Sunday, December 19, 2004
Two-Face
So I introduced a good friend of mine to my Batman: The Animated Series DVDs the other night. He had never seen the show while the episodes were on television, and I decided to show him one we had frequently referenced in a different context, namely the two-part origin of everyone's favorite schizophrenic district attorney: Two-Face. (FYI--We used the term in a Seinfeldian manner, to describe a girl whose appearance ranged from very attractive to quite off-putting depending on the situation.) I watched his reactions as he watched all the classic moments...
"All men have something to hide. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative."
"Oh, Mr. Dent! I want you to know that I voted for you two times!
Well ma'am, I trust it was in two separate elections?"
"There's just one problem."
"What's that?"
"You're talkin' to the wrong Harvey."
"This is my world now. A dichotomy of order and chaos...just like me."
"The law!? Here's the only law! The law of averages! The great equalizer!"
WOW...my friend said. It's an existential cartoon. And the more I watch these old episodes, the more I'm inclined to agree. How many cartoons nowadays will throw around the word "dichotomy" in regular conversation? Very few, I'd wager. Nothing beats the classics....nothing.
So I introduced a good friend of mine to my Batman: The Animated Series DVDs the other night. He had never seen the show while the episodes were on television, and I decided to show him one we had frequently referenced in a different context, namely the two-part origin of everyone's favorite schizophrenic district attorney: Two-Face. (FYI--We used the term in a Seinfeldian manner, to describe a girl whose appearance ranged from very attractive to quite off-putting depending on the situation.) I watched his reactions as he watched all the classic moments...
"All men have something to hide. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative."
"Oh, Mr. Dent! I want you to know that I voted for you two times!
Well ma'am, I trust it was in two separate elections?"
"There's just one problem."
"What's that?"
"You're talkin' to the wrong Harvey."
"This is my world now. A dichotomy of order and chaos...just like me."
"The law!? Here's the only law! The law of averages! The great equalizer!"
WOW...my friend said. It's an existential cartoon. And the more I watch these old episodes, the more I'm inclined to agree. How many cartoons nowadays will throw around the word "dichotomy" in regular conversation? Very few, I'd wager. Nothing beats the classics....nothing.
