Batman: The Animated Series

The simplicity of it is what makes it so tender.

I always liked episodes that didn't require big showy villains or ridiculous plot logic and just stuck with simple linear story telling.

Leslie Tompkins is a great character that get's come great stuff here and the linchpin of the episode is clearly her and Bruce's annual appointment.

Tonally it was spot on, although it may have perhaps benefitted from showing Leslie at work at the shelter or her doctor's office in Park Row, which I'm sure would've shown up if they had the time.

But that didn't hurt the overall outcome in the slightest.

This is another one of those episodes you will seldom find in any other Superhero show , where Batman is fighting against someone who isn't a super villan . In this episode it is Roland Dagget who is causing Batman trouble. It was exiting to see Batman try to fend of all the trouble being caused by him while still trying to make his eight o'clock appointment with a new character introduced in this epidode, Leslie Tompkins. There were plenty of great scenes found here , my favorite being Batman in the Batmobile, trying to stop a runaway coach. It was also a nice ending to see Batman's appointmant with Leslie at his parents grave, another one of the episodes where we are reminded why Bruce became Batman in the first place.

Appointment in Crime Alley is one of the more memorable episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, for reasons that casual viewers may dismiss it entirely. The villain of the story is a corrupt industrialist, and his grandiose scheme is quite simple. However, this does not detract at all from the story. It helps to ground the series in reality, as it discusses (quite subtly) how society treats the impoverished. We must remember that these types of 'urban renewal' happen all too often in the United States, accompanied by the proper governmental support for the destruction of the only homes that some people can afford, and have ever known. Some may be entrenched by the idea that the Batman fights lunatics with a thing for spandex, when he fights for all those oppressed.

This episode is very impressive, but also hard to believe. Batman does one heck of a lot of crime fighting in only an hour, while the whole time the viewer is in suspense. Those of us that re-watch this episode, even knowing that Batman saves the day (of course), can feel suspense. Will Batman clue into the real danger? Will he ever get to save his Leslie’s life?



In the end, of course he will. This is Batman after all. Even if you’ve seen Batman Beyond, taking place in the future, you will know that Crime Alley still exists as he still makes his annual appointment.



One curious thing is that most other times we are presented with the anniversary date, it takes place in the winter. However, the jackets people wear in this episode make it appear to be fall. This seems to be a flaw, but it may be about Leslie. On other anniversaries, Leslie doesn’t come with Bruce/Batman. So maybe he honors the memory early since she is getting on in years.



Overall, this episode is very suspenseful, even on repeated viewings. This doesn’t stand out as one of my favourites, but it is definitely better than average.