Ep 17. Two-Face

District Attorney Harvey Dent has been Gotham's White Knight for years, taking down criminals both in and out of the courtroom. But it's a dangerous job, and in a freak accident, Dent is left disfigured and psychologically scarred. Now calling himself Two-Face, he's a man split down the middle. One side wants to uphold the law and fight crime, just as he always has. The other side is angry, vengeful, and seeks to punish everyone who he feels has wronged him.

In "Two-Face," the seventeenth episode of Batman: The Animated Series, Dent's split personality takes center stage. As Two-Face, he's now working alongside one of Gotham's most dangerous criminals, the Ventriloquist. With his talents for manipulation and theatrics, the Ventriloquist makes the perfect partner for Two-Face's violent tendencies. Together, they hatch a plan to rob one of Gotham's most secure banks.

It's up to Batman to stop them, but he's not alone. In a rare instance of trust, he teams up with Detective Harvey Bullock, a man he's often been at odds with in the past. Bullock is one of the few detectives in Gotham who actually cares about justice, and he knows there are lines he can't cross when it comes to getting results. Together, Batman and Bullock work to unravel Two-Face's plan and stop him before any innocent lives are lost.

"Two-Face" is one of the most thrilling and emotional episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. The episode dives deep into Dent's psyche, exploring the trauma that led to his transformation into Two-Face. We see glimpses of his past, including his friendship with Bruce Wayne and his dedication to bringing down one of Gotham's most dangerous mob bosses. We also see the toll that his trauma has taken on him, as he struggles to hold on to his sanity and identity.

The animation in this episode is incredibly detailed and expressive. The design of Two-Face himself is iconic, with one half of his face perfectly handsome and the other grotesquely scarred. The use of shadows and lighting throughout the episode perfectly captures the moody, noir-ish atmosphere of Gotham City. Even the minor characters, like the Ventriloquist's wooden dummy, Scarface, are given attention to detail that make them memorable.

The voice acting in "Two-Face" is also top-notch. Richard Moll brings an impressive range of emotion to his performance as Two-Face, capturing both the character's moments of tenderness and his explosions of violence. Bob Hastings as Harvey Bullock is also a standout, playing the character with a gruff exterior that hides a deep sense of duty and compassion. Of course, Kevin Conroy continues to shine as Batman, his voice possessing both a commanding presence and an underlying sense of pain.

Overall, "Two-Face" is a must-watch episode of Batman: The Animated Series. It's a perfect showcase for the series's strengths, from its complex characters to its stunning animation. It also serves as an important chapter in the ongoing story of Batman and his allies in Gotham City.