Batman Beyond "Rats" Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

Dana takes center stage . . .


http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/beyond/episodes/rats/18.jpg

Episode #22 - Rats!
Original Airdate - November 20th, 1999.

Batman must protect Dana from a dangerous secret admirer - a teenage outcast who lives underground with mutated rats as his only companions.

Comments?

[Batman's Biggest Fan]

I'm not fond of this one that much

[Cortez2301]

It has a dark tone to it but it certainly isn't near any of the best episodes of the series.I liked it but I gave it 3 stars.It was kind of creepy especially when the rat boy replied to Dana "They don't make fun of me anymore".

[Mattashell]

Didn't care for this one.

From a writer's viewpoint the purpose of Dana in this series should be to create conflict between Terry and Bruce. Terry needs to keep his secret from her, and Bruce needs Terry to be other places when he's supposed to have time for Dana. In "Rats" the lazy decision was made to use her as a damsel in distress, which doesn't suit her if the villain can't link her to Batman. (Patrick can't, he randomly picked her as an infatuation. She could have been anyone with good looks and relationship problems.) Throw in the done-to-death Ratboy scenario and you've got a stinker that belongs where it takes place-the sewer.

Dana puts on a dress like that to go to a place called "Rhino's Chili" :confused:

Is the close up of the flower at the end an indication that we were supposed to feel sorry for Patrick? For all intents and purposes, Patrick should be a sympathetic villain. But when do we get to meet him? When do we get to know him? His voice work is generic and without feeling, and time that should have been spent making the audience "feel his pain" was instead spent with Terry and Dana, introducing Patrick only through his notes. (Which said very little anyway.)

The good part of this episode was Mad Stan. "We're drowning in e-mail, sound bytes and vid clips." Wow, Mad Stan was right. However one can not "Blow it all up" as the WWW is hosted by, probably hundreds of thousands if not millions of servers around the world. ROFL when he piledrives Batman and his ears penetrate the floor. WTF:D

[ROBOTRON]

:sweat: - NO. 1 1/2 stars

This episode was a waste of celluloid. The plot was a cliche' for every beauty and the beast story ever made. No imagination at all.

[TheVileOne]

Mad Stan played by Henry Rollins is one of the greatest things ever to come out of this show. I would love a whole comic series about Mad Stan and Boom Boom :D .

[maczero]

I just watched this ep for the first time so I'm willing to give it an extra half star for being "new" to me.

Anyway, as others have pointed out this storyline has been done before. Although, I will give the ep credit for not going with a cliched ending of the rat boy willingly letting Dana go. Also, surprised that the show got away with the implication that minors were eaten alive by rats. Oh and Mad Stan was a riot and a legitimate threat to Terry. Too bad we didn't get to see him again in the series.

Overall 2.5 stars.

[Monterey Jack]

Mediocre ep, but worth it just to see Dana in that dress (as Terry eloquently put it, "Whoa" :D).

[Toddman]

Oh and Mad Stan was a riot and a legitimate threat to Terry. Too bad we didn't get to see him again in the series.


Actually, Mad Stan appears again later in both "Eyewitness" and "Countdown."


Toddman

[maczero]

Actually, Mad Stan appears again later in both "Eyewitness" and "Countdown."


ToddmanCool! Either of those mention his back story or origin? At first glance, I thought he was just a normal human with explosives as his gimmick but after the beating he handed Terry, it's clear he's a metahuman.

[Toddman]

Cool! Either of those mention his back story or origin? At first glance, I thought he was just a normal human with explosives as his gimmick but after the beating he handed Terry, it's clear he's a metahuman.

No backstory is really mentioned, but in "Eyewitness" his full name is revealed, and in "Countdown" you do get to see more of his "home life" (including his dog :p).

And I don't think he's meant to possess real super powers, he's just a really big dude. There have been instances throughout the series where ordinary humans have been able to hand out a beatdown to McGinnis, even when he's wearing the suit (such as the Joker in ROTJ for example).



Toddman

[adoptedBatpuppy]

I've seen this one awhile ago, not that good of an episode. I remember thinking after Dana's dad brought up that Terry had a record. I thought that he used to be one of the Jokerz or the T's gang in his early teens.