So, despite what I heard, this season was a bit of a letdown for me. It began well enough - the introduction of Batgirl and Poison Ivy was a nice touch, though it could have done without the in medias res beginning and Barbara Gordon's narration. The problems began to pile on when the show launched into a string of episodes filled with forgettable new villains (or in the case of Scarface, forgettable old villains), a bit of an overuse of the Joker, and the complete misuse of Batgirl.
Batgirl's introduction (Before Robin's presumably because the team of Jackie Chan Adventures had experience writing younger female sidekicks) also had loads of potential which the show completely failed to do anything with, and brought up even more problems. For example, she and Batman don't work together so much as Batgirl just kinda shows up (or is already there) without explanation when Batman starts fighting crime and proceeds to help out. Her competence varies between episodes, but they did at least escape the trap of constantly making her someone Batman needed to rescue.
On the other hand, she doesn't become aware of Bruce's identity or even see the Batcave, which makes Bruce come off as a massive dick for not training her to handle herself amidst all the danger he gets into since she's obviously too stubborn to stop helping him. They do absolutely nothing with the concept of her and Poison Ivy being former friends. Her appearance in many episodes as both Barbara and Batgirl saps even more time from Bruce Wayne, who barely appears at all in this season. Some of the episodes seem to have Batman saying less than 10 lines of dialogue, and Batman and Batgirl barely having a relationship to speak of doesn't help this much. Before trying to appeal to the kids to boost viewership, write a better script, guys.
On the plus side, there were a few memorable episodes, such as the aforementioned season opening, "Apprentice", where Joker tries to take a sidekick of his own, "Thunder", where new villain Maximillian Zeus takes over Gotham with an Airborne Aircraft Carrier, and the season finale, where Hugo Strange finally outs himself as a villain.
That's not even half the season, sadly. But still, the show has proven that it can be good when its writers aren't asleep at the wheel, so I will soldier on.
Season Three, Or: When not to Appeal to the Younger Audience
So, despite what I heard, this season was a bit of a letdown for me. It began well enough - the introduction of Batgirl and Poison Ivy was a nice touch, though it could have done without the in medias res beginning and Barbara Gordon's narration. The problems began to pile on when the show launched into a string of episodes filled with forgettable new villains (or in the case of Scarface, forgettable old villains), a bit of an overuse of the Joker, and the complete misuse of Batgirl.
Batgirl's introduction (Before Robin's presumably because the team of Jackie Chan Adventures had experience writing younger female sidekicks) also had loads of potential which the show completely failed to do anything with, and brought up even more problems. For example, she and Batman don't work together so much as Batgirl just kinda shows up (or is already there) without explanation when Batman starts fighting crime and proceeds to help out. Her competence varies between episodes, but they did at least escape the trap of constantly making her someone Batman needed to rescue.
On the other hand, she doesn't become aware of Bruce's identity or even see the Batcave, which makes Bruce come off as a massive dick for not training her to handle herself amidst all the danger he gets into since she's obviously too stubborn to stop helping him. They do absolutely nothing with the concept of her and Poison Ivy being former friends. Her appearance in many episodes as both Barbara and Batgirl saps even more time from Bruce Wayne, who barely appears at all in this season. Some of the episodes seem to have Batman saying less than 10 lines of dialogue, and Batman and Batgirl barely having a relationship to speak of doesn't help this much. Before trying to appeal to the kids to boost viewership, write a better script, guys.
On the plus side, there were a few memorable episodes, such as the aforementioned season opening, "Apprentice", where Joker tries to take a sidekick of his own, "Thunder", where new villain Maximillian Zeus takes over Gotham with an Airborne Aircraft Carrier, and the season finale, where Hugo Strange finally outs himself as a villain.
That's not even half the season, sadly. But still, the show has proven that it can be good when its writers aren't asleep at the wheel, so I will soldier on.