49-1 - Batman: The Animated Series - Episodes 21-22

Matt Hagen finally has his revenge. A mild-mannered accountant from Ohio becomes the most dangerous man in Gotham for five minutes. And a background character who will eventually become one of the most famous characters in DC Comics makes her debut.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 21 and 22: "Feat of Clay, Part 2" and "Joker's Favor."

"Feat of Clay, Part 2" opens with Matt Hagen, now fully Clayface, his entire body a shapeshifting mass that can become anyone, anything, hunting Roland Daggett through Gotham. The only one who can stop him is Batman, and even Batman struggles to track someone who has no fixed form. Something made all the more harrowing by the animation, which goes out of its way to show that Hagen’s form changes are far from comfortable and require him to physically twist his remaining flesh.

Then comes "Joker's Favor" an episode which follows Charlie Collins, a normal man who makes the catastrophic error of honking at a slow driver who turns out to be the Joker. Pleading for his life, he promises the Joker a favor if he's allowed to leave. The Joker accepts this, and two years later, he comes to collect on the bargain. This episode also introduces the Joker’s assistant, a woman named Dr. Harleen Quinzel, you may have heard of her because she would become this show’s breakout star and one of DC Comic’s most beloved characters.

Also, full disclosure, Jon is obsessed with her, so expect him to sing her praises a lot.

We discuss how Clayface's episode nails the body horror in a fascinating way, how Harley Quinn went from random extra to DC cash cow, and whether "Joker's Favor" is the most quietly creepy episode of the entire series.

🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing episode-by-episode watch-through of Batman: The Animated Series!

📌 Topics covered this episode:

– Batman: TAS Episode 21 "Feat of Clay, Part 2" recap & review

– Batman: TAS Episode 22 "Joker's Favor" recap & review

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.