Chill of the Night!

"Chill of the Night!" is episode 37 of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The plot follows Batman as he comes closer to confronting Joe Chill, the man who killed his parents. Unbeknownst to him, his decision on how to handle Chill will not only determine the criminal's fate but his own.

"Chill of the Night!"
Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 11
Directed by Michael Chang
Written by Paul Dini
Production code 211
Original air date April 9, 2010

Background

The episode is a re-telling of Batman's origin story. Paul Dini, writer of many of the scripts for Batman: The Animated Series, wrote the script for this episode. Michael Chang directed the episode. The episode first aired on April 9, 2010. People who voiced characters in Batman: The Animated Series returned to voice characters in this episode: Kevin Conroy (the voice of Batman) voices the Phantom Stranger, Mark Hamill (the voice of Joker) voices Spectre,[1] Richard Moll (the voice of Two-Face) voices Lew Moxon,[2] Adam West (the actor played Batman in the 1960s Batman television series) voices Thomas Wayne, Julie Newmar (the actress that played Catwoman in the 1960s Batman television series) voices Martha Wayne,[1] and Jennifer Hale also reprises her role of Zatanna from Justice League Unlimited (which was in continuity with Batman: The Animated Series). There are more scenes that are in shadows than in previous episodes, and Batman's costume is noticeably darker. The episode has images and sequences that are a homage to Batman: The Animated Series. The comic book limited series Untold Legend of the Batman is the basis for this episode.[2] Before the episode aired, Scott Thill of Wired said that this episode promises a return to Batman’s murderous darkness.[3] In a video interview about this episode for Comic Book Movie, producer Michael Jelenic said that Paul Dini will be working on a third episode (the first one featured Bat-Mite).

Plot summary

The episode begins with the murder of Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, while their young son Bruce looks on in horror. That night, Bruce tearfully swears to avenge his parents' death by battling crime. As he grows up, he studies criminology and martial arts, eventually becoming Batman. At the present day, The Spectre and The Phantom Stranger are debating about whether or not Batman would kill his parent's murderer, Joe Chill, eventually deciding to wager on it: if Batman does not kill Chill, he is free to live his life the way he always has. On the other hand, Spectre wages that if Batman gives in to vengeance, he himself will become like Spectre.

Batman (disguised as a priest) learns from Lew Moxon, a dying gangster who ordered the hit on the Waynes, that the shooter's name is Chill. Batman then heads to a bar to interrogate criminals about Chill's whereabouts. After Batman nearly kills a man he is interrogating, the Phantom Stranger restrains him, taking him back to the Halloween party that their parents attended, revealing the reason for Batman's costume. For a joyful moment, Batman sees his parents again and fights against thugs who show up to rob the party. However, it is revealed that one of the thugs, who held Martha hostage after the beating, was Chill. Racing after him, the Spectre appears before him, goading him to kill Chill. It is also revealed that because of Thomas and Batman's intervention of the robbery, Chill kills Batman's parents at Moxon's order, but things didn't go as planned when Chill also shot Martha, since Moxon had expected that Thomas's son still at least had a mother.

Returning to the Batcave, Batman finds Chill selling weapons to Batman's rogues gallery. Batman interrupts the sale, aiming at his target: Chill. Batman corners Chill in a room, disarming him and revealing that he is the son of Thomas Wayne. Batman has Chill at his mercy, the Phantom Stranger and Spectre each try to persuade him of their view, but ultimately Batman spares his life. Panicked, Joe Chill begs to the villains for protection against Batman, revealing that he is indirectly responsible for Batman's existence. However, before Chill can reveal Batman's true identity, the villains turn on him in a blind rage, resulting in a brawl that accidentally sets off the sonic laser he was trying to sell; the laser sends the ceiling crashing down on Chill, killing him. The Stranger says that he has won the wager, but mentions how convenient it was that Chill just happened to be under a collapsing ceiling. The Spectre smiles, and says that he "wouldn't know anything about that".

The episode ends with Batman encasing his father's bat costume and muttering, "Case closed..."

Reception

The episode received mostly positive reviews and is often regarded as the show's best episode. Joe Oesterle, of Mania, said that this episode ranks among the best of The Brave and the Bold, proving this show is as capable of presenting more than one version of Batman.[1] Dan Phillips, of IGN, said that this episode is the best in the series.[2] The founder of Batman-On-Film praised the episode for its cast.[4]

Voice cast

References

  1. 1 2 3 Oesterle, Joe (2010-04-11). "BRAVE & THE BOLD - "Chill of the Night" Review". Mania. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Phillips, Dan (2010-04-14). "Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Chill of the Night" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  3. ↑ Thill, Scott (2010-03-26). "Brave and the Bold Returns With Multiversal Batmans". Wired. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  4. ↑ "Chill of the Night!". Batman-On-Film. Retrieved 2010-06-14.

External links

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