BEWARE THE BATMAN “Alone” SERIES FINALE Review


It’s been a good run, guys. This is the review for the final episode of Beware the Batman. Thanks Toonami, for airing the rest. Screw you, Cartoon Network, for your horrid treatment of yet another good action show. Let’s go! SPOILERS!

Deathstroke (Robin Atkin Downes), in a final play, manages to locate the Batcave, and then take Alfred (J.B. Blanc) hostage! Batman (Anthony Ruivivar) rushes to save his friend, but Deathstroke’s plan ensures that only one will walk away alive! Luckily, Batman may have some unexpected help…

Meanwhile, mentally unstable Harvey Dent (Christopher McDonald) decides to cut ties with his partner in crime, Anarky (Wallace Langham), which could end badly for both of them.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to start this review. Maybe I should begin by saying up front that this is a darn good episode. In one episode, the writers manage to fit in a lot of stuff. Batman’s climatic fight with Deathstroke, Dent and Anarky’s falling out, and the possible formation of a new team.

BTB Alone

One of the best parts of the episode was when Katana (Sumalee Montano) calls together Barbara Gordon (Tara Strong), Man-Bat (Robin Atkin Downes) and Metamorpho (Adam Baldwin) to help rescue Batman. Even though it isn’t official yet, it’s obviously meant to be like the comic group, the Outsiders. Ad together, they can certainly do a lot.

I do wish Man-Bat and Metamorpho had gotten to fight, but at the same time, the battle between Batman and Deathstroke is personal, so interference would have been annoying, I suppose. The battle is very good anyway. Oh, so that’s why Deathstroke wears an eyepatch later!

Beware the Batman Alone

There is also a powerful scene near the end where Alfred makes a difficult choice for Bruce. Some audiences may find themselves discussing the morality of the decision.

And Beware the Batman is over. While I would never say it was nearly as good as Batman: TAS, it was one of the best action cartoons currently airing. I think the way Cartoon Network treated it was unforgiveable, and it saddens me that many people will never watch this show. It pains me that we’ll never see Dent become Two-Face, or see the Outsiders fight crime as a group.

For a general opinion of the show as a whole, the CGI was a mixed bag, but not nearly as bad as some other shows. The plots were allowed to be darker than the Marvel toons, and we had some good fights. I think Katana and Alfred could have been used better, but I’m satisfied. I look forward to the next Batman cartoon, whenever that may be.

Beware the Batman Outsiders

OUR RATING
9
Positives:
  • An all around solid finale
  • Cool seeing many of the past heroes together
  • Final battle is epic
  • Alfred gets a very cool scene
  • Dent makes for a cool villain
Negatives:
  • It would have been nice to see the Outsiders fight someone
  • Those loose ends....