Beware the Batman: Reckoning

"Reckoning" Beware the Batman, Cartoon Network, 17 August 2014

 Ra's al Ghul is making the pitch to all the rogues who've appeared so far. Pretty standard "help me and I'll reward you beyond your wildest etc., etc." Of course, why should he go to them? They all lost, rely on equipment, or are too crazy. Ra's commands an entire league of highly trained killers. Why not send them out? They did pretty well so far. Or is this an Inverse Ninja law?

Ra's, playing to the old mastermind checklist to the hilt, makes an offer to Katana. His take is original and in character, so kudos to that. Basically he wants her to kill Alfred. If she does, he'll free her father's soul from the Soultaker. He then demands that she avenge her father...so wouldn't mean she'd have to kill him?

And the problem of using rogues just becomes apparent, i.e. they spend too much fighting themselves rather than the bat. Unless that was Ra's intent but I might be giving the show too much credit.

 Aside: Nice character moment between Gordon and Barbara. Also, nice fight scene between them and ninjas.

 Clever moment#2: Batman gives himself up to Magpie, which in turn causes all the other rogues to attack her.

Tobias Whale, however, shows up and offers a partnership. His reasoning makes a fair amount of sense. He considers Gotham his, so Ra's offering to give him a piece doesn't sit too well with him.

Another flashback. It seems Katana's father sacrificed himself to save Alfred. She finally figures this out and refuses to kill Alfred. I'd say giving her the Soultaker was dumb, but she loses it easily enough so I guess it doesn't matter.

Whale and Batman show up, with Batman in cuffs. He frees himself and hands something (Taser? Grappling gun?) to Whale, who then promptly turns on him. Bats expected this though and makes the weapon blow up in Whale's hand. Cute

While this is going on, Barbara and her dad sneak inside the base and hack the cortex, but the big thing is Bats finally decoded the words needed to work the sword. Instead of using it on Ra's though, he unleashes all the souls trapped inside and lets them handle Ra's.

All's well that ends well, as Ra's is dragged off to...hell? The bottom of the base? And Alfred leaves. 

Next time, be here for the debut of Harvey Dent