Batman: TAS, episode #3: Heart of Ice

This episode is about Mr. Freeze; one of the cheesiest of the Batman villains because there's nothing particularly odd about him. Up to this point, he was just a guy with cold powers who happened to also need to be in a subzero environment to survive. That made him one of the more visually interesting characters of the Batman TV series from the 60s, since he had to stay in his blue (cold) spaces or suffer in the normal (and often orangey) areas. But, aside from that, there was nothing in particular that drove him in the fashion of the more famous of The Batman's opponents. It wasn't too difficult to draw a comparison between Freeze and, say, Captain Cold; longtime member of The Flash's Rogues' Gallery. Those latter two words are capitalized because that group was a particular band of criminals that competed with The Flash based on their criminal identities. Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang, etc. They all had a gimmick and that gimmick was how they competed with The Flash's gimmick of super-speed. Mr. Freeze was the most prominent of The Batman's opponents who was of that kind; a gimmick villain, rather than a storied one (although we'll later run into another one that the producers retrieved from the hoary past of our hero, in the Clock King.) But this episode was written by Paul Dini and directed by Bruce Timm and that's probably why it numbers among the best of entire series. These were the producers with the vision to create the whole and whom were actively participating, not only in the story's creation, which will be a regular feature as we move along, but in taking a lesser opponent and turning him into one of the more tragic figures that we'll encounter and create the combination of an interesting threat and a great story.

Dini doesn't shy away from the comic villain standards: Mr. Freeze is named that way not just because of his gimmick, but also because of his actual name, Victor Fries. But there's a clear story vision in this one, from beginning to end. Freeze isn't just your standard comic villain. Instead, his origin is a lot closer to our main character's, in that he's compelled by vengeance to pursue the person responsible for the death of his wife. He's a tragic character, while also being a merciless killer. And all of it is conveyed via one simple device, literal and technical, in the form of the ballerina in the snow globe. It's an incredibly smart locus that shows a drive apart from material concerns and even the primary motivation. All Freeze wants to do is get back to the woman he lost inside a plastic bubble, but recognizes that she, like him, is now trapped in one, so that all he can do is admire her from afar while he does his best to alleviate the rage in his soul and try to exact a price from those who trapped both of them in these states. It's not a complicated message. It's not even that elevated. It's simple, but it's deeper than any meaning the character has had before this depiction and was so well done that DC adopted this approach to his origin in the comics. (Just try to ignore the film with Arnold. It's better that way.)

One of the first indications that the writer really understands these characters is from the dialogue. When our hero first arrives on the scene of one of Freeze's crimes, his thugs look up and yell: "The Batman!" Right away, I know he gets it. But Freeze also demonstrates his maniacal and ruthless nature through his lines. In leaving behind one of his servants, he tells the rest: "He should have been more careful!", even though it was Freeze who shot him and froze his legs. There's also: "Let the evil that walks inside be cleansed by pure, unforgiving ice!" It's almost robotic in its demeanor and fits the role that Freeze himself is trying to play, but can't entirely, since he's still driven by the anguish that Ferris Boyle created for him. Indeed, Michael Ansara, who voices the character, fought with Timm, who wanted Freeze to sound more robotic, but Ansara thought that would deprive him of some of the depth that he knew the character had. Boyle, voiced by Mark Hamill (who will, uh, go on to some fame as the voice of another prominent person in Gotham) also had a key line that defined the overall situation: "When the wage slaves start acting like they own the place, it's time to pull the plug!" He had his men literally do that to kill Freeze's wife and ruin his health, but it's also emblematic of that noir-based cynicism and Bruce Wayne's awareness that the true villains may not always be the ones on the streets. The Batman wasn't immune to this kind of expression, either, as the Fox censors somehow missed his muttered: "My God!" when he watches the tape of what happened to Fries; religion being normally verboten for a "kids' show." What all of this added up to was a Daytime Emmy for Writing for this episode, which put the series on the map for a number of critics who hadn't given it as much attention as it deserved to that point.

There were some really interesting visual points in this episode, as well. We continue with some of the anime stylings when the cyclotrons and generators are shown powering up in the Batcave as The Batman works to save the life of Freeze's abandoned henchman. It was a scene redolent of films like Frankenstein; appropriate for the accidental monster that Freeze has become. Also, the Batmobile appears with a lighter shade of blue here, as opposed to the usual blue-gray. Obviously, different studios will often use slightly different palettes and Spectrum Animation used some very bright contrasts with all of the ice effects, including airbrushing every scene with Freeze's helmet, so perhaps the change to the sheen of the vehicle was part of that trend. This is the first episode where we see the technology really became central to the story, as we get an extended look at the equipment in the Batcave, at the assembled ice cannon, and at Freeze's exoskeleton which is extremely reminiscent of the one worn by Clayface III in the late 70s. Perhaps the most amazing technological achievement, however, was our hero's apparent ability to stick an entire thermos of chicken soup into his utility belt.

There were a variety of other interesting points that also make this episode a favorite, not least among them the fact that The Batman was given the Wampa ice cave treatment (frozen to the ceiling by his ankles) by Freeze in an episode with none other than Luke Skywalker himself (Hamill.) The action, while generally superhero in style with Freeze as the first truly incredible type of opponent we've seen, was also quite smart. The villain's escape/entry to the awards ceremony on a high floor of a building via the constantly flowing column of ice from a fire hydrant was particularly slick (ahem.) We also saw a bit of the ruthlessness of The Batman when the Batmobile almost runs over two GothCorp security officers in his zeal to confront Freeze. Plus, we get our first look at the famous Arkham Asylum at the end, with the only flaw in that final scene being that Freeze's tears didn't instantly become snowflakes as they emerged. Timm later stated that if there was one thing they could go back and do over, that would be it.

In the end, it's still just a superhero story. But it's a great superhero story, with proper motivations, entertaining dialogue, and a plot that can be identified with by anyone watching. This is one of the best episodes of the entire series and, again, it feels like a smart choice by HBO to put it in so early to inspire people to keep watching. I, of course, will keep re-watching and, speaking of Clayface, that's who's on deck for episode #4: Feat of Clay.