Batman: Caped Crusader: In Treacherous Waters review

The first episode of a new show is the most important. It determines whether or not viewers stick around for the rest of the season. It doesn’t matter if you’re Batman and everyone loves you. George Clooney will tell you that wearing the cape and cowl doesn’t mean you’ll be revered.

Fast forward to Batman: Caped Crusader. This project was dropped by HBO Max and picked up by Prime Video. Without a good first episode, people would have immediately checked out. Thankfully, Batman: Caped Crusader picked the right episode, storyline, and villain to debut the show.

Notable voice actors:

• Batman: Hamish Linklater
• Harvey Deny: Diedrich Bader
• Barbara Gordon: Krystal Joy Brown
• Oswalda Cobblepot: Minnie Driver

In Treacherous Waters sets the tone

As I mentioned, the first episode is crucial to the show’s success. In Treacherous Waters gave viewers everything they needed to know about the characters and the tone. The latter was the most important.

You could see that this was for an adult audience from the beginning. The way Harvey Dent talked to Barbara Gordon was more mature than we’re used to seeing in an animated Batman show. This made sense since the people who watched Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s are adults and most of Prime Video’s comic book projects have TV-MA. With that out of the way early, viewers knew this wasn't the Batman they grew up with.

The good

Sometimes, the first episode of a show can look off due to the budget. Not here. "In Treacherous Waters" looked crisp from start to finish. Considering there was a lot of action and explosions, it had to be. A cheap-looking premier would have fans checking out before the episode ended.

Minnie Driver deserves a standing ovation for voicing Oswalda Cobblepot. Some people online said changing Penguin’s gender ruined the character, but it didn’t. It would be one thing if her performance was bad, but it wasn’t. Minnie Driver flawlessly voiced a more ruthless Penguin than the Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series. I’d go as far as to say it was an upgrade. Hopefully, she'll return in season 2.

Of course, there’s Batman. Bruce hasn’t been the Dark Knight long and it showed. He was making mistakes that a veteran Batman wouldn’t. This was smart. As much as we love to say Bruce Wayne wins because he’s Batman, having him dominate immediately would’ve made for a boring episode. He even failed to stop Penguin from blowing up a building. This is a theme that continues throughout the season and makes it intriguing.

The grade: 5-out-of 5 Batarangs

Overall, "In Treacherous Waters" is a perfect premiere episode for one of the greatest characters ever. I could nitpick about Alfred’s design or how there wasn’t enough Batman in this episode, but neither of those are negatives. Alfred doesn’t need to be slim and the supporting cast must be established. Focusing primarily on Batman wouldn’t have set up Bullock as a horrible person and cop or how observant Barbara Gordon is. Both come up in future episodes.

The title Batman: Caped Crusader highlights the stars, but the supporting cast brings the show to life.

Did you enjoy the first episode of Batman: Caped Crusader? Have you finished the series? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Instagram and Twitter.