Most underrated DCAU episodes EVER!

[Harlequinade]

Cat and the Claw, Shadow of the Bat, Sideshow, Trial, Cold Comfort, This Little Piggy,and Blind as a Bat I like all of these eps.

 

[Jarmyn]

I've Got a Batman in My Basemant. I allways like that episode.

 

[b.t.]

fascinating thread! i'm especially delighted to see "critters" getting some luvvin'.

keeping in mind that EVERYONE has a right to their own opinion -- "one man's trash, etc" -- here's my own thoughts on some of the eps mentioned here:

EPISODES I LOVE UNRESERVEDLY:
*************************
maid of honor
kid stuff
this little piggy
baby doll
comfort and joy
earth mover
eggbaby

NOT GREAT, PERHAPS, BUT PRETTY DAMN GOOD:
************************************
cold comfort
the prometheon
critters

I TOTALLY GET WHY PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THESE, BUT I KINDA DO:
************************************************
tyger tyger
fury
hawk and dove

NOT REALLY VERY GOOD, BUT NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS EVERYONE SAYS:
******************************************************
war world
the forgotten

NOT REALLY HORRIBLE, I GUESS, BUT I DON'T MUCH CARE FOR IT AT ALL
******************************************************
cape and cowl conspiracy

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR HAVING ANY PART IN ITS CREATION:
***********************************************
prophecy of doom


i've long noticed the general tendency for fans not liking the more overtly comedic episodes,(which is too bad, really). this seems always to be the case: i remember reading somewhere that "the trouble with tribbles" was initially pooh-poohed by the first generation of trekkies back in the day (kinda hard to imagine). and, of course, you see it in modern "buffyverse" fandom, which is REALLY odd, considering BTVS has ALWAYS had a built-in spoofiness from day one. i wasn't surprised by the outright fan-hatred for the "angel and spike's italian adventure" ep from ANGEL'S last season, but man, i thought it was absolute GENIUS ("gypsies -- PTUI! we will speak of them -- no more!"), even better than the actual series finale.

(but i have to agree that "beer bad" IS truly awful, in almost every respect. ok, enough buffy off-topic-ness...)

personally i get bored with non-stop sturm und drang; i think an occasional yuk-fest breaks the monotony. and some of our comedies have been VERY funny, in my humble opinion....

anyhow....speaking of baby doll, what did you all think of "love is a croc"? that's another one that, while i'm not really surprised that people hate it (with a passion!), but i always kinda liked it...

also, i seem to recall a lot of "ultimate thrill"-bashing, but it's always been one of my favorites.

 

[Batman's Biggest Fan]

"Love is A Croc" was a little weird what with Baby Doll in love with Croc, a little disturbing, but otherwise kinda enjoyable, but yes I like Cold Comfort. Batgirl was a little gullible in "Love is A Croc" well then again I guess that's how you like to potray her b.t., not that I have a problem with that. She's kinda like your "Starfire" Very wise, but naive.

 

[Devils_Advocate]

EPISODES I LOVE UNRESERVEDLY:
*************************
maid of honor
kid stuff
this little piggy
baby doll
comfort and joy
earth mover
eggbaby

i've long noticed the general tendency for fans not liking the more overtly comedic episodes,(which is too bad, really). this seems always to be the case: i remember reading somewhere that "the trouble with tribbles" was initially pooh-poohed by the first generation of trekkies back in the day (kinda hard to imagine). and, of course, you see it in modern "buffyverse" fandom, which is REALLY odd, considering BTVS has ALWAYS had a built-in spoofiness from day one. i wasn't surprised by the outright fan-hatred for the "angel and spike's italian adventure" ep from ANGEL'S last season, but man, i thought it was absolute GENIUS ("gypsies -- PTUI! we will speak of them -- no more!"), even better than the actual series finale.

I never understood the negative reactions to humorous episodes. I thought This Little Piggy was laugh out loud funny. I did not find Kid's stuff as humorous though I did enjoy it. But then my favorite Buffy episode was "Once more with Feeling" (the musical of course) which I found extremely fun and emotional. I think nothing can touch emotions like song.

On a side note, I've only seen one Batman Beyond which happened to be eggbaby. I was home sick (which means majorly as it takes near death for me to miss work) and flipping stations came upon Batman Beyond. I found it funny but that could also have been the result of the delirious state I was in at the time.

Back on topic, I think This Little Piggy has been extremely underrated along with Legends which I really enjoyed.

D_A

 

[JLfan4life]

i have to agree about This Little Piggy. I loved that episode and i laughed so hard that i was in tears. I also loved Egg Baby, Ultimate Thrill, cat and the claw, and maid of honor (best WW episode ever!!) i do not understand why these were so underrated........

 

[DerekPowers]

fascinating thread! i'm especially delighted to see "critters" getting some luvvin'.

keeping in mind that EVERYONE has a right to their own opinion -- "one man's trash, etc" -- here's my own thoughts on some of the eps mentioned here:

EPISODES I LOVE UNRESERVEDLY:
*************************
earth mover

WORD. i would have listed it but forgot about it

i too was one to under-rate this episode when it first aired, i think cause i only saw like half of it and thought the soil creature looked too much like clayface. but when i watched the whole ep, wow. its a great story, its pretty dark, its just an all around solid ep with great writing thats really character driven.

"HAWK AND DOVE" ROCKS!!! Best JLU ep to date.

peace.

 

[The Penguin]

NOT REALLY HORRIBLE, I GUESS, BUT I DON'T MUCH CARE FOR IT AT ALL
******************************************************
cape and cowl conspiracy

Hmm, I always rather liked it. Learn something new everyday...

 

[Maxie Zeus]

"Fire From Olympus": *coughcough* Not widely disliked, I guess, but it doesn't get the attention it deserves, IMO. And that JL/JLU should introduce Diana and the Greek gods without bringing Maxie back for at least a cameo I regard as an unforgiveable sin.

"See No Evil": Another one that gets respect but is often overlooked. I think it's as affecting as "Heart of Ice" and "Mad as a Hatter," but people forget about it because the bad guy isn't a supervillain--he's just a thug.

Batman Beyond's "Heroes": Okay, this one is second only to "Critters" in the "most despised" category. But I think it's brilliant--mordantly hilarious and a lot more subtle than "Fearful Symmetries." And for you FS fans, notice how, in light of that episode, Old Bruce's paranoia about the "Terrific Trio" looks a lot more rational.

 

[Sue]

I think the reason humorous episodes are generally pIssed on is because no one thinks of superheroes as funny unless they were meant to be that way (like Plasticman). No one expects comedy when they think of the Justice League or Batman. It's especially true for die hard fans.

Personally (and because I have a sense of humor ), I liked This Little Piggy and The Greatest Story Never Told. They prove that while these characters are ususally serious business, they don't always have to take themselves so seriously.

 

[SilverKnight]

Where's Terry? WAS good but Max was SO annoying as usual in this episode. Fortunately Old Man Wayne got his revenge in the end.

And that was what made the episode so awesome. I'd watch it again just for that scene. "Oooh, sounds dangerous. And speaking of dangerous, what's that girl doing over there?" I could've sworn I saw a "sucker" smile on Old Man Wayne's face when he jumped down.

 

[Style]

Eclipsed? I never understood why everyone always hated this episode, I thought it was great! It was also a pretty good commentary on using one's fame to get a few extra bucks, but it never got as preachy as, say, Spiderman, which accused Peter Parker of killing his uncle just because he wanted to make some money on the side.

 

[BigFatHairyDeal]

i've long noticed the general tendency for fans not liking the more overtly comedic episodes,(which is too bad, really). this seems always to be the case

Hi guys,

I guess because the JLA titles, as well as the titles of the individual heroes in the JLA, are almost always on the serious side, there's an expectation from a lot of fans that the show shouldn't be "overtly comedic." People look to shows for a certain theme, and if they don't get it, they often feel let down, even if the particular episode is pretty good. It's not just funny sci-fi that turns off die-hard fans; have you noticed on the Jump the Shark website that there's a category for sitcoms called "A Very Special"? I agree variety prevents monotony, but to be fair, would a fan of Law & Order give rave reviews to an episode about how the cops play practical jokes with each other and how the ADA's try to come up with a way to punk their boss? I suppose going against the grain is definitely going to catch someone's attention. On an abstract level, I think JLA/JLU fans know what kind of "serious" story they want or expect, but collectively can't agree on what's funny.

I sort of fall into the group that expects serious episodes, but I think "The Brave and the Bold" is highly underrated. "War World," IMO, wasn't that far off from "In Blackest Night," so I'm a bit surprised the former received a whole lot more flack. As a relative newbie, I haven't read much feedback about the old Batman and Superman cartoons, so I'm not in a position to determine which of those 'sodes are over- and underrated.

 

[Wizard]

As for Tyger, Tyger being underrated when so many say how much they love it: it's possible. When most people think of B:TAS, which episodes immediately spring to mind without prompting? Granted, it varies according to taste, but I would guess: The Demon's Quest, The Laughing Fish, and Heart of Ice. I'm not knocking Tyger, Tyger in any way, but it doesn't make my list of top 3 B:TAS episodes that standout. It's not even in my top 10. It's rather arbitrary (what makes one episode more memorable than another?), but that's the way it is.

 

[Fone Bone]

fascinating thread! i'm especially delighted to see "critters" getting some luvvin'.

keeping in mind that EVERYONE has a right to their own opinion -- "one man's trash, etc" -- here's my own thoughts on some of the eps mentioned here:

EPISODES I LOVE UNRESERVEDLY:
*************************
maid of honor
kid stuff
this little piggy
baby doll
comfort and joy
earth mover
eggbaby

NOT GREAT, PERHAPS, BUT PRETTY DAMN GOOD:
************************************
cold comfort
the prometheon
critters

I TOTALLY GET WHY PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THESE, BUT I KINDA DO:
************************************************
tyger tyger
fury
hawk and dove

NOT REALLY VERY GOOD, BUT NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS EVERYONE SAYS:
******************************************************
war world
the forgotten

NOT REALLY HORRIBLE, I GUESS, BUT I DON'T MUCH CARE FOR IT AT ALL
******************************************************
cape and cowl conspiracy

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR HAVING ANY PART IN ITS CREATION:
***********************************************
prophecy of doom


i've long noticed the general tendency for fans not liking the more overtly comedic episodes,(which is too bad, really). this seems always to be the case: i remember reading somewhere that "the trouble with tribbles" was initially pooh-poohed by the first generation of trekkies back in the day (kinda hard to imagine). and, of course, you see it in modern "buffyverse" fandom, which is REALLY odd, considering BTVS has ALWAYS had a built-in spoofiness from day one. i wasn't surprised by the outright fan-hatred for the "angel and spike's italian adventure" ep from ANGEL'S last season, but man, i thought it was absolute GENIUS ("gypsies -- PTUI! we will speak of them -- no more!"), even better than the actual series finale.

(but i have to agree that "beer bad" IS truly awful, in almost every respect. ok, enough buffy off-topic-ness...)

personally i get bored with non-stop sturm und drang; i think an occasional yuk-fest breaks the monotony. and some of our comedies have been VERY funny, in my humble opinion....

anyhow....speaking of baby doll, what did you all think of "love is a croc"? that's another one that, while i'm not really surprised that people hate it (with a passion!), but i always kinda liked it...

also, i seem to recall a lot of "ultimate thrill"-bashing, but it's always been one of my favorites.

Man, I LOVED the Cape and Cowl Conspricary. My second favorite Batman episode after Tyger, Tyger. I won't pretend it's a great episode, but I just PERSONALLY really liked it. It's not the quality of Heart of Ice, For the Man Who Has Everthing, or Legacy but it still speaks to me.

Whoa, you liked The Girl in Question? I had no problem with it being a comedic episode (my favorite Angel episode is Smile Time) but I felt it cheapened the Buffy/Spike relationship. It seemed to me that Buffy was just willing to go to the next superpowered guy she could find and made Spike's silly assertion in "Into the Woods" that Buffy likes "a little monster in her man" way more on target than it had any right to be. (Poor Riley!) What did you think of Smile Time? (profane puppets are money in the bank to me!)

As for Prophecy of Doom. I'll admit it isn't a very good episode, but the gag of Nostromos having to straighten out his toupee was a cheap but funny laugh.

 

[Weibart]

Absolute Power is a great one. I always loved how Jax-ur and Mala became so intoxicated with having their powers, even back in Blasts from the Past. "We've had a year to develop our powers, Kal-el", was just such a cool way of getting the audienced jazzed for what's to come. They were among the few villains in the entire series where I bought into a villainous boastful statement about taking on Superman. Their clout was written and conveyed in a really cool way. I love the design of the control room of the ship in the final act, especially the coming from the floor dramatic gray lighting. There's also a great shot of Superman as he floats in front of the backdrop of the Black Hole, which is another scene I suspect was b.t. boarded.

The Ultimate Thrill has replay value. It's one of those episodes that I can watch over and over again like a drone. Batman chasing Roxy through the traffic tunnel is fantastic. Oddly enough, when Darwyn Cooke was at Wizard Con Phillie, he mentioned this as his favorite TNBA episode he worked on, which was an answer to a question I asked .

anyhow....speaking of baby doll, what did you all think of "love is a croc"? that's another one that, while i'm not really surprised that people hate it (with a passion!), but i always kinda liked it...

The first moment from that episode that always comes to mind is the scene with the drunk heckling Baby Doll the hotel clerk. Little moments like that really make the episode for me. And I was surprised that the density and craftsmanship of Batman's ears was dealt with -- not only did they spark when they nicked the fan, but they were left completely unmangled . The material of his ears is just one of those weird little things that I'd rather not think about, but given that situation, it worked that they sparked as they hit the fan, it was just a little weird. Overall, it's not a favorite of mine, but it isn't amongst the stinkers of TNBA by no means.

 

[Robin]

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR HAVING ANY PART IN ITS CREATION:
***********************************************
prophecy of doom

Shouldn't you add "I've got a Batman in my Basement" to that list? And maybe "Moon of the Wolf"?

 

[The Penguin]

Shouldn't you add "I've got a Batman in my Basement" to that list? And maybe "Moon of the Wolf"?

We're more talking about the underrated episodes inthis thread.

 

[b.t.]

Shouldn't you add "I've got a Batman in my Basement" to that list? And maybe "Moon of the Wolf"?

oh sure, kick a guy while he's down....

ok, fine, not really on-topic, but, in addition to the above-mentioned house-befoulers, i hereby categorically apologise for the following:

the terrible trio (my nomination for all-time worst dcau ep)
superman's pal
cat scratch fever
animal act
heavy metal


...there. happy now?

(just watch...i'll bet one of these is someone's favorite ep....))

 

[Batman's Biggest Fan]

^Don't you wish you could go back, get rid of those and make better ones?


That'd be nice.

(And I think b.t. said he doesn't like "I've Got Batman In My Basement" and "Little Big Head Man")