B:TAS "The Underdwellers" Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Discuss this classic Batman: The Animated Series episode!


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

Episode #006 - The Underdwellers
Original Airdate - October 21st, 1992.

Batman encounters mysterious 'wee green people,' who have been committing petty crimes. He saves one and soon learns that the boy belongs to a gang of forgotten runaways who live deep within the Gotham sewer system. Their leader, the crazed Sewer King, forces the children to steal food and supplies for him.

Comments?

[MILatino]

Originally posted by The Penguin
Batman #6 The Underdwellers
Batman encounters mysterious 'wee green people,' who have been committing petty crimes. He saves one and soon learns that the boy belongs to a gang of forgotten runaways who live deep within the Gotham sewer system. Their leader, the crazed Sewer King, forces the children to steal food and supplies for him.

Silly premis. The only thing that saves the show is Alfred's struggle with the kid at Wayne Manor. Speaking of which, what the heck was Batman thinking bringing someone to his home?! Does the word "secret" in the phrase "secret identity" mean anything to him?

[Borg4of3]

Actually, when you think about it, the premise of the episode isn't that bad. Children and parenting are a common theme within Batman titles, and, as Terry McGinnis said, Bruce pretty much collects troubled kids. Batman always gave a big focus on treatment of kids and orphans, and the Sewer King is probably the antithesis to that rule. I can't remember off the top of my head, but the Sewer King said something regarding treatment of those kids that really peeved Batman off during this ep.

My guess was that that episode was supposed to show how much Batman cared about kids, as His Silicon Soul showed (to me for the first time) that Batman would never kill.

But I'll admit, the whole Sewer King thing sounded so... wierd, I guess, and not usually Batman's cup of tea. Hehe, I'm probably not going to stay up till 2 am to watch it :p

[MattL.]

To me this is easily the worst episode of the show. Both the story and the animation are horrible.

The theme of the story is good though, I just think it needed a much better premise and execution for what they were trying to express.

[The Penguin]

“I don't know what kind of barbarian did this to you, but it's over. And from now on you'll be treated like human beings.” –Batman, The Underdwellers

This episode is often criticized, but it is important to look at on more than one level. No. The Sewer King is not a good villain. Quite frankly, I think he is kind of an idiot and that isn’t even counting how he treats children.
There sure are a lot of alligators in the Gotham sewers. Someone should be called about that. ;)

On the plus side, Alfred’s dealings with the boy are a lot of fun to watch and easily the most entertaining part of this episode. The music is also pretty good.
To see all of Gotham City come together in the end to support all of the children that have been abandoned and ignored is really kind of moving if you think about it.

No, “The Underdwellers” doesn’t deserve high praise or even three and a half stars, but it’s not quite as bad as people think.

[JTurner954]

The Sewer King is a weak villain indded. It's too bad the alligators (who would never obey a human like they did here) didn't eat him after all (I guess killing is not allowed) just in case Sewer King (a villain I've never heard of in the first place) didn't work out with viewers. I gave it 3 1/2 mostly because it's Batman. No episode should ever get a one star or lower vote.

[CadaverousEyes]

I liked it. We get to see Batman really mad, but still willing to save the villain's life, though showing little concern over his "death." And they can't just have Batman raiding sweat shops or people being eaten by alligators on (what was) a weekday afternoon cartoon. I considered the policeman and Batman's disbelief near the beginning to be the writers' way of showing they knew how ridiculous the story seemed.

[DerekPowers]

this ep was alittle weird. overall the animation wasnt too great, but it was never horrible like in other eps.

the sewer king was lame. and some of batman's lines were campy as hell. and his comment to the sewer king about leaving punishment to the courts, but being sorely tempted to adminster it, was so corney.

and why the heck did batman bring that kid into wayne manor?? um, that was dumb.

overall this ep wasnt that great, but it was okay. youll never see an ep like this later in the series, so its unique that way. peace.

[Heehaw]

I think it's one of the more underrated shows, but I wouldn't call it great, either. I like the parts with Alfred and the kid, and the the way the writers treated Bats in the last half. SK doesn't really bug me that much, but I think he has one of the cartoonier voices in the series. The animation is decent, though not the best and certainly nowhere near the worst.

The kid had no way of knowing where he was at or who's mansion he was in.

[JTurner954]

The voice of Sewer King reminded me of the voice who did Sabretooth on the X-Men cartoon (although it might have been Sabretooth's father who has that voice).

Maybe the whole thing with the kid going to the mansion was to tease what happens later when Batman meets Tim. If Batman just brought him to the police, he probably wouldn't have spoke or get enough food that he missed out on when he was with the Sewer King. By treating him as a guest and giving some kind of freedom, he can win Batman's trust. Seems pretty obvious to me.

[Calico]

You know, I really liked this episode. Batman wondering if he really saw a leprechaun or he's just working too hard, the whole conversation about Bruce taking a vacation ("How about the Bahamas?" "Hot and boring." :) ) and Alfred's attempt at civilizing the boy were highlights. But why did Alfred claim not to know how to handle a child, didn't he raise Bruce?? Even Bruce wonders to himself if he was that much trouble. Anyway, it seemed to relate to the human side of Batman, not some off the wall supernatural villain, but a normal (if slightly wacked) guy taking advantage of helpless children.

[William C. Maune]

"But why did Alfred claim not to know how to handle a child, didn't he raise Bruce??"

[indent]I think that was supposed to be a joke, although the characters did not give much indication that it was. While not a great episode, it was entertaining. It was definitely better than the Batman Beyond sewer episode "Rats". This was probably one of the funnier episodes also due to the Alfred and the kid hijinks. Finally, my favorite part of the episode was seeing the trash dumpster fold up and fit neatly underneath the Batmobile.

Finally finally, I wonder what Batman thinks of Poo Gas (or shall I saw Crud Vapors).

[sdp]

I like this episode a lot, i think it is a very strong episode.

[Joker1238]

I like it. I mean it had a strong story, and one does fell sorry for the kids, I think most people just missed what the show was all about.
Now the Sewer king, was not the worse of these so called Sweat shops. I mean all over the world, kids are used for work, Labor, Slaves, prostution,.

I just think people miss what the show was about.

[Willowhugger]

I thought this was actually a great Animated Batman.

Seriously, child abuse was revealed as one of Batman's 'hot buttons.' The one thing that really makes him willing to kill. I think that had the man shown anything more that Bruce would have honestly killed him.

[The Penguin]

Tonight at 12 midnight ET, Boomerang airs the Batman: The Animated Series episode, The Underdwellers. 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/underdwellers/00r.jpgEpisode #006 - The Underdwellers
Original Airdate - October 21st, 1992.

Batman encounters mysterious 'wee green people,' who have been committing petty crimes. He saves one and soon learns that the boy belongs to a gang of forgotten runaways who live deep within the Gotham sewer system. Their leader, the crazed Sewer King, forces the children to steal food and supplies for him.

Comments?

[MR.MXYZPTLK]

I actually thought this episode was ok nothing special but it's worth watching

[Batman Fan]

This episode is just plain mediocre. While it does portray a tragic and touching thing of enslaved children, it doesn't pull off that level of emotion you'd expect from it and doesn't compare to other episodes like HOI. Plus, it's a very slow and pointless episode all throughout. The animation wasn't that great, the plot got really slow and boring, Sewer King was the corniest and most annoying villan ever, and the episode just didn't really appeal to the me at all. There were some good scenes like some of Batman's lines, especially his last one to Sewer King, his killing of the gator, and while Alfred taking care of the "leperchaun" (not sure if I spelled that right) was humorous at first, it got really stupid as it progressed. This episode wasn't all that good looking either, and I really didn't notice or pay attention to the music, meaning it didn't stand out as it does in other episodes. I did like Batman's facial expression when he saw the kids though.

Overall, while this episode did portray a sad thing, it didn't deliver that amount of emotion that B:TAS does in other episodes, the animation, music, and action were mundane, and at the end, this isn't a memorable or appealing episode that you'd wanna watch it again. Even though it is graced with a few good parts, it still could use a lot of work.

** or **1/2

[warmachine04]

There has been a lot of negative talk about this episode. I agree that it isn't the most memorable episode but it does have some good emotional moments. I had my doubts about the villain. It reminded me too much of Oliver Twist. :)

[Caswin]

A lot of bad is said about this episode - and there's a lot wrong with it, I'll admit. But it certainly has its points. We get our first real look at Alfred, for one, which is always a plus. And while the Underdweller wasn't a good villain, he did have a heck of a voice actor. No, not good. But certainly not without merit.

3/5

"I don't pass sentence. That's for the courts. But this time... this time, I am sorely tempted to do the job myself!"

[cavner]

I idn't mind the episode. Sure it wasn't the best one. However I did like the fact that this the first episode where Batman is Downright disgusted with the villian. You really didn't see that much with some of the other BTAS episodes.

[Nygma]

**

I thought the biggest problem for this episode was the villain himself. The Sewer King sounded more like a ninja turtles reject rogue than anything serious. I thought the way Batman gave his last line in utter disgust, saved this one from being worse than it could've been.

"I don't pass judgment, that's for the courts to decide. But now, I am sorely tempted to do the job myself."

[Cortez2301]

I gave it 3 stars.I didn't think it was too bad.At least this dealt with some social issues.The villain was kind of cheesy but also kind of creepy at the same time.The alligator bit was kind of cool.Looks like the myth holds its ground in Gotham LOL.

[TSRROXZ]

i dont get why everyone is givin it bad reviews but i actually liked this and i thought the SK was creepy

and i thinks its nice to show villans other than the main one like joker penguin riddler catwoman etc
and plus this showed and children and had a great theme

[Antiyonder]

When I first saw this episode, I viewed the Sewer King as a poor mans Captain Hook (The Disney version). The poor part's right anyway.

[Mr. Mxyzptlk]

Definitely not horrible. It does a decent job in establishing Batman's concern for the children of Gotham city, the animation is par for the series, and the Alfred scenes had their fair share of humor. Even though the villain himself was a stretch, obviously meant to appeal to the kiddies, Batman's reactions to the Sewer King and the means by which he dealt with him were in very good character. I'll give it a 2.5/5

[Aldrius]

Come on guys. The sewer king was voiced by the old man in the wheelchair from "Turu the Terrible". That gives him 10,000 cool points right off the bat. :P

[CyclonatorZ]

I'll be honest - while this episode had potential, the execution was downright awful. Sewer King has to be one of the lamest and worst-characterized villians I have ever laid my eyes upon, with annoying voice-acting and no real explanation for his motives. The bits with Alfred were also pointless in my opinion, as they were just an excuse to have cartoonish escapades set in Wane Manor. Garbage like this is not how B:TAS earned its stellar reputation, and there was no point to waste an early episode on such a stupid villian when there were so many other classic characters that had yet to make their debut. :shrug:

[Ethereal]

I'll be honest - while this episode had potential, the execution was downright awful. Sewer King has to be one of the lamest and worst-characterized villians I have ever laid my eyes upon, with annoying voice-acting and no real explanation for his motives.

I think the "annoying voice-acting" was deliberate - they wanted to make Sewer King this really grandiose, histrionic/exaggeratedly theatrical character. (Sort of like Marcia, Queen of Diamonds from the 60s Adam West Batman series).

I have to say that the moment when the Sewer King starts *CACKLING* after threatening to starve the children and sending them out to steal for him was the DARKEST moment of the entire show. :crying: It honestly gets to me even more than the flashback in ROTJ. Just PURE EVIL and HEART-WRENCHING.

But the PET ALLIGATORS were *SOOOOOOO CUTE*. :p

[Thumper17]

This and Batman in my Basement were the only two episodes I'd ever consider skipping.

This episode was weak, slow and although it had a decent message, it wasn't a big enough message to carry an episode.

One star.

[Ethereal]

This episode was weak, slow and although it had a decent message, it wasn't a big enough message to carry an episode.


I loved how Batman reacts to the Sewer King's "treatment" of the children though. His unadulterated fury upon witnessing the innocent children's plight generated a VERY powerful message.

Of course, I think they completely ruined Batman and his outlook on children in subsequent shows like TNBA, but that was another thread/discussion altogether (;)). "The Underdwellers" encapsulated my ideal Batman.

[JTMarsh]

Not a perfect ep but I thought some bits were genuinely creepy despite a somewhat cheesy villain. The part where Batman photographs all the abused kids always stands out in my mind for some reason.