TITLE: “Night Ride”
EPISODE DETAILS: Season 1/Episode 5
PREVIOUS: “The Stress of Her Regard” (S1E5)
AIR DATE: Thursday, August 1, 2024
WRITERS: Marc Bernardin
DIRECTOR: Christopher Berkeley
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bruce Timm, James Tucker, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, Bruce Timm, Ed Brubaker, Sam Register, Jase Ricci
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: After a series of robberies in Gotham, Batman wrestles with the possibility that the culprit might be from beyond the grave. Meanwhile, Harvey Dent’s morality is tested when a generous campaign donation comes in from a most nefarious source.
CAST: Hamish Linklater as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Toby Stephens as The Gentleman Ghost Jason Watkins as Alfred Pennyworth, Bumper Robinson as Lucius Fox, Cedric Yarborough as Linton Midnite
REVIEW
I’ll be honest, I was waiting for the “Scooby Doo Momment” to happen at the end and The Gentleman Ghost to be revealed to be well not a ghost.
I was wrong.
This was the first episode of BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER that delved into the fantastical — or supernatural in the case of “Night Ride” — and it was, admittedly, a bit jarring. Like I said, I figured Batman would pull off The Gentleman Ghost’s mask and reveal him to be “Old Mr. Jones” who would then say, “And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for that meddling Dark Knight!”
With that said, the episode was good…it simply felt out of place with 8 of the 10 episodes that are pretty darn grounded. The best part for me was the Harvey Dent subplot which really added to the character. Harvey’s mayoral campaign is in trouble and he finds himself at a crossroads that will determine just how far he’ll go to become Gotham’s mayor. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
GRADE: B
PODCAST: BATMANIMATION Ep. 56
