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