Fresh Question #2: Best Character Episode

[Nightwing]

Aahh, nothing like stretching your cramped appendages throughout pretty much the entire Bruce Timm/Paul Dini animated Batman/Superman world. Is there anything better than that great stretch in the morning? I thought not. While you guys do that, I'll make some breakfast, FQ style:

What is the best episode in each series (take your pick, Batman/Superman/Batman Beyond or any combination) which best displayed each character (Bruce, Clark, Terry, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin)?? Take your pick! Bruce in BTAS, Clark in Superman, Terry in BB. The sky's the limit!


If the FQ kept it's original posting number, it would be:

Batman Beyond Fresh Question #81
Batman/Superman Fresh Quesiton #47

-Dick Grayson

[Shriek]

Nightwing in that one episode where he tells Tim of why he left

And then "Knight Time" We get to see how good Robin is without Batman.

[kid_flash]

In "Old Wounds" I remember really feeling for Nightwing.

"Legacy" defined Superman for me.

"I Am the Night" will always be the definitive Batman episode (unless you count MOTP)

"Lost Soul" gave me faith in Terry McGuiness (unless ROTJ counts)

That's all I can think of now.

[Oracle]

'Old Wounds' was my favorite episode with Nightwing because it explained a lot.
'Never Fear' for Robin because he could handle a Batman who was afraid of nothing (very scary thought).
'Lost Soul' showed how Terry could be just as good without the suit.
Any BTAS episode with Batgirl for Babs.
I can't think of any for Bruce or Clark right now.

[Barb Gordon]

"Old Wounds" would certainly be my choice for Nightwing. It's the oly episode that he has been in the most and it was neat with all the flashback. Explained loads of stuff obviously, concerning him and Bruce. "Shadow of the Bat" was a good one for Batgirl. And "I am the Night" is a great one for Batman.

Barb^-^

[Joker85]

Well, for Nightwing I'd agree with everyone else that "Old Wounds was perfect!! For Batman, I'd have to say either I Am The Night. For his alter ego, I'd say the Forgotten and for Batgirl/ Barbara Gordon I'd say Over The Edge!

[Karkull]

I must confess that I like the villains more than the sidekicks. That said, here we go:

Superman
The Late Mr. Kent. Great crime noir murder mystery (seems like Superman never gets those!) that deals a little with Clark Kent's and Superman's duality. It was simple, elegant, and didn't need supervillains to carry it along.

Batman
I Am the Night. I hate episodes where the hero laments his decision to don the greasepaint and jumpsuit, but here's the exception. I'd say that this episode should be viewed last in the original 85 episode lineup because it does a beautiful job of summing up the character, his struggles, and his decisions. Honorable Mention: Over the Edge--or, as I like to think of it, "The Last Batman Story."

Robin (Tim Drake)
Never Fear. Robin disagreeing with Batman's methods? We've seen it before. Robin disobeying Batman's direct order? Priceless.

Joker
World's Finest. He gets the good animation studio (finally) and he's really creepy. Honorable mention: Mask of the Phantasm.

Penguin
Birds of a Feather. You really feel bad for him in this episode. He's kind of an outsider even among the rogues--he's never sent to Arkham Asylum.

Riddler
Riddler's Reform. Sure, he's successful...but what about his contest of will with Batman? Also, he actually is able to stump the Dark Knight here (he doesn't figure them out in a matter of seconds!).

Two-Face
Two-Face. Nuff said.

Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn
Harley and Ivy. Not only do these characters get fleshed out beyond being mere "villains," but it's a great Joker episode too. They're also the second most sexually ambiguous couple after Xena and Gabrielle.

Scarecrow
Dreams in Darkness. Sure, Never Fear was good, but in this one he had a better plan and you could see his motivation. Also, great Batman nightmare sequence.

Mad Hatter
The Worry Men. It was the guillotine scene, complete with his recital of Jabberwocky, that got me here.

Bane
Over the Edge. "Thought about it. Didn't work for me." Gets me every time.

Catwoman
You Scratch My Back. You're left guessing up to the last minute what her motivation is. Plus, she's way sexier in her black suit.

Clayface
Feats of Clay. Perfect--better than his other appearances.

Mr. Freeze
Heart of Ice. I can see the creative team's meeting: "Gee, should we make him a basic bad guy that we can use a bunch of times, or should we make him a special villain we can only use once or twice?" Thank you, guys, thank you.

Killer Croc
Sideshow. During the latter half of the series they had a running joke that Killer Croc was dumb ("I threw a rock at 'em!"). This episode reminds us that while he may not be a criminal mastermind, he is clever. Very clever.

Lex Luthor
A Little Piece of Home. Great Luthor episode, with his best delivered line in the series: "Then I guess I'll have to kill you." Honorable mention: The Way of All Flesh; with the line: "What makes you think that there's any of him left to find [Superman's reaction was priceless]?"

Brainiac
Ghost in the Machine. Man, is he creepy in this episode or what? No overblown technology (that stupid sled!) either.

Metallo
Action Figures. Not only does he look way cooler without the ripped-up skin, but that volcano fight with Superman was the best fight scene in the series. In fact, I'd go so far to say that they should have retired his character after the episode ended--after all, his next/last appearances (Heavy Metal, Superman's Pal) were awful.

Parasite
Two's a Crowd. The second best fight scene in the series. In addition, Parasite's motivations vs. the scientist's were interesting to compare.

Bizzaro
Bizzaro's World. Great episode with an Alan Moore-ish twist in the third act. That scene with Superman arguing with Bizzaro (as the missile heads towards its target) was priceless.

Darkseid
Father's Day. Great understated appearance, plus the foreshadowing at the end of the episode was worthy of Gargoyles.

[LastSonofKrypton]

Okay, here goes:

Superman

Legacy. While there were quite a few good Superman episodes, this was probably the best because it was good to see Superman get really angry and finally cut loose.

Batman
World's Finest. I know most people here picked I Am the Night but I'm not as forgiving as Krull when it comes to episodes where the hero wonders how much good he's doing. I'm especially critical of Batman doing it, because it's been done so many times before with him. On the other hand, World's Finest worked so well for me because of the contrast between Batman's and Superman's methods and because Batman, who initially treated Superman as a well-meaning amateur, gains a genuine if grudging respect for him as the episode progresses.

Nightwing
Old Wounds. Have to agree with the crowd here. This episode really showcased Dick's personality and conflicts with Bruce like no other.

Robin
Never Fear. Agree with Oracle on this one. A refreshing episode where Batman loses it and Robin is the one who pulls it all together.

Lois Lane
Legacy. I'm not a big Lois Lane fan, especially in the regular continuity comics. I could never figure out what Superman saw in her, since she normally comes across as a royal pain-in -the-anatomy. In this episode, however, she shines as she believably comes to Superman's rescue, both from the military base and more importantly at the end where she knows exactly the right words to say to him.

[LastSonofKrypton]

Sorry, that should have been I'm not as forgiving as Karkull.

Here's hoping Karkull is forgiving. :o

[Karkull]

Originally posted by LastSonofKrypton
Sorry, that should have been I'm not as forgiving as Karkull.

Here's hoping Karkull is forgiving. :o

It's cool. And I do get tired of those stories as well. But the big difference here was that even though he wonders if he should just pack it in you know he doesn't mean it. It gets tired when heroes like Spider-Man say it, throw out their costume, and realize that they've been acting stupid two months later.

Plus, the scene with the kid buying the Batman shirt on the show...and the scene where Batman exclaims "I've become a cliche (which he had become by that point)" are hysterical.

[Kal-el]

Well, here's what I could come up with:

Robin (Tim Drake):
"Knight Time" Seeing Robin deal with things without Batman was well done. Also, Tim giving Superman a Dark Knight "primer" of sorts was amusing.

Clark Kent:
"The Late Mr. Kent" This ep really did show the duality of Clark and the aggressive way he did his job. This is something we never really got to see. Seeing Lois' caring side (not for long though) was nice too.

...can't think of anymore right now...

[Trent Lane]

I know the whole episode was a dream, but "Over the Edge" showed what it would be like for the whole crew if they were discovered. I guess it best shows that Barbara knew she had to tell her father before he found out the wrong way. Kinda foreshadowing to the flashback in ROTJ, really, except instead of Barb getting hurt, killed, kidnapped, etc., it was Tim...

[freakboy86]

ROBIN: Definatly 'Growing Pains'. That one, in my opinion, is the best portrayal of Tim Drake as both Robin and as a young man. The look on his face as he watched Clayface absorb the girl...defining moment in his career. In the infamous words of Joker in 'ROTJ': 'I think every hero needs a defining moment of tragedy in their lives.'

[Failure]

Here's my picks:

Nightwing - Old Wounds, it explained a lot of things that needed explaining. Now all we need is a BB ep of Nightwing explaining what happened.

Robin (DG) - Robin's Reckoning, both parts. I think these eps really got into the heart of DG's original motivation.

Robin (TD) - Either Growing Pains or Never Fear. Both times he's disobeying Bruce and both times he has to fight a fight that he has no business having a chance in. I like Growing Pains, because unlike Never Fear where Tim knows he has to go against Bruce, he follows his heart and tries to do what's right even if in the end it doesnt work out.

Superman - Legacy or Apokolips Now particularly Part 2. The thing I noticed about Supes eps is that they're either hit or miss. These eps were extremely powerful in defining the man of steel.

BB - Babel. It just got into the heart of why he's doing what he's doing. Not for the thanks, but because he believes he's doing the right thing.

Finally, for Bruce. I dont know, I cant think of one in particular that stands out, there are quite a few. I really liked Perchance to Dream and how that showed that even with a perfect life Bruce wouldnt be happy and how he inseparable his identities are, even in the subconcious.

[DisneyBoy]

For Catwoman, even though I enjoyed "The Cat and the Claw" part one, "Catwalk" wins out because of it's very Timm-esque animation, it's Bruce and selina scenes, and because Catwoman just never looked better!!!

[The Game]

Oooh, good question.

Batman: Without a doubt, Mask of the Phantasm. It brings you into his life, into his head, giving you his true feelings and motivation. There are episodes where he might seem cold an unforgiving, but a quick rewatch of MOP will remind you of where he's coming from. You say that doesn't count as an episode? I say I don't care.

Robin/Nightwing: I'm tempted to say "Old Wounds", but I have to go with "Robin's Reckoning". You see where Dick comes from and you see his direct defiance of Batman, and his darker side, which I love. Personally I think that an evil Robin could be a great Batman advecary- he trained him only to have him turn on him. Back to the topic, that episode defined him and made him a strong character in my point of veiw, although "Old Wounds" is a very close second.

The young Tim Drake version of Robin, well, probably "Never Fear" for all the same reasons everyone else has said.

The Joker and Harley has too be "Mad Love". You rarely see a non-maniacal side of Joker, and this is one of the occassions.

Superman is definitely "Legacy".

Well I'm too lazy to think of any more.

-ThEgAmE

[Naraht]

To start, I'm new here..which is probably why I don't look familier.

I have to say that in my opinion, the best Batman/Batgirl/Robin Characterization was in BB:ROTJ. You see the stuggle Bruce has to maintain control of everything, and how much the Joker bothers him. You see how Batgirl & Robin become so disinfranchised, and how things turned out like they did. It wasn't a great character ep for Terry though. I think "Rebirth" was betterer.