I've Got Batman in My Basement

Batman: The Animated Series came out the same year that Batman Returns did, which helped with the overall popularity of Batman, but kind of hurt the show at the same time because of the dark nature of the movie. One episode that suffered from that connection is "I've Got Batman in My Basement," the 13th produced and 20th aired. It marks the first appearance of the Penguin, who doesn't get an origin story because of the movie, but also because of the movie had to be cleaned up and toned down a bit. Unfortunately, they went a little overboard in this regard, and decided they needed to put him in an episode that featured kids as the heroes.

I'll add a point right at the beginning for Penguin's giant vulture. I've always liked the idea of Penguin utilizing birds to assist in his crimes. With the vulture and the Faberge egg, we know we'll be seeing the Penguin eventually. Plus, it's always fun to have Batman fight a nontraditional enemy like a massive killer bird.

I have to take a point off for the stupid, stupid, stupid kids in this episode. There's Sherman and Roberta, the ever-eager junior detectives, and then two nameless bullies straight out of Happy Days. They were all super annoying from the moment they entered the episode and they became increasingly annoying throughout.

I will add another point for the overall look and design of the Penguin, especially his voice. He is similar to Danny DeVito's Penguin in shape and build, but this one is civilized and sophisticated. He really is a great character, unfortunately stuck in a really lame episode.

Now to get back to the negative. The episode will lose a point for some very sloppy animation. A lot of things were too slow, too fast, or just plain stupid-looking. One glaring error is when the kid clearly hits the off switch on a conveyer belt, and it turns on. Come on, take the two extra seconds to make sure it says on!

The rest of the episode is really just stupid scene after stupid scene, which were bad enough to lose a point each. First the kids decide to drive THE Batmobile, and somehow do a pretty good job at it. Then, they inexplicably refuse to call for any help and take Batman to their basement. You just keep asking yourself "Why, WHY?!" during the episode.

The score falls to a 2 when the kids initiate "Operation: Fowl Play" and defeat the Penguin in their house using Batman's gadgets and Home Alone techniques. One of the worst parts of the fight was the Penguin being wrapped up in slow-motion by the insufferable kids.

But I will add one last positive point for Penguin's umbrella. I have a weakness for trick umbrellas and this one is one of the most versatile in his arsenal. I counted three different blades on this umbrella, including one poking out the bottom of the handle and the tip that can squirt acid to break locks or become a rotating blade to slice Batman's throat.

The score falls to a 1 for the crappy final scenes. Batman wakes up just enough to out-fence Penguin with a screwdriver ... yes, a screwdriver ... and then our young heroes truly become young detectives themselves, cracking down on cases of missing papers and lost puppies. Batman checks on the kids to make sure they're all playing nicely, then walks away with approval. And thus ends perhaps the worst episode in Batman: The Animated Series.

Final score: 1