Steve Presents: Reviews of Batman Animated Series and others

[Steve]

I agree with you on Cyborg the Barbarian. That was probably the best stand-alone episode of the entire series.

I wanted to Gibbs-smack the reviewer on World's Finest when I read his review of it, which basically boiled down to "it sucks, but it's a Cyborg episode, so of course it sucks". Spoiler

I like how the episode ends. Cyborg is snatched away at the most dangerous moment of the battle, with Sarasim being overwhelmed, and his reaction to his friends rescuing him is... to run frantically at the time portal just to have it close before he can go back in it. The downer element is only alleviated by him learning that Sarasim and her people did prevail at the battle despite his being snatched away, but it's still bittersweet for him. And he hangs up his armor in his room as a reminder of it all. And, perhaps, a constant rebuke to his attitude at the start of the show.

[Batman]

Heck, 'Cyborg the Barbarian' is probably the least silly episode of the series, both in tone and definitely in stupid anime visual gimmicks.
Two questions while we're still talking Teen Titans.
1. Was Things Change being the last episode intentional? Not only did it end the series with a cliffhanger, which is bad form, but the two-parter proceeding it, Calling All Titans/Titans Together, were pretty much perfect finale material (yes, we got Trouble in Tokio, which was awesome, but if I hadn't known about Trouble in Tokio Things Change would have been a massive downer).
2. Why, exactly, didn't we get an introductory episode until the very last season?
3. (so I'm no good at math. Sue me.) Why, exactly, is Starfire surprised BB kept Silkie when we know he did? We see him around the place in at least one other episode beforehand, and I think it was several.

[Vendetta]

I wanted to Gibbs-smack the reviewer on World's Finest when I read his review of it, which basically boiled down to "it sucks, but it's a Cyborg episode, so of course it sucks". Spoiler

I like how the episode ends. Cyborg is snatched away at the most dangerous moment of the battle, with Sarasim being overwhelmed, and his reaction to his friends rescuing him is... to run frantically at the time portal just to have it close before he can go back in it. The downer element is only alleviated by him learning that Sarasim and her people did prevail at the battle despite his being snatched away, but it's still bittersweet for him. And he hangs up his armor in his room as a reminder of it all. And, perhaps, a constant rebuke to his attitude at the start of the show.

By season 4 and Cyborg the Barbarian we'd already had Sum of His Parts, Only Human, Crash, and the entire arc of Season 3, which had all been The Cyborg Plot. You know, that one where he's constantly at odds with his mechanical/organic parts (delete as appropriate), but otherwise has no actual character. He was universally agreed to be the worst written member of the main five (and when he wasn't in focus he was just there as the straight man to Beast Boy).

The fact that there could even be a good Cyborg episode, one where he actually displays character beyond "hey guys, I am part robot" (hell, in CtB that gets solved offscreen between scenes) just made some people's brains turn off in confusion.

I won't agree that it was the best standalone of the series as a whole, but it was a good episode.