Mad as a Hatter

After giving Mr. Freeze and Clock King a makeover, these talented animators next turned their attention to the Mad Hatter. The result was the sweet and simple "Mad as a Hatter," the 27th produced episode and 24th aired on October 12, 1992.

I have to add a point for the Mad Hatter's design here. He's usually always portrayed as a really short and goofy-looking guy, which I never liked. But in this show, he's a rather normal-looking (at least normal-sized guy). I like his hat, I like his suit, I like his voice and I like how his mind-control devices work. He's also not super-creepy like some comics like to make him, which is a definite plus.

I'll raise the score to a 7 for the wonderful attention to detail in this episode, best exemplified by the brief scene where Jervis Tetch's boss, Marcia, is leaving his office, then pauses, and looks at his Alice in Wonderland poster. It was a rare and wonderful moment of having a character interact with the background in a way that not only added to the realism of the episode, but also contributed to the plot in a meaningful, foreshadowing way. It's little moments like this that makes this the best cartoon ever.

This is a very simple episode, but it's also very sweet and one of my favorites. Mainly because I feel so bad for the Mad Hatter. He never wanted to be a criminal or do evil things — he was just a hopeless romantic who let himself get carried away by his marvelous invention. Not only does he become a great member of Batman's sympathetic villains list, but he even makes you wonder if he should be considered a villain at all. Poor Jervis will earn one more sympathy point from me.

Final score: 8

Appointment in Crime Alley

The first season of Batman: The Animated Series ended on a nice string of top-notch episodes, and among them was one of the more important episodes of the whole show — "Appointment in Crime Alley." This show never gave us a straight-up origin story for Batman, but this episode comes as close as any other in alluding to it. This was the 26th episode produced, but it got bumped up to No. 12 in the  airing order, which I think was a great idea. With this episode, you get a good idea of how and why Batman became Batman, in addition to seeing how he honors and remembers his parents.

I'll bring the score up to a 6 for a nice scene of Batman working out at home and watching TV. Not only was it nice to see him exercising and going through his daily routine, but we got to see some nice emotion from him when they announced Roland Daggett was planning to destroy Crime Alley. Batman  hides his emotions pretty well, but occasionally they come out when he's with a punching bag, for instance.

Now, this show really had excellent music throughout each episode, but in this one, it really stood out. The producers knew this was an important episode, and they treated it as such with a movie-like score that really enhanced the emotion and tension. I'll add another point for that.

The score gets bumped up to an 8 for the appearance of Leslie Thompkins, who I think is one of the most important and under-utilized characters in the Batman universe. In most continuities, she was the first one on the scene after the Waynes' murder, and she is one of the few people who know Batman's secret identity. She is his friend, counselor, and sometime doctor. If Alfred is Batman's father-figure, then Leslie is his mother-figure. It is always a joy to see her, and she really was great in this episode.

Sadly, this important episode that got extra attention to the music, did not receive the same amount of attention for the animation. There were some flat-out sloppy parts, most notably a strange scene where Batman swooped in on a rope and caught two full-grown men, landed gracefully, then pulled back his cape to show both the men hiding underneath it. Not only do I doubt Batman's ability to catch both those guys so easily, but there is no possible way both of them could hide so easily and comfortably under his cape. There just isn't enough room there. I'm willing and able to look past a lot of animation goofs in this show, but this one was just too much for me, and I have to take a point off for it.

When you get right down to it, this episode really had a rather pedestrian plot. Yes, Daggett was planning to blow up the neighborhood and Leslie was briefly kidnapped, but the bulk of the action involved Batman tending to rather routine crises. But the main point of this episode was watching how willing Batman was to put off something very important to him. Every year, on the day and time his parents were shot, he visits that stretch of sidewalk and places two roses on the spot his parents were killed. In his mind, that is the main way he honors their memory, but the real way he honors them is by doing what he did throughout the episode — helping people. Even though he desperately wanted to (and needed to) make his appointment in Crime Alley, he was willing to postpone it to help those in need. And that is what Batman is all about.

Final score: 8

The Clock King

Like "Heart of Ice," this episode gave an old, cheesy villain a complete makeover. While "The Clock King" didn't have a lasting widespread influence, it still is an enjoyable episode. It was the 25th episode produced and the 14th aired on Sept. 21, 1992.

The Clock King's origin story was a bit over the top, but it was still fun. I loved the melodramatic Temple Fugate having his life ruined by taking his coffee break 15 minutes later. Not all Batman episodes need to be serious. Just relax and enjoy the absurdity of the situation. I'll give it a point.

I'll add another point for the redesign of the Clock King. He used to be a really stupid villain. I mean, he had a mask that looked like a clock. But this Clock King was a lot more normal-looking, which I think emphasized his menacing intelligence. Yes, he did have quite a few clock-related puns, but they didn't bug me too much. I really don't know why I like this character so much, maybe it's his voice. But in any case, he is a classic Batman villain in my mind. Unfortunately, very few people share my opinion, as the Clock King failed to make a significant impact on the Batman universe outside of this show. The redesigned Mr. Freeze worked so well, in part, because the producers took the time to make his episode practically perfect. There was no such effort here, and thus the Clock King never really caught on.

I'll bring the score up to an 8 for the trap the Clock King set up for Batman. He had studied Batman's tools and set up something to counter them perfectly. I also liked Batman's creative solution of using the tape from the cassette to pulley the bomb toward the door.

As much as I liked the Clock King studying Batman, I didn't appreciate him being able to dodge Batman's punches because he knew it took him one-twentieth of a second to throw a punch. Just because you know how long it takes, doesn't mean you have the ability to dodge it. Batman has been training for his entire life. He should not have trouble in hand-to-hand combat with some former attorney. I have to take a point off for this.

I might be scoring this episode too high — it's not particularly significant, meaningful, or even cool — but it is an enjoyable episode all the same. And isn't the main point for all Batman cartoons for them to entertain?

Final score: 7

Fear of Victory

Up next in Batman: The Animated Series is perhaps one of the best Scarecrow episodes, "Fear of Victory." It was the 24th produced episode and the 19th aired on Sept. 29, 1992.

The whole episode was built around Robin being scared and trying to regain his confidence, which I liked. It's always fun to have a Robin episode, and I really enjoyed watching him freak out. It was a nice change of pace with some good psychological elements to it, which will earn the episode one point.

The score goes up to a 7 for one of the funniest moments in the entire show. After nearly falling off a building, Batman catches himself and crashes through a lady's window. At first, she's shocked: "Oh my!" But then she realizes its Batman: "Oh, MY!" Batman's small smile as he leaves wraps it up perfectly.

I'll add another point for Scarecrow's new design. It is practically perfect and a huge upgrade to his original look. Whenever I think of the Scarecrow, this is the image that comes to mind.

I also really enjoyed the Scarecrow's plot in this episode. He developed a fear chemical that's absorbed through the skin and is activated by adrenaline, which was a pretty nice strategic touch in my opinion. With the delayed effect, people wouldn't immediately realize it was the powdered telegram or whatever he used to get them. Using this powder to bet on sporting events was nothing novel, but as Batman said, it was just a ploy to get some quick cash. Besides, the Scarecrow really enjoys watching people be scared, no matter how large the scale.

The score will rise to a perfect 10 for Batman's trip to Arkham Asylum, where we learn that the Scarecrow has either bribed or intimidated a guard to help him escape. I always love when we get a glimpse into how a villain has escaped. True, we didn't get the full story here, but it was enough for me. But what really made this scene fun was seeing the Joker, Poison Ivy and Two-Face. They played a bit of Two-Face's music when Batman walked past him and the Joker even talked. It's really easy for animators to throw a bunch of villains in, but when they put forth the extra effort to bring in the voices it makes my day.

Sadly, I can't give this episode a perfect score because the ending was kind of cheesy. Batman and the Scarecrow were fighting for a vial of his concentrated fear powder above the stadium, and Batman was having too hard a time fighting off the skinny Scarecrow. But I probably would have overlooked this had they not mirrored the actions of the football game below, complete with play-by-play commentary. "Oh no! A fumble! This could spell disaster for Gotham ..." I have to take a point off for that.

Final score: 9

Was Kevin O'Connor a Good GM? Part 9

So I guess I've been taking too long on my examination of Kevin O'Connor's career because before I could finish, he was "promoted" (retired/fired) and the Jazz signed a new GM. For the record, I am excited to have Dennis Lindsey. He doesn't look like he should be retired/fired, and I like that he's been working with the Spurs for the past five years. In case you didn't notice, the Spurs have won a few games. Anyway, my question now changes from "Is Kevin O'Connor a good GM?" to "Was Kevin O'Connor a good GM?" I'll shift from wondering if we should ask for new blood to wondering how we should remember his career. Nine playoff appearances in 13 years is impressive, but could the Jazz have been better? Let's pick up where I left off, the second season during my mission.

Season 9: 2007-08

The Jazz had the 25th pick in the 2007 draft, which O'Connor used on shooter Morris Almond. At the time, this was a rather logical choice, as Almond had averaged 26 points per game in his senior season at Rice. However, he just didn't make it in the NBA. He only played nine games his rookie year and 25 games the next season. He did have something of a "comeback" last year, appearing in four games for the Wizards, but I don't think he'll ever be a significant contributor on an NBA roster. So he ultimately ended up being another first-round bust for O'Connor. The 26th pick of the draft was high-scoring combo guard Aaron Brooks and the 27th was shooting guard Arron Afflalo, a good defender who isn't a terrible shooter, either. If the Jazz wanted to go big, they could have chosen Tiago Splitter, Carl Landry or Glen Davis. Alas!

The second round was a little weird. Again, I wasn't here, but from what I can gather, Utah and Philadelphia switched 2nd-round picks because of the weird Alan Henderson trade made the previous season. So if I'm understanding this correctly, the 76ers picked Kyrylo Fesenko at No. 38 for the Jazz, who in turn picked Herbert Hill at No. 55 for the 76ers. Hill has yet to play in an NBA game, so there was no loss there. Fesenko meanwhile ... He played nine games his rookie year and spent the next four seasons with the Jazz being very frustrating. We kept hoping the 7-1, 300-pounder would eventually figure out how to be somewhat decent, but he still hasn't. Last year, he played three games with the Indiana Pacers. So I guess he was our consolation prize for waiving Alan Henderson for Philadelphia. It's a shame, though, that we didn't choose Marc Gasol as our prize, since he's now an All-Star. Alas!

Shortly after the draft, Derek Fisher was released from his contract so he could get better medical treatment for his daughter, which somehow required him to play for the Lakers. I guess watching her dad in a yellow and purple jersey was what her eye needed. Just kidding! I can't be mean, I wasn't around to experience and understand everything. Besides, I already talked about this enough in my last post. The important part to note is that the Jazz lost an important veteran who played a major role in returning the team to contending glory. Sadly, O'Connor really couldn't replace him.

To fill the roster, he signed two guards: journeyman Jason Hart and Utah Valley star Ronnie Price. Hart played 57 games with the Jazz and did basically nothing. He ended his career with nine different teams in 10 years. Price played 61 games his first year in Utah and started in three of them. He stayed with the Jazz for four years and was definitely athletic and exciting, but always seemed to be hurt and just not ready to run our offense. He played with the Suns last year, but missed half the season and I'm really doubtful how much longer his career will continue.

The only other move O'Connor made was a rare mid-season trade, which was actually not too bad. He finally realized that Gordan Giricek just wasn't working with the Jazz, so he sent him and a 1st-round pick to Philadelphia for sharpshooter Kyle Korver. At that point, all I knew of Korver was that he once made more 3-pointers than 2-pointers in a season, which is either really impressive or really sad. But I actually kind of liked having him around. He was a nice guy, did a lot of charity work, and occasionally would have a big game for us. Sadly, those big games were too few and far between, and he was always hurt during his two-and-a-half seasons in Utah. But he did average 9.8 ppg in his first 50 Jazz games, and was a vast improvement over Giricek. Nice move by O'Connor.

The Jazz benefited from another healthy, productive Carlos Boozer season that featured 21.1 ppg and 10.4 rpg through 81 games. Again, not quite Karl Malone, but still one of the best power forwards in the league. Deron Williams was right behind him with 18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg. Memo Okur added 14.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg, while Ronnie Brewer responded well to his new starting role with 12 ppg and a team-high 1.7 spg. Andrei Kirilenko somewhat recovered, ever so slightly, with 11 ppg. He never did return to his All-Star level, but at least he stopped crying so much in the locker room.

Korver became the sixth man for Utah, which was convenient, as Matt Harpring's body began to deteriorate. He did still put up 8.2 ppg, but the end of his career was coming much faster than the end of his growing contract. Luckily, Paul Millsap also helped pick up the slack with 8.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg. And besides, we didn't need to worry about Harpring with the emergence of C.J. Miles who played 60 games, started 13, and averaged exactly 5 points per game. Give him a max contract! Did I mention how young he was? Anyway, the stat-less Jarron Collins rounded out the roster, playing 70 games with nine starts and lots of drawn charges and solid picks.

Surprisingly, the Jazz improved to 54-28, despite losing Derek Fisher. However, they couldn't improve in the playoffs, losing to Fisher and the Lakers in six games in the second round. But, the Jazz did win their second-straight Northwest Division title and the future was looking really bright. I was eager to return from my mission to enjoy a new Jazz dynasty.