It seems like a million years ago that Batman: Caped Crusader was part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s first round of creative cuts, way back in the summer of 2022. At the time, it seemed Bruce Timm’s big return to the Batman mythos in over two decades was dead in the water – if J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves weren’t big enough co-producer names to get the series through at HBO Max, where could it possibly find a home? Oddly enough, the answer turned out to be Amazon Prime – and two years after that cancellation, Batman: Caped Crusader finally made its debut with “In Treacherous Waters”.
Upon initial impressions, not much has changed with Timm’s interpretation of Bruce Wayne and Gotham from his original series – even though this series is a bit more grounded in 1940’s noir and mid-century Art Deco, the visual influences of Caped Crusader are immediately familiar to fans of the original series. Its narrative begins in similar fashion, jumping straight into the bullet-riddled antics of Gotham’s underworld and Batman’s interactions within them – complete with some skull-crushing, finger bending, and Batmobile-as-a-weapon moments, adding a slight edge of brutalism, in one of the show’s many small tweaks to its familiar episodic structure.
From there, “In Treacherous Waters” quickly builds out the familiar world around Bruce and Batman; we meet Barbara Gordon fighting a case in court against an upstart, pre-mayoral run (wink, wink) Harvey Dent, see an older, heavier-set Alfred Pennyworth offering up advice to Bruce (voiced here by Hamish Linklater, with a cold aloofness I’m intrigued to see develop), and see familiar monacle of The Penguin… all within the first five minutes, immediately immersing Batman: Caped Crusader in comfortable, familiar waters.
There are a few surprising elements to “In Treacherous Waters” – led by gender-flipping The Penguin to Oswalda Cobblepot, lounge singer and dirty gambling operation owner with a penchant for filicide, in what makes for a compelling, vibrant interpretation of a character mostly regarded as a punchline (or Colin Farrell in a fat suit, which I’m sure we’ll be talking about more this fall). What works best, however, is how surprisingly sparingly Batman and Bruce Wayne are utilized in the pilot; there’s a distinct effort to color in the world around Batman in this first episode – a move that isn’t exactly novel or exciting, but certainly presents itself as a slightly wider, more intricate version of Timm’s previous incarnation of the Caped Crusader and the world around him.
When Batman and Bruce are on screen, Caped Crusader does struggle a little bit to distinguish itself. Though not explicitly mentioned, it’s clear this story takes place rather early in Bruce’s run under the mask – everyone is still referring to “the Bat” as a whispered rumor, even though Dent has his suspicions Commissioner Gordon might be in cahoots with the budding vigilante. Batman’s presence is extremely muted in this half hour; his presence defines the episode’s few louder, more action-centric moments, but as Caped Crusader builds out its world of corrupt politicians and opportunistic mobsters, it relies much heavier on its ancillary characters and world building to find intrigue in its first episode.
For the most part, it works – however, it doesn’t really feel like the half hour kicks into gear until the very last minute, when it goes for the dual combo of delivering an explosive final scene, while quickly establishing itself as a serialized narrative. The result is a bit clumsy; Rupert Thorne’s ultimate ascendance at the expense of Batman’s first major villain coup is barely explored before Batman’s admitting failure and the credits roll. While there’s a certain novelistic approach to this effort, it is the one moment where it feels like the slight shift in narrative tone from The Animated Series and reduced episodic effort are working against some of the pilot’s stronger elements.
Despite this, “In Treacherous Waters” is a solid introduction to an abundantly familiar world; led by the reinterpretation of Penguin (and other small tweaks, like Bruce Wayne’s goofy social tendencies), Batman: Caped Crusader‘s first chapter is a promising entry into a new Timm interpretation of the iconic vigilante. It’s a little rough around the edges (including some really awkward walking animations, and character design that occasionally borders on an absurd Cubism in how it interprets the shape of the human body), but it certainly ends on a high note, with Batman watching the ripple effect of his actions ripple through the city, backfiring against him as he claims he’ll “never fail again” – a strong declaration of this Batman’s idealism, and an encouraging sign this new series could be heading in a new, more cerebral direction with DC’s iconic character.
Grade: B
Other thoughts/observations:
- We don’t even get a whisper of Bruce Wayne’s backstory – which at this point, I feel like can simply be implied.
- A full opening credits sequence? Let’s Fucking Go!
- Oswalda is singing the 1902 song “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey”, a great piece establishing the period and tone the series is going for.
- Minnie Driver as The Penguin? Deitrich Bader as Harvey Dent? Say less!
- Yes, Oswalda killing her “favorite” son Aaron is a disturbing note – and one that surprisingly doesn’t come across as a desperate attempt to establish the more “adult” nature of this series.
- “I know you get a little testy when you’re hungry.”
- Barbara Gordon getting into a shootout is a fun scene, but one that feels a bit antithetical to what her character typically represents. Putting a pin in this one for now!
- Ok, the Batmobile is sick. That’s 2-for-2 on Matt Reeves-involved interpretations of the Batmobile.
- I love the series isn’t completely grounded; Oswalda does hide an umbrella-styled missile launcher on the top of her yacht, which is a hilarious sentence to consider.
- We get a few glimpses of classic corrupt cop Harvey Bullock, who leaves a suspect chained to his desk when he tries to escape from an impending missile explosion.