Batman: TAS, episode #15: The Last Laugh

As with any behavior (and relationship), there are gradations. The version of The Joker that we saw a few episodes ago was clearly still a chaotic threat, but it was understated to some degree. If he was approached or felt threatened, you'd see more of the insanity (and danger) shine through. In this episode, The Last Laugh, we get the more "high intensity" version, where not only is his behavior erratic, but it's more demonstrative. He's a little less calculating and a little more prone to explosive moments (sometimes literally.) One would think that Harley is actually a calming influence on him... Alongside our slightly more maniacal Joker, we have the most infamous of his schemes/approaches: the laughing gas; this time widespread enough to cover a large part of Gotham and declared by the Batcave computer (Richard Moll; known for also playing Harvey Dent/Two-Face) as a permanent threat to victims' sanity. This is a classic example of the villain that everyone is familiar with, which would probably explain why it was the fourth episode broadcast in the series' original run. As noted before, the producers were expressing confidence that the bulk of the audience would be familiar enough with who and what The Batman and his closest associates are without having to do any lengthy explanations, unlike someone more obscure, like the Clock King.

This was also another chance to highlight the dichotomous nature of the relationship between our hero and his nemesis. We see that it's April Fools' Day and that people on the highway are in the grip of uproarious laughter- and then we cut to the most dour expression on Bruce Wayne's face. This is the contrast: the steely, immutable, heroic Batman with the chaotic, amorphous, villainous Joker, despite the fact that their outward appearances (menacing bat vs jovial clown) imply the opposite. Indeed, Bruce's resistance to humor even extends to his dismissal of a very out of character April Fools' joke by Alfred, while even The Joker's submarine grins as it floats under the garbage scow. The radio declares "At this hour, Gotham City is in the grip of insanity!" But not The Batman. That's the province of his opposite number, even if those not inured to it (like Alfred) are willing to give into the spirt of the day and become victims of the gas.

Technology is also displayed as a centerpiece of the action, as we see the Batboat used to steer the laughing gas trash away from town and eventually save our hero (Helluva risky shooting job with that laser on the bottom of the river, however), while Captain Clown, the implacable robot servant of the top clown, becomes the primary threat to The Batman over much of the episode. Another example of The Joker's particular mindset is revealed when he displays genuine anguish that The Batman has "killed Captain Clown!" One can be confident that he wouldn't have spared another thought for one of his quite human henchmen who suffered the same fate, but the favorite toy elicits the remonstration. That, again, serves to emphasize the idea that this episode's version of The Joker is the one farther toward the irrational edge than what we saw before. It's on display again during his flight through the waste plant, as he's completely unconcerned with the potentially fatal results of sliding down the incinerator chute as he grabs the convenient rope to swing away from a guaranteed death. Even his thugs don't appreciate his excess, as they roll their eyes at his various puns: "Look who's come to trash the place!"

What also helps reveal that this was an earlier production is that the themes are all-encompassing, both those specific to the episode ("Jewels 'R Us" is the store robbed by The Joker) and to the series as a whole (Café Noir is seen in the opening pan across the city.) Interestingly, they also tried out a more modern, funk beat behind the score at three points; all of them when The Joker (the fight and chase through the disposal plant) or his activities (the initial release of the gas) were central to the action. When you're first establishing your series and its tenets, one of them being the orchestral, Elfman-inspired score, it seems a mildly odd gesture to the Prince-written funk of the Batman film to deviate from what would otherwise be the standard throughout the series. In that same vein, the episode also takes time to reestablish the norms between the two lead characters ("Batman finally told a joke!") when the villain ends up hanging over the fire and rhetorically asks: "Wouldn't let me fry, would you?" and then the reproachful moan when the hero pretends to hesitate, as both know their relationship would never end that way.

In many ways, this is "the standard" of an encounter between The Batman and his greatest foe/opposite number: the bat vs the clown, implacable righteousness vs nebulous insanity ("Justice will be served, Joker!"), but it also never deviates from what passes for normality between the two of them. They've both been here before and they'll be here, many times, again. Hardly the last laugh, as it were. Next time, we get a return visit from one of our villains in Eternal Youth.