Beware The Batman
#7 - Family
Original Airdate - September 7th, 2013
With the League of Assassins knowing where the SoulTaker Sword is, but unable to get Katana to return it, they decide their only course of action is to kidnap Bruce Wayne and hold him for ransom – that ransom being the sword. Of course, they don't realize that Bruce Wayne is actually Batman! When Katana shows up to turn over the sword and rescue Wayne, Alfred causes a diversion, allowing Wayne to don the Batman suit and join the battle. Teaming with Katana to end the League, Batman finds himself in an all-out ninja fight that ends with a startling revelation.

Written by Mark Banker
Directed by Sam Liu
Media by Warner Bros. Animation

Images:

Analysis by Yojimbo:

"Ugh" was what I thought when I realized it was an in-media res opening ... but the lure of it is instant action at the start of the episode.

Love the balance of drama, action, and humor with each episode. Tatu's and Batman's "Glove saws?" - "Acid capsules, but good idea" cracked me up. Nice nod to the comics. Also, even though Ravencroft was a plant, still a brutal way to go even though she's technically not dead.

Bruce brought up an intriguing question - does the Argus Club control the League of Assassins or the other way around? Made me wonder if the Argus Club is a Skull and Bones-type secret society that runs parallel to the League and they are both organizations founded and led by Ra's but for different purposes.

Considering the connection between the club and the league. Maybe Argus in in reference to Ra's al Ghul's birthplace in Beware The Batman canon, Argus, Iran?

Additional commentary by Lerkero:

Not really sure why the flash-forward at the beginning was necessary. Writers just trying to mix it up I guess.

I should have suspected that Bruce knew about Dr. Ravencroft. There was no buildup to Bruce wanting a relationship and he was way too open to having one with her despite his second job as Batman.

I was also expecting more buildup to Dr. Sorrow's betrayal, but I guess the writers didn't feel the need to emphasize it. For future reference: If someone is seriously trying to coerce you to do something you have no interest in, it might be a ninja trap.

Overall I still like that the action has improved, but the past couple episodes have had too many close shots where the bodies doing the action can't be seen in full. I would think the the cg models of the characters still look good in full view so why are the producers zooming so close? I don't want to just see a foot hitting a face, I want to see where said foot comes from. The purpose of cg animation is to make it easier for a scene to be produced and re-produced, not tougher. It's not like they are hand-drawing and need to save time.

Another good thing is how balanced the action is. Batman hasn't overpowered his opponents and his opponents haven't overpowered him. I enjoy action a lot more when it is not one-sided.