Dreams in Darkness

It's interesting how many of these episodes involve a gas that affects people in some way. This particular one creates a hallucinogen that is going to launched on the people of Gotham. Unfortunately, Batman is exposed to it and throughout the episode he sees things. He ends up in Arkham asylum in a straitjacket. It turns out that the Scarecrow has escaped and is behind the water supply contamination. Batman must combat a series of roadblocks brought on by the gas, including Robin standing in front of the Batmobile and seemingly in danger. This is a good episode with a creative plot. We sometimes forget that Batman is human and subject to many frailties.

I love all the Scarecrow episodes. This one is no exception. Especially with the start where we find out that Batman is deemed "disturbed" and put in Arkham Asylum. The story is great. The dialogues are great. But that is the case for every single episode in this series.

What truly makes this episode stand out is that brilliant dream sequence (watch it first to see how awesome it is). The visual detail behind the shape shifting, the "fear" that each character talks about and the feeling of helplessness in Batman's eyes... feels like a Grateful Dead concert.

This scene took up an entire 2 minutes of the 20 minute episode. This leaves just 18 minutes to show the flashbacks, develop the villain's plans, show Batman's actions and a gazillion other things. Most dream sequences in this series are stunning (the Two Face one is especially touching). It is extended scenes like this that make us realize the pain that Batman goes through every night of his life and develop his character into one that we truly feel for.

This episode really makes a strong impression from the start and grabs you as it opens with Batman in a straightjacket as an inmate of Arkham Asylum which needless to say, is a very interesting premise, as you have no idea of how or why he got there or even if he is in fact insane! Although it eventually just boils down to him planning to contaminate the water supply of Gotham in one of his sadistic experiments in fear, it's still a really good Scarecrow episode because it uses the villain in a more insidious and subtle kind of story, with the focus mainly being on Batman as he fights to keep his mind together as he slowly succumbs to a variation of the Scarecrow's fear toxin and is tormented by frightening hallucinations that force him to relive his darkest memories, all the while he must find a way to escape his imprisonment in the asylum following an all but kidnapping by the staff who locked him up as just another unhinged costumed personality. To me it might be the best Scarecrow episode because it uses what he can do so perfectly, attacking his foe on a psychological level that threatens to push them over the edge. Fortunately though Batman is made of far sterner stuff than the average victim and just like in Fear Itself overpowers the Scarecrow's poison by sheer willpower, although it happens in a way that's a little less grand than in that episode, no epic "I am the night" Speeches here! The big standout scene is definitely when Batman is experiencing a nightmarish vision in which he sees his long lost parents walking into the fateful alley in which they lost their lives and he runs to try and save theocracy but he runs unnaturally slowly, as the arch of the alleyway morphs and changes into the barrel of a gigantic gun that's dripping blood, which I imagine was quite a daring image at the time and is still pretty striking, the animation of that scene is amazing, it's really one of the most impressive visual moments of the whole series. I love the closing scene too, where Bruce is beginning a very well deserved long rest in the Batcave(?) as Alfred administers an antidote, and it shows a bat that spreads its wings as a light shines through them in a way that the creature has a sort of angelic aspect to it for a moment, and then the shadow of its wings enshrouds Bruce as he sleeps. It's kind of poetic and gentle, like maybe he does have something bigger watching over him after all... I think it's a great closing scene in a very good closing season episode as well. Excellent delving into Batman's tortured psyche type story! 🎃

This was like a film noir in the first part of the story in that it was told through narration. It's also told in flashback as Batman tells us the story on how he got into his current predicament. "That predicament" refers to the Caped Crusader being incarcerated in Arkham Asylum and tied up in a strait-jacket. How can this be? What happened?

We find out pretty quickly that he was a victim of poison gas, one of "The Scarecrow's" inventions which causes hallucinations and great fear. He is ready to inject it into the city's water supply. Batman finds this out, gets poisoned, and acts irrationally and is "captured" before he can convince Gotham officials he's not crazy and that there is a deadly plan in the works.

How can Batman get out of this very difficult situation and stop The Scarecrow from poisoning the water supply system in Gotham is the question and the bulk of story in this entertaining episode.

I really enjoyed Kevin Conroy's narration as was sorry he didn't use it for the entire show. It lent a good touch to the 1940s atmosphere of this animated series.