nothing that stands out. But Shirley Walker does an incredible job with the score of part two. Her theme for Clayface is forever imprinted on my memory and it does actually evokes a sense of tragedy that, were it not for the music, the episode would sorely lack.
The episode definitely deserves a pretty good score, but were it not for part one, it may just have reached perfection.
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