2
(nothing substantial)
7
(some mild superhero violence)
5
(see once)
"Batman Beyond" winds down with season 3. Not only is it shorter than the one before it (by half), the quality is not as strong. One of the big changes is the voice of Commissioner Gordon; Stockard Channing had been playing her, but this season brings in Angie Harmon. That might not have mattered so much if the season as a whole had been stronger, but continuity is just one of the issues.
Another continuity problem is Zeta. I didn’t notice his voice change (even though Deidrich Bader rather than Gary Cole is now the voice behind the bot - Bader took over the role for the Zeta series), but his whole body design is completely and obviously different. Maybe it’s explained in the Zeta series, but it looks like another continuity break here.
One big negative is the final episode. Not that the episode itself is bad, it's not exceptional as far as stories go, but it's not bad. It's just not a fitting end to the series. Fortunately we get more Batman in the "Justice League Unlimited" series which looks at what Terry's life is like as a more accomplished and then as a fully mature Batman. It's a more fitting conclusion than “Unmasked.”
Kobra, an organized crime group, gets a lot of screentime. We’ve seen them before but not so much in the spotlight. For the most part the series writers have kept things practical: Shriek wears a costume because of its built-in uses, Spellbinder mostly just needs to hide his identity (or did at the beginning and now just has a thing going), the Royal Flush Gang have a tradition and have practical uses for the items they carry. Kobra guys just like dressing up like snakes. There’s no use for their costumes, in fact they seem like they would be a hindrance (imagine an Ultimate Fighting Championship match with the fighters wearing Bugs Bunny costumes), nor do they mask anyone’s identity. If they really went over the top with it or had an obsessed mastermind it might work a little better, but the costumes don’t even carry a common theme with Kobra’s ultimate goal which is to turn people into dinosaurs for no reason.
That brings me to my next complaint which is a drop in quality of the stories, or some of them; there are some still good ones in the season. I’ll go into more plot detail as I write the episode guide, but part of the lack is in character development. Terry actually gets more than he did last season as he takes up training, which is a plus, but Max has planed off, Dana is still flat, and few of the other established characters get much screentime at all.
It’s sounding like I hate this season. Not so, it’s still an enjoyable show; it just doesn’t live up to some of the standards previously set. The futuristic setting works well, the industrial rock music is great. There are some great ideas presented. We get a look into Terry’s past delinquency and Dana’s fear that he might be swayed to that path again.
A few of the villains have aspects to their lives that I wouldn’t expect in a superhero cartoon like marriage problems and bratty kids. I enjoyed the futuristic Justice League and Talia Al Ghul showing up. These aspects bring in some originality which help keep the season afloat, but it could have been a lot stronger with much less Kobra and more depth of character.
Morality
There are far fewer disturbing images than last season. The violence is typical action cartoon stuff, mild and typically non-lethal. There is no sex, nudity, or strong language.
Spirituality
There's nothing really religious in this although Kobra almost comes across as a sort of atheist cult (even if that sounds like a paradox). Other than that are some themes of reaping what you sow.
A couple of stories delve into the notion of personal responsibility. Terry wants to help his friend who is on a bad path in life, but caring for someone doesn't always have a happy ending. Sometimes a person is going to do what they want to do regardless of the attempts to steer them towards better choices.
Final Thoughts
As much as I like some of the individual episodes the only reason to get this season is if you're getting all of "Batman Beyond." This season doesn't hold up on its own like what came before it.
Buying Guide
If you've read the other "Batman Beyond" guides you know what to expect from season 3. It's more of the same even if the overall quality has fallen a bit. It feels thrown together to have something on the shelves. It’s better than bare bones, but there isn’t the care some releases have put into them.
Essentially you have the season by itself or in a series box set. All of them are DVD; there is no high-def release.
Box Set:
If I had known they were going to release the complete series as a box set I would have waited on it rather than buying the seasons individually. The box set has some extra extras with it which appears to be roughly an hour and a half of documentaries, some behind the scenes videos, and an art book. Otherwise you get everything I mentioned above except for different packaging.
Final Recommendation:
There isn't all that much here to sway you if you're unsure about buying or streaming though if you've gotten the first two you'll surely want the rest. If you don't have any of the seasons yet I recommend going with the series box set.
The Season 3 set includes 2 DVD's.
Video
1.33:
This is the TV standard. It's far from perfect, but it's clear and looks good except for some noticeable grain and a few flecks of trash.
Audio
2.0 Dobly:
The digital stereo surround sound is clear and strong. There is a pleasant bass rumble and enough fill in the rear channels to keep from feeling like everything is coming from the front.
Packaging
Like the first season I once again have a problem with the packaging. Is there a worse case design than stacking DVD’s on top of each other? No, there is not. It’s a 2 disc set. How hard would it have been to have two trays facing each other? Instead you have to remove disc 1 to get to #2.
The box contains some colorful artwork. It's shiny and full of Batman. What's not to like?
The inside flap offers an episode list with details on the extras.
The interface features some music. It isn't as interesting as the season 1 interface but could be worse.
You’ll have to deal with some previews playing automatically on the second disc which is pretty annoying.
Extras
-Close-Up On: Behind-the-scenes clips for different episodes with a play all option for the group. I'll get into the specifics in the Episodes section.
-Inside Batman Beyond (9:30) A panel discussion like those on the first 2 sets. It's more general than the episode specific clips covering some of the unused ideas, character moments, and ending the series.
-Previews: A few presented in a menu with a play all option. The Cartoon Network one (really it's Ed Edd & Eddy) is particularly funny.
Episodes
There are 13 episodes around 21 minutes each.
Each episode has only 1 chapter which is annoying if you don't want to see the same opening every time you watch an episode. With no chapter skip available you have to fast forward like a VHS tape.
A play all option minimizes trips to the menu between episodes.
5) Out Of The Past
-Close-Up On (4:31) It talks about the inspiration for the musical, the singing, the twists, and the acting.
7) The Call Part 1
-Close-Up On (6:18) This one's about the origins of the episode, the characters, and the voices.
8) The Call Part 2
-Close-Up On (4:11) This one talks about the various related ideas, problems with it , disagreements that arose from that, and an amusing resolution.
10) The Curse Of The Kobra Part 1
-Close-Up On (4:47) It talks about part 2 and the distaste of it.