Not only was he portrayed almost like a brother to Bruce, but we even got to see him casually, yet obsessively, flip his coin. Part of it comes from Harvey Dent having enough of a presence in the previous nine episodes. Two-Face’s origin is a collection of gut-punches, one after another. This episode proves that a fight with the Joker is Batman’s ultimate holiday treat. Batman seems almost pleased when his archnemesis shows up to terrorize the city. Despite the fact that all seems to be quiet in Gotham on Christmas Eve, Bruce is unable to take a break and enjoy some holiday cheer. The best thing about the episode though is the way it explores Batman’s always present paranoia. So here are our most essential episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. And while really, there are very few episodes of this show that we wouldn’t recommend, there was just so much groundbreaking animated brilliance in its earliest episodes that we can’t help but gravitate towards them. Well, keep in mind that the show had a 65 episode first season, so that accounts for quite a bit. You may notice that there’s a disproportionate number of first season episodes on this list. Its unforgettable animation style and character designs, distinctive music, and cinematic approach to storytelling that often made viewers feel as if they were watching 22-minute movies made the series an instant classic, and its unique noir-influenced art deco style means that it has retained a timeless appeal. The series finally has a Blu-ray release, loaded with special features. On September 5, 1992, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and a host of talented writers and animators delivered what many people still consider to be the definitive interpretation of a towering pop culture icon with Batman: The Animated Series.

Batman the animated series season 5