Best 'Batman: The Animated Series' Poll #10

[Bird Boy]

The tenth of 12 polls has begun! Below are the voting choices for the tenth set of 10 episodes. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pick your favorite episode out of the ten listed below. The results will be tallied on Sunday (likely around 2pm (ET)), and a new poll will open the following Monday. For more information on the poll, go <a href="http://wf.toonzone.net/btaspoll.htm">HERE</a>. Remember - the success of the poll depends on you! If the turn out for this poll is low, then it will be shut down - so PLEASE spread the word. The episode options are above! Stay tuned for updates on this thread, and feel free to discuss the poll here as well.

Poll #11 Begins April, 15th!!

Episodes to choose from include:

91. NEVER FEAR
92. JOKER'S MILLIONS
93. GROWING PAINS
94. MEAN SEASONS
95. THE DEMON WITHIN
96. OVER THE EDGE
97. TORCH SONG
98. LOVE IS A CROC
99. THE ULTIMATE THRILL
100. CRITTERS

Episode Synopsis:


Episode #091 - Never Fear
Original Airdate - November 1st, 1997.

The Scarecrow is back with a fiendishly evil new look and a new talent, the ability to take away people's fears rather than manipulating them.

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Episode #092 - Joker's Millions
Original Airdate - February 21st, 1998.

The clown's broke. But he inherits money from a mob boss, and plans to distribute it freely throughout Gotham to gain positive influence, until he finds his millions don't quite add up to his expectations.

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Episode #093 - Growing Pains
Original Airdate - February 28th, 1998.

A mysterious young girl comes into Robin's life, only for her to evolve as both a scout and extension of Clayface, who uses the girl to find out if Gotham is safe for his existence.

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Episode #094 - Mean Seasons
Original Airdate - May 4th, 1998.

Fashion turns deadly when Page Monroe, a disgruntled model creates seasonal chaos and a series of not-so-pretty kidnappings as she avenges, much to Batman's dismay, the age-conscious trappings of a youth-oriented fashion world.

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Episode #095 - The Demon Within
Original Airdate - May 9th, 1998.

Bruce resorts to black magic as he battles a demon released from an ancient artifact.

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Episode #096 - Over The Edge
Original Airdate - May 23rd, 1998.

Commissioner Gordon blames Batman for the death of his daughter Barbara, and will stop at nothing to end Batman's reign as Gotham City's Dark Knight.

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Episode #097 - Torch Song
Original Airdate - June 13th, 1998.

Pyrotechnics expert Garfield Lynns seeks to gain revenge against his former girlfriend, Pop singing star "Cassidy." Lynns dons the garb of "Firefly" and reaks havoc on Gotham.

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Episode #098 - Love is a Croc
Original Airdate - July 11th, 1998. - Fifth Season Finale

After seeing Killer Croc sentenced for his latest crime on TV, Mary Dahl, aka Baby Doll, feels a kindred bond to the criminal and frees him. After the gruesome duo go on a crime spree, Baby Doll learns that Croc is not very trust-worthy.

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Episode #099 - The Ultimate Thrill
Original Airdate - September 14th, 1998. - Sixth Season Premier

For Roxy Rocket, an over adrenalized ball of energy, death is the ultimate thrill. And as she leads Batman on a city-wide chase through Gotham, she skates death continually, until the Caped Crusader calls her ultimate bluff.

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Episode #100 - Critters
Original Airdate - September 19th, 1998.

Farmer Brown's up to no good scientifically as he creates overgrown farm animals with which he assaults Gotham City in retribution of his strange growth project being taken away from him.

[Apache Chief]

GO CRITTERS!

JK

Over the Edge will win this one, but I voted for the Demon Within, just so it wouldn't be a complete washout. (Plus it's an odd, funny, underrated ep.)

[sun]

Means seasons sends an interesting message to viewers. That is why I voted for it. Turns out that the head of the gang, a model that is after revenge, has not turned ugly, as people are lead to believe..Rather, she is still beautiful. But that is not enough, as is often true in life, the key word is "more" more beauty, more money, more. Even when she has more than most, she still wants more....

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

"Never Fear" is great, "Growing Pains" is incredible, and "Over the Edge" is just about perfect. I was especially torn between the last two, but I decided to vote for "Over the Edge." It grabbed me by the throat from the first second and didn't let go!

[DisneyBoy]

Ok...I've been thinking...

We all love Over the Edge tremendously...it's one of our favorites...

...not to jump the gun or anything...but I just can't see how it wouldn't win the entire contest?

I'm not trying to rally support for it or anything...I guess I'm just worried that this whole thing was predictable... :rolleyes: ...Fun, but ultimately...who are we kidding here?

I love Two-Face and Cat and the Claw and the others....but when they're put up against Over the Edge ...how could they win? :confused:

[DisneyBoy]

oldtoonguy, thanks for voting for Mean Seasons. Calendar Girl was one of the best new villains (Firefly, Roxy) in my opinion because of her interesting design and truely sad psyche. When they removed her mask I was bracing myself for something hideous, but found something more. A deeper message. Poor Paige.

All that and an origin for the T-Rex in the cave, a look at just how shady and artificial the real entertainment industry can be, as well as some nice Batgirl action - she didn't seem like such a 16-year-old here!

[wonderfly]

Originally posted by DisneyBoy
Ok...I've been thinking...

We all love Over the Edge tremendously...it's one of our favorites...

...not to jump the gun or anything...but I just can't see how it wouldn't win the entire contest?

I'm not trying to rally support for it or anything...I guess I'm just worried that this whole thing was predictable... :rolleyes: ...Fun, but ultimately...who are we kidding here?



I'm going to be a lot quieter this week...

Well, I voted for Over the Edge, but if it weren't in this poll, I'd DEFINENTLY vote for Growing Pains!!! A close second, in my opinion...

Disneyboy, in response, I'd have to contest that while Over the Edge will probably be in the top 5 number of votes...I don't think for certain it will win. I for one probably won't vote for it in the final poll. Someone's already mentioned on this post that they were disapointed it and Perchance to Dream were "dream" episodes, and I'd have to agree. Dream episodes usually are poor if everything returns to normal at the end, (though in the case of these two episodes, Batman and Batgirl learn a lesson from their dreams...) ...so, anyway, I don't think it will win in the end.

But it's way to early to say for certain.

:cool:

[Borg4of3]

I agree with DisneyBoy! Over the Edge rules these polls!
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/00000000/borg4of3/OverEdge.jpg
Over the Edge all the way!

Maybe the topic of discussion should be - Who gets second place? :p

As for how some believe 'dream' episodes are disappointing - I think it made the story in Over the Edge that much more powerful. As I said in the Over the Edge talkback, we see a side to the characters that we'll never see. "The scariest and most uplifting part about this episode is that the characters were doing things they would never do. Gordon would never go so insane, never break his concept of the law, never turn on the Batman; and Batman would never just give up and surrender. The awakening scene was great since it showed us that those events would never happen ever. :cool: "

[Salvor]

Easy winner this week... :)

[dark knight acolyte]

*AHEM* Can you say..............whalloping?

75% of the vote translated:

For every 1 vote for any other episode, Over the Edge is receiving three.

PHEW! I voted for Never Fear accidentally, meaning to vote for Over the Edge, but no matter.....we'll just call mine a "sympathy vote."

I do feel Never Fear, due to its highly original and vice versa concept, and Growig Pains, an episode that really moved me, are moderately close seconds. This one, however, is OFFICIALLY over. No moderately close seconds this week.

[Palin Dromos]

Too Many good choices!

For me this was between Growing Pains and Over the Edge. I couldn't decide, so I did what any decent Bat-fan would...Flipped a coin.

Heads: Growing Pains

Tails: Over the Edge.

It came up Heads, so thus my vote. Also I really was struck by the idea of an emotionally heavy Robin story, like really heavy. I'm also a big fan of the animated Clayface.

Over the Edge is great, I caught it for the first time last week, but I never got a chance to see it unspoiled and that affected my viewing experience slightly. This is all personal opinion. And like others have said the dream ending is a bit (just a bit) of a knock.

I'm standing by my Growing Pains vote.
"Sometimes there are no happy endings"

[sun]

Originally posted by Palin Dromos
Too Many good choices!

For me this was between Growing Pains and Over the Edge. I couldn't decide, so I did what any decent Bat-fan would...Flipped a coin.

Heads: Growing Pains

Tails: Over the Edge.

It came up Heads, so thus my vote. Also I really was struck by the idea of an emotionally heavy Robin story, like really heavy. I'm also a big fan of the animated Clayface.

Over the Edge is great, I caught it for the first time last week, but I never got a chance to see it unspoiled and that affected my viewing experience slightly. This is all personal opinion. And like others have said the dream ending is a bit (just a bit) of a knock.

I'm standing by my Growing Pains vote.
"Sometimes there are no happy endings" I am afraid you are correct, and you said it all, so I will say again, " Sometimes there are no happy endings" Stuart :(

[dark knight acolyte]

I know....alot of people are calling the dream bit a sort of "knock." That's bologna.

Come on.....Perchance to Dream is a highly respected episode not berated and it has a dream aspect.

And besides, the dream is a clever way to display a "what-if" angle for this concept without making it permanent...which I don't think it should be. It's just a concept of what-if's from the horrified (Scarecrow gas) perspective of Batgirl's worst fear. I like it. Anyone who says dream.....blah....I say this.

Two-Face pt. 1.......Coin use, blah.

I am the Night.....gordon shot, blah

Tyger,Tyger......Catwoman used, blah

In other words, I don't see a legitimate reason for knocking it because it was a dream. It fits the well-written story.

[Karkull]

As much as I loved Over the Edge (and Never Fear, for that matter) I had to go with Mean Seasons. Why? Because Calendar Girl harkened back to the tragic origins that most of the Rogues Gallery had in BTAS. And, like them (Two-Face, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, etc.) I found myself rooting for Paige Munroe to succeed.

[Sparvid]

Hmmm... let's see. First away with the bad (or the "just"good, but not great ones). That leaves three. Never Fear, Growing Pains & Over the Edge. Boy, this was tough... Nah, it's either GP or OTE. Aaaah, have to make a decision!

Growing Pains. Now, I haven't voted yet, so I don't know how it looks right now. But I'm guessing that OTE will win...

Edit: Well, you could say that I guessed correct.

[sun]

Originally posted by wonderfly


I'm going to be a lot quieter this week...

Well, I voted for Over the Edge, but if it weren't in this poll, I'd DEFINENTLY vote for Growing Pains!!! A close second, in my opinion...

Disneyboy, in response, I'd have to contest that while Over the Edge will probably be in the top 5 number of votes...I don't think for certain it will win. I for one probably won't vote for it in the final poll. Someone's already mentioned on this post that they were disapointed it and Perchance to Dream were "dream" episodes, and I'd have to agree. Dream episodes usually are poor if everything returns to normal at the end, (though in the case of these two episodes, Batman and Batgirl learn a lesson from their dreams...) ...so, anyway, I don't think it will win in the end.

But it's way to early to say for certain.

:cool: I too have problems with dream episodes, even though they are really entertaining, and fun, they are not a real part of the story sort to speak, but this poll is for fun, and toons are for fun, so what wins, wins. ;)

[DisneyBoy]

Borg4of3...um..I said that I wasn't trying to muster support for the episode...rather, I was trying to explore the actual possibilities of other episodes being more popular!

Anyways, I'm glad to see people are voting for a variety of episodes...but still, I don't think people should vote for something else because they all think "Edge" will win. Vote for who you think deserves it, no matter what anyone else thinks.

That's why I voted for Catwalk even though it was behind....if only that vote hadn't cost Second Chance the win! :(

[DisneyBoy]

I'm a little torn between Mean Seasons and Over The Edge, but I think my vote will go to Edge.

[dark knight acolyte]

Dream episodes are bad if used exclusively or all the time, but they are only used twice. They are hardly a cop-out if they tell a great story and a great hypothetical that couldn't or shouldn't happen in the world of reality but that people are interested by. And besides, both dream episodes are great episodes.....if nothing else.

[sun]

Vote for what you like, maybe you want to explain your reasons, maybe not. I have said it before, this is fun, and great entertainment to discuss these ideas across the country. It just diffferent opinions. Enjoy the back and forth discussion of different points. Almost all have truth in them somewhere, even if you don't agree. To use a 60s and 70s expression, this is cool.... :cool:

[dark knight acolyte]

Amen, you oldtoonguy you, amen.

[Borg4of3]

Heehee, my bad DB. I just agreed with your bolded comment, that Over the Edge is just a shoe-in pretty much. Of course, I thought Demon's Quest II was a shoe-in, and many thought In the Night would be the overall victor, so you never really know.

Most of the choices have been mentioned (in good or bad) except for Joker's Millions. I'm surprised that it hasn't gotten any votes, since I thought it was a laugh riot up there with the Harley eps, The Man Who Killed Batman, and Almost Got 'Im.

[sun]

No matter what medium is used, toons, theater, movies, books, it is all lost without great writing...A great story, will stand up to bad acting, and even bad directing, but, without the writer, and a good story that grabs you, forget it...Marlon Brando, considered an outstsanding actor in his day, was in some trash called "Missour Breaks" It was a lousy story, simple as that...So the story is the thing. Great stories, as anything else, stands up to time. That is true, no matter who wrote it, for what reason, or when.....p.s. good luck to all the writers out there...I hope you make it. Stuart.

[The Penguin]

"Drop the act. Ten minutes on Barbara's computer told me everything. Like a fool I allowed you to run wild on your private crusade. A psychotic misfit playing masked hero. Now I've paid for it with Barbara's life." - Commissioner James Gordon, Over The Edge

I voted for Over The Edge, this episode is just fantastic!

By the first minute you are completely hooked. The action, the mystery, the intrigue—it's just an awesome showing.

The way it starts with Batman and Robin running from Gordon and the cops really brings up the drama rather than starting at the begining of the events. It has you wondering "What the heck is going on?!"

This episode is one of my favorites and I am proud to cast yet another vote in favor of it.

[DisneyBoy]

Well, I couldn't fight it. And since I waited so long to cast my vote last week that I forgot to entirely, I did the unthinkable:

I VOTED FOR OVER THE EDGE!

...doesn't mean that it'll win though ;)

[Maxie Zeus]

I think this one had all the great TNBA eps in it. How it hurts to have to pick between "Over the Edge," "Joker's Millions," "Never Fear," "Growing Pains," and "Mean Seasons."

OtE bugs me not because of the dream angle, but because they didn't use it enough. Just look at "Spellbound" to see how beautifully and mesmeringly they could have folded dream (or nightmare) logic into the story. Also, to be honest, I hate flashbacks, and didn't think it was needed in OtE. Oh well.

Anyway, just as a protest I decided to go with one of the other four. MS has that dinosaur in it -- the only thing I didn't like in the ep. Couldn't narrow down the other three, so I picked randomly. "Growing Pains." Alright!

EDIT: Heh, like it matters. :rolleyes: :D

[Blight]

I voted for "Over the Edge", of course. When I first saw this episode I was like, "What the hell?!?!". And when Barbara fell I nearly cried (I was also shocked that they actually showed a death scene like that on saturday morning TV)! I was so relieved when it turned out to be just a dream. I know alot of people found it dissapointing that none of it was real, but what kind of end to the bat team would that have been?! Anyways, as predicted, "Over the Edge" has taken it's very deserving early lead, and there's no doubt in my mind that it'll win.

See ya!
Blight

[The Dark Knight]

I just want to make one thing clear:
Growing Pains was an abomination, second only to Cold Comfort in its complete destruction of a character. Clayface was ruined in this episode.

I voted for Over the Edge. It's not in my top 10 but it's the best of the bunch. I think it could use some work but it did some things really well. I would have started the episode with the Scarecrow fight and eliminated the need for a flashback, but I really liked the Batman/Bane fight. By the way, why does Barbara write about being Batgirl on her computer? Oh well, dreams don't always make sense.

[Joe Tully]

I also voted for Over The Edge after some deliberation. The episode was riveting, and made a very interesting story, but at the same time I spent the entire episode knowing that it had to be a dream or something of that nature, which kind of bothered me. I just knew that there was no way that they would have those things really happen, so it was pretty obvious that it had to be an imaginary story. Still, like I said, it was a very good story. I very nearly voted for Mean Seasons.

[optimal321]

This was an extremely close match between Growing Pains and Over the Edge. OTE ultimately got my vote, but man, that was a tuff call :rolleyes: .

[warmachine04]

Choice between "Over the Edge" and "The Ultimate Thrill". Have to go with... "Over the Edge". :)

[Failure]

Go Critters!!! ;)

I voted for OTE, but I didn't see Growing Pains in the poll. In retrospect, I would've voted for Growing Pains, OTE was great and overall a more gripping and probably better ep, but the end of GP was so powerful, it just really got to me.

[Meow]

Gee..I wonder which one's gonna win. :rolleyes: My vote went to "Joker's Millions" by the way, simply cause it was funny and I love the Joker so much. "Over The Edge" doesn't need my help to win anyway. I think it's pretty safe to say it's got this one in the bag.

[Theking]

not to sound like everyone else (well almost everyone else) but over the edge was a great ep.

I liked it alot.

TheKing

[Joker85]

While Over The Edge was a good eppy, I personally didn't think it was all it's cracked up to be, and even though it will, I don't want it to win. Again, a personal opinion. Growing Pains got my vote. It was Tim's first real shining moment to me. great episode!

[DisneyBoy]

You know, the first time I saw any part of the episode, I was in a hotel room and about to leave. I turned the tv on and saw Batgirl falling and then my parents shut it off! I left never knowing what the heck was going on and I totally forgot about it - until I saw the whole episode that is!

[Optimus81]

I had a tough time voting for this one as I also enjoyed "Never Fear" and "The Demon Within," but "Over the Edge" was very well done and is definitely one of the best of the new adventures. However, to respond to a comment made above, Disneyboy, I really don't think that it's going to win the entire contest (or at least, compared to what it'll be up against, I don't think it should if it does). In my opinion the early episodes were so much better, and maybe I'm out of the loop with Batman: Animated fandom, but I'm pretty sure most people feel that way, too. Again, not saying it wasn't a good episode, but c'mon, "Robin's Reckoning," "Two-Face," "Heart of Ice," I mean these are classics!! Anyway, we'll see come Round Two.

By contrast, I'm so glad to see that NO ONE has voted for "Critters" and I hope no one does. What a horrible, horrible episode. I cringe every time I see it. It doesn't deserve to be even recognized. Giant cows romping through Gotham City, sheesh.....

[Brian Cruz]

I went with Joker's Millions, just to be different.

[Anubis C. Soundwave]

Growing Pains, easy. Never Fear and the infamous, "all-consuming, all controlling" Over the Edge came close...but this episode hooked me partly because:

* there was that quasi-Akira scene with the punks.

* Matt Hagen obviously did anime VA work at one point--look at those big eyes!

* An actual mystery to be solved. [although NF and Mean Seasons fits this bill]

* that final scene with "there are no happy endings." and the lighthouse on that red background.

Come on, team; give GP some credit.

[on the results note: it's obvious that since OtE was aired less than two weeks ago, it would still have a fresh taste in the eye of the viewer, so the REAL question is...who wins second!? :D Not knocking OtE as an ep--it was FABOO, as :wakko: would say--but GP nails it in personal character interaction. Never Fear wins the "creepy, near-evil side of Batman we don't see often enough" department, and is only the second time Scarecrow tries to use his fear manipulation skills to turn a profit. (as opposed to causing chaos.... :rolleyes)]

[Borg4of3]

I've always loved GP too! Even though its not in production order, I still wonder if this the first TNB episode they produced. The animation quality is so -BTAS... with BTNS designs! I loved it! And the characterization of Robin and Annie was great. The characterization of Clayface, however, turned him from tragic figure into hideous, evil monster of Doom. Kinda the way OtE turned Gordon from law-executing commish to law-breaking avenger :p Luckily, that one wasn't permanent, tho.

Man, it'd be great if Annie wasn't killed! Not only would Tim have someone who related to him and not Batman, but we'd have the successor of Clayface as well. Oh well, here's to fanfic fodder...

And yay! People are voting for Joker's Millions! :D

Oh, and I'm gonna bet that someone WILL vote for Critters. Either as enlightenment from Maxie's review, or a joke/pity vote. :rolleyes:

[Sugar Daddy]

Go growing pains.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Over the Edge was a pretty good episode, but I just couldn't bring myself to vote for it. Like Perchance to Dream, it uses one of the most hackneyed and lazy writing tricks in the book. Good writers can get the same point across without resorting to dreams.

So anyway, I voted for Joker's Millions. Pretty much the best Joker episode in B:TNA

[DisneyBoy]

Nice comments, Optimus81! You are now the proud recipient of a DisneyBoy smile of approval!

Here you go: :)

[G. Wen]

Over the Edge gets my vote! The episode shows how far the characters would go when driven to desperation, making it a truely powerful episode.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Over the edge...it had the greatest drama out of all of those episodes...it was a thrill ride on the edge of your seat...and you didn't know what was going to happen and how everyone was going to forget that Bruce is Batman until the end, when we find out it was only a dream created by Scarecrow.

[MILatino]

Originally posted by Bird Boy
Episodes to choose from include:

91. NEVER FEAR
92. JOKER'S MILLIONS
93. GROWING PAINS
94. MEAN SEASONS
95. THE DEMON WITHIN
96. OVER THE EDGE
97. TORCH SONG
98. LOVE IS A CROC
99. THE ULTIMATE THRILL
100. CRITTERS



Wow! Tough call for "Growing Pains" vs. "Over the Edge", but ultimately, I chose "Over the Edge." It was just that... over the edge -- Great story, great drama, great action.

"Critters"? HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

[Anarky]

Am I the only who didn't like Growing Pains?

Anyway, for me it came down to:
Never Fear, although it had a fruity ending

Mean Seasons: loved the twist at the end. And bravo for using a femal instead of the Calender Man. Calendar Girl worked on two levels: she used to be a calendar girl & now she's using it as her m.o.

Over the Edge: this ep truly demonstrated how dangerous the Scarecrow can be. Crane is often overlooked as an A-League maniac but he's by far one of the 3 most dangerous minds in all of Gotham: behind Joker & Two-Face.

The Ultimate Thrill: excellent chase sequences in this ep, especially the tunnel scene. Batman really got ticked in this episode. And I just loved the part when he busted up Penguin's apartment.

"Let's have a little talk...just like OLD TIMES."

Had to go with "Over the Edge"
plus this was the best use of Bane, even if it was only a dream.

[Goop]

I went with Never Fear because I love the story and the Scarecrow is great in almost all his eps.

[jm5150bc]

As much as I personally liked "Never Fear", and as much as I think that it was the best animation of the TNBA episodes, "Over The Edge" just flat out killed every other TNBA episode story-wise, and the animation was great, too. That's my vote...

[Barb Gordon]

Over The Edge gets my vote. It was a really unqiue episode that turned out very well, and I consider it one of the best, or the best, of the choices in this week's list.

Barb^-^

[Optimus81]

Thanks Disneyboy! I appreciate that. I was hoping that a differing opinion wouldn't be taken personally or anything.

In return, you would get my thumbs up. However, since there's no icon for that, I, too, will give you a smiley face: :D


P.S. There are some cool little pictures on everybody's profiles I see! I especially like the Megatron, War Machine, and Jack Benny pictures (i.e. Maxie Zeus, Optimal321, and War Machine- good stuff, guys!)

[Mattashell]

First I would like to say, please don't let the domination of this poll discurage you from voting. Remember your vote still counts toward the 200 we need to keep this alive.

I voted for Over The Edge because it is the only ep in this poll that I've seen.

Dream endings are usually cop outs, but Perchance To Dream was not a typical dream ending. It was obvious to the viewer this was not really happening. It was up to Bruce to figure out what was going on and escape this predicament. In Over The Edge it was less excusable, but Scarecrow's presence was the key. Ultimately the epi was a testament to the fragility of the bat families secret, and the danger each member puts him/herself in, a 'what if' story if you will. Both eps were not actually dreams, but halucinations induced by a villain. Niether exactly ended with the character waking up and going "Whew it was all a dream." Besides I wouldn't discredit Alice in Wonderland or the paintings of Dali or Magrit because they are based in dreams.

Then again why should I speak? Why should anyone listen to me? For I know nothing.

[Nyssane]

I liked Love is a Croc, I guess because Baby Doll was so cool in the first episode she appeared in.

[Bleu Unicorn]

All I'm gonna say is "wow" because "Over the Edge" already has 105 votes! Sheesh, talk about sweeping the poll!!

Course, I'm not complaining, it was the episode I picked -- just was shocked to see all the votes s'all!

-- Uni

[Phantom Cruiser]

No question - easily the darkest episode of the entire series - "Over the Edge".

[Bird Boy]

Originally posted by BleuUnicorns
All I'm gonna say is "wow" because "Over the Edge" already has 105 votes! Sheesh, talk about sweeping the poll!!

Course, I'm not complaining, it was the episode I picked -- just was shocked to see all the votes s'all!

-- Uni

took the words right out of my mouth..I mean GEESH..while making the poll I knew OTE would win...but....I didn't know it would be by this much.

This is definitely a interesting poll, as we already have 165 votes! (108 of which belong to OTE)..

-BB

[wonderfly]

I'd like to tell a quick story about Growing Pains. It was the first of TNBA episodes that I saw. I live in a different state than my parents now, (it's where I went to college) and I didn't have cable at my humble home. In December of '98, I went home to see my parents a few days after Christmas. They have supercable, (in other words, they get every channel known to exist). After doing the whole visit thing, I was ready to leave on a Saturday morning.

I had some freetime before I left that morning, so I flipped channels, and stumbled across TNBA, and the episode was Growing Pains, (already 5 minutes into the show, but that's besides the point). I hadn't seen any of TNBA's before because I don't get that channel and had basically heard very little about the series, and from what I heard didn't care to see it. ( I remeber reading an online review somewhere saying they watched Holiday Knights and Sins of the Father and they couldn't bear to watch anymore, so I basically took them at their word).

Anyway, I was sitting their watching Growing Pains, and I was blown away! First I wanted to know more about the new Robin, and when Clayface turned out to be the villian, I was yelling "Hurray, now this is a great Batman story!". And of course the ending left me sad as dirt...

So anyway, to wrap this up, I checked which channel this was airing on, (WB) and I said, "Surely I have that channel at home!" but when I got home I didn't. So I basically broke down and bought Cable just so I could get WB and watch TNBA's. Imagine getting Cartoon Network, ESPN, CNN, and all's I wanted to watch was KidsWB!

So anyway, that's why I nearly voted for Growing Pains...and hear I thought I said I was going to be quiet this week... :p

[BatChick]

I had told my self when "The Demon Within" came up in the polls I was going to vote for it cause I consider it one of the best of TNBA, so imagine my surprise when I end up voting for OTE. I so blame CN for that, if I hadn't been reminded what a great ep it was Etrigan would be getting my vote. :) Oh well I voted for OTE cause it keeps ya on your toes the whole time. It is by far one of the best of the series if not the best.

[dark knight acolyte]

Dream episodes [I]can be lazy but aren't NECESSARILY. They are if they are used AS a cop-out or just used all of the time. However, in the 2 episodes in which dreams were used, they served the purpose of the episode quite nicely....to investigate a hypothetical situation in exploration of a character's psyche. WHAT IF.....Bruce's parents came back before his eyes....and he wasn't Batman?

WHAT IF.....Barbara Gordon died in front of her father as Batgirl? What's the worst that could happen?

You just have to enjoy the dream eps for what they are....not overly used opportunities to explore an otherwise unexplorable situation that can really illustrate the inner-workings or disposition of a character. There were 116 episodes or such of this series......TWO used this technique. I'm sure it served a purpose, and here it is....as stated.

Both good episodes.....both respectable. Neither lazy, IMO.

[DerekPowers]

i was tempted to vote for over the edge, cause its just so damn hot, but i voted for the ultimate thrill, mainly cause i knew over the edge would sweep this poll AND because the ultimate thrill is so UNDER RATED.

seriously, this ep used the penguin the best out of all his appearences in tnba, and the animation was top notch, beautifull. and all the chase scenes were some of the best of the entire series.

PLUS if you want the animators pushing the envelop, forget barbra gordons fall to her death, feast you eyes on ROXY ROCKET'S on screen orgasm. Hooooowaaaa!!!!!!! ;)

and thats why "the ultimate thrill" gets my vote, but in the end its a waste of a vote, since "over the edge" won before the poll even started, and thats okay w/ me, since its a great ep. peace.

[DisneyBoy]

:eek: GASP! :eek:

No one voted for Torch Song!?!?!


Ok, I guess it's not the best...but aside from Cassidy's singing, I really liked it.

[Lucky Bob]

Okay, I personally have only caught the end of "Over the Edge." However, I have seen "Joker's Millions", and I must say it's about the only new-style "Joker" cartoon that I care for. (Okay, Beware the Creeper was good, too, but that was the Creeper.)

[Justice League 2000]

hello my friends I vote it for the demon within. :)

[Sugar Daddy]

Woah, 2 eps could get 0.

[dark knight acolyte]

(with a nervous sweat, palms cupped, and covering his face)

"C'mon, Critters....c'mon, baby. You can do it. You can, really!"

[BLACKHEART]

Over the Edge? You know what's over the edge? Joker's Million's not winning this poll.

[Spider-Man]

Seriously? Joker's Million is an ok episode, but not as good as OTE. The amazing animation and voice work in OTE clearly dwarfs Joker's Millions. Although, the henchwoman tryout scene was fun, it just can't bet OTE.

[Lucky Bob]

Originally posted by SLIPKNOT
Over the Edge? You know what's over the edge? Joker's Million's not winning this poll.

Or that avatar.

[wonderfly]

Is it just me, or is the way these NBA episodes are grouped seem strange? If this is the actual production order, (which I'm not disputing, I'm just pointing out something here) then it seems the shows creators produced a whole string of very well animated and well written episodes, but then it's like their steam ran out, and so they started producing crappy episodes.

You've got Never Fear, (and I'll just ignore how Joker's Millions snuck in here) Growing Pains, Mean Season, The Demon Within, and Over the Edge...and then all of a sudden we have crap like Love is a Croc, Critters, and Torch Song. It's like the shows creators money, (their budget) ran out, and so did their imagination....

:confused:

[Lucky Bob]

The Demon Within was a bad idea. The whole thing about Batman is that he didn't have any superpowers nor did he really have to fight them. (Except for maybe Ra's Al Ghul, whose episodes I hate as well.) The Creeper was a good addition, but honestly, Superman and Batman together? Okay, now THAT'S "Over the Edge".

[Gyro]

Over The Edge all the way.

[Mr. Peabody]

Love is a Croc

Killer Croc is the best

[Blackjack]

For me (hi, I'm new here), it had to be "Growing Pains". That one made me cry...

Robin's last line is what did it for me...

[Caped Crusader]

Definitely "Over the Edge"!! If "Never Fear" wasn't in the same poll with one of the best (if not the best) Batman episodes of all-time, it would've got my vote; but, against "Over the Edge", it didn't stand a chance.

[Bird Boy]

breached 200 at the end of Thursday! Sweet! I guess you guys (and you newbies) are really getting into this!:)

and with that, I can say, w/o a doubt, Over the Edge has this sucker won...

-BB

[Sugar Daddy]

*dances because of over 200 votes*

[Bic]

Never Fear - Great premise of removing one's fears; The interrigation scene was very scary. plus I'm still amzaed the croc's blood in the water got past the censors.
Growing Pains - Very moving Robin story, and the line at the end is great.
Mean Seasons - A very nice psycological twist on the character, and a look at the vainess of the entertainment industry.
The Demon Within - Show that while Batman doesn't like magic (ie things that can not be explained by science) it doesn't mean that he's ignorant of it.
Over the Edge - The elements are right, and I was happy it turned out to be a dream. I like batgirl. But I am still stunned that her fatal crash into the police car, plus the bounce when she hits the ground was shown!

All these episodes have elements that I enjoy, but in the end, there can be only one.........

Over the Edge

btw - Was it me, or were all the TNBA episodes directed by the Japanese director's more dynamic and fluid in their animation?

[Bleu Unicorn]

Ok, I said this before -- but wow! I'm totally stunned, Over The Edge is winning, which doesn't surprise me, but geez, that's a lot of votes. I'm totally impressed. I never thought it would win by that much!

Goodness, gracious! 129 out of 203 votes -- that's way more than half of the total votes.

Maybe watching it two weeks ago had something to do with it -- subliminal advertising to, "Vote for Over The Edge in the BTAS Poll." Who knows.

Anyway.... I'll hush up now.

-- Uni

[jjbeach]

About three months ago, I saw a link or an online article that talked about the best BTAS episode. I signed up immediately to take part in the polling, then I have waited patiently for this day. And yes, up until now, I have voted for EVERY episode that featured Batgirl just because, well, just because they have featured Batgirl. But "Over the Edge," I have voted for because, in my opinion, it was the greatest episode produced. I cannot adequately describe how much I appreciated it.

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by jjbeach
About three months ago, I saw a link or an online article that talked about the best BTAS episode. I signed up immediately to take part in the polling, then I have waited patiently for this day. And yes, up until now, I have voted for EVERY episode that featured Batgirl just because, well, just because they have featured Batgirl. But "Over the Edge," I have voted for because, in my opinion, it was the greatest episode produced. I cannot adequately describe how much I appreciated it.

Welcome aboard! And stick around!

On-topic: Wow, not even "Heart of Ice" dominated its poll as completely as "Over the Edge" is dominating this one. HoI "only" got 53% of the vote. :eek:

[The Dark Knight]

Well, Heart of Ice had better competition.

[Maxie Zeus]

Mmm, I'm not sure that's it. There's some terrific episodes in this list. I had a hard time picking my fave.

[Lucky Bob]

220 votes ain't bad, and none of the were for "Critters!" Honestly, my dad said "They've done stupid stuff before, but this beats it all!" when he saw that episode. (The only other one he ever said that about, was the first Baby Doll episode, which I kinda liked. :( )

[DisneyBoy]

Does anyone think they can bring themselves to give a vote to "Torch Song"? It wasn't nearly as bad as "Critters", and it really had some interesting moments:

-We get to see Barbara working at the Police Station (which was supposed to happen more often)
-Batman dons a fire-proof suit ( a la Hasbro)
-A new villain, with an interesting background is born
-Some awesome fire effects are used
-The Batman theme is played (when Batsy emerges with the new suit)

Surely all this is deserving of ONE VOTE !

[Bird Boy]

Poll is now closed..and with over half of the votes going to Over The Edge..

The biggest win yet!

Poll #11 will be up tomorrow (the final poll of Round #1 too!)

-BB

[Lucky Bob]

Who won? I missed it, here! :D

J/K!

[wonderfly]

Joker Millions got 18 votes to end up in 3rd place? This is absurd! It beat such great episodes as Never Fear, Mean Seasons, The Demon Within, and The Ultimate Thrill??? Huh???

Not only was the episode poorly animated, but it was ridiculous, (I know, it was supposed to be ridiculous...)!

It was the type of plot/episode you would see on Darkwing Duck rather than Batman: TAS!


If it had beat Growing Pains, I might have lost all faith in this poll...

:eek:

[Maxie Zeus]

Remember this kind of poll can't rank the episodes, it can only pick the first place winner. Everyone who voted for "Over the Edge" may have had "Never Fear" or "The Ultimate Thrill" or any of the others as their second choice. So without "Over the Edge" there's a good chance that "Joker's Millions" would have finished further back because the votes OtE locked up would have flooded to other eps.

[sun]

The polls tell us what visitors to the site, think are the best....Everyone has their own opinions, and Maxie is right, you don't rank, you just say what you like. some say why. It is meant to educate, and have fun...which is just what these polls have done.. BATS may be the best, if not one of the best animated series ever made...but the polls aren't scienctific, they are just discussions, ideas and fun. There are hundreds of thousands of viewers, why don't even visit this site. That is ok. It is meant to be, what it is...tell fans about it, and we will have some more. thanks...Stuart