B:TAS "Pretty Poison" Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Discuss this classic Batman: The Animated Series episode!


http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/prettypoison/00.jpg

Episode #005 - Pretty Poison
Original Airdate - September 14th, 1992.

Harvey Dent becomes romantically involved with a mystery woman named Pamela Isley. When Dent is poisoned after a dinner date, Batman investigates and wnds up fighting for the life of his best friend, as well as his own.

Comments?

[Heehaw]

Great episode with strong animation throughout. Nice to see Dent before the Two-Face days. Lots of development of the Bruce/Harvey relationship, and we get inside Ivy's head a bit. A pretty good score, as well. Great stuff all around.

[JohnStewart-GL]

I remember this ep!!!!!!!!!
I liked seeing Dent before his two-face days. i cant wait to watch.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

It's nice to see people still talk about classic episodes of Superman and Batman on these boards...this one was a great one...the best line was...

"...And I did it...with a KISS...!"

---Poison Ivy

[Jimmy Kustes]

Some good stuff, I'll be taping it tonight. I'll also be watching "Riddler's Reform" as there is no King of the Hill tomorrow.

[JTurner954]

Cool episode. It's been so long since I've originally seen it. Dent's apearance took some getting used to, but it was still great (Bullock interrogating the dishwasher , LOL). Wow, in five weeks you get 2 Jokers, a Man Bat, a Scarecrow, and Poison.

I can't wait for the DVD.

[JohnStewart-GL]

A nice ep. I always liked poison Ivy. i t was enjoyable
and had some moments that i really like. such as the part were Ivy shoots one of her "babies". the look on her face was excellent

[CadaverousEyes]

I hope the cook was fired for that pinch of vinegar. Just what was he thinking?

So many good things to say: "A cleaner, safer Gotham 5 years later", Harvey describing Bruce, Bullock and Montoyoa being put a bit more into the spotlight, Gordon having everyone rush out twice, Ivy's weird obsession, etc.

[The Penguin]

"They can bury me in the ground as deep as they like, but I'll grow back. We always grow back. Don't we, baby?" - Poison Ivy, Pretty Poison

I always liked this episode and it was great to see it again. A good origin episode for Ivy that also ties her together with another recurring character. The part where Harvey is talking about Bruce and they keep cutting to scenes of him as Batman is just classic. This has to be one of my favs (wait a minute, I always say that! :rolleyes: )

[DerekPowers]

this episode is a classic if i ever saw one. AND I FINALLY GOT IT ON TAPE!! i havent seen this ep in a while, so it was a real treat.

as far as ivy is concerned, i think this ep made her look great. i like how she looked in this ep more than her redesign (although she did look awkward in "eternal youth"). and this episode was my first introduciton to poison ivy (unless the knightfall issue w/ poison ivy on the cover came first, cause if it did that would have been my first intro to her, its so long ago i cant really remember :( ).

anyway the animation was, id say an 8 or 9, and over all id say this was one of the best episodes of the series. i loved ivy's voice acter in this ep, she was so dramatic at scenes, it was perfect. like when she starts shooting up her plants by accident "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" i love it.

"the bottle for the weed, whats it going to be?" hehe.

[Mattashell]

Watching this ep brought me back to the first time I saw it years ago. I was a Marvel kid and I'd had minimal exposure to the Batman comics world. I had however read Dark Knight Returns. The resulting treat was an intro to Ivy, an intreaging new character, and got to say to myself, "That's Harvey Dent, the guy who became Two Face. I wonder if that will happen later in the series. That will be so cool." An excellent plot here witha real detective story driving it. Excellent scene when Bruce dodges that kiss.

Little is compromised including the emphasis on a scene in which a diner in the restoraunt is distracted by the view of Ivy's posterior. The action sequence at the end was a work of art. The imagry here is a symbol of the psychotic hyper sexual inner working's of Ivy's mind. The near reverse-rape sequence, reminent of the molestation scene in The Evil Dead, in which Batman is restrained by tenticals and drawn toward a carnivorous plant that graphicly represents the female anatomy was exquisite, even ingenious, showing the audience through pictures instead of dialougue the femme fatale nature of the deadly temptress that is Poison Ivy. Even her name suggests it. Of course there is also The bottle for the weed trade off that DerekPowers has pointed out. I think the writers threw that one in for fun.

[Calico]

This episode was great. "I don't think Pam's the right girl for you." Hehe, understatement of the century.

But, even though I get the poetic justice of Ivy being locked in the same penitentiary that started the whole thing, she's obviously crazy and belongs in Arkham.

I love seeing Bruce having a normal non-Bat relationship with another person. Too bad his friend has to turn into a psycho :(

[Green-Ghost]

I love Poison Ivy :D

And I love this episode,because:
it is a good story about Pamela Isley and Harvey Dent
it is Ivy´s first appear in the series
Ivy looks beautiful :p

:D POISON IVY

[Caped Crusader]

I agree, DerekPowers, Ivy looked great in this episode. I don't think they ever drew as well in later episodes (although the later episodes still looked a lot better than the TNBA design, IMO). Even though I think Diane Pershing's voice improved a lot in later episodes, and it would've have been nicer if they delved deeper into Pam's past before she became Ivy, it was still a good ep (I even voted for it in the first "Best B:TAS" poll). I'm a big Ivy fan (;)) and I think this was definitely her best episode.

[JohnStewart-GL]

VOTE IVY AND HARLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Carrieattheprom]

This episode was a lot of fun. I liked Harvey describing Bruce as they cut to shots of Batman. Classic!

[Steven C]

Cool epsiode, but why are these old talkbacks being brought back up for?

[Fone Bone]

Cool epsiode, but why are these old talkbacks being brought back up for?
Cause some of us newer members haven't had a chance to respond to them.;)

This episode was good and had great animation. It was nice to see Bruce and Harvey Dent being friends before the Two-Face two-parter (heh) which just brings the hurt up quite a bit. And yeah, the scene between Batman and the phallic looking plant was screaming with sexual undertones. A very good episode and a great introduction to Ivy who improves as a character later on. ****.

[Frank White]

5 *****'s

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there were actually complaints about how Poison Ivy was drawn in this ep. and thats why she never quite looked the same.

[The Penguin]

Tonight at 12 midnight ET, Boomerang airs the Batman: The Animated Series episode, Pretty Poison. If you do not have Boomerang, you are encouraged to follow along on disc 1 of your Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=115616) DVD set.


http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/episodes/prettypoison/00r.jpgEpisode #005 - Pretty Poison
Original Airdate - September 14th, 1992.

Harvey Dent becomes romantically involved with a mystery woman named Pamela Isley. When Dent is poisoned after a dinner date, Batman investigates and wnds up fighting for the life of his best friend, as well as his own.

Comments?

[The_Magick_Hat]

4 1/2 stars! I lack cable, so I just watched the Season 1 DVD.

This is one of my top favorite villain introduction stories, the top favorite being "Heart of Ice". "Pretty as Poison" describes Ivy very well.

[SRA]

One of the best BTAS episodes and features a wonderfully drawn Ivy! The score is perfect, the look is perfect and i just love the intire story!!
Best line - "Please call me Poison Ivy" - love that line!!
I have given it 5/5 - because it is perfect!!
SRA

[Silly McGooses]

Curse you, BOOMARANG GETTERS!
Question: do the Boomarang airings have those nifty bumpers on them that they had on CN a few years ago when they had the Batman Top Ten and Batman re-airings in the afternoon? I loved those. I know it sounds insane, bit I much prefer watching B:TAS on TV, commercials and all, than on DVD.

[MR.MXYZPTLK]

This is a very good episode poison ivy is actually pretty cool and batman really does struggle to beat her

[Batman Fan]

Great introduction to Poison Ivy, that shows us exactly who she is, and does it well.

First I'll start out with how great Poison Ivy was in this episode. She's truly quite the manipulator. The plot was so perfect for her, having a vendetta against Harvey Dent for the near extinction of the rose. I thought it was great how she got him to fall in love with her, another great way to show off her seductive powers, and she's a pretty good actor faking her emotions that Harvey is going to die. Plus, I also like her attempted murder being used in many refrences when Ivy and Dent are together in other episodes. The end is where she really shines. She's beautifully drawn and animated very nicely. She comes off very sadistic and obsessed at the end which she should be. Yet at the same time trying to seduce Batman and poisioning him. Loved her reactions when Batman started to attack her plants, and I almost did feel sorry for her when her garden caught on fire, you could tell how horrified she was by the look on her face. The end with her in prison was great, even though Diane Pershing hadn't quite nailed the voice, that ending line was super creepy and well done.

The opening of this episode was great. Batman going around Gotham looking for an escaped criminal and Harvey sort of narrorating Batman's actions and talking about how they tell everything to each other which provided for some nice humor. Batman's detective work was also a nice touch, and I'm glad he got Alfred to help him. I also liked Bullock's interrogation of the cooks at the Rose Cafe, very funny.

The animation was pretty good in this episode. The character movements were fluid and well done. I really liked the drawings in this episode, and the use of light and shadow, especially on Batman. Ivy's mutated garden was also really cool to see drawn and animated, and it setting a blaze was really cool to look out. Ivy and Batman looked great with the fire reflecting off of them and being in the background.

Overall, this was a great way to introduce one of Batman's most dangerous foes, and I'd give it 5 stars, but I just don't think it earned that grade, but it was close.

****1/2

[warmachine04]

Pretty Poison is a good introduction to the character of Poison Ivy. She's one of my favorite villainesses of the DCAU. The episode felt somewhat breezy but still had its moments. :)

[Caswin]

Another good 'un... surprisingly funny in the first half, shifting to some excellent drama later on. I felt the emotion here, and when I feel the emotion, you know you're doing something right. Don't think I can say much else but...

4.5/5

[Spellbinder]

The first half of this episode is a bit of a letdown. The whole "Harvey's been poisoned!" crisis never excited me much because I knew that in the end Harvey would be okay. If he had died, how would Two Face have come about? It's also a bit of a distraction from the real star of this episode, Poison Ivy.

After a dull first half (Z Z Z..........) this episode really picks up. The animation in the greenhouse is wonderful, and the garden and the plants that live in it look amazing, particularly the carnivorous ones. The fight is exciting, and Batman proves his resourcefulness, not just the way he bargains with Ivy, but the way he escapes from the plants. I could praise this part of the episode to death...

If the beginning of the episode had been more interesting, Pretty Poison would definitely be a 5 star episode. Alas, it is not, so I give it ****

Before I forget, the ending is really creepy. :eek:

[Master Toon]

The first half of this episode is a bit of a letdown. The whole "Harvey's been poisoned!" crisis never excited me much because I knew that in the end Harvey would be okay. If he had died, how would Two Face have come about? It's also a bit of a distraction from the real star of this episode, Poison Ivy.

They weren't trying to make you feel worried for Dent's health. It's mainly there to set the episode in motion.

[Spellbinder]

They weren't trying to make you feel worried for Dent's health. It's mainly there to set the episode in motion.

Whether that was the case or not, I still didn't find the beginning to be all that interesting. The story could have been better.

[CyclonatorZ]

Another good debut for a villian, with a decent plot and another great Harvey Dent appearance. Poison Ivy herself was well-voiced and had a solid motivation, and this episode does a good job of demonstrating the caring side of the Bruce-Batman ditchonomy. I think my only problem is that the episode doesn't even try to explain where those giant man-eating plants came from, even as they gave much more care to the poison that Ivy used to nearly kill Harvey Dent. Other incarnations of Batman at least explained that they were mutants of some kind, sometimes even going so far as to tie them right into Poision Ivy's origin.

Still a very solid episode though, and besides, who doesn't love giant monster plants trying to eat up our favorite heroes? :anime:

[Ethereal]

I think my only problem is that the episode doesn't even try to explain where those giant man-eating plants came from, even as they gave much more care to the poison that Ivy used to nearly kill Harvey Dent. Other incarnations of Batman at least explained that they were mutants of some kind, sometimes even going so far as to tie them right into Poision Ivy's origin.

Alfred tells Bruce that Pamela Isely has a Ph.D in Botany, so I guess we were supposed to "infer" that Dr. Isely created the giant man-eating plants herself. :D

I loved this episode as a child, but now I don't like it nearly as much.

My main problem with it is that they don't really give us Pamela Isely's PERSONAL background - they only talk about her academic qualifications and her work as a professor and a model for the 'Nightshade' perfume ad (:shrug:).

We aren't told how she became immune to toxins or *WHY* she became so fixated on plants in the first place. We aren't given a clue about her early life.

They should have cut back on some of the other scenes in the first half of the episode, and saved more room/time to delve into Poison Ivy's past.


Still a very solid episode though, and besides, who doesn't love giant monster plants trying to eat up our favorite heroes? :anime:

I don't know who DOESN'T, but I sure *DO*!!!!!! :anime: