A brief survey of the fan base will tell any outsider that there are many opinions on what is the best episode of Batman: The Animated Series. That said, there are few who can speak on this show and its finest moments better than Batman himself, Kevin Conroy. The legendary voice actor recently shared that his favorite episode of the series is "Perchance to Dream," and gave the following reason for his choice:
I got to create Thomas Wayne's voice, which was a really fun challenge in addition to bringing the episode's incredible story to life. The wonderful thing about playing a character like Bruce Wayne is that you get to explore his damaged psychology. I love the scripts that examine his internal makeup. 'Perchance to Dream,' the movie Mask of the Phantasm, they really dig into this man and what led him to become Batman.
"Perchance To Dream," which is a phrase taken from the famous soliloquy of Hamlet, follows Batman after he is knocked unconscious after pursuing a group of criminals. He awakens as Bruce Wayne and finds himself in a world where his parents have never died, he's engaged to Selina Kyle (Catwoman), and he is not Batman. Bruce eventually works out that the entire world is a fantasy, and frees himself from the dream after a battle with an imposter Batman. The whole encounter turns out to be a scheme of the Mad Hatter, who blames Batman for ruining his life.
As there are plenty of great episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, THR notes that Kevin Conroy enjoyed the emotional depth of "Perchance To Dream," as well as how it showcased the series could feature very dark villains. That Season 1 episode would set the tone for a series that would span 85 episodes and lead to multiple Batman related spinoffs.
Kevin Conroy also mentioned Mask of the Phantasm in his response, which was an animated feature film set within the universe of Batman: The Animated Series. The film starts as a tale of love, but overall devolves into a story revolving Bruce's decision to forego a normal life and dedicate his life to fighting crime as Batman. Once again, it appears Conroy's passion for getting into the mind of what makes Batman who he is reign supreme when it comes to stories that stand out for the voice actor.
Select episodes of Batman: The Animated Series are currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. For more on the series, be sure to read up on Mark Hamill's note he was given when he took the role of Joker for the show, and how he ended up getting the job from Tim Curry. Those looking for shows to watch as we head into a new season of television would do well to visit and bookmark our fall premiere guide to keep track of all new and returning shows.
