Kid sidekicks were created to make heroes more relatable to a predominantly child audience, but as comics evolved, the inherent absurdity of putting minors on the front lines became more apparent. Great writers are able to find a way to make the sidekick work, like Ed Brubaker’s take on Captain America’s WWII partner Bucky as a highly trained stealth soldier, and Randy Rogel’s script for “Robin’s Reckoning” takes great strides to legitimizing Dick Grayson’s (Loren Lester) presence in the Batman: The Animated Series universe. Rogel, who worked on the near-flawless “Two-Face,” earns B:TAS it’s second Emmy Award for Robin’s origin story (technically only part one won, but it is the superior half), a heartbreaking episode that reveals how Dick came into Bruce’s life while Robin tracks down his parents’ killer Tony Zucco (Thomas F. Wilson) in the present. I’ve talked about the elements that make a great B:TAS episode, and this episode has them all: beautiful animation, strong direction, a balance of Bruce/Batman action, and a villain that shows elements of humanity while still posing a threat. “Robin’s Reckoning” is one of the most cinematic episodes of the series, with a flashback-centric structure similar to Mask of the Phantasm, and glimpsing into Bruce and Dick’s formative years goes a long way to grounding both characters in reality.
Dick Sebast’s nuanced direction handles energetic action sequences and heavy emotional moments with equal aplomb, and the opening shot of Batman and Robin staking out a construction site is a great image of a sprawling Gotham City. Sebast does an impressive job capturing the scope of the city throughout the episode, as heights play a major role in Dick’s story, and beginning the episode with a fight above the city shows how Dick’s circus background has given him the skills to work alongside Batman. Spectrum’s work on the construction fight sets the standard for episode’s first half – Dong Yang takes over the second, with Spectrum sticking around for layouts – and the smoothness and realism of the animation nearly equals the rotoscoping of the 1940’s Superman shorts. A strong Fleischer can be felt throughout the episode, with circus scenes reminiscent of “Terror on the Midway” (those animals sure do look pretty), and bumbling mobsters similar to the dawdling Superman impostor in “Showdown.” But the main influence of “Robin’s Reckoning” is Detective Comics #38, Robin’s first appearance from 1940.
Randy Rogel thankfully makes plenty of changes to the original story, cutting the more implausible moments of the story to focus on finding the emotional reality of Dick’s situation, particularly in how it relates to Bruce’s. In the comic, Bruce trains a young Dick so that they can hunt Tony Zucco together, whereas Bruce insists Dick not get involved in the episode. The opening construction sequence of the episode is an homage to the finale of the comic, which features a child Dick Grayson in costume, but the episode smartly shows only the adult Dick as Robin. Allusions are made to them fighting crime together since Dick’s youth (“That line worked great in sixth grade…”), but the flashbacks end right when Dick learns that Bruce is Batman. The episode becomes less about the birth of Robin, and more about the healing of Dick Grayson.
Beyond the well-choreographed action, the opening sequence shows how Batman and Robin benefit from operating outside the law when they interrogate the remaining crook after his partners leave him behind. Well, behind and above, because Ferris Dolan (Paul Eiding) is hanging from a steal beam with a long drop between the Gotham pavement and himself. Dolan demands his lawyer and refuses to give up his employer, prompting Batman and Robin to make their exit as he starts to lose his grip. He cries, “You’ve gotta help me! The cops wouldn’t leave me.” To which Batman sharply replies, “We’re not the police!” Batman and Robin have no obligation to keeping this man safe, whereas a police officer would be obligated to save Dolan and get him his lawyer before he talks. Batman isn’t going to let the man fall to his death, but Dolan certainly doesn’t know that. It’s a scare tactic that works, and “Robin’s Reckoning” amps up Batman’s fear quotient as a contrast to the vulnerability Bruce shows when he’s comforting Dick in the past.
As Zucco says in part two, ““You don’t know the Bat. He don't let up. He's a dark angel of death, man, and he wants ME.” A dark angel of death, man. Wilson’s Zucco delivery sounds very similar to John Travolta in Grease, so if you ever wanted to hear what Danny Zuko sounds like when he’s scared shitless, “Robin’s Reckoning” is the place to get it. In fact, everyone this episode is terrified of Batman, and rightly so. When Batman is attacked at Arnold Stromwell’s estate (nice to see him back again, voiced by Eugene Roche), the series has its first action sequence without music, and the lack of a score makes each gunshot more real, and Batman’s skills all the more impressive. He twists his knee in the second half of the episode and still kicks everyone’s ass. In one of my favorite moments of the episode, Batman sneaks up on a thief that steals from the craps game Bruce is playing to gather information. Spectrum does body language so well, and the man jumping in the air and falling on his ass is the kind of reaction seeing Batman should provoke. Batman gets his information simply by showing the thief his fist, and the sound of stretching leather is like nails on a chalk board for the terrified man. All of the villains in “Robin’s Reckoning” are just regular people, no superpowers or gimmicks, and Kevin Conroy voices a Batman that is truly terrifying to the ordinary criminal.
The emphasis on Bruce Wayne shows Conroy’s range, and his voice with young Dick is nurturing and sensitive, but a bit unsure of how to connect with his new ward. In the present day scenes he speaks to Dick exclusively as Batman, but his voice doesn’t have the same dominating effect on Robin, who has seen the weak, damaged side of Bruce. Batman demands that Robin not track down Zucco, but because Robin doesn’t fear Batman the way a street thug does, he refuses to obey. This episode expands on the Batman/Robin relationship considerably as it shows the two of them butting heads for the first time on the series. Batman assumes a justifiable leadership position, but the adult Robin sees the two of them as equals; Bruce tries to be a father, while Dick tries to be a brother, and when he’s put on the sidelines for the most personal case of his career, he lashes out.
Classic Batman themes like vengeance vs. justice and the constant struggle to heal emotional wounds after the loss of a loved one add philosophical and psychological depth to Rogel’s script, highlighted by exceptional voice acting from Conroy, Lester, and Joey Simmrin, who gives a powerful performance as young Dick. The first part benefits from a heavier emphasis on flashbacks focusing on Dick’s grief, which takes the episode to surprisingly dark places. The death of Dick’s parents is one of the best scenes of the entire series, a suspenseful sequence that combines the awe of watching the Graysons in action with the dread of knowing their subsequent fall. Carlos Rodriguez’s score is another element that elevates the first part, specifically during the circus sequences. The mix of gentle strings and twinkling percussion builds as the camera pans up a ladder to where Dick stands proudly with his mother, preparing to leap into his father’s arms on the trapeze. That melody is repeated when Dick’s parents die, but the strings have become discordant, foreshadowing the tragedy to come.