Web Video / The Joker Blogs

A method to the madness...

Joker: Y'know, there are three kinds of people in this world: The optimistic who find the glass half full, and the pessimistic that see it as half-empty. Then there's the paranoid; they just think someone's drinking out of their glass.

Corrigan: Which one are you?

Joker: I'm the one that knocks the glass over.

— "Two Cops, A Clown & A Police Department (9)"

"The Joker Blogs" is a YouTube web series created by a user of the same name. The series is set between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, depicting the time The Joker spends in Arkham Asylum. The videos are framed as taped sessions between the Joker and his therapist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, with the tapes shown as evidence after the Gotham police capture Joker. The series is thematically and visually tied to Christopher Nolan's movie series, but with plenty of references to other Batman properties.

After being captured and put into Arkham to determine his sanity, Joker decides he likes being in Arkham, but seems to realize under current management he's more likely to be sent to Blackgate with the large selection of criminals he tried to kill in the movie. So he starts sucking up to Dr. Harleen Quinzel and preparing a plan. For her part, Quinzel tries to get a handle on the Joker's psyche while he makes her, and everyone he meets, more and more unnerved. After murdering a guard and seemingly starting to "make progress" with Harleen, he learns that she is getting married and moving away to Metropolis, which will ruin his plan. This starts a chain of events that will engulf many lives, and perhaps all of Gotham, in a whirl of violence and mayhem.

On October 21st 2012, the "mini-series" Further Evidence began; each episode centered on a different character and laid groundwork for the events of Series 2. The first episode focuses on Mr J early in the series, revealing exactly when and how he came up with his plan. The following episodes establish the other major players, including Jeremiah Arkham, the Phantasm, and Lock-Up. It also dropped the In-Universe Camera entirely and switched to short movies with frequent perspective changes.

Series 2 aired its first episode on May 6th, 2013. It had a mixture of In-Universe Camera footage and regular movie footage. Following a three year hiatus, Series 2 resumed on April 4th, 2017. It was announced that it — and the show overall — would conclude in Summer 2018 to mark the tenth anniversary of The Dark Knight. As of January 2023, the final three episodes have yet to be released.

See also Batman: Puppet Master.

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The Joker Blogs provides examples of:

• All for Nothing: Poor Jeremiah. He coerces Tommy into giving Pearl's heart to his comatose wife, only for the Joker to immediately show up and shoot her in her new heart at point blank range.
• And Here He Comes Now: In "Home Sweet Home," the Joker mentions the asylum's new owner Lex Luthor gave him a "Home Sweet Home" sign.
  Joker: It was a gift from our new benefactor. (doors open off screen) Speak of the devil.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: After everything Joker's put Dr. Arkham through, littering still bothers him. Later, he frets that Pearl's going to wear down the car battery by listening to the radio with the engine off and he'll have to pay a hundred dollars to replace it, when they both have much, MUCH bigger things to worry about.
• Aside Glance: He's got an In-Universe camera.
• Bald of Evil: Lampshaded in the first episode of Series 2 with Lex Luthor and his assistant.
  'Sir, 63% of the American public trust men with hair.'
• Beat: In episode 17, there's a half-count one between when Joker says he's going to kill Kopski and when he actually does.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: When Dr. Quinzel presses Joker on making "a friend of his" stop putting up the medical videos on Youtube, he gives her exactly what she requests... by killing the guy he had uploading for him and continuing to upload the videos himself.
• Be Yourself: The Joker advocates this in the first episode. Considering who's saying it, though...
• Beard of Evil: For some reason, the Scarecrow shows up with one in his first appearance. The second time we see him, it's gone. In the commentary for the episode, the actor admits that he grew it to help him get women and refused to shave it off for the role.
• Bee Afraid: Bullock's reaction to Scarecrow's fear gas.
• Beard of Sorrow: Dr. Arkham appears to be growing one of these.
• Big Bad: Obviously Joker, even though he's the Villain Protagonist. A much more clear-cut example in Further Evidence and Season 2, as the story no longer focuses solely on him but he's still caused all the chaos that's going on.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: In Season 2, we have Joker, Dr. Arkham, Lex Luthor, Scarecrow, and Phantasm all as major antagonists.
• Big "NO!": Roman Sionis gives one as the Phantasm prepares to disfigure his face.
• Blade Below the Shoulder/Wolverine Claws: The Phantasm has them.
• Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress: "You didn't wanna go through with that wedding anyway."
• Bloodier and Gorier: Season 2 is much more gruesome than Season 1 or even the Nolan trilogy, with "The Other Side of the Coin" showing Fingore and a graphic heart transplant.
• Breather Episode: Episode 15 could count as this, especially when you compare it to what just happened, and the proceeding two ones.
• Bound and Gagged: Dr. and Mrs. Arkham.
• Break the Cutie: Finally happens to Harleen when Joker crashes her wedding and kills her fiancé. She even goes so far as to shoot Batman with Joker's shotgun (which he dropped) and then shoots Joker in the arm, whilst stating that "Payback's a bitch, puddin'" before disappearing.

• Brick Joke: In Lyle Bolton's first appearance (episode 4), Joker makes fun of him for having a girl's name. Three years later, "Lock-Up" insists that "This Lyle you speak of, he is weak - and he has a girl's name!"
  • In Further Evidence #2, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham groans about being put on hold for "Bear Control" at the beginning of the video. In FE #4, Harvey Bullock gets a phone call from someone and pretends to be a recording that will redirect him to "Bear Control".
• Bulletproof Human Shield: An unintentional example. In "Shotgun Wedding" The Joker shoots Guy Kopski with a shotgun from only a couple feet away while Harleen is standing directly behind him. Harleen is splattered by Guy's blood but is not harmed by the shot itself.
• Call-Back: "I do love wedding cake," and "Is there a method to the madness?"
  • Episode 1 of series two is full of call backs to series 1 from Ted's varied past to the Joker using a piece of silverware to escape.
  • Episode 3 of Season 2 is one huge call back to the entirety of Season 1 as Harleen hallucinates the events of the season through the POVs of several other characters while under the effect of Scarecrow's fear toxin.
  • Episode 4 of Season 2 has Ted running into the ex-wife that left him when he was a cameraman at GCN.
• The Cameo: A lot of people thought Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor in Episode 19. The commentary for 3 confirmed that it wasn't. At least, not physically.
• Camera Abuse
  • The Joker even uses a camera as a murder weapon.
  • Justified as it's part of the blogs, not purely outside the fourth wall.
• Catchphrase: Far enough into the series that it's all but forgotten, the Joker asks a hostage if she'd like to know how he got his scars.
  • "That's a compliment," seems to be his new one.
• Chekhov's Gun: In episode 6, Joker steals a fork from the cafeteria while Dr Quinzel isn't looking. Two episodes later, he uses it to murder a guard during his escape.
• Comedic Sociopathy : Subversion. You can watch this series, laugh at the Joker's antics, and then be chillingly horrified at what he's done and the fact you're laughing because of how sympathetic the characters he does things to are.
• Compliment Backfire: When the Joker tells Dr. Quinzel she has beautiful eyes. Not that he would put them out and carry them around on a keychain...
• Continuity Nod: The Scarecrow makes an appearance in the asylum's cafeteria.
  • Harleen brings up Joker burning a pile of money. Joker then reminds her that he was only burning his half... except that his half was on the bottom.
  Joker: I didn't think that one through.
  • Theodore the bum mentions how his car was destroyed via the Batpod.
  • Carmine Falcone is still constantly muttering "Scarecrow" whilst otherwise comatose and Joker apparently has "conversations" with him.
  • In episode 17, thanks to Joker's video uploads, even Jack Ryder knows that Hugo Strange and his wife have a water bed.
  • Also in episode 17, Batman mentions that he still wonders if he made a mistake in not killing Joker at the end of The Dark Knight. Naturally, Joker encourages him.
• Continuity Porn:
  • The news ticker for Episode 18 is an uninterrupted, unapologetic string of Mythology Gags.
  • Season 2, Episode 3 is filled to the brim with callbacks to the first season, recreated as Harleen suffers the effects of Scarecrow's fear gas.
• Continuity Snarl: While supposedly in the Nolanverse, series 2 plays a little fast and loose with what's established in The Dark Knight Rises in that here Batman is still active after the events of The Dark Knight and Two-Face survived his fall.
  • However, the show has as of yet only been playing with this trope, as nothing has yet happened to explicitly contradict the facts given in Rises, despite events occurring in this series that make certain elements of the status quo in Rises seem increasingly implausible.
• Cosmic Plaything: Theodore the bum. Possibly Played for Laughs, depending on how dark your sense of humor is.
• Couch Gag: The title for each episode appears in a more bizarre way than the last.
  • Subverted in Episode 8 when it becomes a Vanity Plate.
• Covert Pervert: Jack Ryder tries at this when filming Pamela Isley, but the Father calls him out on it.
  • He does it again in Season 2, this time with Summer Gleason.
• The Cowl: Batman
• Cut Himself Shaving: Batman is wounded by Harleen's shotgun blast. He escapes and the next day, it's mentioned on the news that Bruce Wayne was in a nasty hunting accident.
• Danger Takes A Back Seat: Not usually, though. Normally he's riding in the front passenger seat.
  • That is to say, he's riding shotgun. Which is odd, since the shotgun was in the trunk.
• Darker and Edgier: There's a lot more blood and violence onscreen than in The Dark Knight.
• Deadpan Snarker: When he isn't overcome by horror, outrage or mortal peril — which is often, unfortunately — Dr. Arkham displays a remarkably deadpan attitude.
• Deconstructed Trope: Following the example of Nolan's Batman films, the Bat-Universe is far more grounded in reality here. Arkham Asylum isn't the revolving-door it seems to be in the comics, and The Joker's escape takes considerable planning. His rampage through Gotham is treated very seriously, and his resulting capture lands him in a Maximum Security Cell... though it's implied that despite his beatings at the hands of the Guards, the only reason he's still there is that he hasn't tried to leave yet.
• Deliberately Monochrome: In Series 2 episode 2, this happens when Jeremiah Arkham explains to Andrea Beaumont who the other Arkham board members are, how they're linked together through organized crime, and how they're all involved with the death of her father, Carl Beaumont.
• Dissonant Serenity: In the last episode, Dr. Jonathan Crane looks just as smug as ever while admitting that The Joker scares him.
• Doomed by Canon: Whether or not Two-Face is in fact alive as of Episode 5, there's little doubt that he's snuffed it by the time of The Dark Knight Rises.
• Dramatic Irony: From Series 2 Episode 2: "Nobody kidnaps the Commissioner's wife and gets away with it."
• Dull Surprise: Harleen's actress. The Joker's main point toward Harleen is that she needs to stop living only for her career and live a little, take exactly what she wants, bringing up the question of whether or not it's intentional.
• Electrified Bathtub: How the Joker kills Guy's brother
• Embarrassing Nickname: Oswald Cobblepot really doesn't like it when you call him "The Penguin", and neither will your fingers if he catches you doing it. Doesn't stop most people from doing it anyway when he's not around, though.
• Evil Versus Evil: Jeremiah Arkham and Scarecrow versus Lex Luthor versus Andrea Beaumont and the Phantasm versus Joker versus (?) Harleen Quinzel
• Exact Words: Joker promises to Harleen that he'll make his friend stop putting the sessions on YouTube. Come next episode, he does... by killing him. And then he promptly starts putting the videos up himself.
• Eye Scream: Part of the Sadistic Choice down below.
• The Faceless: Dr. Quinzel was always behind the camera. Until she asked for help, that is...
• Fan Sequel: Follows up on Joker's capture at the end of The Dark Knight.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Not the Joker nor Harleen, surprisingly, but Jeremiah Arkham, who, after having his house blown up by the Joker, his family hospital extorted from him by Lex Luthor, and going broke keeping his wife alive on life support, enacts a complicated plan to take back the Asylum, recruiting Scarecrow and Lock-Up as minions by promising their jobs back, threatening Commissioner Gordon's wife to keep the police away, and kidnapping Thomas Eliot to perform surgery on his wife... using the organs of a woman who is STILL ALIVE!
• Forceful Kiss: The Joker tries this on Harleen twice in Episode 17, but is interrupted both times.
• Foregone Conclusion: Since Selina Kyle will be in The Dark Knight Rises, we know she's going to survive this series. The same goes for Barbara Gordon, since even though she doesn't appear in said film she's mentioned as being alive, having separated from Jim. It doesn't mean we can't feel scared for them when they're threatened, though.
• Foreshadowing : When Pamela kicks Jack Ryder out of Harley's dressing room, you can see a poster of a girl in what looks like a harlequin outfit on her door.
  • The Beaumonts were just one of many mythology gags in episode 18's news ticker. Then the lead-up to season two brought in the Phantasm as an actual character, with Thomas Elliot mentioning Andrea is back in town. He and Bruce both have a history with her, apparently...
  • Before being revealed at the end, the intended person Doctor Arkham is addressing in "Further Evidence #2" is hinted at when he rants about how he's currently on hold on a phone call, being redirected to various departments, including Bear Control, which is commonly a division of the police department.
• Found Footage Films: Every installment except for Further Evidence #1, #3, #5 and #6. Season 2 mixes it up by having some found footage (courtesy of the Joker's camera and the GCN crew's camera) and some not.
• Gambit Pileup: Only ten minutes into Season 2, and we already have Jeremiah Arkham recruiting Scarecrow and Lock-Up to reclaim Arkham Asylum from Lex Luthor, who purchased it to gain a foothold in Gotham, and the Joker taking advantage of parts of Arkham's plan in order to break out of his maximum-security cell.
  • He also kidnapped Thomas Eliot and Dr. Gordon to perform surgery on his barely-living wife, and Selina Kyle to provide the organs. And attempted to recruit Andrea Beaumont into exacting revenge on the corrupt executives who killed her father.
  • And Scarecrow took revenge on Dr. Kopski by exposing her to his latest fear toxin against Arkham's orders, but the hallucinations seem to have triggered an epiphany/crisis that she's been avoiding thinking about. She's regained control of her faculties and seems to be about to become another Spanner in the Works.
• Gayngster: The first thing we see in Further Evidence #5 is Tommy Elliot kicking Alberto Falcone out of bed.
• Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter: Said verbatim when the Joker tells Arkham to "take his top off". Meaning the top of his convertible, naturally.

• Gory Discretion Shot: In Season 2, The Joker kills a security guard with an axe just off screen, though we see the pool of blood.

• Helpful Hallucination: In "Near Death Experience", Scarecrow drugs Harleen with the newest iteration of his fear toxin. It sends her on one hell of a trip, during which she fast-forwards through the events of season one - except she's the one in therapy. Her mind conjures up two "guides" in the form of Joker and Kopski.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Believe it or not, Batman. The entire series is full of mentions about him, but he is never seen.Until episode 17 where he attacks The Joker during his wedding crashing and then is shot by Harley.
• Hero Antagonist: Batman, even when he only shows up for 5 minutes in Episode 17.
• Hope Spot: Tommy manages to complete Mrs. Arkham's heart transplant, Jeremiah's sole motivation for holding the hospital hostage and threatening Gordon's wife. Only for the Joker to show up and shoot Mrs. Arkham through her new heart, causing her to flatline.

• Hypocritical Humor: In episode 6, Scarecrow and Joker sit next to each other in the Arkham cafeteria for a while before a ticked-off Joker orders "Mr. Potato Head" to leave.
  Joker: (muttering after him) Freak.
• I Call It "Vera": Scarecrow's latest fear toxin formula, which he named "The Valley of Fear", because, as he explains to Harleen, "if you somehow manage to crawl out of it, you won't ever be the same person again".
• I Have Your Wife: How the Joker is able to make Dr. Arkham do his bidding.
• In Medias Res: The second half of the first season starts with a police tape of the Joker after his recapture - the last of eight tapes being kept as evidence. Apart from the Grand Finale, the rest of the season consists of the other seven tapes (taken by the Joker himself), which show what the Joker got up to.
• Improbable Age: Though family connections probably had a lot to do with it, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham looks way too young to be a hospital administrator. Lampshaded in Further Evidence 2, wherein he mentions that his youth makes people question his authority a lot. Then again, remembering Arkham Asylum's reputation, few else may be interested.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Joker manages to shoot McHale right after the "speak now" bit. While Harley and Kopski are standing in front of him.
• Ironic Echo: "A method... to the madness?"
  • The very first lines of the series are repeated with the roles reversed in Season 2, Episode 3.
• Irony: In Car Trouble (10) a guard of some sort stops Dr. Arkham on his way off the hospital grounds and asks if there's been any developments on patient 4479's whereabouts. Arkham says no and that "hopefully the worst is behind us." When he says this, Joker is behind him in the back seat, gun to Arkham's neck.
  • Actually a Multitasked Conversation. It goes over the guard's head, but not Joker's.

• Kick the Dog: Joker's plan for Ted the Bum all along was to let him live - and part of what he (and Ted) classed as the joke was to make him really appreciate life by turning him into a violent criminal and murderer. Ted's original reason for playing along was that he assumed the Joker would kill him.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: Father McHale
• Kubrick Stare: The Joker does this in the first episode and in the page picture.
  • Harleen gives one after managing to crawl out from under the influence of The Scarecrow's Valley of Fear at the end of "Near Death Experience".
• Lampshade Hanging: Invoked as a way to make the comic book setting more believable.
• Large Ham: Father McHale.
• Latex Perfection: Batman's "Matches Malone" disguise.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The Joker constantly addresses the viewer, yet it makes sense as he intends these videos for the public.
  • Episode 11.5 has Cameraman Lyle object to the Joker's plan of saying "Trick or Treat" when Lisa Arkham opens the front door, saying that it isn't Halloween. The video was released on 10/31/2009.
• Lethal Chef: Subverted. The Joker doesn't cook anything, but instead leaves a time bomb in front of Mrs. Arkham on a covered dinner tray.
• Love Makes You Crazy: You Should Know This Already (see More than Mind Control)
• Male Gaze: "What're ya doin'? Are ya lookin' at her chest! You shouldn't be lookin' at her chest boy, I can see right through you!"
  • Happens again in the first episode of season two.
• Manipulative Bastard: Fall of the House of Arkham reveals the Joker was waiting for Jeremiah Arkham to take over the Asylum, giving him the best opportunity.
• Mathematician's Answer: In the Valentine's Day special, Joker is asked why a heart-shaped box of chocolates was on Dr. Arkham's desk. His answer? "Because I put it there."
  • Which is actually a direct quote from "Mad Love."
  • They're real chocolates too - not poisoned or something. The Joker starts eating them when he gets bored of Arkham and Quinzel arguing about him, to the shock of both of them when he suddenly throws open the box.
    • Probably not poisoned. Its been established in most continuities that the Joker is immune to Joker Toxin.
• Mauve Shirt: Late in season one, Joker kidnaps several people from Arkham, all of whom have comic counterparts with significant stories, except for one nurse, Pearl. Joker even goes into his trademark monologue about his scars... but Pearl survives the encounter, joining Harleen as the only person from season one to return to working at Arkham in season two. She and Harleen even commiserate on the Joker. She's then summarily murdered by Jeremiah Arkham for her organs. Surprise! She was a Sacrificial Lamb after all.
• Mood Whiplash: After the tone of the series has been consistently faithful with the realistic seriousness of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Further Evidence #4 spends its second half showing a very cartoonish argument between Lock-Up and his ex-girlfriend over a webcam. The acting is so bizarre and over-the-top that it feels more like something from the time Joel Schumacher was in the director's chair. Consequentially the video received a shockingly large number of down-votes.
• Morally Ambiguous Doctorate
• More than Mind Control: No seriously, Harley... er, Dr. Quinzel really needs to find Patient #4479.
• Mythology Gag: The series is filled with them, starting with the Joker's therapist turning out to be Dr. Harleen Quinzel.
  • Others, such as Dr. Hugo Strange and Lyle Bolton (a.k.a Lock-Up) appear later in the series.
    • Technically, Quinzel's presence at Arkham isn't a mythology gag so much as one of the basic premises of the series, and as such the lead actress role.
  • In the first episode, the Joker calls Dr. Quinzel "puddin'" and insists that she call him "Mr. J".
  • The "Find Patient 4479" short has Quinzel lectured by Dr. Cavendish, who also mentions his colleague Dr. Adams. Both docs were involved in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
  • In episode 7, whilst painting her "portrait", Joker suggests that Harley (at the time a brunette) should try changing her hair to blond (like she is traditionally portrayed), as it suits her (and he was running out of brown paint). And later at her wedding, it seems she has done just that. The original Harley herself made a passing reference that she wasn't a real blonde either.
  • During the Joker's escape from Arkham, the Joker hums the musical motif of the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series.
  • The two cops interrogating Joker are Harvey Bullock and Jim Corrigan.
  • In episode 13, the nurse Joker kidnaps is named Pearl, another reference to Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. In the comic, the Joker makes it sound like he's putting her eye out with a pencil while on the phone with Batman; in the series, he threatens her with a pen and states that if she speaks again she'll "never see anything."
  • Jack Ryder (AKA The Creeper) and Pamela Isley (AKA Poison Ivy) make an appearance in the Series 1 finale as wedding guests of Harley's.
  • Also, among the guests are Quincy Sharp and Dr. Thomas Elliot (AKA Hush), who uses an Aristotle quote that his mother drilled into his head in the mainstream comics.
  • Guy Kopski had his bachelor party at The Iceberg Lounge, which in the comics is owned by The Penguin. The night after his bachelor party, Gotham News mentions a piece on The Ventriloquist and Scarface shooting up the place.
    • In the second season, Alberto Falcone visits the Iceberg Lounge; his henchman notes that the owner doesn't like being called the "Penguin."
  • In the comics, Guy Kopski was a former boyfriend of Dr. Quinzel's who committed suicide. In the Joker Blogs, the Joker kills Kopski's brother Garrett and stages it as a suicide; Guy himself is shot in the chest by the Joker during the wedding.
  • When Harley and Pamela find out Jack Ryder had been filming them the entire time Harley was having the final preparations on her dress made, Pamela calls him "such a creeper!"
  • When Joker leaves Lyle in the sewers, he warns him to "watch out for crocs", alluding to Killer Croc, who actually exists in the Nolanverse if you count Gotham Knight. Episode 18 reveals Lyle did indeed run into him, and only survived thanks to Batman.
  • When the Joker returns to the car at the beginning of Episode 16, he demands that the nurse start driving or "papa spank," a direct reference to an infamous Golden Age panel.◊
  • At the end of Episode 17, the Joker refers to a line from The Killing Joke while talking to Batman. "You know what the only difference between you and me is? One. Bad. DAY."
    • A case of Fridge Brilliance - in The Killing Joke, Joker says that "One Bad Day" is what they have in common, and he's usually insightful enough to guess that's what drives Batman. So perhaps, they are taking the route used by some writers, and brought up at the start of the series, that the Joker really is just an evil SOB with no Freudian Excuse. In other words, not "One Bad Day. We dealt with it differently," but "One Bad Day. You had one. I didn't." Could instead perhaps be an example of Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, and the Joker thinks Batman couldn't have had One Bad Day because he isn't an evil lunatic.
  • Episode 18 takes the cake, giving enough references to characters of the DC universe—through the news ticker—to drive any DC fan mad from enjoyment.
  • Also in Episode 18, Thomas Elliot says he likes to keep his work with the Wayne family "hush hush".
  • Another rather subtle and clever one from episode 18: Hugo Strange makes the comment that he was literally losing his hair whilst working at Arkham. Hugo Strange in the comics is bald.
  • And in Episode 19, we finally learn the identity of Arkham's mysterious new owner. From the clues given in Episode 18 (floating green and purple question marks against a silhouette), as well as the April Fool's Day trailer, many fans assumed it may have been The Riddler/Edward Nygma. Turns out, this was a Red Herring employed by the makers of the series. The true identity? Lex Luthor.
  • Further Evidence 1 has, among other references (Cadmus, Luthor's presidential campaign), three shout-outs to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham's website is represented by the tie-in site from the game, Quincy Sharp is listed among the employees at Arkham, and Dr Arkham's ringtone is one of the game's 'update' sounds.
    • The sound is also used as the Asylum's actual 'update' sound in the first episode of Season II.
  • The preview for Further Evidence 3 features an audio recording of the Penguin. The performance has been noted by many commenters to be reminiscent of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was rumored to have been cast as the Penguin in The Dark Knight Rises in 2009.
  • Further Evidence #5 has Tommy Elliot wake up all of his one-night stands by popping open a champagne bottle the next morning. When he gets woken up the same way, he mutters "So that's what that feels like." It's even Selina Kyle who does it to him.
  • In the first episode of Season II, Mercy Graves appears as Lex's assistant.
    • "Mister Luthor, if elected, what will be your position on illegal aliens?"
  • There's a blink and you'll miss it one in Further Evidence #6 where the vegetables in Harley's salad are positioned in such a way that they kind of look like The Joker's face, mirroring a scene from the BTAS episode Harley and Ivy (though the context is an almost complete reversal).
  • In Series 2, episode 2, the new Arkham board members include Rupert Thorne, Matches Malone, Roland Dagget (brother of John Dagget from The Dark Knight Rises), Roman Sionis, Dr. Cavendish and Andrea Beaumont. Lex Luthor and Dr. Leslie Thompkins are mentioned to be absent.
    • In this same episode, Barbara Gordon, Sr. (Jim Gordon's wife) shows up.
• Near-Death Experience: The third episode of season two. Under the influence of Scarecrow's new-and-improved fear drug, Harleen has to choose between staying in a fantasy world (death) or being reborn.
• Not Listening to Me, Are You?: Pamela does this to Harleen, and is amused when it turns out Harleen actually was listening.
  'Guy's nervous too, if it makes you feel better... I slept with him last night to calm him down.'
  'That's okay, I poisoned your champagne.'
  • This doubles as a Mythology Gag, in that currently-in-show botanical biochemistry student Pamela Isley eventually conducts genetic engineering on herself with plant DNA, to render herself immune to nearly all known human poisons.
• Oh, Crap!: Dr Arkham's expression when he realizes that, after just managing to get away from the Joker, he's literally run right up to him again. Ted even goes 'Oh crap' on his behalf. This is also the Joker's reaction when the lights in the church go out. He knows who's there.
  • S02E03: This is Jonathan Crane's reaction when he realizes that Harleen Harley is awake.
• Ominous Fog: In Further Evidence #3, The Phantasm shows up in one of these, albeit an artificially created one (probably).
• Once More, with Clarity: Further Evidence #1, which takes place during the filming of "Meet Steve", reveals that the Joker actually intended to go to Arkham's office first, and that "I'm in the wrong office." was a front for the viewers.
• Only a Flesh Wound: The Joker doesn't seem to be affected by getting shot in the arm too much. Then again, he is The Joker.
• Oireland: Father McHale, the Catholic priest with an over-the-top fake Irish brogue.
  • McHale's accent may be a tribute to the similar style of Chief O'Hara in the 60s series.
• Original Flavour: Barring the Mythology Gags, everything is as Original Flavor to The Dark Knight Trilogy as can be. The Joker's characterization and the actor's performance is so good that a lot of commenters jokingly(?) say that Heath Ledger has come back from the dead.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: In Further Evidence #6, Harleen conspires to keep the Joker locked in Arkham for the rest of his life, underfed and beaten by the guards daily. Joker isn't fazed in the least.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Hilariously, Lex Luthor, who turns out to be pretty foulmouthed and is not afraid to belittle disabled persons.
• P.O.V. Sequel: If you take a certain Brick Joke at face value, Further Evidence #4^note where Harvey Bullock redirects a caller to "Bear Control" takes place at the same time as Further Evidence #2^note where Dr. Arkham complains about being put on hold as he's redirected to "Bear Control".
• Pun: Joker occasionally uses these, including:
  Joker: Is there anything you wanted to axe me- uh, ask me?
• Punny Name: Par for the course in a Batman series, Fall of the House of Arkham reveals that Ted the Bum's full name is... Theodore Baer. Of course, considering who he works for, it could be an intentionally punny fake name.
• The Reveal: While Joker's rampage across Gotham throughout the series is par for the course with him, in the final episode it's revealed that it also has a hidden purpose: he was hired by Lex Luthor to cause the chaos so Lex could acquire Arkham Asylum and establish a foothold in Gotham.
  • And in episode 5 of Series 2, there are two reveals: First, that Matches Malone is actually Batman in disguise. Second, that what appears to be Two-Face is working with Dr. Arkham.
• Running Gag: Joker saying "That was a compliment," Ted the bum having been in seemingly every profession at some point in the past. Breaking and entering the wrong place.
  • And "Do you know how I got these scars?"
  • How do so many people know these things about Hugo Strange's waterbed?
• Sadistic Choice: When the Joker has both Dr. and Mrs. Arkham tied up, he tells Dr. Arkham to put out his own eyes with a fork or his wife will die.
  • Subverted: Dr. Arkham is tied up in such a way that he can't reach his eyes.
    • Played straight: Arkham, despite protesting that he did everything Joker asked of him, did not pluck out his own eyes. He does get to see Mrs. Arkham again... but months later, she still hasn't emerged from her coma.
  • A fear-gas induced hallucination of the Joker does it again in Season 2, forcing Harleen to choose between shooting him, and giving in to the fear gas, or shooting her husband, and waking up.
• Saved by Canon: No matter what happens, Scarecrow, Selina Kyle, Barbara Gordon Sr., Batman, and Commissioner Gordon will survive the events of the series.
• Shout-Out:
  • At the end of the episode Fall of the House of Arkham, when Dr. Arkham forcefully tries to retake control of the asylum, Joker has only this to say about it.
    Joker: Of course you realize… this means war!
• Shown Their Work: Joker's little lesson on the meaning of card suits roughly corresponds to the meaning of the minor arcana in Tarot.
• Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror: The whole SERIES can be defined by this.
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Joker shoots McHale before he can finish the sentence..
• Suspiciously Apropos Music: In #15, Joker turns on the car radio to "Car Wash", changes the station to a news report, then again to Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy", then "Killing me Softly", then elevator music, then "Going to the Chapel."
• Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Mrs. Arkham
• Spoof Aesop: According to the Joker, the lesson to be learned from the sinking of the Titanic is "you can just never have enough ice for a good party".
• Stalker with a Crush: Unlike other versions of their relationship, this time it's the Joker stalking Dr. Quinzel. It's unclear if he truly is this trope or if it's another Mind Screw - but knowing the Joker, it's probably the latter.
  • It's the Joker. It's both. And neither. And a dozen other things as well.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Batman at the end of episode 17, right after he'd been shot as well! Harley Quinn also disappears at the end, and Joker somehow appears in the middle of a wedding, right in the priest's line of sight, brandishing a shotgun.
• Stealth Pun: Series 1, episode 8 begins with the Joker doing a card trick. If you look at the pile of cards he's shuffling, it's clear he's not playing with a full deck.
• The Stinger: After the credits, we see Batman visiting the Joker in his cell.
• Stop Trick: This is how the Joker made a fork disappear.
• Tap on the Head: Abused in the second season. Lock-Up... ah, Lyle seems more or less fine afterward, while others you never see again after Mistah Jay clocks them, so it's hard to say.
• Terrible Trio: Dr. Arkham, Scarecrow, and Lock-Up form one in Series 2.
• Threat Backfire: The Joker has a very confused Aside Glance when his threat to kill Ted the Bum is met with more relief than fear;
  Joker: Do you want to die?!
  Ted: I-I, er... kind of?
  Dr Arkham: ... What.
• Title Drop: The Joker does this for every episode of the first series, writing the title of the episode in some form whilst whispering it at the same time.
• Too Dumb to Live: Let's just say Steve won't be making the mistake of letting Joker out of his cell for the night again. Or ANY mistake ever again.
  • Joker's "friend" who helped him put the videos on Youtube. Yeah, it was really a good idea to trust a guy like good ol' Mr. J right?
• There Are Three Kinds Of People In The World: It's right up there in the quote. Except that Joker is the fourth of three choices...
• Villain Protagonist: Lampshaded by Mr J himself in episode 17.
  "You want to hear something funny? Right now, they are all rooting for me."
  • Horribly, horribly true.
• Villain Team-Up: Of (mostly) villains who have yet to appear in either the Dark Knight movies or the Joker Blogs, but Further Evidence sets up a team-up of Scarecrow and Lock-Up working under Jeremiah Arkham for his plan to take back Arkham Asylum.
• Wham Episode: Episodes 8 ("BRB", the Joker's last video before escaping prison) and 17 ("Shotgun Wedding", we see what went down in the church, which includes an appearance from the man himslf).
• Wham Line: From FE #3:
  The Phantasm: Alberto Falcone, are you ready to pay for the sins of your family? Your Angel of Death awaits...
  • A minor one, but:
    Joker: (to Kopski in the bathtub) Can you, uh- I-I hate to cut this short. You go ahead an finish without me. Uh... go ahead and film it if you want. (cue laughter as he drops the camera into the bathtub)
  • When the Joker is getting ready to leave with Dr. Arkham at the end of "Dinner with the Arkhams"^note "In The Hall of the Mountain King" is playing in the background.
    Joker: (to Mrs. Arkham) I-I'll have him back by midnight, okay? ... Because, if I don't... (lifts up the second serving tray lid, revealing a time bomb)
  • "Now, since you've done everything I've asked... we get to celebrate by watching... the fireworks. (cue Dr. Arkham's house blowing up)
  • Season 2 gives us this:
    Jeremiah Arkham: I don't expect you to walk out of here. I expect you to run. That's why I brought my attorney.
  • The roster of the board of directors includes a massive whamline for fans of the comics. Matches Malone is Batman's mole identity within Gotham's underworld; Jeremiah namedropping him clues in the audience that Batman's in the lockdown, too.
• Wham Shot: In the very last shot of Season 2, Episode 5, Dr. Arkham reveals... Two-Face. Who promptly shoots Lex.
• What Beautiful Eyes!: The Joker admires Dr. Quinzel's eyes.

  Joker: Did anyone ever tell you that you have lovely eyes? I mean, they go well with the rest of your face. It's not like I want to pop them out of your skull and carry them on a key-chain. [long drawn-out pause] It’s a compliment.

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