Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2

Streaming on: Prime Video

Episodes viewed: 10 of 10

There was a lot to like about the first season of Batman: Caped Crusader, from its moody, old-school vibes to its remixed updates of deep-cut villains. But you couldn’t help but feel that Bruce Timm, who returns as showrunner, had done this all better three decades ago with the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. And while the second season of Caped Crusader is still a distance from that peak, it’s thankfully a step up from the first volume, with sharper, more mature storytelling that leans into the inherent darkness of 1940s Gotham.

The good, the bad, and the ugly impact of Batman’s crimefighting exploits is on full display in this sophomore season, from the criminal element adapting to a new threat, to cops figuring out how to work with their caped ally. The highlight comes in Episode 3, titled ‘Deep Cover’, allowing us to see Batman in a new guise as he goes undercover in a prison as Matches Malone (one of Batman’s well-known aliases in the comics). Not only does it give Hamish Linklater — who smoothly modulates his vocal performance as Bruce Wayne throughout — another mode to play, but it’s Caped Crusader at its most satisfyingly noirish. The textured animation remains largely impressive too, especially when it comes to the propulsive action. Speaking of which, a sequence illuminated only by gunfire, while no longer novel, is an aesthetically pleasing highpoint.

Perhaps the biggest and best calling card of these new episodes is how much attention is paid to the wider ensemble. In addition to a welcome continuance of a Season 1 storyline involving Harley Quinn (Jamie Chung) and Detective Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla), even Episode 7’s revenge-minded Rose (Fryda Wolff) leaves an impression. Similar could be said for the remixed characters from Batman’s world, which feel more purposeful rather than just change for change’s sake. This time round, the Riddler (Ronan Raftery) is a cackling, impulsive, easy-to-anger maniac, while the Joker (House Of The Dragon’s Matthew Needham) is all the more terrifying for being calm, careful and methodical. Though he doesn’t even speak until the end of the seventh episode, his presence is felt all the way through the season. It’s one of many smart choices that helps make Caped Crusader a distinct addition to the ever-growing roster of Batman’s animated tales.