Two-Face

Up next is the first two-parter of Batman: The Animated Series, and it was a good one. "Two-Face" was the 10th and 11th episodes produced and 17th and 18th aired on Sept. 25 and 28, 1992. It seems only fitting that the origin story of Two-Face would be split into two parts, and the story was good enough to make the risk worthwhile.

Part I


The main premise of this episode was to show that Harvey Dent always had Two-Face inside him all along and the accident that scarred his face only let loose the beast inside him. Just like with The Dark Knight, Two-Face works best when this aspect of his character is explored. Harvey Dent made two other small appearances before this episode, where we saw he was a devoted D.A. and a good friend of Bruce Wayne's. Now, we see that he had a split personality, which will raise the score to a 6.

I'll add a point for the introduction of one of my favorite characters, Rupert Thorne. He's no Kingpin, but he still is a wonderful mob boss. I really like him because he conveys a true sense of power. Everyone knows he's a mob boss, but nobody can do anything about it. He even has the confidence to call Harvey Dent himself to threaten him. This was a great first appearance of a classic villain for this show.

The score will go to an 8 for one very brief and very awesome bit of animation. During Dent's therapy session, a flash of lightning puts Dent's face in shadows and it looks just like Two-Face. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, and one of the great subtleties that makes this show such a classic.

I'll add another point for the scene of the accident. I loved the intense calm of Harvey when he snapped on Thorne, and the display of Batman's true friendship when he groaned, "Harvey! Nooo!" It was not only a powerful scene, but a nice change of pace to have half his body blown up instead of just half his face.

And then the very end of the episode is so good it deserves a separate point on its own. There's a nice homage made to the Joker asking for a mirror in Batman, then there's more lightning and a terrified Grace. He is now officially Two-Face! It took a whole episode to get to this moment, but it was worth it!

Part I score: 10


Part II


Harvey Dent is now finally Two-Face, and we finally get to see him in action. Although he's paired with some annoying twins, he did have good psychology with his coin. Whenever the good side came up, he acted like a good guy, and vic e versa. This was nice enough to earn a point.

I also loved the idea of Batman being tormented by Two-Face. Harvey was his good friend, and Batman feels responsible for his horrific transformation. This is really the first villain with this emotional connection to Batman, and it's great! Plus one more point!

Not only did I like the design of Two-Face's suit, but I loved how they played with him in the shadows. The scene where Grace first saw him was great. He was standing perfectly on the edge of the shadow and the dark side of his hideout wasn't necessarily dirty or anything like that — it was just dark, which I like enough to add another point.

Richard Moll did a great job as the voice of Harvey Dent and Two-Face, especially at the end when he lost his coin. There was real anguish in his voice and it was even a little frightening. I'll add a final point for his performance.

I can't give this episode a perfect score because of one really lame element. About half-way through the episode, Two-Face kicks Batman in the ribs, which not only knocks Batman out, but renders him incapacitated throughout the whole episode. Since when did Batman become such a wuss? I'm sure he's been kicked there hundreds of times before.

The build up to creating Two-Face was epic, and the first "adventure" with him was great. The first two-parter of the series was a success, and we will see it used for several other iconic story lines.

Part II score: 9