The New Batman Adventures
Episode 12
Over the Edge
One of the best episodes in the entire Batman animated run! It’s so well done it doesn’t even matter it’s all a dream. Barbara Gordon is hit with Scarecrow fear toxin and has a delusion which involves her dreaming about her own death. Scarecrow knocks her off a skyscraper and she falls on top of her dad’s police car. It’s graphically shown with blood, the impact is on full display. It’s the most shocking visual the DCAU ever pulls off. The graphic death of Barbara Gordon.
From there Commissioner Gordon tries to arrest Batman. He discovers via Barbara’s computer Batman is Bruce Wayne. He leads an assault on Wayne Manner and the Batcave which is one of the most exciting chase sequences the series ever had.
Batman and Robin manage to escape with the help of Nightwing. Alfred is arrested. Nightwing goes to his place to gather supplies and gets captured. Batman knows it’s all over. He tells Tim Drake to take off. Since he’s just a kid, he won’t get in trouble.
A few of Batman’s rogues hire shady lawyers to sue the billionaire Bruce Wayne now that they know his identity.
Gordon is getting fired. During the funeral he sets up a trap to capture Batman. He lets Bane out of prison to capture Batman but it backfires. Bane wants to kill Batman. Gordon wants Batman arrested. Bane double crosses Gordon, knocks Gordon over the side, leaving him to hang for dear life. Batman agrees to a fight to the death between him and Bane. Holy crap!
Batman takes out Bane by tossing him into the Bat Signal and electrocuting him. He probably died because you can apparently do anything in a dream sequence for an animated children's show. Batman then goes to save Gordon who doesn’t want his help but convinces him to take his hand for Barbara’s sake. As Batman is helping Gordon and possibly reconciling, Bane uses his last bit of strength to throw the Bat Signal at them, knocking them off the building to their eminent death. At which point Barbara wakes up and we learn it’s all a dream.
Barbara makes the decision to tell her dad she’s Batgirl. Batman is cool with that because it’s her life. She has a dinner with her dad and is about to tell her but he says she’s an adult who can make her own choices and he’s proud of her regardless. He changes the subject and that’s that. The creators say that Gordon knows she’s Batgirl and therefore doesn’t need to here it. All we see is that she was about to tell him about a job, for all we know he thought she took up being a stripper. Either way he doesn’t need to hear about her new job.
The action is amazing, the story is twisted and dark. It would have been the definitive episode of the series if the story was more than just a dream. But since it was a dream, perhaps it allowed the creators to go all-in and do things they wouldn’t dare do to upset the status quo. A great story. A great episode.
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com
