Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Review: Joke’s on Us

Critic’s Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

3.5

I had my suspicions when Prime’s Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 dropped in 2024, but now, I’m certain.

Batman: Caped Crusader is more about everyone around Batman than Batman himself.

The series paints a cityscape of Gotham — a mural of characters, relationships, and social networks — on the canvas of that familiar cape and cowl.

Or perhaps the series plans to shade in Batman‘s personality traits as the byproducts of his environment.

If so, they’re taking their sweet (and unquestionably well-done) time with it.

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2

While Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 was a purely anthological collection of snapshots of Gotham, Season 2 is shaped with more direction.

We begin with the prosecution of Rupert Thorne, Gotham’s kingpin and fingers-in-many-pies antagonist of Season 1.

Seeded throughout the season are glimpses of the Joker making his preparations for his final coup de grâce, including disappearing Thorne early on.

Each piece he carefully places goes undetected for long periods of time, masked by the antics of other players or simply so unassuming in isolation that is draws no attention.

This is not the Joker we’re used to. Calculated and brilliant, we expect. Psychotic? Well, duh. But subtle and patient? That’s new.

Following on Rupert Thorne’s reign of high-profile, unapologetic criminality, Joker’s anarchistic bent is the canonistic pendulum swing.

Instead, here, we get to see unexplained kidnappings, thefts, and murders unfold with a delicate finesse. Of the Joker’s signature unhinged nature, there’s nary a trace.

Riddle Him Nothin’ But Brute Force

Meanwhile, Ed Nygma picks up the chaotic slack in this reinterpretation of The Riddler identity.

The idea that he earned the moniker from “riddling” his enemies with bullets is as basic and literal as the man himself.

While he occasionally tosses out the random puzzling question as a nod to the classic puzzle-obsessed villain, they aren’t riddles as much as precursors to violent acts.

Nygma: When is a pineapple not a pineapple?

Armored Car Guard: …

Nygma: When it’s a grenade!

— Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 3, “Deep Cover”

And Nygma is unquestionably a creature of violence and temper — expecting obedience without earning respect, impulsive, easily insulted, paranoid — yet foolishly susceptible to flattery and a pretty face.

He holds no loyalty to long-time friends, as seen on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 3, “Deep Cover,” when he first orders a hit on and then, when that fails, pulls the trigger himself on Mark Desmond.

But when the sultry Thorn (Batman’s name for Rose Forrest’s alternate personality) slinks into the Stumpers night club and makes herself at home in Nygma’s inner circle on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 7, “Her Dark Reflection,” he never sees his demise coming.

A Variety of Villainy

Some interesting choices were made in selecting the chapters and characters to include in Season 2.

For one, using Thorn, a lesser-known DC character, when the audience was primed for Poison Ivy with the florist shop.

Also, did no one consider that introducing Thorn while Rupert Thorne’s absence was still a going concern might be confusing?

There’s also the possibility that the entire purpose of “Her Dark Reflection” was to reveal that Bruce had no idea Alfred had been purchasing and placing flowers on his parents’ graves all these years.

Because, yeah, this Bruce is still that guy. He may value Alfred more in light of the events of Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 Episode 6, “Night Ride,” but he’s still a pampered, entitled playboy.

A Tetch of Madness

However, as The Batman, he’s figuring some things out. For instance, in a town like Gotham, being a vigilante who doesn’t kill doesn’t stop people from talking trash or riding coattails.

Gender-bending the Mad Hatter villain into the poisonous gossip-monger, Hattie Tetch, voiced by the excellent Laraine Newman, is a genius move. She fills a J. Jonah Jameson-esque space in the landscape.

Tetch’s use of rumor and innuendo to grab attention and make the GCPD and DA’s job more difficult is a clever way to weaponize the news.

When the Joker takes her out with his Laughing Death toxin in the middle of a broadcast, one wonders if he saw her as a potential threat or just as a willing spectacle. After all, that’s the kind of exit Hattie could only have dreamed of.

DC Easter Eggs in Plain Sight

With source material as plentiful as the DC comic-verse, the Batman: Caped Crusader writers pull no punches in loading up the series with inside jokes.

With hat tips and side-winks worthy of Star Trek: Lower Decks, they slip in innovative allusions to Blockbuster, Calendar Man, Mad Monk, and Roxy Rocket.

On the season premiere, Mark Desmond fulfills his role as the original Blockbuster when Nygma sticks him with the serum. Later, we see Joker making off with a cache of the serum.

On the same episode, Julian Day appears as Calendar Man, but as an accountant with a renowned memory for numbers and dates instead of a villain obsessed with special occasions.

Mad Monk runs a cult that worships Barbatos, a cosmic Bat-God, whose murder-spree becomes conflated with Batman’s vigilante activities on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 4, “The Devil’s Due.”

And Roxanne Sutton gets a reframing from thrill-seeking Hollywood stuntwoman to genius physicist.

“Roxy Rocket” is out for revenge on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 3, “Rocket’s Red Glare,” when her work is stolen to be auctioned off to the world’s worst people.

Gotham’s Gray Zone

If there’s a major takeaway from Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2, it’s that Gotham has no effective heroes, only vigilantes.

In a city run on corruption that feeds on despair, the lawful folks like the Gordons and Montoya are unable to balance the scales of justice.

Instead, it’s people like Roxy, Thorn, and the posthumous Jim Corrigan who take out the baddies.

And let’s not forget the pinnacle of Caped Crusader rebranding from Season 1: Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

Harley Quinn without Joker’s influence is the best reimagining of a DC character ever. Fight me.

Bringing her back to help Batman with Scarecrow on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 6, “Sudden Fear,” wasn’t nearly enough Harleen content, but I’ll take anything.

Since she turned herself in, one can only hope she’ll be back for Season 3.

Can we talk a second about Gotham’s weirdness around hidden identities?

Bruce Wayne, millionaire playboy whose face is in every gossip column and business page, manages to go undercover at Blackgate with a mustache and tinted glasses, while Harleen sneaks into a morgue in full harlequin costume?

Talk about stretching the suspension of disbelief to the limit.

Robin on the Rise

But the future isn’t without hope. It just means looking to the next generation.

To be sure, at this moment in time, this iteration of Bruce Wayne/Batman is by no means ready to take on a sidekick.

As the toxin-affected Alfred intones on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 10, “The Laughing Death,” as he does his best to smash his ward and master, “Brucie” is incapable of even feeding or dressing himself.

And at every opportunity, Bruce demonstrates his commitment to total isolation and independence.

So when Carrie Kelley recurs on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 Episode 8, “Zero Hour,” it’s significant that he remembers her from their run-in on Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 Episode 8, “Nocturne.”

In the Frank Miller comic canon, Carrie will be a Robin to Batman one day. Also, Catgirl and Batwoman, but that’s another story.

Carrie embodies resilience, optimism, and determination. Her sense of justice is rooted in kindness and righting wrongs.

She’s also snarky as hell and has a solid disappearing game. Definitely a Batman in training.

So as the Joker pilots Gotham into its bleakest era of nihilism, Batman: Caped Crusader leaves us with some signposts of better things to come.

Renee Montoya and Jim Gordon remain champions of the lawful way. Barbara Gordon rediscovered her ability to forgive. Batman learned he can still be surprised.

Carrie Kelley is the reason they persist in fighting for a better Gotham.

Gotham Carries On

Sorry, couldn’t resist the play on words.

Over to you, Fanatics! Was Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 worth waiting two years for? Are you ready for Batman to take a more central role in Season 3? Hopefully, in less than another two year wait.

In the meantime, who rocked your boat this time around?

Was it Riddler or Mr. Freeze? Thorn or Roxy Rocket? Mad Monk or The Joker? Hattie Tetch or Jonathan Crane Jr.?

Hit our comments with your feedback on the season and vote for your favorite episode below!

Batman: Caped Crusader Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Prime Video.

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