SYNOPSIS: A new criminal with the power of ice is loose in Gotham City.
“Mr. Freeze” – using his newly acquired frosty powers – is stealing the rare and valuable diamonds throughout Gotham. When he and The Batman eventually meet, Freeze informs The Dark Knight that he’s to blame for turning the former Victor Fries into this frozen monster. It seems Batman and Fries battled before – in a Gotham cryogenics lab.
Now with an, ahem, ice chip on his shoulder, Mr. Freeze is hell bound to make Gotham his own personal Ice Capades – unless The Batman can stop him.
REVIEW: Since we’re only in the early episodes of THE BATMAN’s first season, we usually find ourselves being introduced to new versions of Batman’s famous rogues gallery. In, “The Big Chill,” we meet this show’s version of Mr. Freeze.
“The Big Chill” features Mr. Freeze. I’d have never guessed it. Anyway…
I bet many were expecting THE BATMAN’s Mr. Freeze similar to the one found in the classic BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. The only thing these two have in common is the name “Mr. Freeze” and the ability to blast people with ice – though their ice-blasting is even is done differently. Where B:TAS’s version used an ice gun, TB’s incarnation appears to have the ability to shoot ice out of hands – at least it appears to comes out of his hands.
Whatever.
In THE BATMAN, Victor Fries was just a smalltime jewel thief before becoming a super villain. Also, Fries blames Batman for turning him into “Freeze” -- ala The Joker in the 1989 film BATMAN -- making his relationship with The Batman more personal.
Look, it’s not like this Mr. Freeze sucks or anything, OK? It’s simply that the B:TAS’s Victor Fries is arguably the definitive version of the character.
I don’t blame the folks behind THE BATMAN for making their versions of Batman villains look and act differently than its predecessor, Mr. Freeze included. Frankly, B:TAS was a tough act to follow.
THE BATMAN's Mr. Freeze in "The Big Chill"
Back to The Big Chill, I liked this episode as well as this incarnation of Mr. Freeze. Sure I prefer the B:TAS Freeze, but this version is fresh as well as respectful to the Batman mythos. I wasn’t too keen on the “You made me!” thing with Freeze towards Batman, but it works in THE BATMAN and what they want to do with the character.
My only misgivings are a strange nod to GILLIGAN’S ISLAND and a couple of very BATMAN AND ROBIN-ish ice puns.
But overall, a very -- ahem --“cool” episode.
Plus, Batman finally gets to break out his “Thermal Bat-Suit!” You just got to love an episode featuring groovy new Bat-Threads!
