Heart of Ice

Many moons ago, as a young teenager, I saw this episode and, more so, felt it. I immediately recognized the genius of the writing, story and depth of the character. The moment I saw it, I was changed, as if a spiritual, alchemical transformation had occurred. This episode forever stayed with me, and its profound lessons have echoed on in my life, my character and my actions. The Spirit guided the hands of the creators of this masterpiece.

To those that don't feel a certain affinity to this episode, I highly encourage you to do some serious exploration and see just how this narrative echoes the truth about the enemies we face and how sincerity will always aid in our guidance to adversity; especially when facing the most worthy adversary we will ever face, our Self.

'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

"Heart of Ice" is a landmark episode of Batman: TAS, a significant moment in Batman history. It redefined the origins of Mr. Freeze, transforming him into one of the most compelling members of Batman's rogues gallery, and I've been waiting for years for it to be adapted into a live-action film. They could copy the dialogue and plot exactly as it is - it's just astounding, efficient storytelling. They could stretch out the fight scenes and add some padding - I'm sure it would work.

In 20 minutes, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm use theatrical dialogue to tell a tragic tale that never fails to move me. It's carefully crafted, well-acted, and worthy of great admiration. It's also very quotable, but you ought to hear the lines in their original context first, I think.

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...

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.