BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

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Lee Kirkham
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BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Lee Kirkham »

OK Bat-ophiles and laymen alike, I pose this question to you. Please take a moment of serious consideration before answering so that we can have a hearty discourse and not simple, short "because" answers here.

We all are mostly in agreement that Season 3 of BATMAN was lacking in quality in lots of areas. With that said, what about this season stood out as "a rose among the ashes"?

Q: Which episode of Season 3 was the best, and why?

Feel free to go into as much detail as possible in your answers, though no answers will be ignored, of course.

And...begin.
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epaddon
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by epaddon »

Obviously in my case and one other person's, the avatar itself is the answer! :)

But a "serious" explanation is required that goes beyond the simplicity of Joan Collins giving a great performance wearing a beautiful costume. There are some additional factors that go into this as well for me personally.

#1-Joan Collins' Siren is the only villain, male or female in the entire series who has a genuine *superpower* ability of some kind. This is a trait we take for granted so much in the concept of the superhero and super villain but basically all of the classic villains are just costumed criminal geniuses who use their expertise to give them their distinctiveness. Now someone could argue that Siren's ability to sing an extraordinary high note is no more a superpower than Bookworm's ability to read so exceptionally fast, but the difference is that Siren doesn't simply have the ability to sing so high, she has the ability to use it to exude an actual power. On this level, she isn't just an eccentric criminal genius who likes to dress like a Greco goddess, she can claim on some part in her mind that she has the power of one. That ultimately makes for a more fascinating and daring concept for a Batman character.

#2-Stanley Ralph Ross IMO frequently contributed to the downhill spiral of the series with his annoying penchant for silliness and goofy inside jokes that weren't so inside. Compare the final teleplay of the first Catwoman episode from S1 from all the scripts he wrote in S2 and there is a major difference and not just the fact that he turned CW from being an evil woman of mystery to a lovesick comic figure (tellingly the only time in S2 CW doesn't come off this way is in the one CW episode SRR didn't write, the Sandman one). He also gave us scripts that made the broader world of Batman seem comically stupid with the characters with silly pun-laden names and ridiculous conceits like the whole business of the Indians controlling Gotham City in the Egghead episode or the absurdity of the Pat Pending scenes in "That Darn Catwoman" etc. This made the humor too broad and too silly compared to the balance of S1 and for the most part he maintained this approach in his other S3 episodes. But in this one, SRR was on much better behavior with a story and script that is much closer in tone to S1 than any of the later Batman episodes I've seen. The Siren's plot is simple and credible and not rooted in some ridiculous conceit/gimmick like becoming the surfing king etc. The original script also gave a credible back story regarding Lorelei Circe, world famous singer that sadly didn't survive the editing room. Had the Siren script been as silly as some of the poor scripts, I doubt I could have been as big a fan of the Siren character as I became. SRR thankfully came through here as he did in the first CW story and would also do a decade later with the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman pilot film.
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Lord Death Man
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Lord Death Man »

I liked the pair of Shame episodes, "The Great Escape" and "The Great Train Robbery". Much of this is due to the excellent byplay and antics of Shame's gang, giving them real personality and presence lacking in the generic mobs usually employed by the villains. Calamity Jan, Frontier Fanny, Chief Standing Pat, Gun Shop Pete, and especially Fred made this an extremely entertaining episode to watch (as were pretty much all of Stanley Ralph Ross's, my personal favorite scripter for the series). Added to that is the classic American Western 'showdown' at the end where 'tough guy' Shame is pretty much exposed as a huge 'wuss', making for a very satisfying ending that gives Batman his due as a fearless hero who doesn't always have to have a ridiculous 'deus ex machina' gadget to bail him out. As a rare season three two parter it also had the time to let the story develop at a better pace than many of the rushed single part episodes.
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Dr. Shimel
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Dr. Shimel »

Even though it came near the end, the final King Tut episode was the best of the lot. Victor Buono hammed it up and had some great lines to boot.
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John Mack
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by John Mack »

For me it's Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club. I know most of you, if not all, hated this epsiode, but I found it to be one of the most compelling episodes in S3. With it's lavish sets (pier scene) that most other episodes in S3 didn't have, the unique use of sophisticated modern electronics (mini remote controls in the mice) and the overall theme of the women's movement, this episode stands out as the shining star of S3.

With the entire Gotham city police force being replaced by Clavicle's hench-women, Batman, Robin and Batgirl must use their wits and a low-tech Batgadget to save the the city from being blown up! What gadget? A cheap 10 cent plastic flute.

Actress Jean Byron stars as Mayor Linseed's wife and actor Byron Keith stars as Mayor Linseed! You see! It's just like President Lincoln's secretary named Kennedy, and JFK's secretary named Lincoln. Well, not really. So, how many of you have read this far only to realize that April 1st came again, but on December 8th? Cool. You made it. I actually thought the Shame episodes with Fred were the best as well. The King Tut eppy a close CLOSE second. Hope you had fun reading this as much as I did writing it.

John
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Lee Kirkham
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Lee Kirkham »

You got me, John. Kudos. LOL
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riddler123
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by riddler123 »

I'll be a mummy's uncle. A halarious episode. The King Tut eps got better and better as the series went on. In many ways I wish a lot of the S3 eps had not been split up as much as this works very well paired with The unkindest Tut of all.
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AndyFish
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by AndyFish »

Tut, Shame, Surf's Up and the Londinium Episodes are my favorites from Season 3.
Tut did just get better and better and the episode where he tunnels into the Batcave is hilarious.
Loved Fred on Shame, and Shame himself (a character I absolutely HATED as a kid) is one of my favorites now.
Surf's Up for all it's wackiness and I'll say it again-- Londinium is under-rated.

I wasn't sure what I liked about it so much until I watched it again on the Blu Ray set; It's got a real sense of menace to it, which is absent from the rest of the Third Season. The Dungeon is very Bride of Frankenstein like and the henchmen have a certain seriousness to them.

There are plenty of outside the set filming, and several scenes feature backgrounds rather than the abstract black walls of most of the other episodes.

Lord Ffog and Lady Peasoup are lame villains, right up there with Dr Cassandra, but they play it pretty straight and their goal is to off the terrific trio. They are playing for keeps.

Add in the idea of Batman in the swinging era of London in the 60s and you have some memorable episodes.
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Mr. Deathtrap
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Mr. Deathtrap »

Citizens,

"Enter Batgirl Exit Penguin" stands out becasue it, obviously, introduces Batgirl and has Penguin engaged in one of the more plausible plots of the season. The story also follows a traditional arc with Batman and Robin captured and about to be dunked to death in enormous teabags before Batgirl arrives to kick the villain's tailfeathers--literally. Also, the ep sets up Barbara/Batgirl and Alfred's relatiohship.

"Surf's Up Joker's Under" is amazing self parody that would be better received if it were not part of the overly humorous season 3. Since Joker is insane, his plot only making sense to him is not really a problem. Buzzy and Duke are hilarious. Undine is gorgeous. The story cleverly uses Barbara Gordon and the arrival of Robin and Batgirl at the end to help Batman battle Joker and his gang is handled with a subtle comic touch. Oh, did I mention the Dynamic Duo being entombed in surfboards?

Mr. Deathtrap
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K.G. Bird
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by K.G. Bird »

This is a hard question because I love Tut and Shame. I will say the Londinium Larcenies. Because it ran over 3 episodes it allowed the necessary story development. The half hour stories of season 3 wasn't a good thing. I think it resulted in a noticeable decrease in quality. Then due to the budget some of the season 3 sets were reminiscent of high school play backgrounds i.e. Nora Clavicle.

Some people say there is no such thing as bad pizza. I think the Batman tv show is like that. There are no bad episodes it is really personal preference.
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

Lee Kirkham wrote:OK Bat-ophiles and laymen alike, I pose this question to you. Please take a moment of serious consideration before answering so that we can have a hearty discourse and not simple, short "because" answers here.

We all are mostly in agreement that Season 3 of BATMAN was lacking in quality in lots of areas. With that said, what about this season stood out as "a rose among the ashes"?

Q: Which episode of Season 3 was the best, and why?

Feel free to go into as much detail as possible in your answers, though no answers will be ignored, of course.

And...begin.
While others will note characters as the standouts (ex. The Siren, the Shame storyline, etc.), I thought some of the best season 3 moments were small, but notable character building moments, such as Dick Grayson getting his driver's license, or Batman's wonderful honesty with a line from the series finale:
Although I'd be proud if I were, this is not my son. This is Robin, the Boy Wonder
Unlike comics, where characters barely age or change over the course of decades, the scenes were progressive touches allowing the characters to not be stuck in a hard mold set early on.

Another character that was a standout--probably deserving her own storyline was Lady Prudence, who would have provided a bit of romantic tension for Robin, but not losing an edge of danger, so she would not fall into the schoolgirl crush zone.
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AndyFish
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by AndyFish »

Anyone who thinks there is no such thing as bad pizza has never eaten at Dominos.
;)
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Progress Pigment
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by Progress Pigment »

The Siren, I think, is far above all the others. Then in order, both King Tut episodes (especially Mummy's Uncle), both Louie the Lilac episodes, Dr. Cassandra, The Joker's Flying Saucer, Enter Batgirl, Ring Around the Riddler, The Londinium Larcenies (with a bunch of cuts it might've been a worthy 2-parter) and yes, Surf's Up, Joker's Under! The most fun dumb episode of the series. I liked the standoff at the end of Shame, but otherwise, yuck. I've discovered some bad pizza.
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LA Batfan
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by LA Batfan »

For me, it's "Surf's Up, Joker's Under", hands down.

The series has so descended into self-parody by that point, and most episodes were just poor copies of the better first two seasons. But, this episode transcended that by being so ridiculous and absurd that is insanely enjoyable on a whole other level!

This article expresses some of the things I love about this episode very well ...

http://comicsalliance.com/batman-adam-w ... dc-comics/
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dell
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Re: BATMAN: Season 3 - which was best?

Post by dell »

I vote for the Siren episode. Here we had an original idea for a villain that was actually executed well. Good idea, good actress, good script, etc. Compare that to the Nora Clavicle episode that was also a good concept with a good actress, but a lousy script. The King Tut episodes are up there too.
dell
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