Can Joker be saved?
Spoiler Alert – This review details the build up of the series and the vigilante Joker playthrough.
Season 2 of Batman has been building up Joker’s origin from the get-go and after however you have treated John Doe (Joker) throughout results in two very different episodes, one where Joker goes full villain or one where he becomes Batman’s ally as a vigilante in an attempt to stop Waller and the Agency once and for all.
I went through the vigilante playthrough which was full of incredible moments, some that made me question if I was doing the right thing letting Joker off the leash, while also questioning Batman’s actions. The lines between good and bad get a bit blurred overall, but it isn’t long before Waller sends members of the Pact over to take them both out. Waller got so desperate she put shock collars on Harley, Bane and Catwoman to control them.
Waller threatens Batman with revealing his identity to the public unless he hands over Joker and after a meeting on the GCPD rooftop, a showdown between the Pact, Waller, Joker and Batman unfolds and Joker escapes with Waller as his hostage. It’s quite tragic that Joker was so damaged that he couldn’t control his outbursts. The final insult for him is being accused of killing Riddler, something I was sure of after his initial hatred of him in Episode 1, but boy was I wrong and finding out the truth clearly sends him over the edge from vigilante to typical Joker.
Even after the dust has settled, it’s no picnic for Bruce as he has to make a decision about Riddler’s killer and even decide whether to give up the cowl once and for all or lose Alfred forever. Wherever these decisions will actually have an impact remains to be seen if we get a third season, which I hope we do. Overall, the season has been superb from start to finish and it’s be a tragedy not to get at least one more story for the Dark Knight.
The Verdict
Same Stitch has two very different Jokers, but ultimately both unstable…yet incredibly entertaining to see two sides of the same coin, so to speak. The series itself has been a triumph and fingers crossed for Season 3.