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Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series was an animated (cartoon) program that originally aired from September 5, 1992 to September 15, 1995. In total 85 episodes were created. The show was broadcast as a children's program, but its dark and mature themes made it popular with adults.

The program is animated in a "[|Dark Deco]" style created by Bruce Timm in which the scenes were painted on black backgrounds to create a dark moody "[|film noir]" look. The program is set in Gotham City, a kind of dark and corrupt version of New York City.Organized crime syndicates control much of what goes on in the city. The police and politicians are mostly corrupt and cooperating with the criminals. There are honest citizens in the city, including Dr. Thomas Wayne, a surgeon and also the majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, a multinational company specializing in research and production of many high tech products. However, Dr. Wayne and his wife are murdered in front of their 8 year old son, Bruce, on the way home from a movie.

Young Bruce is raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennysworth. Bruce later travels the world studying criminology, illusion, and martial arts.

With the city terrorized by organized crime, Bruce Wayne, now in his mid-twenties, returns to Gotham the seek vengeance for the murder of his parents. By day he masquerades as the useless playboy Bruce Wayne, who is content to live off his family's riches. By night, Wayne stalks the streets as the Batman, bringing terror to any criminal in can find. Police Commissioner James Gordon is a secret ally of the Batman, but many other police officers do not trust the Batman, and consider him to be a vigilante who operates outside the law.

The program won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour) in 1993 for the episode Robin's Reckoning: Part I.

In 2009 it was number 2 on the list of IGN's best animated programs. (1. Simpsons, 2. Batman:The Animated Series, 3. Looney Tunes, 4. South Park)

Two Face, Part 1
Today's episode is part 1 of the two part origin story of the criminal Two Face. An origin story is an episode that shows us how a person became who he is during the main part of the story. For example, Batman's origin story is described above, but we don't see any of it in today's episode.

Two Face is the former District Attorney who is scared in an accident. He goes crazy and becomes the criminal Two Face. Two Face is obsessed with duality and the number 2. He often flips a coin in order to make a decision, letting the coin decide if he will do something evil or do something good.

Two Face is was a major character in Christopher Nolan's 2008 movie The Dark Knight and the 1995 movie Batman Forever. Harvey Dent also appeared in the 1989 movie Batman.

The Harvey Dent character in today's episode was modeled after the 1989 movie Harvey Dent.

Characters in Today's Episode:
[|__Bruce Wayne / Batman__]: Bruce Wayne is a millionaire and the major shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, his family's business. Bruce was orphaned when he was 8 years old, and raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennysworth. Wayne maintains the public image that is a useless playboy, but in actuality he is the Batman, a frightening vigilante that hunts down criminals at night.

[|__Harvey Dent__]: Harvey Dent is the District Attorney of Gotham City. We learn that he has anger issues and is repressing another personality--Big Bad Harv. [|__Grace__]: Grace is Harvey Dent's fiancee and a friend of Bruce Wayne.

[|__Commissioner James Gordon__]: James Gordon is the person in charge of the Gotham City Police Department. He is an honest cop, and cleaned up the corrupt police department. He is a secret ally of Batman.

[|__Rupert Thorne__]: Rupert Thorne is a mobster. He is involved in much of the organized crime in Gotham City. Harvey Dent has been investigating Thorne and hopes he can gather enough evidence to convict Thorne. [|__Candace__]: Candace is a very pretty henchwoman of Rupert Thorne.

Transcript
Here is the transcript to today's episode:

Vocabulary:

 * 1) Surrounded – to be on all sides of your enemy so you can trap him
 * 2) Barricade – a low wall to block off a street
 * 3) Infestation – pests are living in your home
 * 4) Publicity – news that the public hears about you
 * 5) Weasel – an animal, but this usage means something more like dishonest and thieving
 * 6) Maniac – totally crazy person
 * 7) Hothead – angry person who has trouble controlling his emotions
 * 8) Tantrum – yell and scream like a baby
 * 9) Prosecute – take you to court
 * 10) Incident – an event, usually negative
 * 11) Fiancée – the woman you are planning to marry
 * 12) Twit – insulting name, means something like a stupid little person
 * 13) Psychiatrist – a doctor specializing in mental illness
 * 14) Shrink – a slang term for a psychiatrist
 * 15) Guilty – feel like you did something bad or wrong
 * 16) Suspected – guessing that someone did something wrong
 * 17) Repress – hold inside
 * 18) Admit – to sign in to a hospital
 * 19) Intensify – make stronger
 * 20) Mandate – strong support from the population to do something
 * 21) Landslide – huge and overwhelming and powerful, like the side of a mountain falling down, here it means he won the election very easily
 * 22) Calm and collected – not excited and nervous
 * 23) Swine – a pig
 * 24) Bully – someone who picks on smaller and weaker people
 * 25) Slug – hit, punch
 * 26) Appendicitis – illness in which the appendix needs to be removed
 * 27) Concerned citizen – a person interested in making sure government does a good job
 * 28) Plastic surgeon – a doctor that fixed injuries that make you look bad
 * 29) Scar – the mark on your skin that is left after a cut heals

Cultural Items:
SWAT: Heavily armed police unit brought in to fight very dangerous criminals. SWAT means Special Weapons and Tactics.

Discussion Questions:

 * 1) Is Batman a hero who should be applauded or a criminal who should be arrested?
 * 2) What is the difference between Batman and Big Bad Harv?
 * 3) What's your opinion of a politician or public figure who has seen a psychiatrist or psychologist.
 * 4) Who's your favorite superhero? Why?
 * 5) Superhero movies are stupid! Agree or disagree?
 * 6) Does Taiwan need a superhero? How would you feel if you saw a news report of a masked vigilante that prowled the night protecting citizens and beating up criminals?
 * 7) If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?
 * 8) Create your own superhero. Give the superhero a unique power, a commensurate weakness, and an interesting origin.
 * 9) Find the examples of duality or the number 2 that are integrated into the program.

More links:
http://www.animeflavor.com/batman-the-animated-series http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Two-Face_(episode) http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Animated_Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Animated_Series http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batman/btas/