Our season finale picks up moments after episode 9’s ending, with Pennyworth transformed into one of Joker’s Mr. Hyde-like monsters. The docile gentlemen attacks Batman, taunting him of having no one but his devoted lackey butler. Nothing seems to break Alfred’s rage, until Batman hits him with an antitoxin. Instantly, the butler shrinks back to his normal self.
Back at the morgue, the airborne contagion transforms normal citizens into similar beasts. Batman realizes Joker has advanced his hypnotic serum through multiple phases: first injection, then incubation in the body. Next, was the airborne toxin. Barbara and Renee witness the final phase at GCPD, as officers and criminals alike become invincible beasts, transferring the infection through bodily transmission.
Harvey Bullock falls victim and bites one of Barbara’s clients, before hunting Flass throughout the building. As he tries to evade capture, Renee and Montoya find safety with Commissioner Gordon. But soon, they realize he has been compromised. He does his best to delay his craving for flesh. Eventually the two lock Gordon in a jail cell, while Flass is forced to shoot Bullock.
As Alfred continues mass-producing the antitoxin, the calvary roars in — exactly where Joker wants him. The two battle within an empty skyscraper, where Joker explains his philosophy. He sees a kindred spirit in Batman. A brother elevated above the mediocrity of normal society. He views Batman’s mercy as an anchor, weighing him down from true ascension.
Like an evil sensei, Joker attempts to goat Batman into crossing that line, stating that they are the same monster alone in this world. But Batman rejects this lie, stating he isn’t alone. Just then, the sound of the Batplane breaks the sky as Pennyworth disperses the antitoxin from above. Gradually, the chaos subsides as monsters revert back to humans.
As for Joker, Batman batarang’s a steel rod through the mad man. But it seems only to be a flesh wound, as Joker seems impressed by the savage move. He leaps off the building’s edge and disappears into the blue mist.
In the end, Gotham City lives to see another day. Bullock and Flass survive, with Bullock having no memory of the terror he caused. While that relationship seems strained, a new one grew stronger. Batman is joined by Commissioner Gordon, Barbara and Montoya on the rooftop as a solid front for whatever may come next.
Episode 10 is an all-out slugfest of peak action, great narrative points and surprisingly fear-inducing moments. Seeing Joker’s plan executed shows the great lengths the man will go to display society’s weaknesses. Matthew Needham is terrifyingly good in creating this familiar, yet fresh take on the villain.
The essentially two-episode finale closes on a high note, while moving our protagonist forward thematically. For the majority of the series, this version of Batman has been slow to trust others. He’s even kept Alfred at arm’s length, viewing their relationship as strictly professional. But twice — when Alfred’s livelihood has been threatened — we see a bit of Bruce, the boy he raised into a man, appear to protect his family.
As his dark heart begins to let light in, we see Batman make strides with Gordon and the GCPD. Previously hesitant for teammates, he sees he doesn’t have to do this crazy thing alone. It’s the one true difference between him and his arch nemesis. It’s the bit of goodness that keeps him bound to his humanity.
Rating: 10/10