The DC Animated Universe Weekly Review

Welcome to the start of a weekly series where we review the entire DC Animated Universe every Wednesday.  We will encompass TV shows, tie-in films, and extended media we feel fits into the narrative of the universe.  We’ll also be reviewing the shows/films in the best viewing order to truly enjoy the universe.  You can find countless websites that list how to watch the shows in chronological time but that doesn’t have a satisfying narrative.  Especially since the last episode chronologically is from The Zeta project and ends with an unresolved cliffhanger.  Yes, there is Epilogue from Justice League Unlimited but to close out with that episode after all the Justice Unlimited story details that occurred before would also be unsatisfying.  

There are also lists on release/airing date, and production order.  But that can still create narrative gaps.    

 

Therefore this review will tackle the episodes in the order we feel they should be viewed.  This isn’t a release order, or production order.  It’s the best order to watch all the shows and films in the universe and capture the best narrative impact the creators intended for their stories.  

 

We’re not concerned about exact timelines with this episode order. So Batman: Mask of the Phantasm might fit perfectly between some random mid season episode, it really doesn’t affect the story or characters, so we’re not worrying about the exact date the episode falls on in the chronological time.  The review follows all the characters and stories in a way that makes sense.

 

The view order is below.  There are some unique choices that other fans wouldn’t agree with.  We’ll detail the reasoning for those inclusions when that individual review comes up.

DC Animated Universe Watch Order
Show/Film	Episodes
Batman: The Animated Series	Episodes 1 - 56
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm
Batman: The Animated Series	Episodes 57 - 85
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Superman: The Animated Series	Episodes 1 - 41
The New Batman Adventures	Episodes 1 - 19
Superman: The Animated Series	Episodes 42 - 52
The New Batman Adventures	Episodes 20 - 24
Superman: The Animated Series	Episodes 53 - 54
Batman Short Film: "Chase Me"
Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman Movie
Gotham Girls	Episodes 1 - 30
Batman Beyond	Episodes 1 - 47
The Zeta Project	Episodes 1 - 7
Batman Beyond	Episodes 48 - 51
The Zeta Project	Episodes 8 - 12
Batman Beyond	Episodes 52
Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker Movie
The Zeta Project	Episodes 13 - 26
Static Shock	Episodes 1 - 24
Justice League	Episodes 1 - 28
Static Shock	Episodes 25 - 42
Justice League	Episodes 29 - 46
Static Shock	Episodes 43 - 52
Justice League	Episodes 47 - 52
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Justice League Unlimited	Episodes 1 - 39
Batman & Harley Quinn
Justice League Vs The Fatal Five

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 3

Episode 55 Extinction

 

The Enterprise track a Xindi ship to a planet infected with a disease that turn everyone who lands on it into them.  It’s similar to the Star Trek Voyager episode Threshold where Janeway and Paris turn into aliens because they were flying super fast in a ship or something…

 

Ultimately the episode doesn’t progress the season long plot, is not particularly interesting, it’s easily skipped.

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

 

Season 3

Episode 54 Anomaly

 

This episode is also a season arc establishing episode.  We learn more about the Delphic Expanse which has weird anomalies.  The crew gets robbed by some pirates and traces them back to a sphere which is generating some type of sci-fi mumbo jumbo energy.  The get most of their supplies back.

 

Archer gets a little rough while interrogating one of the pirates.  Showing he’s willing to go to extremes to get what he needs.  But Archer doesn’t go over the line.  That’s still pending and the season is still very new.

 

Ultimately Enterprise gets another little snapshot into their Xindi enemy of the season.  This episode is a little reminiscent of the Star Trek Voyager episode The Void where that team gets trapped in a weird anomaly but works with other aliens to eventually break free.  

 

This Enterprise episode is different enough that it can’t be called even a partial copy but it has the bones.  A recurring issue with Enterprise was how the writers rehashed similar situations from the prior shows.  Dusting off old scripts and giving them alternate outcomes is not the worst thing if it’s a compelling story but does lack originality.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 3

Episode 53 The Xindi

 

The season three premiere!  The biggest misstep to ever happen on the show is the change in their theme song.  It’s the same song but with an upbeat karaoke treatment.  It’s sped up and has this annoying keyboard and drumbeat to it.  It was one of the worst changes the show ever made

 

We meet the Xindi council of aliens who are aware the Earth ship Enterprise has entered their system and are debating if they need to be stopped.  Basically, we meet the villains of the season.  

 

Meanwhile, Enterprise is trying to track down those very Xindi who attacked earth killing millions and plan to destroy the entire planet.  They cut a deal with a prison colony to speak with one of the Xindi prisoners then of course get double-crossed.  We get to see the Military Assault Command Operations (MACOs) in action for the first time.  

 

MACOs are basically the space equivalent of marines.  No other Star Trek show has ever shown a pure military based unit.  Starfleet which is a type of space navy is still a mission of peaceful exploration.  But since the United Federation of Planets doesn’t exists in this show, the idea of Earth having a military unit makes sense and makes some great action in later episodes.

 

The episode attempts to set the tone for the entire season.  The Enterprise is alone in an uncharted and hostile area of space.  Their goal is to stop the Xindi at any cost and also the early stages of Archer’s obsession with completing his mission.  He doesn’t break any ethical rules in this episode but as the season goes on we’ll see him go to a dark place. 

 

The episode itself is a little by-the-numbers but when crafting a season long story arc you have to position the pieces carefully and slowly to have a satisfying payoff by the end. 

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 2

Episode 52 The Expanse

 

This is the start of one of the most ambitious Star Trek seasons ever created.  Enterprise is recalled to Earth after an alien race known as the Xindi attack it killing millions.  The Xindi decided to attack earth because another faction in the show's main story arc, the Temporal Cold War, tells the Xindi, Earth will destroy their race.  So Enterprise embarks on a mission to stop the Xindi from destroying Earth.  The Enterprise enters the unexplored Delphic Expanse alone, in efforts to stop the Xindi from destroying Earth, no matter the cost.  

 

It’s the start of something big and different.  This season 2 cliffhanger is taking the standalone episodes of season one and two and tossing them aside for an entire season story arc.  At this point in time Enterprise was struggling in ratings and the creators had to do something different to shake things up and pull in viewers.  So they decided to lean in full throttle on the Temporal Cold War.  

 

Whether this new story telling approach worked will be addressed in later reviews.   Season two ends with the promise Star Trek: Enterprise was going to bring something different than the standard episode of the week format.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com