Heart of Ice

'Heart of Ice' was one of my favorite TAS episodes in the early '90s because of the window dressing; Mark Hamill in a non-Joker villainous role, the cold theme (I was into ice as a kid), and Spectrum Studios animation - it's lavishly rendered. But as an adult, the story structure stands out, what with Hamill's soulless CEO Ferris Boyle balanced out with Mr. Freeze.

But Paul Dini really plays on the tragedy of Freeze as a villain and that's what makes this a series best. He's an extremely well realized character (proficiently so, given the time constraints) who opposes Batman only because some jerk corporate exec imperiled his wife and confined him to a cold suit. The thirst for revenge can consume any of us, even those without a sadistic bone in their body. Batman feels pity for Freeze and shows a certain level of empathy towards him (a little like his supportive relationship with Harvey Dent's struggles with Two-Face). The characterization really does deepen this show to an astonishing degree and 'Heart of Ice' is Exhibit A.

10/10

This is our first look at "Mr. Freeze." He isn't exactly Arnold Schwarznegger, who played him in the feature film, but he's a pretty cool looking villain, some bald-headed guy in a spacesuit. Anyway, he has a personal vendetta against Ferris Boyle, who owns Gothcorp, Inc. Mr. Freeze is stealing items from that company. Batman catches him in one of those raids and is put on ice temporarily. He gets out of it, but catches a cold! He also rescues one of Mr. Freeze's thugs who was left to die at the scene with his legs frozen.

As Bruce Wayne, Batman sees Mr. Boyle at his office the next day trying to see if he knows anyone who might have it in for his company. He finds out a "wacko scientist" whom Ferris thought died in an explosion at his company, might be a good suspect, but he was presumed dead. (Obviously, he's wrong.) Boyle also is a big phony, pretending to be a big humanitarian and having a company advertised as being "for the people," but it's all PR baloney, as he even admits.

Mr. Freeze, alias Victor Fries, already has weapons that shoot something that freezes everything it touches but now he is one step away from having that power in a cannon. Can Batman stop him?

One thing that was different about this episode but was something you see in a lot of modern films is - leaving Batman out of the equation - no good guys. Mr. Freeze and Mr. Boyle were both bad guys. You can't root for either one. And, as the story progressed, they made you almost feel sorry for Mr. Freeze, who was a cold-blooded (no pun intended) killer. They made him more human than the guy he was trying to kill! That's a little twisted, but I hope we see more of Mr. Freeze.

This episode was so good that comics, shows, and movies after followed what was written. I wish The Batman Part 2 would bring freeze to the big screen with the tragic love story. This episode was so good that comics, shows, and movies after followed what was written. I wish The Batman Part 2 would bring freeze to the big screen with the tragic love story.

It's not everyday that you find an episode that not only moves you, but sticks with you for years to come, and this is one of them. Mr. Freeze isn't your average insane Batman villain, he's a victim of circumstance, who wants to be left alone with his wife, and will wreck vengeance one anyone who took away his life. While you want Batman to stop him, at the same time, you can't help but feel for Mr. Freeze, a man twisted into what he is because of the corruption of business. It's a duel of justices, one wants poetic justice, the other wants to exact merciful justice, though at least Batman shows sympathy for Victor. The end will definitely have you thinking and maybe even shedding a tear as well...

Heart of Ice has a reputation for being considered the best episode of Batman: The Animated Series as well as redefining Mr Freeze into that of a man driven to his criminal actions due to those who wronged him. An episode like this thrives on pulling at the audience's heartstrings and making you sympathise with the villain (a trend that most of the best episodes in this series have) in this case Victor Fries who's wife was frozen due to an incurable illness. But what makes this standout compared to the other emotional character pieces that this series offers us? If you ask me its the poetic and subtle dialogue. While this isn't my favourite episode in the animated series (we'll get to that later) I wholeheartedly believe Heart of Ice is a masterpiece in storytelling and shouldn't be underestimated just because it's part of a show for children. 10/10.