History TearJerker / BatmanTheAnimatedSeries

* "Heart of Ice". [[XJustX Just..."Heart of Ice".]]

* "Heart of Ice".

* Clayface's final moments in "Mudlslide." As his only hope of redeeming himself or ever being human again quite literally melts away, he miserably looks up at Batman and admits defeat:

** And how about the very last time we see Harvey? He went even [[BeyondTheImpossible crazier]] and developed a ''second'' alternate personality called [[VigilanteJustice The Judge]], a personality so separate from his 'normal' ones that it ''tried to kill him''. Batman stops him eventually and sends Harvey back to Arkham. We see Harvey in his cell, in a straightjacket as he hears the Judge saying, ''"The People versus Harvey Dent. How does the defendant plead?"'' And all poor Harvey can do is brokenly say over and over again, "[[MadnessMantra Guilty... Guilty... Guilty...]]"

* The reveal that Calendar Girl's face is perfectly normal, but she's so psychologically screwed up from the way the modeling industry treated her that she only sees the flaws in it.

* In "Sideshow," Croc escapes into the wilderness and is taken in by a group of ex-sideshow performers who think he's escaped his own brutal circus masters. Eventually Batman finds them and his true nature shows itself, and as he's taken back to prison the "seal boy" who first found him asks why he didn't just retire from his criminal life and stay with them in peace. Croc's response is surprisingly insightful, for him anyway: "You said you could be yourself out here, remember? I guess that's what I was doing: being myself."

* Almost all of "I Am the Night," which starts with Bruce despondent over how crime will always exist no matter how many small battles with it he wins, and his spiral of depression getting worse when he blames himself for Gordon being shot.

** To explain for those who never saw it. In this episode the Penguin is released, fully intending to retire from crime. He meets up with [[AlphaBitch Veronica Vreeland]] a shallow former love interest of Bruce Wayne's, and her current beau who's an ever bigger {{Jerkass}} than she is. They decide to amuse themselves by pretending to like Penguin and bringing him into high society. He falls for it, going so far as to plan to propose to Miss Vreeland. Even Batman congratulates him on the new direction of his life (although still decidedly unconvinced that he's truly reformed). Unfortunately he finds out that they were playing him for a fool the whole time and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vicky and her UpperClassTwit of a boyfriend. Batman stops him and the saddened Penguin returns to prison, musing ironically to himself: ''"I guess it's true what they say. Society is to blame. High society."''

** To aid in that, here's a brief summary. [[spoiler:Harley [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1bmM7Ihv0Y manages to abduct Batman on her own]]. After he laughs at her naivete, prompting her to yell that Joker had told her "secret things, things he's never told anyone!" Bats then rips this apart by countering with "Was it his line about the abusive father? Or the one about the runaway mom. He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one... What was it he told his parole officer? Oh yeah - '"There was only one time I ever saw Dad really happy. He took me to the Ice Show when I was seven." This shatters her illusion, but she starts to lower him into the tank because she sees him as the true problem with their relationship, but he convinces her that Mr. J won't believe her without his body as evidence. She then calls the Joker, who's ''infuriated'' at her, [[DontExplainTheJoke providing the picture and line for this]]. He then ''pushes her out a 3rd story window'' onto some crates in the alley below. After a few lines of dialogue between him and Batsy, the camera then pans onto Harley's broken body, where she utters the aforementioned line.]] Never before has such a frank look at an abusive relationship been on television (something that the average LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''wishes'' it could so).

** To aid in that, here's a brief summary. [[spoiler:Harley [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1bmM7Ihv0Y manages to abduct Batman on her own]]. After he laughs at her naivete, he explains how "he's got a million of them" when she yells that Joker had told her "secret things, things he's never told anyone!" She starts to lower him into the tank, but he convinces her that Mr. J won't believe her without his body as evidence. She then calls the Joker, who's ''infuriated'' at her, [[DontExplainTheJoke providing the picture and line for this]]. He then ''pushes her out a 3rd story window'' onto some crates in the alley below. After a few lines of dialogue between him and Batsy, the camera then pans onto Harley's broken body, where she utters the aforementioned line.]] Never before has such a frank look at an abusive relationship been on television (something that the average LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''wishes'' it could so).

*** But the Joker does speak of his abusive father. The way he tells it made it pretty sad for me. [[spoiler:[[MultipleChoicePast Too bad]] [[UnreliableNarrator he's probably lying.]]]] And let's be honest, anyone as messed up as the Joker MUST have a sad and tragic backstory.

--->'''Tetch/Hatter:''' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Ia2XjGLzU Would not, could not - would not, could not... oh, could not join the dance.]]

* Selena desperately searching for Isis in the early scenes of "Cat Scratch Fever."

** To explain for those who never saw it. In this episode the Penguin is released, fully intending to retire from crime. He meets up with [[AlphaBitch Veronica Vreeland]] a shallow former love interest of Bruce Wayne's, and her current beau who's an ever bigger {{Jerkass}} than she is. They decide to amuse themselves by pretending to like Penguin and bringing him into high society. He falls for it, going so far as to plan to propose to Miss Vreeland. Even Batman congratulates him on the new direction of his life. Unfortunately he finds out that they were playing him for a fool the whole time and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vicky and her UpperClassTwit of a boyfriend. Batman stops him and the saddened Penguin returns to prison, musing ironically to himself: ''"I guess it's true what they say. It's society that's to blame."''

** For that matter, even though she escaped at the end of the episode, the one where she tried to have some kind of a family and normal life (even though it was all a fake) left you feeling [[SympathyFortheDevil some pity for Pamela]].

** To explain for those who never saw it. In this episode the Penguin is released, fully intending to retire from crime. He meets up with [[TheLibby Veronica Vreeland]] a shallow former love interest of Bruce Wayne's, and her current beau who's an ever bigger {{Jerkass}} than she is. They decide to amuse themselves by pretending to like Penguin and bringing him into high society. He falls for it, going so far as to plan to propose to Miss Vreeland. Even Batman congratulates him on the new direction of his life. Unfortunately he finds out that they were playing him for a fool the whole time and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vicky and her UpperClassTwit of a boyfriend. Batman stops him and the saddened Penguin returns to prison, musing ironically to himself: ''"I guess it's true what they say. It's society that's to blame."''

** "Mad Love" is probably one of the greatest episodes in the entire series because it doesn't back down on abusive relatonships and it's a KID'S SHOW (for the most part). While most of the interactions between Harley and Joker are played for laughs (The final act in Harlequinade for example), "Mad Love" shows just how obsessed Joker is with getting the Batman in ways that "The Man who killed Batman" only hinted at. And to see him snap at her the way he did was horrifying because she IS a fanfavorite and the writers and animators tried hard to make her cute, quirky, and adorable. Usually when she's happy, it makes at least some fans hearts melt and when she finally sees the Joker for what he is...the Joker knows just what to do to make her come running back. Mad Love wasn't the first episode to show their abusive cycle, but it didn't hold anything back in showing how devestating abuse can be. This troper liked to think that the Joker had at least a little caring in his heart for Harley, but this episode ripped up that idea pretty quickly.

* "Over the Edge", period - [[spoiler:even though it's AllJustaDream, it is still possibly the most emotionally intense episode. From Batgirl's death to Gordon and Bruce's reactions, to Bruce telling a teary-eyed Tim to leave for his own good. And in the last scenes of the dream, seeing how broken both Batman and Jim had become only upped the sadness.]]

-->"Too late,Batman. Curtain's going down...for good this time."

** To explain for those who never saw it. In this episode the Penguin is released, fully intending to retire from crime. He meets up with [[TheLibby Veronica Vreeland]] a shallow former love interest of Bruce Wayne's, and her current beau who's an ever bigger {{Jerkass}} then she is. They decide to amuse themselves by pretending to like Penguin and bringing him into high society. He falls for it, going so far as to plan to propose to Miss Vreeland. Even Batman congratulates him on the new direction of his life. Unfortunately he finds out that they were playing him for a fool the whole time and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vicky and her UpperClassTwit of a boyfriend. Batman stops him and the saddened Penguin returns to prison, musing ironically to himself: ''"I guess it's true what they say. It's society that's to blame."''

** To explain for those who never saw it. In this episode the Penguin is released, fully intending to retire from crime. He meets up with [[TheLibby Veronica Vreeland]] a shallow former love interest of Bruce Wayne's, and her current beau who's an ever bigger {{Jerkass}} then she is. They decide to amuse themselves by pretending to like Penguin. He falls for it, going so far as to plan to propose to Miss Vreeland. Even Batman congratulates him on the new direction of his life. Unfortunately he finds out that they were playing him for a fool the whole time and goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Vicky and her UpperClassTwit of a boyfriend. Batman stops him and the saddened Penguin returns to prison, musing ironically to himself: ''"I guess it's true what they say. Society's to blame."''

* Poison Ivy's introductory episode, where she accidentally kills her mutant flytrap plant, then sets her whole greenhouse on fire. You actually feel sorry for fiction's ultimate eco-terrorist when you see the look on her face at what she's done.