Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2142

Fake Trailer Reimagines ZOOTOPIA as a Crime Thriller and it Works So Well

Zootopia is one of the cutest movies in recent memory, from its hilariously slow sloths to its tiny mouse district. That said, the core of the movie is decidedly pretty dark. There’s a disease that’s taking over the predators and causing them to go on murderous rampages, and Officer Judy Hopps takes it upon herself, along with sly con-artist fox Nick Wilde, to figure out what’s going on. Along the way, they run into the mob, government corruption, and a host of seedy characters and environments that aren’t quite as sunny as the film’s trailers would suggest. That’s probably why this fake trailer, created by Cinefix, which reimagines the kids’ movie as a crime thriller works so well (via Uproxx).

While the trailer mutes the vibrant colors of the film and adds dramatic music, the core of this reimagining was actually already an integral part of the film to begin with, although we may not have necessarily thought that beforehand. Usually, this type of fan project works because it takes scenes and moments from the movie and strips them of their context to make them look like something else entirely. That’s not what’s happening here, though, since everything in this faux trailer happened pretty much exactly as it’s presented.

Without the levity the more comedic, slapstick moments provide, Zootopia truly would be a crime thriller, so more so than reframing the movie into something it isn’t, this trailer simply magnifies this aspect and gives us a greater appreciation for what was already there. Zootopia is funny and cute, but there’s an intense, action-packed story behind it as well.

Featured image: Disney

Fan Art Friday #107 – Black and White Star Wars Portraits are Incredible

Let’s get dramatic for this week’s Fan Art Friday. Because Daniel Ocock’s digital art is stylized in black and white, and it’s quite striking. We have to set the mood. He uses light and shadow to great effect. His portfolio features portraits of characters you know and love, from franchises such as Star Wars, and presents them as you haven’t seen them before. Like, for example, this Boba Fett:

See? He actually looks like a threatening bounty hunter in Daniel’s art.

So, let’s check out another Boba Fett. This special, limited edition piece of art is called “Disintegrated.”

Drop to the gallery below to see more of Daniel’s illustrations. You’ll find Captain Phasma from The Force Awakens, a death trooper from Rogue One, Big Daddy from BioShock, and more. You can see additional designs and purchase prints at Daniel’s website. And guess what? He has a special discount code just for Nerdist readers, too! You can use the code NERDY17 to get 25% off your total order. The code is valid until April 9.

Do you create any sort of fan art? If so, I want to see it. Whether you focus on a specific fandom or pull inspiration from multiple stories and mediums, I’d like to highlight what you do. If you’re interested in being featured in a future edition of Fan Art Friday, get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com with examples of your work. If you’re not an artist, feel free to email me with recommendations for Fan Art Friday!

Images: Daniel Ocock

New STEVEN UNIVERSE RPG is Coming to the PS4 Later This Year

Steven Universe has a fervent fan base, and if there’s one thing the show’s creators know how to do, aside from produce high-quality television, it’s cater to their viewers. Steven Universe apparel lines the walls at Hot Topics the world over, and fans even got a highly-rated mobile game, Steven Universe: Attack The Light, in 2015. Now, the phone game is getting a sequel, but this time, it’s heading to consoles with a PlayStation 4 release (via Engadget).

While Attack The Light was praised for its depth relative to other mobile titles, its antonym of a sequel, Save The Light, was “just too big a concept for mobile,” so developer Grumpyface Studios and publisher Cartoon Network decided to bring the experience to PS4. Everybody close to the game is tight-lipped about what the game will involve. If the first game is any indication, though, its sequel should include the same Paper Mario-style combination of real-time and turn-based RPG combat.

Grumpyface’s Chris Graham shed more light on what we can expect from the game, saying that it’ll be accessible to non-fans of the franchise, while devotees will still learn a thing or two about the show’s universe. “This time around we’re featuring an updated battle system with fully customizable character selection, more emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving in 3D environments, and an all-new story from the brilliant [Steven Universe creator] Rebecca Sugar and her Steven Universe show team,” he said.

As far as plot, here’s what we know, via the Playstation Blog: “Save The Light begins when a mysterious warrior arrives in Beach City and steals a powerful weapon, and then it’s up to the Crystal Gems to embark on the magical mission to end all magical missions.”

There’s no word yet on when we can expect to see this game on shelves, but its ability to appeal to gamers with varying familiarity of the show sounds like good news. Save The Light looks colorful and bright and deep and fun, so absolutely count us in.

Featured image: Grumpyface Studios

Animated Bill Murray Joins Paul Shaffer for a Jubilant Music Video

Stephen Colbert has done a fine job hosting The Late Show during his short tenure. As we know, he took over when David Letterman retired in 2015, and that means that Letterman’s longtime bandleader Paul Shaffer was also out of a job. A positive side effect of this transition is that Shaffer has taken more time to focus on his music career. His most recent album dropped in 1993, and now, 24 years later, he’s finally preparing to release his third record, Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band. He’s been out of the album release game for a while now, but he found a great way to drum up some interest: Release a music video starring Bill Murray.

The two have worked together plenty over the years, most recently collaborating on Murray’s Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas. This time around, the track is called “Happy Street,” and it has a fun carefree energy that reminds us of that Walter Martin and Matt Berninger song that popped up a couple weeks back. The upbeat tune begins with Shaffer running into old buddy Murray on the street, and after saying, “Right now, I’m just… lovin’ the way that I’m walkin’, baby,” he launches into song about the positivity that comes with roaming the town on the lovely day.

The piano-driven number is about as joyful as it gets, and Murray is a completely competent singer capable of carrying a song. Also, he’s Bill Murray, so he can do whatever he wants and we’ll love it. “Happy Street” is a perfect spring tune to help us shake off the winter blues, so do yourself a favor and check it out above.

Featured image: Rhino

Every BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Season Finale Ranked

In case you’re living in a proverbial cave, you’ve probably heard that March 10th is the 20th Anniversary of the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, giving us a great excuse to watch this beloved TV series from start to finish! Pretty much all 144 Buffy episodes hold their own—even our least favorites weren’t the worst things we’ve seen on TV (here’s looking at you “Where The Wild Things Are”). And while we could extoll the virtues of nearly every aspect of the series, Buffy‘s seven season finales may be our favorite part of all.

Back in the heyday of weekly primetime broadcasts—before overnight Netflix drops—Buffy ended each season with a bang and planned accordingly. Sure, obligatory cliffhangers happened occasionally, but in the case of Buffy, these seven season finale are well-crafted events encapsulating where they’ve gone and what’s to come for our Scooby Gang. But how did each season finale do in accomplishing those goals? We’re ranking them all now to find out.

7. Season Six: “Grave”

After teasing the Trio—Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew—as the season’s Big Bad, events turned tragic and led to a Big Bad fans never asked for. Dark Willow emerged three episodes before “Grave” (and was briefly hinted at in season three with her vampire doppelganger), which left precious little room to build up an effective conflict between the Scooby Gang and their lovable witch pal. Dark Willow is vengeful, powerful, and feisty, but she is also the worse Big Bad in an already weak season finale.

Graves of the literal and metaphoric type were explored in season six, so the theme of death and grief was ripe for the picking. Killing off Tara (how dare you, Joss Whedon!) in order for Willow to question power and purpose in this world wasn’t the best route. Good Willow had already recognized these concepts through Buffy’s past world-saving moments. The impending showdown between Giles and Buffy vs. Dark Willow was cool and all, but the true moment of character depth in this finale was when Xander saved the world with his love for Willow—and their childhood memory of yellow crayons. In all honesty, “Grave” could have been just another episode in the season. But Buffy’s emotional reemergence and Giles’ return were key factors going into season seven, so it wasn’t a total loss.

6. Season Seven: “Chosen”

The ultimate world-ending apocalypse had to happen during Buffy‘s season and series finale. “Chosen” has all the finale tropes—inspirational pep talks, final goodbyes, big CG battles—and it almost relied on those tropes too much. The Big Bad took the form of The First, his finale minions, Caleb, and a never-ending horde of übervamps (which were interesting twists to the series lore, but weaker elements than other season finales). These Big Bads provided the main characters with little fuel to fire their development. Reminder moments—like Buffy’s cookie dough speech to Angel—were fun but not required because we knew who Buffy would choose in the end. (Although technically, the end still hasn’t happened since the series is ongoing in comic form, with Buffy and Spike still together.)

“Chosen” did succeed in flipping the series rules around. For the first time in slayer history, the chosen one became one of the chosen many in season seven. Awakening the power in every single potential slayer in the world made way for big events in the comic seasons to follow. The prophecy that started the Scooby Gang’s journey—”in every generation, a slayer is born”—was forever changed, but our heroes were in top form as strong and spirited warriors (nothing out of the ordinary though)! And it was a nice sentimental moment to end the series on a variation on the big question Willow asked Buffy in the first season finale: “What are we going to do now?”

5. Season One: “Prophecy Girl”

Our first tango with the apocalypse was the campiest season finale, “Prophecy Girl.” Season one’s iconic Big Bad, The Master, was a cranky old vampire who caused all sorts of mayhem and worked his way up to unleashing hell in Sunnydale. Also on board? Angel’s old girlfriend and vampire sire, Darla, and The Master’s little evil kid vampire, The Anointed One. In hindsight, these Big Bads were simple and generic, which doesn’t play well in its favor against other season finales. But the use of one prophecy that stated Buffy’s fate as the slayer was doomed the moment she entered Sunnydale was a powerful motivation for survival for our teenage heroine.

Nearly every episode in season one opened with the slayer’s prophecy being recited, and throughout the season finale, Buffy’s humanity proved that prophecies can change. Buffy dies for a few seconds in this finale (a significant recurrence for the series) only to be revived and kick bad guy ass. Also an important moment for this episode? After a shocking discovery in the high school, Willow asks Buffy, “What are we going to do?” to which Buffy boldly replies, “What we have to.” And that right there is the key to every single season finale—especially “Prophecy Girl.” Buffy doesn’t want to put her life on hold to save the world, she has to do it because she’s the slayer. Coming to that massive conclusion requires tons of maturity, which Buffy, even at age sixteen, could tapped into and look good doing it.

4. Season Four: “Restless”

Here’s a controversial season finale: it famously ranks as the least favorite amongst Buffy fans, but hear us out. “Restless” came on the heels of the actual victory against the season four Big Bad, Adam and the Initiative. But “Restless” proved that season finales didn’t have to rely on showing the toughest battles and CG moments. What if a season finale explored the inner workings of the main characters instead? AND what if the entire episode took place inside of a collective dream cycle with a reoccurring cheese man?

Borrowing from various influences in film and TV (notably with hints of Apocalypse Now in Xander’s dream), Joss and team dissected the main characters in complex and perplexing ways. Restlessness was experienced in spades throughout season four, so the theme for “Restless” made comprehensive sense, but the hidden beauty behind this season finale was the way the series managed to look to the future while referencing its very detailed past. Rewatch this underrated finale and you’ll notice moments that help shed new light on all the Buffy seasons before and after. In a way, it could act as a primer for newcomers to the series since it breaks down each member of the Scooby Gang—an impressive feat for a season finale!

3. Season Three: “Graduation Day, Part 2”

A subtle cliffhanger, “Graduation Day, Part 2” picked up where “Part 1” left off: Buffy’s slayer nemesis Faith has fallen off a building and landed in a coma, leaving Buffy with only one option for slayer blood to heal a dying Angel. This is important because “Graduation Day, Part 2” wasn’t just about saving the world from The Mayor and his impending apocalypse plans, it was also always about saving this one particular vampire with a soul and the limitations of trust. The entire season was wrapped up in his and Buffy’s complex relationship, which lead to Angel permanently ditching Sunnydale for L.A. but forever trusting in Buffy.

Of course, graduation was totally on every one’s mind throughout season three—the actual graduation day had to be the season finale game plan. It worked out pretty perfectly in each character’s favor as we saw Willow, Xander, and Giles expand as characters during this episode alone. The mini-war between The Mayor and the entire class of ’99 was a bit cheesy (perhaps attacking the Mayor with hummus would have been the funner option?), but in the end the overall theme that human weakness is in every single character placed this season finale high on our ranking.

2. Season Two: “Becoming, Part 2”

“Becoming, Part 2” obviously ends on a cliffhanger (like “Graduation Day, Part 2”), but we’re going to look at it as a standalone episode because it’s so damn strong on its own. Spike and Drusilla were originally the Big Bads in this season, but Angelus took the cake later on as the major Baddie, torturing Buffy’s friends and family with a cryptic smile on his face. Season two strategically posed Buffy’s first true love next to her duty to save the world from the apocalypse for the second time, ultimately reminded her that “she’s all she’s got”—which also gave us one of the most empowering scenes from the series.

“Becoming, Part 2” is in our number two slot because it heavily focused on the milestones of becoming a young adult—it was the crux for even more growing up into season three. Willow and Xander’s journeys to becoming more than just “the sidekicks” was jump-started in season two’s finale also with Xander lying to Buffy to try and save the world from Angelus while Willow delivered one epic spell to give Angel his soul back at the last moment. Oh, and Spike and Buffy’s first official team-up happened in “Becoming, Part 2” which was cause for much rejoicing.

1. Season Five: “The Gift”

This one’s special for many reasons. “The Gift” was the 100th episode of Buffy, and the season finale before the series switched over to another network for the remaining two seasons. To set the mood, season five’s stylish Big Bad Glory (a.k.a. Glorificus, The Beast, The Most Unstable One, Her Sparkling Luminescence, That Which Cannot Be Named, Sweaty-Naughty-Feelings-Causing One, etc.) planned on ending the world by opening her hell dimension using a mystic key in human form, Buffy’s kid sister Dawn. “The Gift” gave us the second death of our heroine in the most striking of ways: a swan dive into an open hell dimension following Buffy’s best inspiration speech ever delivered.

Buffy’s true gift was fully realized in season five as a literal gift to the world. The stakes were high after learning that Dawn’s blood would open Glory’s dimension. Blood—that age-old vampire life source—was definitely important throughout “The Gift,” but the true gift throughout the entire season (and basically the whole series) was Buffy’s ability to sacrifice herself for the greater good. Killing off the main character led to so many questions about the fate of the series. But for many fans, this season finale was the definitive nod to Buffy’s abilities as a slayer, sister, and friend. She saved the world… a lot. And we’ll always love “The Gift” because of its clever and emotional embrace of its leading lady and her Scooby Gang.

Relive all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer moments on Netflix and Hulu. And don’t forget season 11 of Buffy is on-going right now with its side comic book series, Buffy: The High School Years, continuing this year too. Which season finale is your favorite? Leave us your thoughts on everything Buffy related in the comments!

Images: 20th Century Fox

Did STAR WARS: AFTERMATH Finally Tell Us Snoke’s Identity?

Ever since his appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have wondered if the First Order’s Supreme Leader Snoke was actually someone we’ve already heard of or met in the Star Wars universe. And while the last movie didn’t offer many hints about Snoke’s identity, the latest Star Wars: Aftermath novel by Chuck Wendig has offered up some tantalizing hints about who Snoke really is. Today’s Nerdist News is one with the Force as the Force is with us as we search for answers!

Join host, and the last surviving member of the New Republic, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through everything we learned in Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End. As much as we enjoyed the rumors that Jar-Jar Binks was a secret Sith lord, Empire’s End put those rumors to rest by showing what happened to the former senator who gave the Emperor the means to permanently seize power. And what of the Emperor’s rumored mentor, Darth Plagueis? The possibility that Plagueis is Snoke also seems remote.

There are spoilers ahead for Empire’s End. You’ve been warned!

Until now, the most promising choice for Snoke in the Aftermath novels was Gallius Rax, a deliciously Machiavellian villain who was once a part of the Emperor’s inner circle. But we have to put that rumor to rest as well, considering that Rax meets his end in the course of this story. But without the prime suspect, who is Snoke? It turns out the answer may be more simple than we expected, as the novel describes a moment as the birth of the First Order. And it appears that Snoke may be a threat on a much grander scale than we previously imagined.

What do you think about the latest developments in Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

MARIO KART 8 on Nintendo Switch Looks Like a Ton of Fun

In terms of sales, the Wii U may not have been a worthy follow-up to the Wii for Nintendo, but the console still had plenty of good games. One of the obvious smash hits was Mario Kart 8, and as we’ve known for some time now, an enhanced port of the racer will be making its way to the Switch. We didn’t really know what these enhancements would include, but that changed today with Nintendo revealing these new features in an announcement video (above, via Hypebeast).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all the downloadable content. from the Wii U, which means you’ll be getting Link from The Legend of Zelda, Isabelle and Villager from Animal Crossing, and the new tracks and cars that came with the first and second DLC packs. As far as totally new content, the driver lineup has expanded to include Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon, King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. Some game mechanics have been altered as well: Racers can now hold two items at once. Speaking of items, some old favorites are coming back, like the Boo power-up, the feather (in Battle Mode only). There’s also a “steering assist” easy mode that’ll hopefully stop you from falling off Rainbow Road so darn much.

Oh yeah, we mentioned Battle Mode a second ago: Well, that’s new too. Just like the classic games, you can face off in a Balloon Battle, while there are new modes like a cops-and-robbers-like game called Renegade Roundup, and others. Overall, what this all means is that an already-great game just got even better, so learn more about the new features in the video above and try not to get too hyped.

Featured image: Nintendo

GAME OF THRONES Re-Throned: “The Laws of Gods and Men” (S4, E6)

Winter is coming, but not soon enough. So to help pass the time until season seven of Game of Thrones, we’re doing a weekly re-watch of the series, episode-by-episode, with the knowledge of what’s to come and—therefore—more information about the unrevealed rich history of events that took place long before the story began. Be warned, though: that means this series is full of spoilers for every season, even beyond the episode itself. So if you haven’t watched all of the show yet immediately get on that and then come back and join us for Game of Thrones Re-Throned.

Because the next best thing to watching new episodes is re-watching old ones.

——

Season 4, Episode 6: “The Laws of Gods and Men”

Original Air Date: May 11th, 2014

Director: Alik Sakharov

Written by: Bryan Cogman

“The Laws of Gods and Men” is best remembered for the incredible, and ultimately Emmy-winning performance that Peter Dinklage gave during Tyrion‘s trial for murdering King Joffrey. The sequence brought to the surface a lifetime of anger and sadness from having been treated like a monster, the lot of which exploded in a powerful courtroom “confession.” All this notwithstanding, it’s the behind-the-scenes actions of Tywin that stand out on a re-watch of the episode. That’s because we know that his cunning, seemingly expert manipulation of his children will soon lead to his death, and possibly the complete annihilation of House Lannister.

Whether Tywin ever believed Tyrion really did poison Joffrey is not clear–he repeatedly says he killed “his king”–but he’s also smart enough to know that Cersei’s accusation and evidence don’t stand on their own merits. But his stance on Tyrion’s guilt doesn’t matter. Tywin doesn’t care about his youngest son, only about whether this situation is something he can use to achieve his greater goal: the continuation of his family line.

After the first portion of the trial, which sees a litany of Tyrion’s past enemies giving testimony where they distort past incidents to make him seem guilty (and they really make him seem guilty!), Jaime goes to see his father, the lead judge, to barter for his brother’s life.

Earlier in the season, Tywin had failed to convince Jaime to resign as Lord Commander, a position that prevents him from taking lands or marrying and siring children, and to return to Casterly Rock to take his rightful place as its lord. Jaime, much to Tywin’s disgust, turned him down, swearing to uphold his sacred vows as a member of the Kingsguard. During this brief break in the trial, Jaime asks his father what will happen to the family if Tyrion, the only son who could extend Tywin’s own line, is executed. Tywin doesn’t back down, rebutting with a question about what might happen if he lets his grandson’s killer go free. That’s when Jaime offers his honor, and the chance to be with Cersei, for his brother’s well being.

“It survives through me. I’ll leave the Kingsguard. I’ll take my place as your son and heir if you let Tyrion live.”

The word “done” comes out of Tywin’s mouth instantly, because the outcome Tywin cared about achieving here had nothing to do with Tyrion and justice, but with Jaime abdicating his position and doing what Tywin wanted all along. Tywin gives a self-satisfied smirk because this has been his grand plan, the ultimate manipulation by Westeros’ greatest strategist. We know he doesn’t consider Tyrion a worthy heir (possibly because he’s actually the son of the Mad King), so risking Tyrion’s life wasn’t an issue since it possibly meant House Lannister would come out ahead, and Tywin sees Jaime’s acquiescence as the only way to ensure it will. Jaime knows he’s been played by his father, too, but is willing to pay the price to save Tyrion.

For a man who only speaks about doing what is best for his family, Tywin has never worried about whether his decisions make his children happy. In fact, they often directly lead to their misery. Cersei is a pawn to be married off when an alliance needs to be made, Jaime’s own self-worth means nothing if it doesn’t serve the family, and Tyrion is an inconvenient nuisance to be used and discarded when the situation calls for it.

For years, Tywin has believed this mentality benefits House Lannister, even if the cost was the happiness of the people that make it up. This trade with Jaime is his greatest achievement, because it undoes the intentional slight of the Mad King (who knew naming Jaime to the Kingsguard would hurt Tywin), all while exiling his Tyrion problem to the Wall.

But when they return to the court, and Shae is brought out as a witness in a crushing moment for Tyrion, all of Tywin’s mistreatment of his children comes pouring out of his youngest son. A lifetime of hatred from his father leads to Tyrion blowing up Jaime’s deal when he demands a trial by combat. It robs Tywin of his precious control over the situation, and it will lead to Tyrion being found guilty when the Mountain defeats Oberyn.

That leads to Jaime freeing his brother, but that’s not enough for Tyrion, who uses that rescue to go off and find his father. When he sees Shae in his father’s bed (Tywin always abhorred Tyrion bringing whores to his bed, especially when he served as Hand of the King), it’s finally too much. Tywin’s hypocrisy, his hatred, and the misery he has brought to his children, especially his son the dwarf, leads to Tyrion killing both Shae and Tywin.

A terrible father who never cared about the happiness of his children gets a couple of arrows in the gut as payment for a lifetime of being horrible, and the vacuum created by his death leads to his miserable, suspicious, unloving daughter–the ultimate product of Tywin’s lack of love–bringing the whole family to the brink of annihilation, likely at the Hand of the Queen.

Because as much as Tywin only cared about the future of House Lannister, he never cared about his children, and as a result the Lannisters might not have any future at all.

But what did you think of this episode? Swear to the old gods and the new in our comments section below.

Images: HBO

6-Legged Thomas the Tank Engine Flame-Throwing Robot is Here to Burn Down Your Childhood

“They’re two, they’re four, they’re six, they’re eight, Destroying trucks and melting freight. Red and green and brown and blue, Robot nightmares do come true.”

It seems that Sid, the Toy Story character known for creating amalgam toy monstrosities, has a real-life counterpart who is Frankenstein-ing toys together in some awesome (and dangerous) ways. When YouTube’s Peter Sripol received a hexapod robot toy, it seems it took him all of a few minutes before upgrading its controls and motor functions but that still wasn’t enough. Looking at his creation, he made the logical jump that we’d all make and thought, “this thing needs to be more dangerous!”

We’re filing this under the obvious “don’t try this at home” category and are thankful we get to experience it from the safety of our computers. Sripol was inspired by a similar YouTube video of, oddly enough, another Thomas the Tank Engine flamethrower and just had to make his own. With a little plumbing know-how, he added copper pipe fuel tanks and a pump delivery system to make this version of Thomas capable of leading the inevitable rise of the machines on Sodor Island. But if we’re honest with ourselves, Sir Topham Hatt probably has it coming with the way he treats Thomas and his ever-looming threat of “being cross.”

What do you think of these terrifying upgrades to everyone’s favorite lovable train? Does Thomas have a future in the Battlebots ring? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: PeterSripol

BATMAN Reanimated – ‘Never Fear’ Brings Scarecrow to Chilling New Life

One of the hallmarks of Batman as a hero is that, unlike Superman, Wonder Woman, or almost any other hero, fear is integral to his persona. He has the ability to overcome fear in himself (he was a Green Lantern briefly in comic form) but he also has the ability to instill great fear in his enemies, sticking to the shadows, being the thing that goes bump in the night for all of Gotham City’s many evildoers. In The New Adventures of Batman episode “Never Fear,” we get to see what happens when he truly has no fear…and it’s not a pretty sight.

The Scarecrow was one of the most frequent villains on Batman: The Animated Series and he gave us some of the show’s best and most troubling episodes (“Nothing to Fear” being possibly the best). The series played up that Batman was scare-able, even if he was the figure of fear most of the time. By time the revamp came around, they needed to something a little different. Why not go t’other way with it?

The episode opens with some jag jumping around and swinging on rooftops. When Batman gets up there to bring him down — a kind of a waste of his talents, to be honest — the man is zero percent afraid and dives off, forcing Batman to dive after him. The following day at Wayne Enterprises, as Bruce and Tim discuss the weird guy, one of the company’s lowly clerks barges in, demanding to have his ideas heard, and then kisses Bruce Wayne’s secretary when he’s asked to leave. A clue in the man’s wallet reveals he took part in a seminar called “Never Fear,” which we find out is a plot by Scarecrow to do the opposite of his usual bag by making people fearless and therefore reckless and chaotic.

While investigating, Bruce gets doused with the new concoction and is now totally devoid of fear, which makes him kind of an a-hole, putting his and Tim Drake’s life in danger while coming very close to killing several of Scarecrow’s goons. (In truth, this is depicted just about as violently as the normal-ass way Batfleck or Batbale dealt with thugs.) Robin has to both incapacitate Batman AND stop Scarecrow, which is easier said than done.

The episode is quite good, and is one of the most memorable for me from this series. It’s strange, looking back, that Batman’s lack of fear would make him more violent, as if it’s not just his moral code keeping him from doing so, but the fear of becoming the thing he hates. That’s subtly deep, and something writer Stan Berkowitz did with delightful regularity. As before, Robin felt like the weak link in the episode; any time a little kid is involved in life-or-death situations, I get uncomfortable and it makes me long for the college-age version of Robin from the earlier show.

The main takeaway from “Never Fear” is the Scarecrow himself. Of any of the Batman villains, Scarecrow had the most drastic redesign from TAS to NBA. But he’s also the only character that was redesigned during The Animated Series, and pretty distinctively too. However, he’s nearly unrecognizable in the newer show, taller, broader, with a face like a zombie and a noose around his neck. Much more frightening, truth be told, but not much like the character as most of us know him. They even changed voice actors, replacing Henry Polic II with horror icon Jeffrey Combs, who gives Scarecrow a much more chilling, otherworldly sound. There’s also no real mention of Dr. Jonathan Crane; he’s simply Scarecrow.

Seeing Batman lose control in this episode is strange, but seeing him at odds with his oldest ally is even stranger; next week, we’ll look at “You Scratch My Back,” an episode with Batman and Batgirl trying desperately to reconnect with Dick Grayson/Nightwing, and convince him that maybe Catwoman isn’t someone to be trusted. I feel like anyone could tell him that!

Let me know your thoughts on “Never Fear” in the comments below!

Images: WB Animation/DC Comics

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s written the animation retrospectives Batman: Reanimated, X-Men: Reanimated, Cowboy Rebop, and Samurai reJacked. Follow him on Twitter!