REVIEWS

Episode #8 - Q&A Original Airdate - November 20th, 2004 The Batman engages in a game of wits with Cluemaster: a precocious ex-'quiz kid' bent on revenge against the game show producers he's accused of rigging his defeat. Cluemaster plans a rematch for those involved. Only this time, a wrong answer means their demise. Review by The Penguin Media by Bird Boy Credits Supervising Producer Duane Capizzi Supervising Producer Michael Goguen Producer Linda M. Steiner, Jeff Matsuda Associate Producer Kimberley A. Smith Written by Steven Melching Directed by Brandon Vietti Animation by DR MOVIE CO, LTD. Music by Thomas Chase Jones Voices Rino Romano as The Batman Alastair Duncan as Alfred Glen Shadix as Cluemaster Udo Kier as Bert Edie McClurg as Mrs. Brown Kath Souchie as Yelena Fred Willard as Ross Screen Grabs Additional HD Images Pans Sound Clips "Knight takes Bishop" (MP3, 30kb) Review "I don't play games." Well, by far the best part of this episode was "Knight takes bishop." Some of the dialogue in this series is corny, but that line, uttered by The Batman as he kicked over the bishop escaping with Yelena, was clever. Let's hit the other limited things I thought were okay before moving on. First was Fred Willard of The Tonight Show and the Christopher Guest films as Ross Darren. The man is a comic genius and despite the "cut" puns, he made that character, toupee and all, funny. Second, I liked the Batmobile being stashed near the Gotham Concert Hall in the fake school bus. It shows that Bruce always wants to be ready for an emergency that requires his alter ego's attention. The ensuing car chase wasn't too bad either. I am also a fan of the quiet Bruce and Alfred moments. It makes them appear as more of a family and shows a closeness we don't always see or appreciate. I honestly don't know what to say for the rest of the episode—it was just bad. Everything about it was just one train wreck after another. I kind of liked the theme of Cluemaster seeking revenge for a long past wrong, but that type of plot has been done before and this particular version was so preposterous that it's still tough to like (or even find mildly entertained). So apparently Arthur "Artie" Brown has spent the last 30 years in his mother's basement not only plotting his revenge, but eating Kremelos candy bars by the box and making an outfit out of burlap sacks because it's the only thing that would fit?! What kind of a villain is that?! I haven't enjoyed all of the villain reinventions, but I will be at least a little surprised if there is anyone else worse than the fat pathetic Cluemaster. And one can only say so much about how dumb numbered midgets with sacks over their heads are. There is no logic for Cluemaster to select those little dudes as his henchmen. Sure, we see a picture with them wearing football uniforms in the Brown household, but no real indication of what their connection is supposed to be. Someone obviously needed to "put on their thinking cap" before going into production because when it comes to making Arthur Brown a real threat that isn't just plain laughable, this episode doesn't have a clue. [ Back to Reviews ]

 

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