B:TAS "The Laughing Fish" Talkback (Spoilers)

Rate "The Laughing Fish"

  • *****

    Votes: 33 48.5%
  • ****1/2

    Votes: 13 19.1%
  • ****

    Votes: 8 11.8%
  • ***1/2

    Votes: 5 7.4%
  • ***

    Votes: 6 8.8%
  • **1/2

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • **

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • *1/2

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • *

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1/2

    Votes: 1 1.5%

  • Total voters
    68

The Penguin

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Discuss this classic Batman: The Animated Series episode!

00.jpg

Episode #33 - The Laughing Fish
Written by Paul Dini - Directed by Bruce W. Timm

The Joker has developed a chemical which induces "Joker" smiles on fish. He makes a visit to the Gotham copyright offices, demanding a copyright for his Joker fish. When the frightened bureaucrats tell him that such a copyright is impossible, he threatens to kill them one by one until he gets what he wants.

Comments?
 

JTurner954

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"Love that Joker". That's the very first thing that came into my mind when I saw that Joker Fish commercial. WOW, I remember when this episode aired at around 7-7:30 p.m. on Fox .

Wonderful episode. Bullock was classic as always. What a great way to start this great month called April. 4 1/2 star vote from me.
 

whitmore_sean

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Loved, loved, LOVED this episode! The Joker was much more menacing here than he's usually allowed to be on TV. This was also one of the only episodes to feature the classic "Joker apparently dies" ending. I also liked all the nods to the classic comic story of the same name.

BTAS
Pencil-Pusher: "Great Scott!"
Joker: "Actually, I'm Irish."

Batman
Pencil-Pusher: "Good Lord!"
Joker: (turns around) "WHERE?"



SEAN
 

Meow

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I LOVE this episode. I gave it a five. It was funny and had a unquie and crazy plot most worthy of the Joker. And of course, there was that "Joker Fish" commercial that was just hilarious. I loved the part where Batman and "Mistah J" were fighting on the roof. The animation was nice through-out the episode, but I thought the last fight scene between the two was very well done...with all the lightning and rain and everything..

most fitting :D

and then there's this line...

Bullock: Come on, he was a demented, abusive, psychotic, maniac.

Harley: Yea......I'm really gonna miss him... ::sob::

LOL!!!
 

Zoddman

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Probably the best animation Don Yang did in its entire run. Beautiful episode. 5 Stars.
 

The Penguin

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****

"They're finny and funny and oh so delish! They're joyful and jolly Joker fish!" - Harley Quinn, The Laughing Fish

This was probably the best one out of the four today. I like how Joker goes after the pencil-pushers and calls them by their full names during his little newsreports. Yep, good ol' G. Carl Francis. :D

I think it's really powerful at the end, you can never be sure if The Joker is dead or not, but then the shark snaps up that Joker card.
 

CadaverousEyes

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The only downside to this one is that Batman's antidote makes the Joker's threats seem pointless. But then we have the shark element from The Joker's Five-Way Revenge so everything's all right again. Perfect way to end the marathon.
 

Zoddman

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Originally posted by CadaverousEyes
The only downside to this one is that Batman's antidote makes the Joker's threats seem pointless. But then we have the shark element from The Joker's Five-Way Revenge so everything's all right again. Perfect way to end the marathon.
They had to put the "antidote" into the episode (Unlike the issue of Batman which this is based on.) Because BS&P would've had Dini and Timm's throats if they did have them die.
 

The Penguin

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Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT Cartoon Network airs the Batman: The Animated Series episode, The Laughing Fish. It is # 5 on Bruce Timm's Top 10. Some of his thoughts will be offered during the show’s airing. This episode was based on the classic 1970's Detective Comics story "The Laughing Fish" by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers.

00r.jpg
Episode #033 - The Laughing Fish
Original Airdate - January 10th, 1993.

The Joker has developed a chemical which induces "Joker" smiles on fish. He makes a visit to the Gotham copyright offices, demanding a copyright for his Joker fish. When the frightened bureaucrats tell him that such a copyright is impossible, he threatens to kill them one by one until he gets what he wants.

Comments?

Related Threads:
-Batman: Strange Apparitions Talkback (Spoilers)
 

MILatino

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Originally posted by The Penguin
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT Cartoon Network airs the Batman: The Animated Series episode, The Laughing Fish.

Five stars. The Joker was classic. He was funny but in a very scary way. The music was incredibly fitting... very much like Psycho was. The way the police and Batman worked together. The way Bullock figured out where to find the Joker ("It doesn't take no fancy Batcomputer to figure out that fancy fish came from an aquarium.")

I laughed; I cried... ;) Excellent.
 

TheScarecrow

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One of the best Joker story episodes, scary and funny at the same time, much like The Joker himself. :D

Worthy of the Top Ten status it was given.
 

Meow

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5 stars! I enjoyed every minute of this episode. Dead on characterization of all the characters (specially Joker) and a great sick and twisted plot. Need I say more? :D
 

The Penguin

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*****

"They're finny and funny and oh so delish! They're joyful and jolly Joker fish!" - Harley Quinn, The Laughing Fish

I'd have to say this is one of the better Joker episodes and obviously Timm thinks so too.

It's really clever how the scene is arranged in the second pencil-pusher's home. You see Batman and the guy and you hear them talking, but by how they are sitting in the shot you can't tell that the two have switched places. You can hear the "Batman grunt" when he dives for the cat, but if you aren’t looking for it you miss it.

I thought Bullock was used very well and even figured out where the Joker was himself. There was some decent detective work from the Bat as well. And the music was great!

The ending was very powerful, you can never be sure if The Joker is dead or not, but then the shark snaps up that Joker card. Wow. :eek:
 
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Originally posted by Meow
5 stars! I enjoyed every minute of this episode. Dead on characterization of all the characters (specially Joker) and a great sick and twisted plot. Need I say more? :D

Yeah, the first line in your signature comes from this episode!

I still can't believe they showed the meat blood though!
 

jm5150bc

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5 stars, all the way... Definitely in the top 5 episodes of all time.

This was the best Joker episode of the original B:TAS, period.
It was the first time he was actually kind of scary as well as whacky... the score was brilliant... and the last act was just sheer perfection.

The only time that the Joker was ever handled better was ROTJ.
 

Mattashell

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Hi all, I've had a really terrible evening and I'm in a bad situation which I may or may not post about over at the Cafe if I feel like sharing. It's the least of my worries, but just one more thing had to go wrong and I forgot to set Dr. V to tape tonight's episodes. Could someone please put up Bruce Timm's comments. This is the first "Top 10" ep I've missed.

Thanx
Matt
 

DisneyBoy

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I was really disappointed that this episode didn't make it into the top ten! It really is the best Joker episode there is, as well as one of the best Batman stories the series has told. It's just classic!
 

Cere

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Well, then, I shall be the first to say that I didn't like it. The first time I saw it I hated it. The second time through...I guess it wasn't that bad. I'll explain.

First, the premise seems stupid. Joker wants to copyright fish? How is that going to help him get rid of Batman? Oh, that's right, to finance his criminal practices. Well...I guess it's not quite as bad as it first sounded. But hitting off pencilpushers makes him seem not as smart as he's been shown elsewhere.

I like how Joker attacked Francis with a two-part chemical, but why didn't he just spray everyone in that room with Joker gas? Why would Joker target one specific person, when he could have a bigger laugh taking out policemen and possibly Batman in the process?

The scene with the second guy (the switcheroo) was well done. It had me surprised at first. The second time through, I could really appreciate it.

Alfred had some great lines. "Dining in tonight, sir?" "This should cause a stampede to pork." And, what was it the Joker said? Ah, yes. "I shall amuse myself watching Harv give my shark indigestion." Great lines.

The ending scene had a few problems. First, Batman never came up for air while fighting the shark. Then, Harley and the goons knocked themselves out. Duh! And it seemed rather weird that Joker would inadvertantly send his chair through the roof. What did he expect to happen?

So, I'll have to say that this episode was better the second time around, but I still question it's status in the Top Ten. To me, it didn't portray Joker the best.
 

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