Batman: The Animated Series is one of the most highly regarded animated superhero shows of all time. Plenty of episodes have been placed on the bat-pedestal over the years as epitomes of the program's brilliance, and Batman: TAS voice actor Kevin Conroy recently revealed his favorite installment. It's one that many Batman fans will agree with, and will possibly seek out for a future viewing.
My favorite episode of Batman: The Animated Series would probably be 'Perchance to Dream.' I love many of the episodes, but that one... What's made the character fun for me to play is his complexity, his darkness. All of that is rooted in the loss of his parents when he was a child, and anything that deals with that psychology and that psychodrama that he lives in makes it fun for me as an actor.
"Perchance To Dream" starts with Batman chasing some criminals into a warehouse, and it then takes an abrupt turn as the hero's world goes dark. He awakens the next morning as Bruce Wayne, but in a new reality in which he isn't Batman. There's no Robin, his parents are alive, and he's engaged to Selina Kyle. Basically, he has the perfect life, or so the audience would think. As Conroy teased in his statement, things get way deeper.
Bruce should be happy, but instead, he's troubled by the fact no one remembers him as Batman. In fact, there's another Batman running around Gotham, and he's doing a phenomenal job. Bruce ultimately realizes this isn't his actual life and confronts the real Batman in a fight that leads to him waking up back in the warehouse, a victim of the Mad Hatter, who organized the dream. With that handled, Bruce got to return to live his much more depressing life. Unsurprisingly, Conroy was superb throughout.
As Kevin Conroy told Coming Soon, the episode takes a deep dive into Batman's headspace. As much as Bruce would love to accept the dream state and live comfortably in his comfortable life, his Batman sensibilities woke him up to the notion that his most blissful existence wasn't real. The end of the episode shows he'd rather face reality than live in a dream, which is great, since he might not have escaped his encounter with the Mad Hatter otherwise.
Kevin Conroy is not alone in his adoration for this episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Fellow caped crusader-in-voice-acting Troy Baker revealed he's also a big fan of "Perchance To Dream," even if his wasn't the voice coming from the cowl.
Other voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series had different episodes they highlighted as personal favorites, which may just be evidence of the program's overall quality. For further proof of that excellence, there's this video, which could convince anyone who missed back then out to tune in now.
Those looking to stream Batman: The Animated Series can do so immediately via the DC Universe streaming service. For a look at what else is on television or on the way, be sure to head on over to our fall premiere guide.
