@@JaysonHodges27154 Yeah, it is just that I really don't feel like talking too much since I have lots to say. So let's say it this way then since ya wanna hear more and I am a nerd lol, Joker loves getting in people's minds. And what I mean by that is getting to people (as in joker breaking or hurting someone to get at others), making people have enough of him, and the other way is just making people go cuckoo! :]
Mark’s delivery of “Well, look at the size of the cake, man!” makes me laugh EVERY TIME. It even got me again during this vid. It really is important for the Joker to dance between genuinely funny and uncomfortably sinister, and Joker’s Favor does such a fantastic job of both.
I’d like to point out the “Joker calls for Batman” scene, Joker isn’t scared of dying or of not killing Batman. The joker in this scene is specifically scared of dying TO A NOBODY. The joker is a showman, and he’d want to go out with a bigger bang than that! He’d either want Batman to kill him and break his number one rule, or he would plot an elaborate scheme like blowing himself up in a fireworks factory that spreads a blaze across half of the city.
Last summer in 2023 when I rewatched a of Bruce Timm DCAU shows, Joker’s favor is one of the most memorable BTAS episodes of all time cause it was the introduction of Harley Quinn. RIP Arleen Sorkin. Before rewatching BTAS, I rewatched The Batman 2004 animated series which was my very first exposure to Batman growing up.
I love the Joker stories that show him in his purest form: completely irredeemable and cold-hearted, not to mention dangerously insane. This episode is an excellent example of him at his worst. It was bad enough that he terrorized Charlie on the road - not because Charlie had offended him, because he hadn't, but simply because he saw that Charlie was fearful and an easy target for bullying. What truly reveals the Joker as sick and twisted is that, almost like a serial killer, he tracked Charlie for years, even referring to the obsession as his "hobby." It's an especially satisfying comeuppance for the clown when Charlie finally strikes back, reducing the villain to a coward begging for his life, even to the point that he's HAPPY to see Batman!
In my defence, we I don’t think we have Crown Princes over here - just plain old regular Princes (I honestly don’t know the difference between the two titles…)
Yeah, it seems pretty outdated. I've dropped the Clown Prince factoid on a few people, and every single reaction had been along the lines of "Huh, that's a weird title."
Very few characters have ever out crazied the Joker, and Charlie (who was just a below average nobody) did it to the point that he panicked and called for Batman, like a scared child calling for his parents. And they made it believable, through the simple motivation of it being to save his family.
They also did a good job reinforcing throughout the episode that Charlie is a smart guy. He changed his name and moved states to get away from the Joker, he found a way to subtly call for Batman, and when Batman did show up he wasted no time explaining the situation. It made his bluff at the end that much more compelling imo.
👿The moment we adore about this episode, bar none, is Charlie claiming rightfully that he can destroy the dreams of the Joker too. That Charlie figured out that what the Joker wanted was attention, fame, and to be remembered. So to take away him going out with a bang and more a whimper is the best way Charlie can beat the Joker at his own game. We love a normal man with a spine being one of The Joker's greatest weaknesses and it's so cathartic watching this episode for it.
One thousand percent. I've always wanted to see a story about Joker survivors in group therapy, seeing all their stories of how he terrorized them. Did he let them go? Were they rescued by Batman and Robin? How do they cope with the experience? I doubt they'll hire any birthday clowns now. In fact, clowns probably aren't popular in Gotham...
I don't think Joker's Millions is THE best Joker episode, but daaaamn it encapsulates the Joker in a nutshell. It's also super hilarious as he cringes when the IRS shows up.
I always intepretted his fear as freaking out he'd die to a "nobody". Great vid as always boss, pleasae make an analysis over Be A Clown-- it's such an underrated sinister, yet wholesome Joker story. IMO, it has the best set pieces of any Joker episode and captures the narcissism and lunacy of BTAS's Joker best.
Yes, of course. Charlie even says that the Joker's greatest fear is that his death will be humiliatingly anticlimactic. The Joker would love to die at Batman's hands, preferably after goading him into losing control entirely, so that the last thing the Joker ever thought was that Batman was no better than he was.
I agree with this assessment as well it's something that's played on in several other portrayal of the Joker in other media including the ever fabulous Arkham series. Joker is never had a fear of death what he has a fear of is being forgotten.
It's just perfect that it starts with Joker playing his desperate plea as a bit of a joke ("all this running around with... BATMAN!!") but then he abandons his humor and just calls out pathetically. Just a beautiful humbling.
The main reason I site for why this Joker and this episode nails the character is the perfect blend of portraying the character as being incredibly funny and entertaining but also genuinely menacing and even scary. Both Hamill and the writing nail it. I specifically find Hamill’s delivery for lines like “ I don’t know, I haven’t thought of it yet!” and “bad things happen to those who gossip” are just genuinely scary. Walkers amazing score of capturing the eerie threat of Joker while also the tragic sadness of Charlie helps realize this amazingly
Personally, my favorite is Joker's Wild. You make a fantastic case for this episode, but Bruce fucking with him on the casino floor will always stick out in my mind as a great scene for both our leads.
You touched on something in this episode I really liked. Joker's insecurity and need for attention. Nowadays, Joker's kind of a villain sue and the media needs to cement the fact that he is Batman's #1 Antagonist by making him that much stronger than all the other Rogues. But the Joker being an angry and needy man doesn't really make him any less threatening, if anything, it makes him more uncomfortable to be around.
Laughing Fish slightly edges out Favor just for the part where he's perfectly still and hunched over on the TV screen, laughing almost under his breath, and the 1940's sounding cop touches the dial and exclaims "he's on every station!" Cracks me up every time
I just rewatched this episode a few days ago, and Mark Hamill's performance blew me away; I can't believe that Disney never tried to cast him as a villain during their Renaissance Era, he was so good at playing the bad guy.
5:09 is my favorite line from this episode’s The Joker: Okay, Chaz. When Harley knocks on the door three times, you open it. Charlie Collins: And...? The Joker: That's it! Charlie Collins: Wait. That's the favor? You called me here just to open a door? The Joker: Well, look at the size of that cake, man! She can't open the door and push it in all at once. Think!
In my opinion, The Last Laugh is my favorite Joker episode. It takes place on April Fools Day and the idea of Joker using his laughing gas combined with garbage was impressive. Plus, the ending where Batman chased Joker in the garbage plant and ended up saving Joker was the best part.
Joker's only fear is not death, it's being forgotten, that's why he got so afraid there, when Charlie mentioned he would become just a footnote on a paper, that's when he got scared, he wants to go with a bang, not like that.
I happened to watch this episode for the first time on its 31st anniversary (Sept. 11th) it quickly became one of my favorites. Harley's quotes from this episode are some of the best.
Joker's Favour has that great blend of comedy and evil that makes The Joker a great villain (even if he is overexposed). He is like a cat playing with a mouse. At any moment, he will strike, but you do not know when, until the very end. My favourite Joker episode is "Make em laugh. "The premise is over the top, but it fits Joker very well. He loves attention, and the episode highlights this aspect of Mr. J very well. It also highlights his petty nature and the lengths he will go to get his own back on the judges who snubbed him. The episode also references the killing joke when The Joker is in disguise as a comedian. "Make em Laugh" was also written by Dini, who, in my opinion, is the BEST Batman writer of all time.
Yep, Make ‘Em Laugh is another great episode showing how patient the Joker can be in plotting his revenge for fairly minor incidents. Pretty much every episode Dini wrote was excellent, and I enjoyed his runs on Detective Comics, Streets of Gotham, and Gotham City Sirens back in the day…
@@zemox2534I'm shocked I never thought about this either. I guess Dini is so synonymous with the DCAU, we just equate them. Timm would probably be interesting to cover as well.
@@SerumLake You know it's funny because I've been meaning to talk to someone about that episode for a bit. I honestly never loved Make 'Em Laugh. Aside from the iconic introduction of the daring Condiment King, I didn't think it was that interesting or compelling and the jokes and gags never quite landed with me and the slapstick comedy and exaggerated gags I thought was just a bit too predicatble. It's on par for me with some of the more decent BTAS episodes.
I think Batman watched Joker get terrorised by Charlie as a way of giving the Joker a taste of his own medicine. Plus, how often do you get to see one of your most notorious Rouges scrabbling around in the dirt, desperately screaming your name?
This and laughing fish are great episodes. I also love "Be a Clown" the Joker's motives are equally petty and I find the part where he chases the mayor's son like a horror movie monster just as sinister. Something about when he drags the stick along the fence as he walks makes him feel extra menacing and sinister in there. I don't know what I would declare the best Joker episode though, I'd never given it much thought. You do make a convincing case. I do have a soft spot for the last laugh, inspite or perhaps because of just how silly it is. (Where did he get a robot clown lol) The worst is an easy pick though. His first outing for the show in "Christmas with the Joker" It has a few moments, but mostly it just too incoherent with its silliness. "The Last Laugh" had a fancy submarine boat and a robot clown. Whereas "Christmas with the Joker" had secret rocket Christmas tree, secret remote observatory laser cannon conversation, Santa thanks, and host of other random things. I do sometimes watch it around Christmas though, alongside the "He-man She-ra Christmas special."
That last point is actually genius when you think about it. Not only did Charlie manage to do something the Batman never could (scare the Joker) but he also did something the Joker never could: *make Batman laugh.*
I loved this episode when I watched it. It was amazing to see the Joker being so confident in himself, but is quick to start panicking near the end of it all when Charlie threatens to use a bomb on him, only for it to be a big fake out the whole time. I actually started laughing at the Joker’s panicking, it was so funny to me.
These Joker Episodes are so fun and chaotic! But Joker's Favor is definitely one of the best episodes ever especially that this episode marks the first appearance of Harley Quinn!🤩👍
Just came back to this after re-watching the episode, and yeah this ep is fantastic. Charlie is quite a sad character, but it’s sad in a way that’s relatable. We’ve all been beaten down by the 9-5 and forgot what’s most important in life. I love that he decides not to stay with the police and gets his (admittedly harmless) revenge on Joker. He very likely could have died after that encounter, but he knew taking control of his life and not letting someone step on him was more important.
Charlie one-upping the Joker at the end of the episode is by far the most cathartic defeat the Joker has ever been through, except maybe his death in Arkham City. Normally, he doesn't really care if Batman beats the daylight out of him since he can just break out and do his thing again. But the thought of being blown to bits in an alley by a random nobody before he can have his perfect final showdown with Batman TERRIFIES him and really shows just how pathetic he is.
What makes this and The Laughing Fish so good, is he targets an individual person for absolutely no reason. Charlie's not a necessary casualty, or even an opportunistic casualty, the way an employee at the bank or an innocent bystander caught in his crossfire is. Charlie's not a person he has to take down to make a plan work, like a high-profile hostage or someone who knows the access code to something he wants. Charlie's not one of x number of victims of a bomb or poison gas being deployed in Gotham. Joker went far out of his way to target Charlie Collins, and SPECIFICALLY Charlie Collins, to the point he obsessed over it for years, for absolutely no reason at all beyond he found it funny. It honestly shows a far more terrifying side of Joker than when he goes for darker and more serious crimes, because it shows the absolute horrifying extents this pure evil psychopath will go to make a totally random and innocent person suffer purely for the sake of his sick sense of humor.
I think I only noticed the clown prince/crown prince joke wordplay after this video...I keep thinking 'surely I'd have noticed before' but I can't think of a time when I did, I feel a bit better because someone I know only recently noticed Harley Quinn was a play on Harlequin
This is my favorite Joker episode as well. I think it perfectly mixes the Joker's cruel, sadistic side with his comical side. I love how Mark Hamill is able to jump back and forth between menacing and friendly in his first scene with Charlie.
My favorite line in the episode was Charlie getting in close to Joker with the fake bomb & saying "See? I can destroy a man's dreams too! And that's really the only dream you've got, isn't it?" In just that sentence, Charlie gets Joker's madness, the terrifying depth of his insanity and evil, that he just wants to break people and destroy/ruin their lives for no good reason. But from the deriding tone Charlie uses when he says it, it also shows how pathetic Joker is for this goal, this dream. Because Charlie, a "nobody", can do it too, but since it's the only dream Joker has, it reduces him to less than the people he tries to destroy.
I really liked this episode back in the day. Though a large part of me just knows that the Joker from the comics or even from The Arkham Series would have gotten his revenge on Charlie in the most horrifying ways imaginable.
Joker's favor and Last Laugh were a couple of my fav btas episodes. Think about last laugh for a second? When Captain Clown gets crushed in the dump, Joker is outraged and angry when he says "You killed Captain Clown. You KILLED CAPTAIN CLOWN!!!!" Even the nice reverse on the old saying about revenge by saying "Justice is Served HOT Batman, you're going to melt just like a grilled cheese sandwich." Then at the end of it all the one line that sticks with you easier than Charlie stuck to the door. "BATMAN!!! YOU WOULDN'T LET ME FRY WOULD YOU?!" The way he even looks to contemplate letting Joker cook, is what drives home the funny. Now as for Joker's favor, the silence before Joker corners Charlie did scare me a bit as a kid, but it always made me laugh when Joker begged for Batman to save him.
My wife and I watch it every Christmas, but it is very different to the later BTAS Joker episodes. It’s definitely more comic book, with its rocket powered Christmas tree, but it does have the gem of a line (When speaking about the film It’s A Wonderful Life) Batman says “I’ve never seen it. I couldn’t get past the title” 😂
I'm not a fan of Christmas with Joker, but I can absolutely see why Mark would like it. No matter how wierd that episode is, the Joker certainly sounds like he's having fun.
That’s cool - I personally didn’t enjoy The Last Laugh very much (felt like an episode of The Super Friends in some ways) but the world would be a boring place if we all liked exactly the same things 👍
Another fantastic video and I definitely agree, this episode showcases a perfect blend of what the Joker should be, a comedian that's also menacing and vile. Also love this classy but comedically evil version of the Joker, second favorite is the one from the underrated "The Batman" cartoon, now that one is more animalistic than his BTAS counterpart but still the comedic and sadistic baddie I love to hate. (...Still kinda bitter the show staff wrote out Detective Ellen Yin after season 2. She was a dang good character and I would've loved to see her clash with a Matsudaverse Harvey Bullock over Batman.)
Yeah, The Batman seemed to suffer from a crisis of confidence. Things like changing the Joker’s design to a more traditional purple suit after a while, dropping the original theme tune, and brining in Paul Dini to start writing it, seem like quite major changes of course.
Like I had mentioned before, the premise of primarily focusing on the perspective of someone tormented and in constant fear of the Joker, in this case through the character of Charlie Collins, reminds of that Endgame tie-in during the New 52 where Joker torments a man named Tommy for five years. I wonder if that was a specific inspiration. Did you think so when you read it?
Ngl a chilling line that lives rent free in my head is "I don't know. I haven't thought of it yet." How Mark says this line is unlike any other Joker line I heard. It's so good.
I just realized something. Charlie's asking the clown (The Joker) if he thinks he owns the whole road kind of presages Harley Quinn's OWNING the whole road at one point in her own animated series...
The Joker’s conversation with Charlie on the phone while receiving a trim up from Harley is my favorite part of the episode. It showed how unhinged and hilariously petty, yet, meticulous he was. It was that perfect balance of demented, dark, and comedic.
For a second, I confused Joker's Favor with Joker's Wild. I'm here for it either way. Honestly, I'm fine with the Last Laugh episode because the Joker is a genuinely, chaotically insane person. Think of it this way: the robbery was just to finance his plans; the real goal was to poison Gotham with a gas that drives people permanently insane from long-term exposure. Why? Because he thought it was funny. Although, using the "Joker trips on something as the way he's defeated twice in a row is most definitely a bad call.
From what I understand of the Joker he either wants to kill Batman himself or he wants Batman to kill him. The Joker is theatrical, he would rather have a final showdown and die at the hands of his sworn enemy than die with a nobody like Charlie Collins. I think that's why he was scared of Charlie when he tricked him into thinking he was going to blow them both up. What kind of supervillain dies at the hands of an average man living an average life?
I concur with everybody who says the Joker wasn't actually offended by Charlie's insults. Even his "admonishment" to Charlie is delivered with his characteristic sardonicism. Also given that he was smiling throughout almost the entire scene, it's quite possible that the idea of doing what he does best yet again immediately started to form in his mind and he thought to himself "This is going to be great fun for me."
Can't agree more about the "salt sweet" metaphor; one of my personal favorites is "The Man Who Killed Batman", in which supposedly a bumbling lookout nicknamed "The Squid" supposedly kills Bats while he tries to save the guy from himself. In this ep Joker has an impromptu funeral, complete with a coffin and an acid vat, and as Joker's eulogy for Bats goes on, he gets progressively more deranged untilhe proclaims "I'll be smiling again, just as soon as we take that man over there, slap him into that box over there and roll it into that vat over there!!" The funniest bit? Arlene Sorken plays "Amazing Grace" on kazoo, and it was apparently so damned hilarious they could only manage one take before the set went nuts.I can imagine as I tried to simulate this once and couldn't go more than two bars humming in kazoo voice before I just frigging lost it. It's one of the better BTAS eps, I think.
Regardless of which of the two Joker-centered episodes highlighted in this video is, indeed, the best, Joker's Favor will always hold a special place in my heart, having been the first BTAS episode to premiere on Cartoon Network UK back on January 1998 when the new batch of Batman episodes arrived to the channel. What a wonderful time to be a BTAS fan.
When I was around 7, I got this DVD of 7 BTAS episodes from Best Buy (Which I now know were the last 7 episodes of season 1 when going in volume order) years before I ever even knew what a BTAS even was. Joker’s Favorite was the first one on the DVD and the first BTAS episode I ever watched. Going back through the series now, I still holds up as my favorite episodes.
I have had this headcanon or epiphany like interpretation about the Joker's characterization, that unfortunately does not match with the BTAS/DCAU version, that I got when I reviewed The Killing Joke earlier this year. The reason why it doesn't match up with the BTAS/DCAU Joker is because he does not have The Killing Joke similar backstory, but if he did, then it could be possible to assume that the Joker... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...wants to die. Take the backstory from the Killing Joke and apply that as the Joker's canon backstory. He lives in a world where he is a widower with an unborn child and looks the way he does without make up. That is not living and Batman was the final push that made him become what he is, so naturally he would want to take Batman out with him. Because of his previously established weak persona, he does not have the strength or will power to do it himself, so he does what he does to give everyone he tortures(Batman, Gordon, Harley, Charlie from this episode if DCAU counted) a reason to kill him. But the reason why none of them do it, even when they are given a reason is how all the work the Joker put into that torture fails and is so the punchline to the joke of a life he exists in. And so, the madness he has thrown himself into is a coping mechanism and when he laughs in the end even when caught, he is not really laughing. He is crying because his suffering is still ongoing and he cannot see the end for it.
I absolutely agree about this being a favorite Joker episode, every time I watch BTAS and this episode comes up I always smile because how much I love it, and the opening where Charlie CUSSES OUT THE JOKER is truly both one of the most funniest and creepiest moments
Joker: "All it takes is one bad day to make everyone just like me! Hahaha!" Charles Michael Collins: "Oh, you had a bad day? Let me tell you about my five years, seven months, three weeks, and four days." Joker: "It seems I have made a terrible mistake."
Charlie: You see Thanos, your infinity gauntlet is a fake! I switched it out when you were unconscious. Now I can undo all of your hard work with a snap, every step you took just gone, even make YOU disappear! Kind of funny actually! Ironic really! It'll be as if you never existed at all! Thanos: Charlie, look! You've had a busy day! All this running around! All of this excitement with *IROOOOOOONMAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!*
I have so much nostalgia and fondness for this episode and and I can rewatch it endlessly without ever being tired of ot. I don't blame anyone at all if this was their favourite Batman episode because it'a certainly one of my favourites as well. Ultimately the lack of Batman nad Joker and Batman's dynamic is what holds it back for me from considering it the best Joker episode because there's a plethora of ways to express how vile Joker really is, but at the end of the day the best thing about the is seeing how they affect each other which for me was absent in this episode and that's okay because that's not the kind of story it was. In the context of BTAS my favourite is definitely The Laughing Fish but if we're talking about the entire DCAU (not including ensemble episodes like Trial or Almost Got 'Im) then along with The Laughing Fish is World's Finest, Joker's Millions, Mad Love and my all-time favourite Joker centric episode in the DCAU has always been Wild Cards.
Found this episode because of a yt short, but watching Joker cower in fear is something else. I never imagined him being so scared he starts to call for batman. In other forms of media, Joker was considered to be an insane monster that doesn’t care about anything but batman. You can throw a batarang in his eye, break his body, or even rip out his heart superman style, and he'd usually laugh it off. Because of that, most of us think that he would be fearless because of his insane personality, yet this episode proves otherwise. It showed that even the most insane of us all have a goal in mind and can have it taken away, this made him very human, very normal, something of which Joker hates and fears. No one can convince me that there is a better Joker scene than this in any comic or animated show or film, the moment where we see Joker in his most vulnerable. Call me a psycho, but I enjoyed hearing him desperately calling his nemesis for a suicidal nobody like Charlie Collins
One of my all time favorite lines from the joker well always be him cowaring from Charlie as he threatens him with a bomb saying "Look! Charlie! You had a busy day! All this running around all this excitement with...BAAAATMAAAN!" as he screams for Batman to save him in the same breath XD
My favorite’s still Laughing Fish…just from a cinematic angle: No title card, just a caption side pan in a rainy night introducing a jovially grim plot laid out Combining a fluid display of Joker’s creative petulance and his menacing bloodlust Utilizing Harley as both performer and perpetrator for the copyright assasinations A reasonable conflict with Batman and the GCPD’s failing attempts to protect their witnesses A killer end hook with the Joker card drifting out at sea before SNAP! 🦈
Honestly, the pre-Paul Dini episodes were fine in my opinion. The Joker doing things like a garbage scow that released insanity-causing fumes that was piloted by a robot clown that he used to go on a crime spreee was, honestly, perfectly in character for him. It's the perfect blend of ridiculous and sinister that always made him so genuinely unsettling. Like, he was doing something that would likely ruin the lives of tens of thousands of people, all for the sake of petty theft. Perfectly Joker-like behavior.
Even though Tim Curry was originally going to play the Joker but in my opinion I would have been fine if Tim Curry would have played the role of the Joker I mean he would have sound more like a goofy Joker super friend. But to me Mark Hamill is way more funny and scary in the same time he is did a diffident of voice of Joker of all time and I'm still sad that he'll never return the Joker ever again due to his longtime friend Kevin conroy.
You know who you might be able to reach out to in regards to analyzing the music? Sideways. Fantastic chap. Love lietmotifs. Wonderful understanding of music theory. ^^ Look him up!
I adore the Joker's introduction in this episode. Imagine just driving down the street when all of a sudden some random nobody who has no idea who you are just starts honking and cursing you out. To me, that wonderful smile of his says "Well I know what I'm doing today."
Even as an adult, I felt and still feel a sense of dread, like there's nothing Charlie can do to stop this terrible fate. The beginning wasn't terrifying, just like a deep sinking feeling that it was all over.
I loved the episode when I was younger, but now I see it and think "Wait a minute, when would this guy have even had time to put together a bomb? What did he make it from? Why does he know how to do this?" Even if Joker's too crazy to think like that, Batman should see right through him.
This is definitely a fair contender for best Joker episode. I'm not sure what my favorite is, but it's probably this one or the good old fishes. I'm reminded of Lego Batman: "What about the time with the two boats?"
I remember my mom not understanding how I could follow along and stay focused watching this show because she thought it was so adult black noir ish. Looking back it is very dark but I never looked at it like that as a kid
So this is my favourite episode of BTAS and one of my favourite episodes of anything...ever, As I pointed out below another video the reason this episode is so great is because of how it lower batman and the joker from untouchable mythical figures to more flawed beings, and raises up Charles to a level where he competes with them. At the end of this episode Charlie achieves two objectives, he terrifies the joker to the point he is physically shaking and hiding behind batman (something batman has tried for years to do) and batman himself laughs genuinely to the event (something joker has tried for year to do) he does what these mythical figures have fought against each other for, and who is? "A miserable little nobody" So if anyone out there is also a miserable little nobody, remember you have the potential to outwit the joker and batman on the same night.
Springdale, Ohio is just outside of Cincinnati, which is a very funny reference, that area has a lot of interesting references in animation and animated shows.
Love that black trench coat and tando hat! Yes, if you looked hard enough, Cesar Romero's Joker always had a moustache. But as for his beard... I ain't gonna touch that one! But as you say, the quintessence of her species went on to conquer the universe. There seems to be some controversy in the current fandom as to whether The Joker is mob or not. He definitely is in Phantasm, the film that the current orthodoxy accepts as the bar-none best. And I personally can't see how he could ever pose a threat to Batman unless he were. (And yes... At the time of Phantasm - and of this episode - the series was still paying mandatory tribute to the the Burton films. Although I'd have been happier with a BTAS Joker who was more like Burton's, and and Penguin who was less so.) But nonetheless, this episode's title... And The Joker's line: « _Someday, I may call on you for a favour... And that day may never come..._ » They seem to denote some kind of mob influence. Where else but in the casinos pf Atlantic City could The Joker meet a Jersey girl who was willing to dress up in sexy Hallowe'en costumes - like _Cheeky Harlequin,_ and _Naughty Police Constable?_
This is definitely my favorite Batman episode. To see Joker screaming for Batman to help him is just priceless. I also liked how Charlie got Batman to laugh at the end. How often does that happen?
Please go more into background of Harley Quinn. There was episode where she worked as a psychologist in Arkum where Joker was imprisoned. She was trying analysis him, but he so beautifully twisted her values that she became H.Quinn his sidekick. And he later went on to abuse her relentlessly.
I like the episode where Joker dresses up as a party clown and was actually popular with the crowd, and the party guests never figured out that he had something to do with the bomb.
Personally, I don't think Joker was actually offended by Charlie's insults; he just found the perfect excuse to intimidate and kill someone.
When doesn't Joker find an excuse to kill or torment someone ?
@@seeleunit2000 Never.
Joker just wanted to play with his mind (he loves messing with people)
"Messing with people" would be a heavily massive understatement.
@@JaysonHodges27154 Yeah, it is just that I really don't feel like talking too much since I have lots to say. So let's say it this way then since ya wanna hear more and I am a nerd lol, Joker loves getting in people's minds. And what I mean by that is getting to people (as in joker breaking or hurting someone to get at others), making people have enough of him, and the other way is just making people go cuckoo! :]
Mark’s delivery of “Well, look at the size of the cake, man!” makes me laugh EVERY TIME. It even got me again during this vid.
It really is important for the Joker to dance between genuinely funny and uncomfortably sinister, and Joker’s Favor does such a fantastic job of both.
That "man!" always gets me, I'll say.
Something amazing about Harley Quinn's debut featuring someone yelling "Look at the size of that cake, man!" BTAS does it again!
I’d like to point out the “Joker calls for Batman” scene, Joker isn’t scared of dying or of not killing Batman. The joker in this scene is specifically scared of dying TO A NOBODY. The joker is a showman, and he’d want to go out with a bigger bang than that! He’d either want Batman to kill him and break his number one rule, or he would plot an elaborate scheme like blowing himself up in a fireworks factory that spreads a blaze across half of the city.
"Look, Charlie, you've had a busy day! All this running around, all this excitement with... *BATMAN!!!!*
I rewinded that scene at least 100 times and every time I was rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter 😂
Last summer in 2023 when I rewatched a of Bruce Timm DCAU shows, Joker’s favor is one of the most memorable BTAS episodes of all time cause it was the introduction of Harley Quinn. RIP Arleen Sorkin. Before rewatching BTAS, I rewatched The Batman 2004 animated series which was my very first exposure to Batman growing up.
I love the Joker stories that show him in his purest form: completely irredeemable and cold-hearted, not to mention dangerously insane. This episode is an excellent example of him at his worst. It was bad enough that he terrorized Charlie on the road - not because Charlie had offended him, because he hadn't, but simply because he saw that Charlie was fearful and an easy target for bullying. What truly reveals the Joker as sick and twisted is that, almost like a serial killer, he tracked Charlie for years, even referring to the obsession as his "hobby." It's an especially satisfying comeuppance for the clown when Charlie finally strikes back, reducing the villain to a coward begging for his life, even to the point that he's HAPPY to see Batman!
I never realized the clown part in "clown prince of crime" was a play on the word crown until you mentioned it, so I guess I'm dumb too lol.
Phew, glad it’s not just me 😂
My ma told me when I was little but I have never heard the actual expression lol.@@SerumLake
In my defence, we I don’t think we have Crown Princes over here - just plain old regular Princes (I honestly don’t know the difference between the two titles…)
Yeah, it seems pretty outdated. I've dropped the Clown Prince factoid on a few people, and every single reaction had been along the lines of "Huh, that's a weird title."
@@SerumLakeThe Crown Prince is the heir apparent.
Very few characters have ever out crazied the Joker, and Charlie (who was just a below average nobody) did it to the point that he panicked and called for Batman, like a scared child calling for his parents. And they made it believable, through the simple motivation of it being to save his family.
They also did a good job reinforcing throughout the episode that Charlie is a smart guy. He changed his name and moved states to get away from the Joker, he found a way to subtly call for Batman, and when Batman did show up he wasted no time explaining the situation. It made his bluff at the end that much more compelling imo.
👿The moment we adore about this episode, bar none, is Charlie claiming rightfully that he can destroy the dreams of the Joker too. That Charlie figured out that what the Joker wanted was attention, fame, and to be remembered. So to take away him going out with a bang and more a whimper is the best way Charlie can beat the Joker at his own game. We love a normal man with a spine being one of The Joker's greatest weaknesses and it's so cathartic watching this episode for it.
I love this episode because we don't see one on one interactions between gothams citizens and the villains nearly enough.
Agreed!
One thousand percent. I've always wanted to see a story about Joker survivors in group therapy, seeing all their stories of how he terrorized them. Did he let them go? Were they rescued by Batman and Robin? How do they cope with the experience? I doubt they'll hire any birthday clowns now. In fact, clowns probably aren't popular in Gotham...
I don't think Joker's Millions is THE best Joker episode, but daaaamn it encapsulates the Joker in a nutshell. It's also super hilarious as he cringes when the IRS shows up.
"I might be crazy enough to take on Batman, but the IRS? No thank you!"
Probably among my favorite Joker lines overall. Lol
I always intepretted his fear as freaking out he'd die to a "nobody". Great vid as always boss, pleasae make an analysis over Be A Clown-- it's such an underrated sinister, yet wholesome Joker story. IMO, it has the best set pieces of any Joker episode and captures the narcissism and lunacy of BTAS's Joker best.
I’ll add it to the list 👍
Yes, of course. Charlie even says that the Joker's greatest fear is that his death will be humiliatingly anticlimactic. The Joker would love to die at Batman's hands, preferably after goading him into losing control entirely, so that the last thing the Joker ever thought was that Batman was no better than he was.
I agree with this assessment as well it's something that's played on in several other portrayal of the Joker in other media including the ever fabulous Arkham series. Joker is never had a fear of death what he has a fear of is being forgotten.
The moment Joker calls out for Batman always makes me laugh.
It's just perfect that it starts with Joker playing his desperate plea as a bit of a joke ("all this running around with... BATMAN!!") but then he abandons his humor and just calls out pathetically. Just a beautiful humbling.
@@michaelf9664 well said! Couldn't agree more
I saw it as a little boy calling for his dad to come save him, haha!
@@CircussCake Ha! Nice!
Joker do not want to be killed off by a nobody it not in his twisted stageplay.
I always felt that killing the Joker would’ve made Charlie a somebody… although it would’ve been at The Joker’s expense.
@@SerumLake and the joker hates ANYTHING that's at his own expense.
The main reason I site for why this Joker and this episode nails the character is the perfect blend of portraying the character as being incredibly funny and entertaining but also genuinely menacing and even scary. Both Hamill and the writing nail it. I specifically find Hamill’s delivery for lines like “ I don’t know, I haven’t thought of it yet!” and “bad things happen to those who gossip” are just genuinely scary. Walkers amazing score of capturing the eerie threat of Joker while also the tragic sadness of Charlie helps realize this amazingly
Personally, my favorite is Joker's Wild. You make a fantastic case for this episode, but Bruce fucking with him on the casino floor will always stick out in my mind as a great scene for both our leads.
For me, The Laugning Fish is the best Joker episode and my all time favourite but Joker's Favor is definitely up there
That’s a totally valid opinion and very hard to argue against
@@SerumLake there's been so many great Joker episodes, that any of them can be easily a number one
@@WarhawkBeyond2040When it comes to BTAS, I agree that Joker's Favor and The Laughing Fish are the two top tier Joker episodes of the series.
You touched on something in this episode I really liked. Joker's insecurity and need for attention. Nowadays, Joker's kind of a villain sue and the media needs to cement the fact that he is Batman's #1 Antagonist by making him that much stronger than all the other Rogues. But the Joker being an angry and needy man doesn't really make him any less threatening, if anything, it makes him more uncomfortable to be around.
Laughing Fish slightly edges out Favor just for the part where he's perfectly still and hunched over on the TV screen, laughing almost under his breath, and the 1940's sounding cop touches the dial and exclaims "he's on every station!"
Cracks me up every time
I just rewatched this episode a few days ago, and Mark Hamill's performance blew me away; I can't believe that Disney never tried to cast him as a villain during their Renaissance Era, he was so good at playing the bad guy.
5:09 is my favorite line from this episode’s
The Joker: Okay, Chaz. When Harley knocks on the door three times, you open it.
Charlie Collins: And...?
The Joker: That's it!
Charlie Collins: Wait. That's the favor? You called me here just to open a door?
The Joker: Well, look at the size of that cake, man! She can't open the door and push it in all at once. Think!
I honestly can’t decide between this one and Joker’s Wild. The scene where he and Bruce Wayne play cards while they’re both incognito is top-notch.
In my opinion, The Last Laugh is my favorite Joker episode. It takes place on April Fools Day and the idea of Joker using his laughing gas combined with garbage was impressive. Plus, the ending where Batman chased Joker in the garbage plant and ended up saving Joker was the best part.
"You wouldn't let me fry, would you?"
Batman hesitates, clearly thinking about it
"BATMAAAAAAAN!"
Joker's only fear is not death, it's being forgotten, that's why he got so afraid there, when Charlie mentioned he would become just a footnote on a paper, that's when he got scared, he wants to go with a bang, not like that.
I happened to watch this episode for the first time on its 31st anniversary (Sept. 11th) it quickly became one of my favorites. Harley's quotes from this episode are some of the best.
Joker's Favour has that great blend of comedy and evil that makes The Joker a great villain (even if he is overexposed). He is like a cat playing with a mouse. At any moment, he will strike, but you do not know when, until the very end.
My favourite Joker episode is "Make em laugh. "The premise is over the top, but it fits Joker very well. He loves attention, and the episode highlights this aspect of Mr. J very well. It also highlights his petty nature and the lengths he will go to get his own back on the judges who snubbed him. The episode also references the killing joke when The Joker is in disguise as a comedian.
"Make em Laugh" was also written by Dini, who, in my opinion, is the BEST Batman writer of all time.
Yep, Make ‘Em Laugh is another great episode showing how patient the Joker can be in plotting his revenge for fairly minor incidents. Pretty much every episode Dini wrote was excellent, and I enjoyed his runs on Detective Comics, Streets of Gotham, and Gotham City Sirens back in the day…
@@SerumLakeHave you ever considered making a video about Paul Dini?
@@zemox2534 I hadn’t actually… I’ll have a think about what I could say.
@@zemox2534I'm shocked I never thought about this either. I guess Dini is so synonymous with the DCAU, we just equate them. Timm would probably be interesting to cover as well.
@@SerumLake You know it's funny because I've been meaning to talk to someone about that episode for a bit. I honestly never loved Make 'Em Laugh. Aside from the iconic introduction of the daring Condiment King, I didn't think it was that interesting or compelling and the jokes and gags never quite landed with me and the slapstick comedy and exaggerated gags I thought was just a bit too predicatble. It's on par for me with some of the more decent BTAS episodes.
I think Batman watched Joker get terrorised by Charlie as a way of giving the Joker a taste of his own medicine. Plus, how often do you get to see one of your most notorious Rouges scrabbling around in the dirt, desperately screaming your name?
This and laughing fish are great episodes. I also love "Be a Clown" the Joker's motives are equally petty and I find the part where he chases the mayor's son like a horror movie monster just as sinister. Something about when he drags the stick along the fence as he walks makes him feel extra menacing and sinister in there. I don't know what I would declare the best Joker episode though, I'd never given it much thought. You do make a convincing case.
I do have a soft spot for the last laugh, inspite or perhaps because of just how silly it is. (Where did he get a robot clown lol) The worst is an easy pick though. His first outing for the show in "Christmas with the Joker" It has a few moments, but mostly it just too incoherent with its silliness. "The Last Laugh" had a fancy submarine boat and a robot clown. Whereas "Christmas with the Joker" had secret rocket Christmas tree, secret remote observatory laser cannon conversation, Santa thanks, and host of other random things. I do sometimes watch it around Christmas though, alongside the "He-man She-ra Christmas special."
Hands down a top 3 Joker focused episode and the jokes are A+ that even Batman laughs. 😂
Yeah, it’s a great blend of horror/thriller/comedy, just as the Joker should be. What’re the other two Joker Episodes on your list?
That last point is actually genius when you think about it. Not only did Charlie manage to do something the Batman never could (scare the Joker) but he also did something the Joker never could: *make Batman laugh.*
I loved this episode when I watched it. It was amazing to see the Joker being so confident in himself, but is quick to start panicking near the end of it all when Charlie threatens to use a bomb on him, only for it to be a big fake out the whole time.
I actually started laughing at the Joker’s panicking, it was so funny to me.
These Joker Episodes are so fun and chaotic! But Joker's Favor is definitely one of the best episodes ever especially that this episode marks the first appearance of Harley Quinn!🤩👍
Is anyone else impressed just by how freaking HIGH she can jump from a standstill? And in heels, no less.
@@CapnAlces Heck yeah! She's really good at it even in heels! Harley Quinn is full of surprises!😁👍
Charlie really play The Joker in the end 😆
Just came back to this after re-watching the episode, and yeah this ep is fantastic. Charlie is quite a sad character, but it’s sad in a way that’s relatable. We’ve all been beaten down by the 9-5 and forgot what’s most important in life. I love that he decides not to stay with the police and gets his (admittedly harmless) revenge on Joker. He very likely could have died after that encounter, but he knew taking control of his life and not letting someone step on him was more important.
Charlie one-upping the Joker at the end of the episode is by far the most cathartic defeat the Joker has ever been through, except maybe his death in Arkham City. Normally, he doesn't really care if Batman beats the daylight out of him since he can just break out and do his thing again. But the thought of being blown to bits in an alley by a random nobody before he can have his perfect final showdown with Batman TERRIFIES him and really shows just how pathetic he is.
What makes this and The Laughing Fish so good, is he targets an individual person for absolutely no reason. Charlie's not a necessary casualty, or even an opportunistic casualty, the way an employee at the bank or an innocent bystander caught in his crossfire is. Charlie's not a person he has to take down to make a plan work, like a high-profile hostage or someone who knows the access code to something he wants. Charlie's not one of x number of victims of a bomb or poison gas being deployed in Gotham. Joker went far out of his way to target Charlie Collins, and SPECIFICALLY Charlie Collins, to the point he obsessed over it for years, for absolutely no reason at all beyond he found it funny. It honestly shows a far more terrifying side of Joker than when he goes for darker and more serious crimes, because it shows the absolute horrifying extents this pure evil psychopath will go to make a totally random and innocent person suffer purely for the sake of his sick sense of humor.
It's always so gratifying hearing appreciation for Shirley Walker 's genius. She's a BIG piece of what makes this legendary series and the wider DCAU.
Yeah I love the fact a "nobody" like Charlie Collins got to humiliate the Joker.
Clown Prince... Crown Prince... Guess I'm stupid too
I think I only noticed the clown prince/crown prince joke wordplay after this video...I keep thinking 'surely I'd have noticed before' but I can't think of a time when I did, I feel a bit better because someone I know only recently noticed Harley Quinn was a play on Harlequin
This is my favorite Joker episode as well. I think it perfectly mixes the Joker's cruel, sadistic side with his comical side. I love how Mark Hamill is able to jump back and forth between menacing and friendly in his first scene with Charlie.
This episode was amazing. I don't think Joker ever seemed more frightening in the animated series than here.
I'd be interested in your ranking of the Joker episodes
My cat agrees! She likes the sound track and recognizes the episode from its amazing soundtrack.
Well look at the size of that cake man!
Is one the quote my friend hits me with for like over 20 years now lol
One of my history teachers said this was his favorite episode of the show. He said “you’ve had a busy day” is his favorite joker line
This is the perfect role for Harley Quinn. Uses her just enough.
My favorite line in the episode was Charlie getting in close to Joker with the fake bomb & saying "See? I can destroy a man's dreams too! And that's really the only dream you've got, isn't it?" In just that sentence, Charlie gets Joker's madness, the terrifying depth of his insanity and evil, that he just wants to break people and destroy/ruin their lives for no good reason. But from the deriding tone Charlie uses when he says it, it also shows how pathetic Joker is for this goal, this dream. Because Charlie, a "nobody", can do it too, but since it's the only dream Joker has, it reduces him to less than the people he tries to destroy.
I really liked this episode back in the day. Though a large part of me just knows that the Joker from the comics or even from The Arkham Series would have gotten his revenge on Charlie in the most horrifying ways imaginable.
Joker's favor and Last Laugh were a couple of my fav btas episodes. Think about last laugh for a second? When Captain Clown gets crushed in the dump, Joker is outraged and angry when he says "You killed Captain Clown. You KILLED CAPTAIN CLOWN!!!!" Even the nice reverse on the old saying about revenge by saying "Justice is Served HOT Batman, you're going to melt just like a grilled cheese sandwich." Then at the end of it all the one line that sticks with you easier than Charlie stuck to the door. "BATMAN!!! YOU WOULDN'T LET ME FRY WOULD YOU?!" The way he even looks to contemplate letting Joker cook, is what drives home the funny. Now as for Joker's favor, the silence before Joker corners Charlie did scare me a bit as a kid, but it always made me laugh when Joker begged for Batman to save him.
Mark Hamill said his favorite was Christmas with the Joker & I agree with him.
My wife and I watch it every Christmas, but it is very different to the later BTAS Joker episodes. It’s definitely more comic book, with its rocket powered Christmas tree, but it does have the gem of a line
(When speaking about the film It’s A Wonderful Life) Batman says “I’ve never seen it. I couldn’t get past the title” 😂
I'm not a fan of Christmas with Joker, but I can absolutely see why Mark would like it. No matter how wierd that episode is, the Joker certainly sounds like he's having fun.
@@SerumLakeI do too. 😄 And Holiday Knights every year on January 1st when possible.
The Last Laugh and The Laughing Fish are my favorite Joker episodes.
That’s cool - I personally didn’t enjoy The Last Laugh very much (felt like an episode of The Super Friends in some ways) but the world would be a boring place if we all liked exactly the same things 👍
"When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping."
Joker's Favour🃏, the first appearance of The Clown Prince Of Crime in BTAS, so he made a GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION!! 💥🥳💥🥳
Another fantastic video and I definitely agree, this episode showcases a perfect blend of what the Joker should be, a comedian that's also menacing and vile. Also love this classy but comedically evil version of the Joker, second favorite is the one from the underrated "The Batman" cartoon, now that one is more animalistic than his BTAS counterpart but still the comedic and sadistic baddie I love to hate. (...Still kinda bitter the show staff wrote out Detective Ellen Yin after season 2. She was a dang good character and I would've loved to see her clash with a Matsudaverse Harvey Bullock over Batman.)
Yeah, The Batman seemed to suffer from a crisis of confidence. Things like changing the Joker’s design to a more traditional purple suit after a while, dropping the original theme tune, and brining in Paul Dini to start writing it, seem like quite major changes of course.
Like I had mentioned before, the premise of primarily focusing on the perspective of someone tormented and in constant fear of the Joker, in this case through the character of Charlie Collins, reminds of that Endgame tie-in during the New 52 where Joker torments a man named Tommy for five years. I wonder if that was a specific inspiration. Did you think so when you read it?
Yes, I would be shocked if it wasn’t directly inspired by BTAS
Ngl a chilling line that lives rent free in my head is
"I don't know. I haven't thought of it yet."
How Mark says this line is unlike any other Joker line I heard. It's so good.
I just realized something. Charlie's asking the clown (The Joker) if he thinks he owns the whole road kind of presages Harley Quinn's OWNING the whole road at one point in her own animated series...
The Joker’s conversation with Charlie on the phone while receiving a trim up from Harley is my favorite part of the episode. It showed how unhinged and hilariously petty, yet, meticulous he was. It was that perfect balance of demented, dark, and comedic.
For a second, I confused Joker's Favor with Joker's Wild.
I'm here for it either way.
Honestly, I'm fine with the Last Laugh episode because the Joker is a genuinely, chaotically insane person. Think of it this way: the robbery was just to finance his plans; the real goal was to poison Gotham with a gas that drives people permanently insane from long-term exposure. Why? Because he thought it was funny.
Although, using the "Joker trips on something as the way he's defeated twice in a row is most definitely a bad call.
Joker’s Curse of the Deadly Adjective of the Daleks: The 30th Anniversary Edition. Had to get it in there somehow.
From what I understand of the Joker he either wants to kill Batman himself or he wants Batman to kill him. The Joker is theatrical, he would rather have a final showdown and die at the hands of his sworn enemy than die with a nobody like Charlie Collins. I think that's why he was scared of Charlie when he tricked him into thinking he was going to blow them both up. What kind of supervillain dies at the hands of an average man living an average life?
I concur with everybody who says the Joker wasn't actually offended by Charlie's insults. Even his "admonishment" to Charlie is delivered with his characteristic sardonicism. Also given that he was smiling throughout almost the entire scene, it's quite possible that the idea of doing what he does best yet again immediately started to form in his mind and he thought to himself "This is going to be great fun for me."
Can't agree more about the "salt sweet" metaphor; one of my personal favorites is "The Man Who Killed Batman", in which supposedly a bumbling lookout nicknamed "The Squid" supposedly kills Bats while he tries to save the guy from himself. In this ep Joker has an impromptu funeral, complete with a coffin and an acid vat, and as Joker's eulogy for Bats goes on, he gets progressively more deranged untilhe proclaims "I'll be smiling again, just as soon as we take that man over there, slap him into that box over there and roll it into that vat over there!!" The funniest bit? Arlene Sorken plays "Amazing Grace" on kazoo, and it was apparently so damned hilarious they could only manage one take before the set went nuts.I can imagine as I tried to simulate this once and couldn't go more than two bars humming in kazoo voice before I just frigging lost it. It's one of the better BTAS eps, I think.
Regardless of which of the two Joker-centered episodes highlighted in this video is, indeed, the best, Joker's Favor will always hold a special place in my heart, having been the first BTAS episode to premiere on Cartoon Network UK back on January 1998 when the new batch of Batman episodes arrived to the channel. What a wonderful time to be a BTAS fan.
When I was around 7, I got this DVD of 7 BTAS episodes from Best Buy (Which I now know were the last 7 episodes of season 1 when going in volume order) years before I ever even knew what a BTAS even was. Joker’s Favorite was the first one on the DVD and the first BTAS episode I ever watched. Going back through the series now, I still holds up as my favorite episodes.
I have had this headcanon or epiphany like interpretation about the Joker's characterization, that unfortunately does not match with the BTAS/DCAU version, that I got when I reviewed The Killing Joke earlier this year.
The reason why it doesn't match up with the BTAS/DCAU Joker is because he does not have The Killing Joke similar backstory, but if he did, then it could be possible to assume that the Joker...
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...wants to die.
Take the backstory from the Killing Joke and apply that as the Joker's canon backstory. He lives in a world where he is a widower with an unborn child and looks the way he does without make up.
That is not living and Batman was the final push that made him become what he is, so naturally he would want to take Batman out with him.
Because of his previously established weak persona, he does not have the strength or will power to do it himself, so he does what he does to give everyone he tortures(Batman, Gordon, Harley, Charlie from this episode if DCAU counted) a reason to kill him.
But the reason why none of them do it, even when they are given a reason is how all the work the Joker put into that torture fails and is so the punchline to the joke of a life he exists in.
And so, the madness he has thrown himself into is a coping mechanism and when he laughs in the end even when caught, he is not really laughing.
He is crying because his suffering is still ongoing and he cannot see the end for it.
I can’t argue against that interpretation, thanks for sharing it.
I absolutely agree about this being a favorite Joker episode, every time I watch BTAS and this episode comes up I always smile because how much I love it, and the opening where Charlie CUSSES OUT THE JOKER is truly both one of the most funniest and creepiest moments
Joker: "All it takes is one bad day to make everyone just like me! Hahaha!"
Charles Michael Collins: "Oh, you had a bad day? Let me tell you about my five years, seven months, three weeks, and four days."
Joker: "It seems I have made a terrible mistake."
Charlie: You see Thanos, your infinity gauntlet is a fake! I switched it out when you were unconscious. Now I can undo all of your hard work with a snap, every step you took just gone, even make YOU disappear! Kind of funny actually! Ironic really! It'll be as if you never existed at all!
Thanos: Charlie, look! You've had a busy day! All this running around! All of this excitement with *IROOOOOOONMAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!*
Perfection.
I have so much nostalgia and fondness for this episode and and I can rewatch it endlessly without ever being tired of ot. I don't blame anyone at all if this was their favourite Batman episode because it'a certainly one of my favourites as well. Ultimately the lack of Batman nad Joker and Batman's dynamic is what holds it back for me from considering it the best Joker episode because there's a plethora of ways to express how vile Joker really is, but at the end of the day the best thing about the is seeing how they affect each other which for me was absent in this episode and that's okay because that's not the kind of story it was. In the context of BTAS my favourite is definitely The Laughing Fish but if we're talking about the entire DCAU (not including ensemble episodes like Trial or Almost Got 'Im) then along with The Laughing Fish is World's Finest, Joker's Millions, Mad Love and my all-time favourite Joker centric episode in the DCAU has always been Wild Cards.
Found this episode because of a yt short, but watching Joker cower in fear is something else. I never imagined him being so scared he starts to call for batman. In other forms of media, Joker was considered to be an insane monster that doesn’t care about anything but batman. You can throw a batarang in his eye, break his body, or even rip out his heart superman style, and he'd usually laugh it off. Because of that, most of us think that he would be fearless because of his insane personality, yet this episode proves otherwise. It showed that even the most insane of us all have a goal in mind and can have it taken away, this made him very human, very normal, something of which Joker hates and fears. No one can convince me that there is a better Joker scene than this in any comic or animated show or film, the moment where we see Joker in his most vulnerable. Call me a psycho, but I enjoyed hearing him desperately calling his nemesis for a suicidal nobody like Charlie Collins
6:35 I think it's because Joker would rather die in a fight with Batman than be killed by a normal guy like Charlie.
One of my all time favorite lines from the joker well always be him cowaring from Charlie as he threatens him with a bomb saying "Look! Charlie! You had a busy day! All this running around all this excitement with...BAAAATMAAAN!" as he screams for Batman to save him in the same breath XD
One of my most favorite episodes as a kid, and I still remember the title music too.
My favorite’s still Laughing Fish…just from a cinematic angle:
No title card, just a caption side pan in a rainy night introducing a jovially grim plot laid out
Combining a fluid display of Joker’s creative petulance and his menacing bloodlust
Utilizing Harley as both performer and perpetrator for the copyright assasinations
A reasonable conflict with Batman and the GCPD’s failing attempts to protect their witnesses
A killer end hook with the Joker card drifting out at sea before
SNAP! 🦈
Honestly, the pre-Paul Dini episodes were fine in my opinion. The Joker doing things like a garbage scow that released insanity-causing fumes that was piloted by a robot clown that he used to go on a crime spreee was, honestly, perfectly in character for him. It's the perfect blend of ridiculous and sinister that always made him so genuinely unsettling. Like, he was doing something that would likely ruin the lives of tens of thousands of people, all for the sake of petty theft. Perfectly Joker-like behavior.
Even though Tim Curry was originally going to play the Joker but in my opinion I would have been fine if Tim Curry would have played the role of the Joker I mean he would have sound more like a goofy Joker super friend. But to me Mark Hamill is way more funny and scary in the same time he is did a diffident of voice of Joker of all time and I'm still sad that he'll never return the Joker ever again due to his longtime friend Kevin conroy.
You know who you might be able to reach out to in regards to analyzing the music?
Sideways. Fantastic chap. Love lietmotifs. Wonderful understanding of music theory. ^^ Look him up!
I adore the Joker's introduction in this episode. Imagine just driving down the street when all of a sudden some random nobody who has no idea who you are just starts honking and cursing you out.
To me, that wonderful smile of his says "Well I know what I'm doing today."
Honestly i dont think it would be that hard of a sell to convince your family not to live in Gotham anymore
Even as an adult, I felt and still feel a sense of dread, like there's nothing Charlie can do to stop this terrible fate. The beginning wasn't terrifying, just like a deep sinking feeling that it was all over.
This has always been my fave Joker episode too.
I loved the episode when I was younger, but now I see it and think "Wait a minute, when would this guy have even had time to put together a bomb? What did he make it from? Why does he know how to do this?"
Even if Joker's too crazy to think like that, Batman should see right through him.
I think a lot of kids would've got the Quinn being a stripper joke since a lot of kids who watched this show also saw Under Siege.
This is definitely a fair contender for best Joker episode. I'm not sure what my favorite is, but it's probably this one or the good old fishes. I'm reminded of Lego Batman: "What about the time with the two boats?"
I love this episode so much ! I'm excited to watch the video.
Hope you enjoy it!
@@SerumLakeand I did ! (no surprise lmao)
My dad and I both watched this one, and it will never be forgotten by the fandom. The Joker is truly as iconic as Darth Vader.
-James M
That first appearance freaked me out as a child
Best episode of the Batman charlie out crazies the joker, made him cry for Batman and his help, plus got batman and then made him laugh.
I remember my mom not understanding how I could follow along and stay focused watching this show because she thought it was so adult black noir ish. Looking back it is very dark but I never looked at it like that as a kid
This episode creeped me out as a kid....not anymore, but back then...it was spooky. ...
I always wondered how Joker survived every near death incident he had in the DCAU.
Definitely through the hidden superpower of Standards & Practices.
It reminds me of Murdoc in MacGyver.
So this is my favourite episode of BTAS and one of my favourite episodes of anything...ever, As I pointed out below another video the reason this episode is so great is because of how it lower batman and the joker from untouchable mythical figures to more flawed beings, and raises up Charles to a level where he competes with them.
At the end of this episode Charlie achieves two objectives, he terrifies the joker to the point he is physically shaking and hiding behind batman (something batman has tried for years to do) and batman himself laughs genuinely to the event (something joker has tried for year to do) he does what these mythical figures have fought against each other for, and who is?
"A miserable little nobody"
So if anyone out there is also a miserable little nobody, remember you have the potential to outwit the joker and batman on the same night.
Springdale, Ohio is just outside of Cincinnati, which is a very funny reference, that area has a lot of interesting references in animation and animated shows.
As much as I like this episode I still love laughing fish the best. That episode and the comics it was based on is vintage classic joker for me.
The reason jokers scared is he's afraid of being forgotten dying to a nobody
Love that black trench coat and tando hat! Yes, if you looked hard enough, Cesar Romero's Joker always had a moustache. But as for his beard... I ain't gonna touch that one! But as you say, the quintessence of her species went on to conquer the universe.
There seems to be some controversy in the current fandom as to whether The Joker is mob or not. He definitely is in Phantasm, the film that the current orthodoxy accepts as the bar-none best. And I personally can't see how he could ever pose a threat to Batman unless he were. (And yes... At the time of Phantasm - and of this episode - the series was still paying mandatory tribute to the the Burton films. Although I'd have been happier with a BTAS Joker who was more like Burton's, and and Penguin who was less so.)
But nonetheless, this episode's title... And The Joker's line: « _Someday, I may call on you for a favour... And that day may never come..._ » They seem to denote some kind of mob influence. Where else but in the casinos pf Atlantic City could The Joker meet a Jersey girl who was willing to dress up in sexy Hallowe'en costumes - like _Cheeky Harlequin,_ and _Naughty Police Constable?_
This is definitely my favorite Batman episode. To see Joker screaming for Batman to help him is just priceless. I also liked how Charlie got Batman to laugh at the end. How often does that happen?
Please go more into background of Harley Quinn. There was episode where she worked as a psychologist in Arkum where Joker was imprisoned. She was trying analysis him, but he so beautifully twisted her values that she became H.Quinn his sidekick. And he later went on to abuse her relentlessly.
Voila -> th-cam.com/video/GAFVlM8xoO8/w-d-xo.html
BK chicken fries are less than half the size in the ads. Its full blown fraud
The Joker's Wild for me. Fight scenes were great.
I like the episode where Joker dresses up as a party clown and was actually popular with the crowd, and the party guests never figured out that he had something to do with the bomb.
I actually knew Bullock was trying to hit on Harley Quinn lol