Does anyone else love this episode? It's the one where Batman has reached the end of his rope mentally and realizes his war on crime is a never-ending cycle because his victory over criminals such as the Penguin and the Joker are always only for the short term. He realizes how fallible he is when Gordon gets injured during their pursuit of the Jazzman, and suffers an emotional breakdown in the Batcave because he can't cope with the thought of not being able to save anyone else he cares about, and doubts his own legacy because of it.
But one thing I found a bit too convenient is when Dick visits and couldn't convince to snap Batman out of his slum the first time, is when Dick tells him "the first rule you taught was to never give up" a day later. Which makes me wonder why didn't Dick say that to begin with if that's all it took to get Batman out of his slump. Otherwise, I thought it was a great episode that showed the bond between Batman, Dick, Commissioner Gordon and a good introduction to Barbara Gordon. It also had a good ending, where Batman's heroics convince that dubious kid to return back home and do something positive in his life instead of trying to scam people.
It's wonderful. Bruce's anguish is so powerful.
As for your question about Dick, maybe he was trying to be gentle the first day, understanding Bruce was in a very dark (no pun intended) place and the second day he ran out of patience over Bruce's aloofness
Quote from: Catwoman on Fri, 3 Apr 2015, 20:18
It's wonderful. Bruce's anguish is so powerful.
As for your question about Dick, maybe he was trying to be gentle the first day, understanding Bruce was in a very dark (no pun intended) place and the second day he ran out of patience over Bruce's aloofness
You're probably right. Bruce was desolate as Gordon was seriously injured, and Dick took things easy because Bruce admitted he'd be afraid if he couldn't protect him, Alfred or Leslie Thompkins. But as Bruce became too distant the next day, Dick had enough and effectively told Bruce to snap out of it.
I watched this for the first time in ages. Still one of the better BTAS episodes, along with Perchance to Dream. Mainly because they deal with Batman's psyche. I like the moments in Batman media (film, television, comics) where we see just how tortured Bruce is. He cares for his allies so much that the thought of failing them leads him to brood in the cave for days on end. Contemplating retirement, throwing equipment down into the cave's bottomless depths and screaming in frustration. It's a reminder that Batman tries to operate at superhuman levels, but he really is just a human trying his very best. He can't be everywhere at once, but on the flip side, he can't really afford to have an off day.