Hello, my friends. Things are about to get spooky, but not for the regular reasons. Not only that, but it’ll become sinister & seriously fatal during the most festive times of the year. Despite that foreboding sense of unease, let us venture forth as I welcome you back to another entry of…
On certain occasions, there comes a famous comic book story that this mainline series adapts. Given its grand scope however, a single film isn’t able to cover it within its time frame. While the Man of Steel saw his iconic early-1990s tale need a pair of movies to cover his death and resurrection, our featured Caped Crusader previously had his famous 1980s tale known as “The Dark Knight Returns” receive this treatment in order to get properly told. For this entry, he’ll once again find himself within this two-pronged story-telling format so that his influential 13-part arc from the ’90s can finally be translated to the small screen. As such, it’s time that I talk about the animated adaptation known as…
Based on the 1996-97 mini-series that ran for thirteen issues and was originally written by Jeph Loeb, drawn by Tim Sale & colored by Gregory Wright, this marks the third time in the series that a comic book storyline was adapted into a double feature. Part 1, which got a PG-13 rating, had a simultaneous release on June 22, 2021 for both digital download & home video. As for the R-Rated second part, it got its digital release on July 27 before coming out on DVD, Blu-Ray & 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray on August 10. With writer Tim Sheridan and director Chris Palmer at the helm, what kind of overwhelming terror will our youthful Dark Knight find himself in? Let’s take some caution with this particular celebration and find out.
We begin in Gotham City as Bruce Wayne (voiced by Jensen Ackles) is meeting with crime boss Carmine Falcone (voiced by Titus Welliver). During their discussion, it turns out that Bruce’s parents (specifically his father Thomas) used to have a particular connection with Carmine’s dad and that he also believed in bringing “order to a world of chaos”. When the Roman asks him about his belief, Wayne simply mentions that he “believes in Gotham City”.
We then have a quick scene where crime boss Salvatore “Sal” Maroni (voiced by Jim Pirri) is looking over his Italian restaurant. Suddenly, a pair of hitmen pull up and open fire upon the establishment before they drive off. Fortunately for Sal, he was among the few patrons who survived the surprise attack.
During the opening credits, we also get a few other images pertaining to the malevolent municipality. In particular, we have a judge being paid off by gangsters in order for them to be clear of the law. Also, a particular man named Harvey Dent (voiced by Josh Duhamel) winning the election and becoming Gotham’s newest District Attorney. Afterwards, there’s a small group of criminals being chased by GCPD Captain James Gordon (voiced by Billy Burke) and Renee Montoya (voiced by Alyssa Diaz). Fortunately, the gangsters are met upon by Batman who disorients them with a smoke grenade and causes them to crash into a light post before the Dark Knight swoops in to intervene.
Then on one particular night, Harvey has a discreet meeting with Johnny Viti who gives him some vital documents before taking his leave. Afterwards, Johnny returns to his apartment and proceeds to take a bath. Unfortunately, an assassin has managed to break in and proceeds to shoot him. From there, the killer proceeds to not only leave the gun behind, but a jack o’ lantern as well.
Following the title card, we then transition over to Wayne Manor on Halloween night as Alfred Pennyworth (voiced by Alastair Duncan) stands outside with a bowl of candy to hand out. However, there’s no trick-or-treaters in sight as he heads back inside before he accompanies Bruce into the study. After Alfred informs him that “Ms. Kyle” has called him up in order to check if his phone number was real, Wayne briefly mentions that they haven’t had any trick-or-treaters for the last several years and that it’s unlikely that they’ll get one tonight, especially with him mentioning that Gotham has “fallen”. Pennyworth says that they must be willing to pull through with “obstinate hope” before he takes his discreet leave to the surprise of Bruce himself.
Meanwhile over at the Gordon household, James is getting ready to take his children out for some trick-or-treating. Because he’s worried about there being “too many crazies out”, he’ll take James Jr. and Babs (or young Barbara Gordon) out in the squad car. Just as they’re about to head out, the phone rings as James answers and learns about the recent murder. As such, he has to go to work. His wife Barbara (voiced by Amy Landecker) tells her children that because their dad is the police captain, the entire force is depending on him. However, Babs says that she was counting on him too as she glumly heads upstairs.
Over with Harvey, he’s just arrived back at his house and notices that the Halloween candy isn’t even on their front porch. He soon finds his wife Gilda (voiced by Julie Nathanson) relaxing in the backyard. He asks her if any trick-or-treaters came by their home, to which she says that she hasn’t had any and that she’s doesn’t have the energy for it. Just as they cuddle up, they soon notice the Bat Signal in the distance. He promises to return as soon as he can before he gives her a kiss and heads out.
Later, Dent arrives on the GCPD roof and meets up with James. Soon enough, Batman appears as Gordon attempts to introduce the two men to each other, but he learns that they’ve already had their initial meeting. From there, James takes out the killer’s weapon and says that Johnny Viti was murdered. Harvey is especially upset about this since Carmine’s own nephew was on the verge of selling him out to the cops. He then chastises Gordon for not having any officers protect Viti, especially since this was a case that he’s been working on for the past several months. Afterwards, Batman examines the gun and recognizes it as a .22 caliber with its handle taped up and its serial number scratched out. James also mentions that the gun used a baby bottle nipple as a somewhat effective silencer, even making the bullet untraceable.
After Gordon says that it’s unsure if a professional carried this hit out, Dent says that it absolutely was and believes that Falcone discovered his nephew was about to sell him out, thus he had his traitorous relative axed off. Harvey continues to express his disappointment since Johnny was about to help him put Carmine and his crime-ridden family out of commission for good, to which James assures him that they’ll still bring Falcone down, despite this setback. Afterwards, Batman asks about the jack o’lantern left next to Viti’s body since he assumes that it could potentially be important to them. From there, James tells him and Harvey that Gotham finally has a chance to emerge from its crime-ridden status. In order to pull it off, it’s going to take all three of them to lead the charge. If they’re going to tear the Roman’s operations down for good, Dent will need to operate in the pubic eye while the Dark Knight handles his business within the shadows. They can both “bend the rules” as need-be, so long as they don’t break them and that he’ll do whatever he can to keep them out of authoritative trouble. Harvey agrees to this, with Batman confirming as well by mentioning how “two heads are better than one”. Afterwards, he notices a familiar feline fatale observing them from afar. The Caped Crusader then says that various leads will be coming at a fast pace and that they should keep their ears at the ready before he discreetly heads out. Afterwards, Dent also manages to take his stealthy leave as well.
Over at Carmine’s penthouse, the Falcone family has gathered together due to Johnny’s death. While the wives grieve amongst each other, the men proceed to have an emergency meeting with the Roman himself. One of the members named Antoni (voiced by Troy Baker) expresses his belief that Sal was behind Viti’s murder and that he’s gunning for them. However, Carmine says that while that’s possible, he has a stronger feeling that it could potentially be Harvey. Antoni then excitedly expresses his desire to carry out the hit, but Falcone wants to wait before going after Dent. However, Antoni argues that any significant delay will only make him look weak. Unfortunately for him, that statement has put him in a bad light with Carmine as his head bodyguard named Milos Grappa proceeds to escort him towards the stairs before forcing him over the railing, causing him to fall to his death.
Afterwards, Falcone notices his son Alberto (voiced by Jack Quaid) with his crossword puzzles before telling him to take his leave. As he heads out, he overhears Carmine informing his men that Bruce Wayne is unwilling to help them with their “large-scale structuring effort”. As such, their assets will be moved to a highly-secure facility.
Back over with Batman, he proceeds to engage in a rainy rooftop pursuit of Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman (voiced by the [sadly] late Naya Rivera). The chase proceeds to make its way up a clock tower and onto a subway train before culminating onto another building. Just as the Dark Knight finally catches her, she reveals that she was actually leading him to a particular warehouse called Falcone Imports.
Once inside, he discovers a massive stack of cash that’s under Carmine’s laundering operation and that he & the police were having a difficult time discovering it. After thanking her for the assist, he then asks her why she’s helping him out like this. She simply exclaims “who knows” before she leans in for a kiss. Suddenly, she notices someone watching them from the shadows as she reaches the guy and subdues him. However, it turns out to be Harvey as Batman tells her to let him go. From there, it’s revealed that Dent was able to reach their location due to his GPS tracker honing in on a Bat Beacon.
After sharing his amazement over finally discovering Carmine’s laundered money, he asks Batman for their next move. The Dark Knight wants to contact James and have his fellow officers claim the money as evidence, but Dent shoots that idea down as he explains that Falcone has the mayor and the whole city assembly in his back pocket. As such, they would only be returning his cash to him. The Caped Crusader then says that the only way that they’ll be able to make a huge impact is to make it all vanish, but Harvey says that it’ll take several days for them to move all of that money. From there, Catwoman offers an alternative solution as she takes out a match from her boot. As she hands it over to Dent, she tells him to wait a bit so that she can be far-enough away from this potential ordeal. Batman then says that he owes her before she takes her leave. Harvey then questions if this is what it will take to finally bring Carmine down. The Dark Knight then gives him a coin to flip and let fate decide whether he should go through with this, especially if the coin should land on Heads.
From there, it’s revealed that lady luck agreed with them as they set the money on fire before several fire fighters and police officers head over to deal with the blaze. Over at his penthouse, Falcone sees the smoke rise from his former warehouse before he tells his men to contact Chen. Back in the Bat Cave, Bruce overhears the newscast on his Bat Computer while looking over the pictures pertaining to Johnny Viti’s murder.
Later, Dent arrives back at his house. As he attempts to take out the key to his front door, his newly-acquired coin falls out of his pocket as he picks it up and notices that it has two heads. Shortly after he heads inside, a car that was overlooking the home proceeds to drive away.
As he heads out back, he notices that Gilda is missing. He then cautiously makes his way into the backyard before he thankfully discovers her on their swing. She asks him to stay before he assures her that even though he hasn’t been around much lately, he won’t be at his current job forever. He then informs her that he’s getting one step closer to putting Carmine away for good before they can finally get their chance to start their own family. She tells him that she “can’t” before he assures her that they’ll explore their options together. Ultimately, he picks her up and begins to carry her back to the house so that they can share their own movie night. Suddenly, their home gets rocked by a massive explosion.
Meanwhile, the bomber is being pursued by Batman within the Batmobile and several police officers. Within one of the cop cars, a young official named Pearce (voiced by Gary LeRoi Gray) tells James that they could potentially cut the perp off. However, Gordon wants him to keep their distance. With the bomber barreling through an intersection, it causes a mild vehicular crash as Batman drives past it while the police are forced to deal with the wreak.
As the pursuit makes its way through a tunnel, the Dark Knight gets contacted by Alfred and informs him that Selina is approaching the manor for their upcoming date. During the chase, the suspect named Mickey Chen (voiced by Greg Chun) opens fire as the Batmobile withstands the bullet barrage while the windshield suffers some damage. Batman then simply tells his butler to order some bulletproof windshield before terminating his communication.
He then manages to sideswipe Chen and cause him to crash, with the chase turning into a foot pursuit that leads right into the Chinatown District.
Ultimately, Batman manages to subdue Mickey with a pair of Batarangs that disarm the fiend before wounding him in his leg. He then tries to interrogate the perp about his attempt to bump off Harvey, but he suddenly gets confronted by a blade that spins in as he’s forced to dodge. Following a series of shurikens (with one of them striking his side), he’s soon confronted by the rest of the skilled and armed fighters from the San Ho Hui crime organization.
A fight ensues as Batman deals with this trinity of fierce foes. Although they provide a worthy challenge to him, he slowly manages to take each of them out with precise strikes. However, the big guy is still able to stand tough despite the Dark Knight using some spilled barrel water to shock him with his taser. Just as the massive man is about to strike with his weapon, Catwoman manages to yank it out of his hands with her whip before she helps Batman finally best him. From there, he notices that Mickey has ran off during the scuffle. Thankfully, the leg wound has left a bloody path in its wake as she tells Bruce to go after the perp while she looks after the unconscious men.
Eventually, the pursuit makes its way into the sewer as Batman calmly asks Mickey to tell him who required his service in order to assassinate Dent. However, Chen refuses to cooperate as the Dark Knight warns him that he knows “what’s down here”. Mickey then attempts to flee, but he ends up getting captured. The Dark Knight heads over and recognizes the muscular fiend named Solomon Grundy (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) before he orders the massive being to hand Chen over, even promising him that this perp will never set foot in his underground domain ever again. Ultimately, Solomon complies as he throws the fiend over before taking his leave.
We then shift over to the hospital as Harvey rests up from the near-fatal blast while Gilda sits by his side. Suddenly, a nurse named Tamara (voiced by Frances Callier) comes in to add another bouquet of flowers. However, these roses aren’t for the wounded District Attorney, but for his wife. Not only that, but they were sent to her by “Mr. Falcone”. Tamara soon notices that this has upset Gilda and attempts to apologize, but Mrs. Dent just dismisses her in order to get her husband’s dinner. Unbeknownst to the nurse, Harvey was conscious enough to overhear this upsetting moment.
Meanwhile at the Gotham Police Station, James and Batman attempt to interrogate Mickey using the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” method. However, they’re unable to make him spill any vital piece of information regarding the bomb that blew up the Dent’s house or his group’s connection with Carmine. The Dark Knight then starts to get aggressive as he forces Chen out of his chair, causing Gordon to intervene. Mickey then tells them that they don’t have a single piece of incriminating evidence against either him or his criminal group, to which Renee gets called in to have him released, but not before he gets in one last piece of mockery towards their inability to crack their current case.
Afterwards, James tells Batman that he has to improve his detective skills, especially since it’s not just about catching their suspect, but also about how that person will help them in their case. After all, Mickey’s a small-time enforcer for Falcone and gets the benefit of his protection. Gordon also mentions how despite what Chen thinks, Harvey’s not a murderer, especially since he doesn’t own a gun. As such, he uses the method of Occam’s Razor (“the simplest explanation is usually the right one”) and deduces that Carmine is the one who bumped off Viti & ordered the assassination hit on Dent. From there, he prepares to take his leave before the Dark Knight discreetly heads out.
Back over at the hospital, Gilda also departs just as Tamara arrives to give Harvey a Thanksgiving meal. However, she soon discovers that he somehow escaped.
We then shift over to Falcone’s penthouse as the family is having a Thanksgiving party. Over in the kitchen, Carmine is making his spaghetti sauce while talking to Alberto about being thankful for their health and their clan. When his son reminds him about their kin getting bumped off, the Roman rebuts by mentioning that he’s taking care of Johnny’s death by hiring Mickey. Alberto then says that Harvey is still alive, to which Carmine says that he’s allowing it for now. He then blames the way his son is approaching this situation on his Oxford education before asking him when his “independent thought” has actually contributed to their family. Alberto then says that he sent some flowers to Dent’s hospital room under their family’s name in order to ease some suspicion off of them. This angers the Roman as he grabs his son and starts to choke him for speaking out “on behalf of this family”. He then tells Alberto that he’ll never be allowed to eventually succeed him as the head of the Falcone crime family before he shoves him to the ground and says that he’s “weak”. From there, Carmine tells him to stay away from both Harvey & Gilda before he returns to his spaghetti sauce.
Unbeknownst to them, Catwoman was overhearing them for a while before she ultimately takes her leave. Back on the ground level, Harvey is standing across the street from the building. During his drive home, James (having been notified of Dent’s disappearance) spots him and stops by. Gordon offers to take him back to the hospital, but Harvey declines. James then tries to invite him over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner, but Dent refuses. Gordon then asks him why they’re even here, to which Harvey says that he’s unsure before he realizes that he’s not “ready for this” and decides to head back. Before he takes his leave, James then gives Dent his handgun in order to protect himself and his kin.
We then shift over to the Falcone family having their Thanksgiving dinner. Carmine then gives a toast to the entire clan that’s still around and those who aren’t. Over within the Chinatown District, Mickey reunites with the rest of the San Ho Hui as they celebrate his release over some beers. Back with James, he finally arrives home, only to discover that his kin have gone to bed and that his Thanksgiving dinner has been left out for him. Over at Wayne Manor, Selina is about to have a celebratory supper over there as Alfred takes the turkey out of the oven. Soon enough, they discover that part of it is missing. It turns out that Bruce has left some food for Grundy as the massive being gladly accepts the meal.
During all of this, we have intercutting moments of the mysterious murderer prepping another gun for a deadly task.
After all of that, the killer arrives at the Chinese restaurant that the San Ho Hui members are having dinner at and proceeds to gun down every last one of them before leaving the weapon next to a traditional Thanksgiving cornucopia.
We then shift over to Arkham Asylum during the Winter season as Batman and James are en route towards a particular cell mate. As they walk past several notable villains within their cells, Gordon assures the Dark Knight that the police is out on a full-force patrol tonight. As for the familiar faces that they stroll by, the Caped Crusader mentions that he originally wanted them in Gotham Penitentiary, but Dent ultimately made the call to have them sent here. From there, Batman and James arrive at the cell containing Julian Day a.k.a. Calendar Man (voiced by David Dastmalchian). He mentions that he’s fully-aware of the holiday-themed killer and that it’s Christmas Eve before he gets asked who was behind Viti’s murder. He says that it’s the same one who axed off Chen before he elaborates by explaining that both are connected to Carmine. However, it’s not Falcone since he’s not into using stealth. As such, it could be someone who wants to tear down this “Roman empire”, particularly Sal Maroni. Afterwards, he then brings up another possibility as he mentions how Harvey is currently not with them, possibly unaware that they’re at Arkham. As such, he lists Dent as a potential suspect who’s “intelligent”, “calculating” and is currently trying to “take down Carmine Falcone”. While James tells him that Harvey isn’t a killer, Julian says that maybe “he’s leading a double life” like Batman. The Dark Knight then wonders why he was invited here and that he’s not interested with his batch of craziness. However, Calendar Man tells him that despite his efforts to clean up all of the crazy within Gotham, it’s ultimately a “joke”.
Suddenly, Batman has a horrifying realization as he runs over to a particular cell and forces a guard to open it up. However, that inmate has escaped and discovers from the smelly false figure that this fiend is going after Dent. The guard then admits that he helped that criminal escape in order for his child to be spared from fatal harm. Afterwards, James arrives and also learns that the D.A. is in danger. As such, Batman takes his hasty leave.
Over at the Dent household, the Christmas tree is being decorated with devilish ornaments and lights by the Joker (also voiced by Troy Baker). Just then, Harvey arrives as he’s shocked to find the Clown Prince of Crime within his humble abode. He then reaches his drawer, only to discover that the firearm is missing. However, the Joker has it in his possession. Ultimately, he begins firing it at him as Dent is forced to take cover behind a couch.
Meanwhile, Batman is speeding towards the house in his Batmobile as Alfred informs him about a “Santa clown” terrorizing three different families, each of them having the surname of Dent. Back over with the Joker, he continues his gun-crazy assault before the firearm ultimately runs out of bullets. Harvey then takes advantage of this ceasefire and tackles the fiend before delivering a series of punches to his face. However, the Joker subdues him with a kick to the groin before he reveals that he also has the Holiday killer’s gun. He then tells a “joke” where he assumes that Harvey “is more that he appears to be” and that he’ll bump off Gilda should he find out that Dent is a “homicidal maniac”. From there, the Joker proceeds to pistol-whip Harvey in the face as the D.A. loses consciousness.
Later, he wakes up to find Batman in his presence and gets asked where the Joker went, to which Dent proceeds to tell him that it’s to Maroni’s restaurant.
We then shift over to Sal carrying a Joker-fied body into the trunk of his car. Suddenly, he’s met upon by the Dark Knight who quickly subdues him. After Batman asks him what happened, Maroni gets up and explains that the Joker reached his establishment before he & his men arrived. From there, he took out the entire staff and poisoned his fagioli. Thankfully for Sal, he wasn’t hungry. Unfortunately for his henchman named Freddy, his appetite did him in. Batman then asks why the Joker allowed him to live, to which Maroni says that he’s unsure aside from the fiendish clown holding him up at gunpoint while mentioning “that he’s cracking down on interlopers”. As he shows Freddy’s body to the Caped Crusader, Sal mentions how ever since the Dark Knight initially appeared, several abnormally looking fiends have also been popping up. Batman then demands to know where the Joker has gone to, to which Maroni says that it would probably be Falcone’s place if he’s the one behind the Holiday murders. From there, the Dark Knight takes his discreet leave.
We then shift over to Falcone’s penthouse as Carmine is asleep in bed while the Joker creeps up on him. He’s able to hear the Clown Prince of Crime approaching and takes a gun out from under his pillow, but he soon discovers that it’s empty. Somehow, the Joker managed to take the bullets out of the firearm. Meanwhile, Batman makes a speedy dash towards their location in the Batmobile.
Back with the Joker, he’s tied up Falcone while gleefully going through his closet. He then tells Carmine that he’s not going to kill him, due to the fact that it’s Christmas. However, the Joker does want him to share any vital update regarding the murderer known as Holiday.
As he’s about to take his leave, Milos comes out of the bathroom and sees that his fellow men have been Joker-fied. Upon seeing the fiendish clown, he proceeds to chase after him as they make their way towards the stairs. As they make their way down, a shootout erupts between them before Milos shoots an adjacent window open with the Joker using it to make his escape.
Once Milos heads outside, he notices a trail of playing cards consisting of only Jokers. Unfortunately for him, he’s soon met upon by Holiday and gets murdered. By the time that Batman finally arrives, he only comes across Milos’ corpse, alongside Holiday’s gun and a snow globe.
We then shift ahead a few days as Bruce does some investigative work in the Bat Cave. Alfred comes in and reminds him of the upcoming benefit for the Gotham Children’s Clinic that Carmine is holding on his yacht, especially since it would help keep up his public appearance and the fact that his father contributed towards the hospital’s existence. Despite Bruce saying that his dad actually helped Falcone build it, Pennyworth says that it’s still a noble cause, as well as the fact that Selina will be attending the event as well. Getting back to the investigation, Bruce mentions that all of those who were murdered was associated with Carmine and executed by the same untraceable handgun with no witnesses. He then presents Alfred with his list of potential suspects, starting with Sal Maroni. While that crime boss is looking to overtake Falcone as Gotham’s top criminal dog, Wayne mentions that his goons have only bumped off the Roman’s men during the daytime. Next up, there’s Carmine’s sister named Carla Viti who’s running part of his operation over in Chicago. While Bruce thinks that she could be making a move for his top spot, Alfred doubts that she would purposefully murder her lone son as part of her plan. Wayne then moves on to the Joker, who did bust out of Arkham prior to Johnny’s execution. He even includes Falcone himself, since he could’ve prevented both Johnny from selling the family out and Mickey from testifying the kill order on Harvey. However, even Bruce wonders why Carmine would ever kill his own bodyguard. Alfred then mentions the fifth suspect that’s being kept out. Even though Wayne doesn’t like that possibility, the motives still line up: an obsession with tearing Falcone down that exceeds even Maroni himself, while also being denied a gun license in the previous year due to failing a psyche evaluation. When he mentions that Holiday could potentially be someone he’s not considering, Bruce then admits that he never thought that his crime-fighting efforts would see him becoming a detective. Alfred assures him that despite his worries and growing pains, his persona can become what the world will need him to be. He then concludes the scene by mentioning that the same rings true for his public persona.
We then shift over to Falcone’s yacht on New Year’s Eve as the charity gala is in full swing. With even Sal himself as one of the featured guests, Bruce watches from afar as Carmine gives a brief speech about the Gotham Children’s Hospital being formed three decades ago outside of the financial support of the city government, thanks to him and Dr. Thomas Wayne.
While Falcone continues with his announcement, Selina walks around the main room as a guest. She then trips the mayor and helps her from falling over, all the while she successfully swipes her necklace.
Back on stage, Falcone announces that he would like to acknowledge a guy whom he regrets in not making him feel like he’s “part of this family”, especially since they both believe in “family”, “business” and their city. Alberto begins to step forward and receive this acknowledgment, but Carmine announces this man to be Bruce. While Wayne gives a subtle thanks, Alberto walks off in disappointment.
Back on the mainland, the citizens have gathered in Gotham Square to help ring in the new year while the police stand at the ready to protect them. Harvey and Gilda are also in attendance, but she’s arguing with him about how she rarely sees him anymore. Just then, they’re met upon by James & Barbara. From there, Harvey learns from James that this is the largest police gathering, as they’re not taking any chances against Holiday. From there, James get called away on a transmission while Barbara talks to the Dents about her children spending the night at her mother’s house. She then tells Gilda that she should babysit her kin sometime, to which Gilda says that she hasn’t done so in years. Harvey then mentioned that it did help her financially get through law school, but Gilda says that she’s no longer a lawyer.
Over at an air field, the Joker has killed a pilot and his crew before he loads up his poisonous gas onto a crop duster. From there, he proceeds to take off and begin his trek towards Gotham.
Back aboard Falcone’s yacht, Bruce meets up with Selina as she expresses how their relationship isn’t working, especially since they both operate as “two different people”. Bruce calmly agrees before she kisses him and begins to head out. Suddenly, he notices that his watch is gone as he asks her how she swiped it from him. However, she only tells that it’s something where “curiosity can get you killed”. before she takes her leave. Afterwards, Alfred contacts him about the looming dread that’s heading towards the city.
Back in Gotham Square, Harvey and Gilda continue their argument about how nothing seems normal to her and that she’s constantly alone. He tells her that’s not the case, especially since they’ve discussed about finally having their own child. She once again reminds him that she’s unable to do so, but he mentions that they can try other methods. However, she’s not up for it. Ultimately, their discussion becomes too emotionally straining and they each head off from each other. Meanwhile, the Gordons have overheard all of this as Barbara asks James if he knew that the Dents were having this dilemma. However, he gets contacted about something horrid approaching the city limits.
At that moment, the Joker flies in as the crowd is forced to either flee or take cover. During this, the Clown Prince of Crime attempts to disperse his toxic gas. Thankfully, nothing happens.
After reading the plane’s manual, he realizes that he forgot to turn the safety mechanism off. Once he does so, his toxic gas becomes ready to be unleashed as he proceeds to turn around and fly back towards the citizens.
Thankfully, Batman was ready for him as he uses his grappling hook to latch onto the plane. Joker then tries to shake him off to no avail.
Back in Gotham Square, the police proceeds to help the civilians evacuate. During this, James spots Pearce and puts him in charge of helping his wife escape while he stays behind.
Meanwhile, Batman finally gets on the crop duster, only to discover that the controls have been put into a makeshift auto pilot. Joker manages to get the drop on him as the Dark Knight nearly falls off. After climbing back on, he then accuses his foe of killing Johnny, Mickey and Milos. After he shoots out some acid, the Joker says that he’s not Holiday. However, he is hoping that he’ll finally kill off the mysterious murderer, especially since he refuses to be second-best in that category. Batman then asks his foe why he’s about to poison the people down in Gotham Square, to which the Joker says that there’s a chance that Holiday is amongst the crowd.
The Dark Knight then takes out his grappling hook and aims it at his foe, to which the Joker says that he wants to know who Holiday truly is, since they’re both alike in the fact that they “love a good puzzle”. At that moment, Batman gets a realization that the crossword-loving Alberto is potentially the killer.
Afterwards, Joker headbutts the Caped Crusader before he finally disperses his toxic gas. Fortunately, Batman responds by knocking his foe out before redirecting the plane towards Gotham Harbor. From there, he manages to grapple onto the clock tower as he and his recaptured adversary watch the crop duster safely crash-land into the water.
Afterwards, James and his fellow officers notice the Joker being left for them before Batman swings off.
Back on Carmine’s yacht, Selina meets up with Alberto as she asks him about his family life, to which he says that he was in overseas boarding schools when he was very young. Despite being an Oxford graduate with an impressive knowledge on business, it was never good enough for his father. He elaborates that his dad sees him as weak, all because he previously fell in love with a woman who was “wrong” in his dad’s eyes. When Kyle asks about the lady, Alberto explains that his dad scared her away, thus solidifying the notion of his son being embarrassingly weak to him. Upon looking at Selina’s face, he gets a feeling of calm before he leans in for a kiss. However, she kindly rejects his advances.
Suddenly, Batman arrives to confront him. In her shock, Selina accidentally reveals Bruce’s identity to Alberto. From there, Batman exclaims that Carmine’s “rejected son” is Holiday. He then explains that because Alberto was denied of inheriting the crime family’s operation, he manufactured his own crisis against his household’s business. Once Falcone’s successors were bumped off, he would limit his business exclusively to his immediate family, thus allowing the son to have another shot at succession. However, Alberto says that he has no interest in taking over his family’s business, especially since all he wants is to be far away from Gotham and live a normal family life.
Just as the new year rings in, he suddenly gets shot. It’s soon discovered that Holiday is on the upper deck as the killer proceeds to shoot Alberto a few more times. From there, he ends up falling overboard before he meets a gruesome end at the blades of the boat’s propellers.
Before Holiday can take him out, Batman uses a batarang to disarm the fiend. However, Holiday reclaims the firearm as a chase ensues. Ultimately, the assailant is able to reach a motorboat and escape. After Selina catches up, she and Batman notice that Holiday has left the gun behind next to a champagne glass.
Later, the yacht has gotten back to port as the police escort the passengers off. Meanwhile, Harvey meets up with James as they head towards a nearby alleyway before they’re approached by Batman. From there, he tells them that Alberto was shot by Holiday prior to falling off towards a chopped-up death, thus disproving the method of Occam’s Razor towards their case. Batman then admits that instead of trying to prove that Alberto was the killer, he should’ve known better and protect his innocence. He then tells Gordon and Dent that they now have to keep a safe watch on Carmine, to which Harvey admits that it’s bizarre how they’re now looking out for the man that they originally tried to take down. James then wonders who could actually be Holiday, to which Batman also asks who the next target could be.
And so, Part 1 ends at Alberto’s funeral. Shortly after its conclusion, Bruce is met upon by Falcone as he’s persisted into helping him. Thankfully, he says that the Wayne Foundation doesn’t serve as “a money-laundering outfit for the mob”, as long as he’s running it. Carmine calmly agrees before he then introduces his female associate. As they shake hands, she uses a sentient-esque plant to take control of Bruce’s mind, revealing herself as Pamela Isley a.k.a. Poison Ivy (voiced by Katee Sackhoff).
Part 2 opens within a flowery field as Bruce and Pamela share a tender moment. However, she then takes out a pen and subtly reminds him of what he must do. It’s soon revealed in reality that Poison Ivy is in complete control over him as she makes him transfer his foundation’s assets over to Carmine. Afterwards, he unwillingly heads over to her so that she can maintain her control over him.
Over the next few months, Holiday continues to strike and unopposed as the murderer easily manages to take out several of Sal’s men in front of his restaurant on Valentine’s Day, with James & Harvey unable to get in contact with Batman. Holiday then continues its seasonal slayings on St. Patrick’s Day as Falcone and his driver notice a group of murdered gangsters while they’re out for a nighttime drive. Once again, Gordon isn’t able to get the Dark Knight’s attention.
We shift ahead to April Fool’s Day over at Wayne Manor as Pamela is about to make Bruce transfer his company’s entire stock to the Roman. Just then, a breeze comes in and blows the documents away as Catwoman arrives.
However, Poison Ivy responds by having her sentient plants go after her, forcing Selina to take some evasive action. As Pamela attempts to smite her foe, she unintentionally loosens her grasp upon Bruce’s mind. She manages to rectify it before Catwoman jumps down and attacks her.
However, the mind-controlled Wayne interferes and throws Selina towards the wall before he starts to choke her. After her attempts to talk with him do her no good, she uses her claws to break free before she slashes away at the mind-controlling plant upon his chest, freeing him before he passes out. Poison Ivy strikes back with her sentient plants, forcing Selina to dodge them before she finally brings the fight to an end by delivering a swift kick to Pamela’s face. As a result, the plants wither away and relinquish their control over the whole manor.
As Alfred and Bruce regain their consciousness, they find Catwoman subduing Poison Ivy before she informs them that not only has Wayne been seen around town with Pamela, but he’s also unknowingly signed over his assets to Falcone. As Alfred heads out to contact their lawyers, Selina tells Bruce that the police are on their way and that he should share all that he remembers to them before resting up. He then learns that he’s been under Poison Ivy’s control for the past three months, while Holiday is still running rampant.
We then shift ahead to a rainy night as Harvey is getting dropped off at a crime scene within Chong’s Tea House. He tries to tell Gilda that they can catch a late showing at the movie theater, but she says that she would rather go home. From there, Harvey heads inside and makes his way into the store’s sub-level where he finds a large amount of guns and bullets. He soon comes across James who informs him that Chong was supplying Holiday with the same kind of gun with its serial numbers scratched off. Harvey says that they should’ve moved in sooner, since their murderer is trying to cover up its tracks. It turns out that Chong was Holiday’s victim on Mother’s Day (which is the second Sunday of May) as Dent wonders where the Caped Crusader is.
Over at Arkham Asylum, an inmate has managed to escape as it turns out to be Dr. Jonathan Crane a.k.a. Scarecrow (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes). He confiscated a horse and proceeds to ride off through the nearby woods, when he’s suddenly tackled by Batman. Scarecrow attempts to spray him with fear gas, but the Dark Knight was wearing his gas mask before he demands to know who helped him escape. However, Johnathan managed to discreetly inject his fear toxin into Batman as it takes hold of his mind and mentally warps his surroundings into a nightmare-filled landscape. Crane then proceeds to respond by mentioning that “his mother” busted him out, but also says that he strangled her to death years ago. From there, the frightening images subdue Bruce long enough for Scarecrow to finally escape.
Later, a couple & their son have just seen a movie and attempt to make their way through an alley. Suddenly, they’re approached by the fear-stricken Batman who begins to see them as his parents and childhood self while he becomes Joe Chill. From there, the familiar incident of Thomas & Martha’s murder plays out. While he grieves over this, the couple and their son proceed to head out. Afterwards, Bruce takes off his cowl before he’s met by Catwoman whom he sees in his mother’s image.
From there, he’s brought back to his home where he’s met upon by Alfred. After Wayne asks about his mom, Pennyworth realized who helped him out before he brings Bruce inside while Catwoman discreetly watches from behind the fountain.
Over at the Dent’s house the next day, Gilda is watching a newscast on how there were actually two inmates that broke out of Arkham. During this, Harvey is about to head out to work. Suddenly, Gilda stops him since he forgot to also take his lunch. After Harvey acquires it and heads out, she proceeds to close the front door and lock it up.
We then shift over to Falcone’s penthouse at night as a towering young woman named Sofia (voiced by Laila Berzins) has arrived to see her dad. After she’s allowed in, she finally makes it up to see him as she tells him that with all of the trouble that’s befallen the family, she wants to get involved, especially since she was the one who helped the Scarecrow escape via her father’s orders. Despite their key figures getting taken out by either Holiday or Sal and with Bruce regaining his senses & blocking access to his foundation’s assets, Carmine isn’t willing to bring her on since his new earners would be under the impression that he’s getting weak and is also prepping his successor. From there, he gives her some money in order to spend it on something extravagant before he heads back inside, to which Sofia manages to see the Scarecrow within the room just before the door closes.
We shift ahead to the next morning at Wayne Manor as Bruce gets interrogated by James & Harvey. In particular, they ask him about Alberto’s murder on New Year’s, since he was the lone passenger who didn’t provide a statement. Bruce says that he left the party early via a dinghy and that even if he was able to give a statement, it would’ve “been a matter of public record” that would’ve potentially placed his name with a young woman that he went to see, especially since she has a husband. Dent then brings up Bruce’s recently-negated asset transfers to Carmine before asking if his dad was “drugged and manipulated” into engaging in a business partnership with Falcone, which helped the Roman become the powerful man that he is today. Wayne admits that his father did help build several hospitals with Carmine, but his only influence was his “overwhelming desire to save innocent lives”. Harvey then asks him if there were any innocent lives that were traded as a result, to which Bruce tells that he only knows of two.
We then flashback to his childhood as Young Bruce Wayne (voiced by Zach Callison) is looking over his parents’ library before he heads up to the second level. Suddenly, Alfred, Dr. Thomas Wayne (also voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) and Vincent Falcone (also voiced by Fred Tatasciore) carry his wounded boy Carmine into the room. Thomas tells Vincent that his son has taken five bullets to the chest and that he needs to be in a hospital, but the then-current Roman says that Luigi Maroni would easily hunt his boy down there and execute him. As such, he begs the good doctor to save his son, to which Thomas agrees and asks Alfred for assistance, all the while Bruce discreetly watches from afar.
Later, Dr. Wayne managed to extract the bullets from Carmine’s chest before wrapping some bandages onto him. Vincent gives a humble thanks before they their leave in order to let Falcone’s son rest. Afterwards, Bruce heads down before he notices a familiar coin on the floor and picks it up. From there, Carmine wearily talks to him about how they’re technically family due to his dad saving his life. Young Bruce then mentions the coin, to which Carmine that it was his “insurance policy” because of the many bad people out in the world, especially the superstitious criminals. After he says that “a good flip of the coin” can help in getting out of a hairy situation, it’s soon revealed to be the double-headed coin. Even though it didn’t work for him that night, he still tells the boy that “two heads are better than one” before letting him keep it by mentioning how all they get in life is all that they take.
From there, the flashback ends as Bruce tells Gordon & Dent that he was eight years old when his father did another medical act when the same fate fell onto Luigi Maroni. However, his dad wound up “dead by a mobster’s hand within a year”, which also severed all connections between his family and the Falcone’s. From there, James & Harvey get dismissed as Alfred provides them with a list of people who can back up Bruce’s whereabouts on New Year’s. He then wishes them luck on providing Alberto the justice that Thomas & Martha Wayne didn’t get for their murder. Dent then tells Pennyworth that his boss should stay far away from people like Carmine before Alfred heads back inside. Afterwards, Bruce comes in and say that they’ll be keeping a close eye on him. However, he won’t be staying put since he still has some work to do as his masked persona.
Meanwhile, Sal is visiting a key family member of his. However, he’s not alone as Sofia is alongside him as his lover. While she stays put, he heads over to his father Luigi Maroni (also voiced by Titus Welliver) with some cannolis for Father’s Day. Sal then mentions how their feud with the Falcone family is getting strained, since they blame the Maroni clan for the Holiday killings. Luigi then says that Carmine’s paranoia is less on the mysterious murderer and more towards Dent, with the two figures possibly being the same person. Sal doesn’t think that the District Attorney would go that far and believes that it’s actually Batman, to which Luigi tells him that he must take peaceful action with the Roman himself in order for this war to end. Suddenly, he gets shot in the neck as Sal can only watch in horror as his father loses his life.
He then sees Holiday and chases after the fiend, but he trips over a tree root and loses his target. From there, Sofia meets up with him after hearing the gunshot. Afterwards, they notice that Holiday has left the gun and a tie over at Luigi’s corpse as Sal tearfully mourns over his loss before he knows what he has to do.
We then shift over to a cemetery at night as Carmine meets up with a hitman over within a tomb, unaware that Catwoman is overhearing their conversation. After he pays the guy for an upcoming hit, Falcone takes his leave. Shortly afterwards, the hitman heads out as Selina discreetly follows him.
Over in the D.A.’s office, Harvey is looking over some pictures of the Roman. Suddenly, he’s met upon by Sal as he discreetly grabs a letter opener in defense. Maroni tells him that he wants to finally stop his family’s war with the Falcone clan, even mentioning his father’s final words. As such, he tells Dent that he wants to make a deal with him. Sal is willing to provide incriminating evidence on Carmine, so long as he and his men get expunged of any and all outstanding warrants. In the end, Harvey subtly agrees via a flip of his two-headed coin.
We then shift over to the city boardwalks as fireworks fill the skies for Independence Day. While they’re present alongside their families, Dent mentions how there’s hardly a crowd here, but James appreciates it, since there’s less targets for Holiday to go after. Gordon then asks about the deal with Sal, to which Harvey mentions that he’s willing to testify in court in order to help put the Roman away for good. Gilda then notices that Carmine is approaching while being escorted by a few officers, who briefly talks to them before heading out. From there, he subtly signals his hitman to carry out his job.
Meanwhile, Batman arrives at the Gotham Bank. She soon discovers that Renee and several officers have been stricken by fear as he puts on his gas mask and heads inside. Over with the Scarecrow, he’s loaded up several bags of money and placed them onto a horse-drawn carriage. Suddenly, he’s met upon by Batman who hits him. Jonathan then uses his fear gas as a smokescreen in order to flee, but the Dark Knight catches up and subdues him. Before he can finally capture his foe, he’s suddenly smacked on the head and knocked out by Jervis Tetch a.k.a. Mad Hatter (voiced by John DiMaggio).
Back over on the boardwalk, Harvey tells Gilda that he’s up for their attempt at having their own children. Suddenly, the hitman emerges and attempts to assassinate him. Thankfully, Catwoman manages to push Harvey out of the way in time. From there, she chases after the goon as they head towards the sandy shore. Harvey then proceeds to join the pursuit before he soon sees the hitman attempting to strangle Selina. Fortunately, she’s able to flip the fiend off of her before a brief scuffle ensues.
Afterwards, Dent arrives and demands to know why he’s been targeted, to which the gunman says that he wasn’t going after him. Catwoman then attacks him before Harvey steps in to stop her. Just as she tells him that someone is trying to provoke him, the hitman recovers and knocks her out with a stone before he flees into the sewer.
Dent follows after him before they engage each other in a brief fight. However, the hitman manages to subdue Harvey with a kick to his stomach before kicking him in the head, causing Dent to lose consciousness while some inner voice tells him to “Get Up”.
Meanwhile over at the cemetery, Mad Hatter & Scarecrow have taken their bounty and a tied-up Batman over to a tomb. From there, they begin to drop the money off inside of it before they eventually have their devious way with the captured Caped Crusader. Just as Crane notices that their foe has somehow escaped, Batman takes out Tetch with a fierce punch before he redirects Jonathan’s fear gas back onto him, thus disrupting their transactional business with Falcone.
Back with Harvey, he finally wakes up before he comes across Holiday’s gun and a miniature Statue of Liberty model, as they’re placed next to the hitman who’s just been murdered. Just then, searchlights pop up as the police are about to descend onto the scene. He then hears an inner voice telling him to “Run” as he retreats into the sewer.
We then shift ahead to the Dent household as a newscast shows Carmine’s sister Carla Viti (also voiced by Amy Landecker) being interviewed, where she accuses Harvey of being behind the Holiday murders. As Gilda watches this, it’s revealed that her relationship with Harvey has gotten rocky with her wanting them to go to therapy while he thinks that she wants a divorce, with even his inner voice calling her ungrateful. He soon calms down and prepares to head out for a trial before he tells her that she left the basement door open, to which she says that she hasn’t been down there today. Unbeknownst to them, Batman had overheard their conversation from their cellar before he investigates a nearby tool cabinet with an Oxford University pennant over it. Soon enough, he pulls back a cloth and makes a key discovery underneath it.
Later at the Gotham City Courthouse, the trial is underway as Harvey attempts to question Sal while he’s on the stand. However, his inner voice keeps distracting him with proclamations of “murderer” and “confess”. As James wonders what Dent is doing, Renee suddenly informs him that “he’s” waiting for him on the roof. Soon enough, Gordon meets up with Batman who reveals the familiar gun to him.
Back with Dent, he asks Sal if his murders of certain men came under Carmine’s orders. However, Maroni smugly says that they weren’t at all, causing the audience to laugh at Harvey as the whole deal begins to blow up in his face. As Sal takes out some antacid, Dent reminds him of his pending immunity only happening if he delivers a truthful testimony. However, Maroni continues to say that Falcone is innocent of this charge. As Harvey requests for a continuance, Sal asks him if he meant “Holiday”. With Maroni fully believing that Dent is the mysterious murderer, he soon splashes the antacid onto Harvey’s face, revealing that it’s toxic acid. As Dent falls over in pain, Sal gets restrained while yelling that the acid is tough enough to melt through concrete before he’s taken away. As the crowd flees, Batman and James arrive too late as they witness the result of their friend’s cruel fate.
Later, Dent is resting up at the hospital while James and Gilda stand outside his room with some officers. Just then, his inner voice starts to take over as he tells Harvey that he’s been accused of the Holiday killings. Soon enough, his other personality assumes full control just as his cell phone rings as he answers and learns about an important meet-up. Meanwhile, James lets Gilda know that the doctors have informed him about her husband’s path to recovery. Suddenly, a nurse discovers that he’s escaped. As such, Gordon heads out with his fellow cops to go find him.
Later, Harvey arrives at a secluded location alongside a pair of Carmine’s men. Just as he discovers what’s truly going on, Falcone calls him up and confirms that he’s not meeting him. In fact, this was a ploy in order for his men to bump him off. After Carmine hangs up, Dent pretends that he’s still on the line and tells the goons that their boss wants to talk. As one of the guys heads over, Harvey manages to grab him and use his body as a shield before using the gun to disarm & wound the other man. From there, Dent charges at him as they fall into the city’s water system. After Harvey executes the guy by snapping his neck, he’s unable to swim out of the raging current as he gets dragged into the underground system.
Over at Carmine’s penthouse, Carla is impatiently waiting for the elevator to arrive. Back on his top-floor suite, the Roman’s birthday party is in full swing. Soon enough, Sofia emerges from the kitchen with his birthday cake while leading the crowd in the singing of “Happy Birthday” in Italian. After he blows out his candles, Falcone thanks Sofia for being a key catalyst in ending their feud with the Maroni’s, especially since it helped put Dent out of commission. Just as he wonders where his sister Carla is so that he can properly thank her, the elevator arrives as he, Sofia and their guests are horrified to discover that Holiday has struck again by bumping her off.
Over at the Dent’s house, Gilda heads outside to have a cigarette just as Batman approaches her. He says that he’s trying to find her husband by interviewing all of his known associates. From there, he asks her if she noticed any recent behavioral changes from Harvey before he brings up his possible connection to Oxford University. After mentioning that it’s possibly important, Batman begins to take his leave. Gilda then asks why this feels personal to him, to which he says that he wants to help his friend.
Over in the sewers, Harvey has washed up into a particular section before he’s met upon by Solomon Grundy. Dent then manages to tell the entire rhyme that the titular being is named after. As Solomon continues to utter “Born on a Monday”, Harvey realizes that this being has come back to life before he wonders if a man is capable of living “two lives”. Inspired by how his newfound ally came to his resurrected self, Dent proceeds to tears off his bandages in order to be properly reborn.
Over at Arkham Asylum, Batman visits the imprisoned Calendar Man on Labor Day. The Dark Knight interrogates him in order to find Harvey, especially since he’s assuming that Dent is Holiday. Julian says that James and his men have also asked him about Harvey’s whereabouts, but he continues to mention that he’ll only talk if he’s allowed to go free in order for him to “stop the killing”. Batman disagrees as he takes his leave, but Calendar Man gets his attention by mentioning that since today is another notable holiday, he has something that their murderer wants.
Later, the police are transporting Sal by taking a long and roundabout route. Suddenly, Solomon throws a dumpster from a nearby alley as the vehicles end up crashing into each other, even causing the transport vehicle to fall over.
Afterwards, Grundy breaks in and grabs the heavily-covered guard by his neck. Maroni then attempts to run off into an alleyway before he’s met upon by Harvey. From there, James arrives and confronts them. However, Dent says that he’s not going to kill Sal, but instead thank him for his “new outlook”, revealing his new self as Two-Face. From there, he takes out the handgun that James had previously given him and holds it up at Maroni. Gordon then informs him that they found Holiday’s gun in his basement, to which Two-Face suddenly makes a realization. As James says that he wants to bring him in to receive some much-needed help, Harvey tells him that they can’t stop men like Sal, since they only be defeated “on their own terms”. As such, he decides to flip his two-headed coin before he carries out his execution.
Back with the guard, he takes out an explosive pellet and disorients Solomon in order to escape his grasp. He then tells Dent that he does have a choice in this before he reveals himself as Batman. Just as Two-Face surrenders, Maroni gets shot in the head as they discover Holiday from a nearby scaffolding before discarding the weapon. James returns fire as Holiday flees while Batman attempts to go after the murderer, but Harvey interferes by slamming the Dark Knight into the wall before disarming Gordon. From there, he and Grundy proceed to escape. Shortly after they recover, Batman picks up Holiday’s weapon while James looks over Sal’s corpse as they wonder how they’re going to proceed with this case.
We then shift over to Halloween morning at Wayne Manor as Bruce asks Alfred about his parents and their attempt to forge a long-lasting legacy onto Gotham, albeit through partnering themselves with the Falcone family. Pennyworth says that Thomas and Martha were “two good people living in an exceptionally bad place” while they did their best to make it better. Even though they made their share of “difficult choices” and mistakes, it was a price that they chose to pay. Bruce then says that his crime-fighting actions was meant to be his way of honoring his parents, but he then asks if he’s actually doing this as a means to “redeem them”. Fortunately, Alfred says that they would be proud of him protecting “their real legacy”.
Over at the Dent household, several officers (including Montoya and Pierce) have been assigned to keep watch over Gilda. While they wait to hear where & when Harvey will pop up, Gilda tells them that her husband is “dead”.
Over at Arkham Asylum, Calendar Man is met upon by a guard who’s about to feed him some tacos. Suddenly, a massive thump rings out as the official heads over to investigate. He soon meets up with another guard as they notice that something is trying to break in. Soon enough, the door gets forced open as they’re met upon by Solomon and Two-Face.
Over at the Gotham Police Department, Batman and James talk about Holiday’s attack while Harvey was also present amongst them, assuming that the murderer is a hitman that was hired by Dent. The Dark Knight then asks if Harvey attended Oxford, to which Gordon says that it was actually Gotham University. With them already having compiled enough evidence to arrest Harvey, Batman finds it hard to believe that the same man who made a vow with them one year ago would truly cross the line. James then says that if he believes that Dent isn’t Holiday, then he has to find that crucial piece of evidence to prove it. Otherwise, they’ll have no choice but to bring Harvey in.
As such, the Caped Crusader meets up with Carmine over at his penthouse. Falcone says that his men have dubbed this entire past year of Holiday-themed murders as “The Long Halloween”, with three family members and half of his men having been wiped out overall. Batman then asks why Dent would want to take Alberto out, to which the Roman regrets not being “a better father” to his son. He then mentions a rule that he and his men follow, in that they leave their wives out of their shady business. However, he says that Harvey hasn’t been playing by this rule, to which Batman tries to inquire about this. Instead, Carmine takes out his gun and aims it at him. Fortunately, Catwoman arrives and kicks the Roman. By the time Sofia comes in to check up on her father, Bruce & Selina had already fled to an adjacent rooftop, to which he then asks her why she’s been obsessed with the Falcone’s.
After she takes off her mask, he thanks her for helping him home during his drugged-up state. She then says that while he mistook her for his mother, she doesn’t know what her mom’s name is. However, she thinks that Carmine is the only one who can answer that, as Bruce discovers that the Roman is actually her father. After they agree that the notion of “a normal family” doesn’t exist to them, they proceed to share a kiss. Suddenly, a massive explosion occurs within the city as they take notice.
Back on the ground floor of the penthouse, the officers soon hear the explosion as the dispatcher informs them about it. While most of the cops head out to deal with this sudden crisis, Renee and Pearce are among the few who stay put, especially since they still need to look after Gilda.
Over within the city, a wave of fear gas has spread throughout as Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Mad Hatter are out causing chaos. Despite them being amongst the inmates who’ve been broken out of Arkham Asylum, Calendar Man was the lone exception due to him screwing up on the coin toss.
Back over in the penthouse, Sofia continues to look after her father. Carmine then admits that maybe he’s gotten too old to keep running their family’s crime-ridden business. Sofia then says that so many things have changed over the years and even though he’s done his best in adapting to those changes, he’s never had to hire any familiar foe like Poison Ivy or Scarecrow before. Suddenly, they get informed that the cops have left and that they can’t contact their fellow men.
Over in the main area of the penthouse, Falcone’s remaining comrades overhear their fellow men getting overwhelmed by the intruders over on their radio. From there, the elevator begins to make its way up to the penthouse. Shortly after it arrives, Grundy bursts out and attacks them while withstanding their gunfire. Carmine and Sofia overhear this on the intercom before they arm themselves with powerful guns.
Shortly after Solomon takes out the last henchman, Two-Face comes in alongside Joker and Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin (also voiced by David Dastmalchian). Suddenly, they’re met upon by Sofia who proceeds to open fire on them. While Grundy continues to withstand the opposing bullets, Two-Face and company are forced into taking cover. Ultimately, Penguin gets the drop on her by firing a small missile-like projectile from his umbrella. Falcone emerges and discovers his daughter covered within the rubble before he finally engages them. Despite the powerful shots from his gun, Solomon is able to withstand the bullets before charging right towards the Roman.
Carmine managed to retreat to his main office in preparation for their arrival, but he’s soon met upon by Poison Ivy who attacks him with her sentient plant before arriving alongside Jonathan and Jervis, while Harvey & company also make their way inside.
Back on the streets, James and his fellow officers arrive at the destructive aftermath. Gordon learns that the villains escaped using the sewer system and all of this commotion was just one big distraction, to which he ponders what they’re supposed to be distracted from.
Back in Falcone’s penthouse, Carmine is bound by Poison Ivy’s plant as Two-Face thanks him for teaching him how everyone is both innocent & guilty and that justice is only determined by luck, unless someone is able to corrupt it in their favor. He then tells the Roman that he’s rigged every system in favor of both his business & family. However, Dent then says that it can be the most minor of changes that could decide whether he lives or dies. He then picks up the gun and points it and Falcone’s head, who tells him to just pull the trigger. However, Harvey says that it’s actually up to Lady Luck on whether he’ll carry out the execution. As such, he proceeds to flip his coin.
Suddenly, a series of smokescreen missiles pour in and clouds the room. Two-Face sees his coin rolling away as he chases after it, while Batman and Catwoman arrive. From there, they proceed to fight the present villains.
During the tussle, Bruce manages to save Selina from Scarecrow before disarming his glove, which contained the dispersal unit for his fear gas. From there, he places it in Solomon’s mouth as the gas proves strong enough to knock Grundy out. Afterwards, Penguin tries to attack Bruce. Fortunately, Selina easily knocks him out with a swift kick to his face.
With most of the villains defeated, Batman soon finds himself going up against the Joker. With the Clown Prince of Crime constantly lunging away with a knife, Bruce smacks him with Penguin’s umbrella and defeats him.
However, Two-Face has reclaimed his coin and has made his way back to Carmine. Not only that, but Batman and Catwoman get subdued by Poison Ivy’s sentient plant. Pamela then attempts to put Bruce under her control again as he slips into his mental consciousness. Fortunately, he resists her attempt and delivers a fierce headbutt that knocks her out, thus relinquishing her natural bond over our heroes. From there, they find themselves in a standoff with Two-Face. Unbeknownst to them all, Sofia begins to wake up from her near-fatal hit.
Batman attempts to tell his former friend that he doesn’t have to do this. However, Harvey says that he’s changed and that he’s not being held back by either “petty motives like revenge” or even “career advancement”. As such, he no longer decides who’s innocent or guilty and that all he does is “execute”. From there, his flips his coin as it ultimately lands on the scared side. As such, he fires two shots into Falcone’s neck. While Batman tries to apply some pressure to the Roman’s wound, Catwoman tackles Dent and repeatedly hits him with his gun.
Suddenly, Sofia comes in and sees the situation. She then proceeds to ram into Selina before she gets the gun and aims it at Two-Face. However, she soon finds it empty as Harvey says that he only loaded it with two bullets. Sofia then starts to feel emotionally overwhelmed as she backs up. However, she trips over Poison Ivy’s plant before Selina attempts to intervene. They end up falling out the shattered window as Catwoman managed to grab onto both the ledge and Sofia. Despite Selina doing her best to hold onto the Roman’s daughter, Sofia willingly lets go and ultimately falls onto a police car.
After Catwoman pulls herself back up, she makes her way over to Carmine and takes her mask off. As he sees her face, he thinks that she’s a woman named Louisa as she finally learns her mother’s name before heading out. Batman then offers his help, but Falcone declines. From there, Bruce brings up the familiar phrase: “All we get is all we take.” Carmine asks him if he still believes in it, to which Batman says that he does. Afterwards, the bullet wound finally takes its toll as Falcone passes on.
Later on the Gotham Police Department’s roof, James arrives to see that not only is the Bat-Signal on, but Two-Face is also present. As Gordon shuts it off and Batman makes his presence known, Harvey says that because the Roman is finally deceased, there won’t be any concern of bribed judges or missing witnesses concerning the newly-concluded “Long Halloween”. James then tells him that he’s gone against his whole belief with the law, but Two-Face says that he hasn’t as he offers to be arrested and take responsibility for not only murdering Carmine, but for also the numerous executions carried out by Holiday. Gordon then proceeds to handcuff him before Batman asks if the promise they all made one year ago was ultimately worth the price that was paid. James said that while the good guys did win this fight, they won’t know if it was ultimately worth it for a long time.
Later, Harvey has been placed with Arkham Asylum as he sits within his cell before he suddenly utters “Gilda”.
Over at her home, she’s burning the Holiday disguise and every related object within her basement furnace as she tells Batman that she was the one who attended Oxford University. During their conversation, it’s revealed that she met Alberto there. They fell in love for each other and ultimately became pregnant with a child out of wedlock, though they would get married on the same day that they found out. However, due to Alberto being in line to his empire, Carmine would never allow a child born in that condition. As such, he annulled their marriage and had her unborn child ripped from her womb. After this moment left her emotionally broken, she left for Gotham and ultimately married Harvey. However, he was too busy fighting his own demons, thus leaving her alone to wrestle with her own. As such, she created the Holiday persona and carried out her slow burn plan of executing the Falcone family, even admitting that she had no regrets for her actions. She then asks Batman if he’s going to arrest her, but he only asks her if her Holiday guise is finally done, to which she says that it’s finished. As the Dark Knight is about to take his leave, Gilda asks him how long Harvey knew that she was Holiday all along and if he ended up telling him about it. Batman says that he didn’t knowingly tell him, but he began to figure it out once Harvey protected her after she executed Sal, especially since he blames himself for not saving his friend. Gilda then asks him if he’ll tell James about this, to which he silently takes his leave.
Later at Wayne Manor, Alfred is waiting to hand out some candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Bruce once again tells his butler that they don’t get anyone on this particular evening, before mentioning that it will take loads of good people to commit towards better changes in order for it to becomes a reality. Just then, the doorbell rings as Alfred goes to answer it while Selina joins Bruce in finding out as well. It’s soon revealed to be the familiar family as their son is dressed up as Batman, serving as a signal that positive change is happening.
And so, the film ends on a post-credit scene as Alfred discovers a pair of familiar figures have arrived in order to meet up with Bruce. In particular, it’s revealed to be Flash and Green Arrow.
Now that this lengthy tale is done, let’s finally get into my character analysis. Starting things off, we have our Caped Crusader himself: Batman. In a similar fashion to Matt Reeves’ first cinematic outing with the Caped Crusader, we have a version who’s fairly new to the crime-fighting world. Because of how harrowing and complex this situation becomes, he’s forced into developing his detective skills in order to get an effective grasp upon it. Due to his youthful inexperience with all of this, he makes assumptions upon certain known criminals and associates due to each of them having their motives make just enough sense, only for him to be proven wrong when Holiday commits a murder that goes against what he thought was right. Even James Gordon has to call him out on his interrogation skills when the two of them are unable to get any juicy details from Mickey Chen, since he takes his “Bad Cop” too far and starts to get physically rough with the thug. As if juggling all of that wasn’t enough for the Dark Knight to handle, there’s also the reveal in Part 2 how his parents were connected to the Roman himself. In a similar way to the version of Thomas Wayne from the live-action 2022 film, he and Martha entered into a noble act with the best of intentions in their efforts to give back to certain Gothamites who were nowhere near as fortunate as they were. Unfortunately, whether through partnering up with an eventual crime boss here or not being completely aware of how his financial aid would ultimately be handled there, Gotham’s criminal underworld managed to find a way in order to benefit from it for themselves. As such, both see Bruce’s parents cast in a somewhat shady light and he questions whether he’s fighting crime in order to avenge their deaths or to redeem them for their past actions. However, while the Wayne family’s connection to the Falcone’s is present throughout, I wish that it would’ve made a stronger impact by the end. It sort of hovers over the preceding events and never becomes entirely gripping when all is said-and-done. Not to mention, he’s also absent for a decent amount of time in the second part following his interrogation from James and Harvey. From there, he only shows up periodically for his confrontation against Scarecrow & Mad Hatter, his investigation within the Dent’s basement, him showing his findings to Gordon and then talking to Gilda once her husband has escaped from the hospital. Sure, he can’t be seen in his civilian guise after Poison Ivy used him in order to discreetly hand over control of his company to Carmine, but a stronger family influence would’ve gone a long way in making that theme strong. Either way, Batman’s own self-development into the kind of crime-fighter that his city will need him to be is handled nicely here with Jensen Ackles turning in a good performance. Just like Robert Pattinson’s initial live-action portrayal of the character, it’s possible that the actor has to grow on me before I look back and give higher marks towards their approach towards the Caped Crusader and his civilian side as well. Despite that, Ackles still tackled his part with confidence. In a similar twist of fate on how Rosario Dawson was promoted from Artemis to Diana herself over the same overarching line, he handles the jump from Red Hood to the Dark Knight with absolute confidence. It’ll be interesting to see how he grows within this role throughout this universal string of movies, but here’s hoping that he gets the chance to make some notable impact during his time.
Next up, let’s see if I can discover something interesting with our Feline Fatale herself: Catwoman. When she’s around Batman, she’s playfully sensual while also conveniently helpful to his cause early on. Throughout the events of this story, there are some subtle hints at her disdained connection to Carmine, while her figuring out that Bruce & Batman are one and the same are even subtler throughout Part 1. During Part 2, she starts to show some partner-esque respect towards him when she frees him from Poison Ivy’s mind control before eventually helping him back to his home after he was affected by Scarecrow’s fear toxin. From there, she gets a major scene where she interferes with a hitman hired by the Roman from performing his assignment on the Dents, most likely on Gilda given a later statement from Carmine and from what he tells Selina and Harvey during their struggle. At this point in the narrative, it possibly puts her ahead of what Bruce will eventually discover in terms of Holiday’s true identity since from there, she doesn’t pop up again until she saves him from Carmine before she goes on to tell Bruce about her connection to the Roman. From there, she helps Batman take down the present rogues and Two-Face before learning the potential name of her mother from a fatally-wounded Carmine. Though she does stay with Bruce for Halloween night by the end, I can see her follow-up “Catwoman: When In Rome” also made within this particular line. Of course, she would have to be recasted due to the tragic nature of her voice actress. As far as what Selina goes through for this two-part tale, it’s not really an overarching journey for her, but the closest one that I can find is her desire to belong somewhere that makes her feel as close to being home with others as she can. It’s possible that her follow-up story will eventually be adapted and that it can be built upon to flesh out her characterization, but she serves her supporting role here with respectful grace. For what would tragically be her final role, Naya Rivera brought the right balance of seductive charm, serious concern and emotional determination. It’s a tearful shame that she lost her life at only 33 years old via a drowning incident, but at least she capped off her short career with a charming performance that will be preserved for all time.
From a shining knight of the law to a foe that’s fallen from grace, we’ve now reached Two-Face. For most of this overall tale, he’s a man who’s struggling to get a legal leg-up on putting Carmine away for good. Due to his determination with this crusade, it puts some strain on his relationship with Gilda. As if her inability to have children wasn’t bad enough (which is hinted at before it’s finally revealed why at the end), it denies him the necessary quality time that he needs to give her in order for them to be whole. When Part 2 rolls around and he gets some unexpected help from Sal, his confrontation with Carmine’s hired hitman begins to plant two seeds that would ultimately blossom: the slow realization of Holiday’s actual identity and the formation of his dominant self (Two-Face) following a failed fight with the fiend. From there, he has one last meet-up with his wife as their relationship is about to fall apart right before the fateful incident at the courthouse. With Sal betraying him and permanently scarring his face, not to mention that he’s also been pegged as Holiday, he completely loses control as his Two-Face persona takes command before he survives a confrontation with some of Carmine’s men and befriends Solomon Grundy. From there, they embark on a revenge quest, starting with Sal. When his wife arrives as Holiday and ultimately does that job for him, he and Grundy manage to get several imprisoned rogues on their side for one final assault on Carmine. Even though his initial coin flip was interrupted by Batman & Catwoman, he still had the luck of the draw as his newly-scarred coin still allowed him to execute the Roman before he’s subdued by Selina. In the end, he’s still able to make a choice as he chooses to not only turn himself in for killing Falcone, but for also every single person that Holiday bumped off in order to save Gilda. If I were to summarize Harvey’s character arc, then I would say it’s about his struggle with his ability to make his own choice. While he was still acting as a District Attorney, his two-headed coin reminded him that he was always in control over how he ran his profession. However, circumstances throughout the story have scarred him both physically & mentally, to the point where it’s shattered his worldview and he’s become a randomized gun to whomever he targets. Sure, that specific part doesn’t happen and he’s able to finish off Carmine in cold blood on the luck of a coin flip, but it sets him up to become the fascinating foe from the comics. For this somewhat dual role, Josh Duhamel was pretty neat throughout. His normal voice brought a gentleman-esque quality and some decent range to Harvey, while his approach to Two-Face seems like he’s trying to channel a familiar gravel that Richard Moll originally harnessed during the days of the original animated series. On that note, it was decent for what it was. It could’ve had a threatening undertone to it, but what he brought served the narrative and helped him stand out at a reasonable level.
Moving on, we have the featured Roman himself: Carmine Falcone. With Holiday slowly but surely taking out several of his closet allies, he still tries to maintain control over his criminal empire. In his efforts to keep up with the times, he decides to enlist certain members from Batman’s rogues gallery just so he can keep a firm grasp on what’s his. However, this ultimately symbolizes that the age of crime bosses being the ones who get to flaunt their criminal statuses over Gotham City is getting transferred over to the familiar foes from the Dark Knight’s villain line-up. Despite his efforts (which includes making peace with Sal Maroni through his daughter Sofia), he’s ultimately done in by someone whom he may suspect but doesn’t fully account for in addition to the “better class of criminal” (in the words of Joker from “The Dark Knight”) that the Caped Crusader will most likely go up against in future struggles. With the theme of family running throughout this flick, Batman has a small-knit version that’ll more than likely grow while his parents live on within his fighting spirit. On the other hand, Carmine doesn’t entirely let his closest members in all the time. After all, he looks down upon Alberto due to his youthful actions while Sofia was a late-game entry. Even with his sister Carla, her status is more middle-of-the-road there since while he does admire her for doing media interviews, she doesn’t seem as inclusive as Sofia gets to be. As for Selina, she’s a huge afterthought given the hint at their connected past. At the time of this article, I haven’t read Catwoman’s follow-up tale “When In Rome”, so I don’t know how their sorted history played out. Either way, it’s something that could be explored in a future film. As for what we have here, Titus Welliver delivers a strong presence and a stellar range that can emit relaxing care amongst his kin, or stern anger whenever someone gets on his case. Ultimately, he helps the Roman stand out in a big way and makes the most out of a crime boss whose days of calling the seedy shots will ultimately be numbered.
Finally, let’s talk about Holiday herself: Gilda Dent. From her earliest scenes, the clues from her historical scars pop up to hint at the uneasiness that hides underneath her calm demeanor. From not “having any kids” show up at their doorstep for Halloween and the few times that she mentions that she “can’t” have children to her subtle ferment towards Carmine, as well as not having Harvey around more often to help suppress this vengeful darkness, it lays the foundation of her being discreetly more that what she regularly appears to be. Because both her and Harvey are each driven to see Carmine pay for different reasons and the fact that we see her husband more often, it throws us off her trail and puts more of the unwanted spotlight on him. As the narrative progresses, Harvey starts to discover her identity before he realizes it and decides to get arrested to protect her. From there, we get her admission to Batman as to why she went through with this revenge-fueled quest against Carmine and his associates. Even though she spilled loads of blood to finally get her payback and that her Holiday persona will be permanently retired, her status is left up in the air. It’s possible that she was a good-natured person who had this horrid turn of events get thrusted upon her, yet had enough self-control and mental foresight to smartly limit her blood-soaked drive exclusively towards the Roman and anyone who closely works for him. Ultimately, she’s a unique kind of murderer who’s mentally sound enough to not go overboard with her revenge quest, remains focused & silent enough to not draw any kind of unwanted attention towards herself and has enough mental stability to walk away once she’s accomplished her goal. Whether or not this has any lingering negative effect on her moving forward is something outside of this realm, but for what she goes through here, Julie Nathanson gave some decent-sized range to her. Combined with how infrequently the movie focuses on her, she succeeds in making the viewer not entirely conscious with what she’s doing from the shadows. In the end, her performance was nice throughout and neatly worked for this tale.
In terms of differences that this two-part movie has with its 13-part source material, here are the major ways that the film differentiates from the comic. Originally, the story begins several months prior to Halloween as it starts with Bruce attending Johnny Viti’s wedding over at Carmine’s penthouse. While this also serves as an early appearance for Selina, Harvey was also present as he snoops around the building’s sub-level parking area jotting down the license plate numbers of Falcone’s associates. It also has a scene that Matt Reeves’ movie “The Batman” most likely borrowed as Kyle breaks into Carmine’s safe as Catwoman before Batman arrives to interfere, resulting in a brief fight. Following a short chase, the Dark Knight has his first in-story meeting with James and Harvey, which occurs before Viti’s murder. In my opinion, the biggest change that Part 1 leaves out is Bruce’s firm stance against using his company to help Carmine’s money-laundering scheme. In terms of the part where Batman & Dent discover Falcone’s laundered cash via his warehouse, they automatically decide to burn it all down. The movie does add a brief moment of Harvey pondering if this is the kind of measure that must be taken in order to finally tear down the Roman’s empire and it also introduces the two-headed coin that would become a permanent fixture to him. From there, we have the goons that Carmine calls upon to take out Harvey by blowing up his house. While Mickey is the one behind the bombing, the version from the comic is Mickey “The Mick” Sullivan who’s part of a gang of Irish criminals called “The Irish”. Meanwhile, the movie makes a cultural difference by changing Sullivan into Chen, while The Irish became the San Ho Hui. Because they were minor to the overall story, I didn’t initially realize this change until Holiday was about to murder them. Also, when Batman chased Mickey into the sewers and they come across Solomon Grundy, the Caped Crusader had to fight the undead being in the comic in order to take Mickey with him. After the interrogation, we eventually learn that not only did Harvey survive the house bombing, but he also disguised himself as Mickey and gets the other imprisoned Irish members to confess about their contribution to the attempted explosion. After Mickey and his men were released from prison via bail, Dent goes to the hospital since it’s his wife that’s recovering from the blast. By the time the Joker first shows up, the comic actually shows him terrorizing a family on Christmas, as well as killing one of Sal’s men (Toots) via his own toxin within the food before interrogating Maroni himself. Afterwards, Gilda has been released from the hospital as Harvey shows her their new home. After they enter (to which she even mentions that they could attempt to have kids, by the way), he notices that something’s a miss. As such, he sends her upstairs before he comes across the Joker in their main room. Unlike the movie where James gave his handgun over to Harvey and Joker briefly uses it against him as a result, they only have a short struggle before the Clown Prince of Crime subdues him and leaves before Gilda comes across her beaten husband. As far as Batman coming along to interfere with the Joker’s murderous plot on New Year’s Eve, the film showed him at Carmine’s party before Alfred informs him. As for the comic, he simply narrates about an informant warning him too late about this, yet he arrives in time to intervene. At that time, Harvey learns about Bruce and his family’s connection to Carmine through his assistant Vernon Fields. From there, he and Gilda celebrate with James & Barbara at their home as Harvey informs James about said discovery in private. As for when Poison Ivy begins to take mental control over Bruce, it takes place during Valentine’s Day in the comic as opposed to the beginning of the year in the movie. We then have Sofia’s introduction, as she’s released from Gotham Penitentiary and immediately welcomed into Carmine’s main operations. Not only that, but it’s not until Catwoman foils her scheme that we even learn that Pamela was working for Falcone in the first place. The comic even has an exclusive scene where the Riddler (who’s exempt from the film adaptation) is meeting with Carmine and explaining his belief that either Catwoman or Carla is Holiday, while Batman thinks that Sal Maroni is the mystery killer. As for the night that Thomas Wayne saved Vincent Falcone’s son all those years ago, it came back to bite him when Gordon and Dent came across Bruce after he was affected by Scarecrow’s fear gas, causing him to run and ultimately get caught. Thankfully, he would be acquitted. From there, we have Sal’s meeting with his father Luigi and their conversation has them talking about striking back at Carmine, right before “Big Lou” gets axed off by Holiday. Another quick scene follows as Harvey informs Gilda of Bruce getting acquitted before revealing that his dad gave him the two-headed coin, followed by another brief scene where it’s revealed that not only was Carmine behind Scarecrow’s breakout, but Mad Hatter’s as well. From there, Holiday has a different victim for Independence Day and it’s the coroner. Afterwards, it’s revealed during her jail visit to him that Sofia & Sal have a secret relationship, as opposed to this partnership being what helps Falcone and Maroni bury their differences. As for Scarecrow and Mad Hatter’s money-swiping operation for the Roman getting interrupted by Batman, the only major differences is that they didn’t knock out and capture him in the process, as well as Catwoman showing up to take down Jervis. As for the fateful trial scene, it’s revealed that Vernon gave the powerful acid disguised as antacid to Sal prior to him going on the stand. After the scarred Dent escapes from the hospital, Carla gets murdered by Holiday while she’s looking through the coroner’s files. Later when Batman talks to Carmine, their conversation is much different as the Roman blames him and the cops for not properly acting against the various deaths mounting up within Falcone’s family. From there, the Dark Knight shoves him back into his apartment before he heads out. Afterwards, he spots Catwoman and asks her why she’s always showing up whenever he confronts Carmine. However, she doesn’t give him a straightforward answer before she takes her leave. Later on as the police attempt to escort Sal from meeting Holiday’s murderous wrath, they don’t even make it remotely far as Maroni gets killed. Afterwards, it’s revealed that the mysterious killer is actually Alberto before he’s quickly defeated and arrested. Several days later when Carmine visits him, it’s revealed that Alberto faked his death on New Year’s before continuing his kill spree, even executing the coroner to keep Batman & company off his trail. He even took out Carla, just because she was snooping within the coroner’s files. He then explains his motives, in that he wanted to help out in his family’s business, but Carmine wouldn’t let him. Eventually, Two-Face would break out several familiar foes (with even Catwoman joining his venture) as they storm Falcone’s penthouse to finally tear the Roman down. Even after Two-Face executes Carmine, Batman still offers to help him recover and tells him to hand the gun over. However, Harvey knocks him out with a pistol whip before Lady Luck allows him to execute Vernon for his traitorous antacid act. Later on as Two-Face turns himself in, he admits that there were actually two Holiday killers. During the ending, it’s revealed that Gilda was the second Holiday in order to help him speed up the process so that they could finally start building their family. For the film adaptation, some of those were either truncated or cut entirely to help make this story fit within its format. For certain characters, the changes helped them stand out a whole lot better here. For Catwoman, her motives felt more defined here since she interacts with Bruce more often. Sure, it brings up her connection to Carmine here and makes those hints stronger, but it’s still possible that this iteration of the character could get her follow-up tale adapted some time down the road. As for Gilda, solidifying Holiday as one person made it far less confounding than it was in the source material. After all, that version of Alberto didn’t have the disdain for his father that the movie version did. Plus, her revised motivation made it feel more personal to her, especially when the film does a good job of keeping her subconsciously off the audience’s radar. In terms of how the two-part film handles its story, the mystery was shown at a well-oiled pace as certain factions from the comic that were ultimately superfluous in the grand scheme were dealt with in order for the plot to unfold as best as it can. Just like the two previous entries within this universe, the animation is nicely handled and has a decent color palette for both daytime & the night. Finally, the action scenes are engaging and helps move the story forward. They compliment what’s going on within the narrative and flowed really well in order to keep its audience glued to what’s going on to the bitter end.
Overall, this two-part translation felt very strong. The characters are investment-worthy, the performances were nice, the mystery plot was engaging throughout, the animation flowed really well and the action complimented the narrative. It takes a story whose various elements have become influential & strong to both Nolan & Reeves’ cinematic takes on the character and handles its animated jump in a highly-effective manner. If you’re of a certain age and are interested in one of the Dark Knight’s most noteworthy tales, then check this out and celebrate its virtues, no matter what day it is.
Next Time: We once again venture outside of the main DC Universe to find a noble figure committing a horrid act after being tricked into a heart-breaking situation. From there, the hero community will become fractured on how to maintain peace upon the world and when it goes too far, it’s going to take a certain character and an army of rebels to stop this. From the digital realm to the animated world, we have another video game crossing over into this animated movie series as our heroes will become locked in a conflict that’ll display various kinds of “Injustice”.
Batman (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger) and all related characters are owned by DC Comics.
