Batman: The Animated Series (TV Series) Mad as a Hatter (1992) User Reviews

Jervis A Little Too Nervous Over Alice

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 6 October 2007]

The "Mad Hatter" is really nerd-like scientist "Jervis Tetsch," who has the hots for his secretary "Alice" but she's in love with someone else. The story winds up revolving around his obsession with her. He uses his mind-control experiments that he's been working on, and instantly transforms people into zombies, doing his bidding as soon has he puts one of his special cards on their hat or in their hair.

Finally, he confronts Batman in a physical battle inside "Wonderland," which looked like something Michael Jackson would create.

As you imagine with these them, this is an episode filled with a lot of colors befitting a place like "Wonderland." Roddy McDowell voices the role of "The Hatter."

A Crying Turtle

[rexshard93 · 10/10 · 3 October 2012]

This review contains spoilers for both Mad as a Hatter and episode "Perchance to Dream." When I think of this episode, it reminds me of the crying turtle at the end of the episode. I felt sorry for Jervis Tetch (a.k.a Mad Hatter). Paul Dini's episode Mad as a Hatter was loosely based on a real tragic story that happened in Silicon Valley.

Jervis Tetch is a quiet and a lonely man who feels that he hasn't accomplished anything until his mind controlling device. Jervis Tetch is a man who is in love with his coworker Alice. But Alice treats him as a friend. Alice has a boyfriend named Billy. But Jervis is jealous that Alice is in love with Billy. Later, Jervis hears Alice crying and learns that after a fight, Billy broke up with her.

Jervis decides to take Alice on a date. But he doesn't know how to impress her. He feels that he is not a man with any physical beauty to impress her. After that, he decides to use mind controlling device to impress her. After that, we know what happened in this episode.

But this is the real tragedy to me with this episode - "We see that the quiet & lonely Mad Hatter has transformed into a man who is sociable, happy, and wishing his coworkers pleasant things after that wonderful night with Alice. Through this scene, we realize that his life would have been truly happy if he had Alice. These were few moments where Jervis was truly happy." This tragedy was used again in the episode "Perchance to Dream." You can read this in my IMDb review for for "Perchance to dream" about this.

When he realizes that he is going to lose Alice forever to Billy, he becomes very angry and uses all of his skills to get Alice. I felt very sorry for Jervis, because we see how much he has changed due to that one night with Alice. Her "handsome" boyfriend Billy is the one who got angry and broke up with Alice. When Billy apologizes and offers just "one flower" to Alice, Alice falls for him. But Jervis ended spending "all of his efforts and lot of time during that night" so that Alice can feel happy and also understand his romantic feelings for her. But Alice only saw Jervis as "a sweet funny man." After spending all of his efforts and time, Jervis realizes in the next morning that his efforts amounted to nothing. That's another reason why he becomes angry. We know what happens after that. I think the depth of Jervis Tetch's sadness is explored much more when we see the episode "Perchance to Dream." This is because we can compare his tragedy with the tragedy of Bruce Wayne in that episode. But this episode contributed a lot to that episode. This is one of the best animated episodes with real human emotion in it. Akom's animation for this episode turned out to be good. This was a surprise for me. The end of both Mad as a Hatter and Perchance to Dream remind me of crying turtle in this episode, because of the tragedy Jervis Tetch faces at the end of this episode after a quiet and lonely life.

Wonderful script by Paul Dini, Wonderful score by Shirley Walker, and Wonderful direction by Frank Paur. I rate this episode 10 out of 10.

One of the best out of the whole series

[hotonecatch1sun · 10/10 · 4 May 2009]

This episode I have to say is just one of my favorites, it basically has an adult theme to it. I have to say I really really didn't want Batman to win this episode,because I think anyone could relate to what the mad hatter was doing. I'm not saying that he was right I'm just saying that all he really wanted was to be loved. At the end of the day I think that is all that any man or woman wants he just went about it in the wrong way. I think we all have a little mad hatter in us at times. If you watch this series and you really enjoy it you have to see that episode one of the stand outs. The hatter was also in another Batman episode which was kinda like the continued verison of this one, so check that one out too if you can

Would not, could. Would not, could not. Oh, could not join the dance!

[adampotter · 9 October 2012]

Batman: The Animated Series was something I watched very little of yet it had an impact on me, so much so that it overwhelmed me as a kid and I think it's more awesome now I'm older, and it played a part in what made me a huge Batman fan! This episode was really sad, I had a hard time watching it again after the first viewing but now having seen it again I think I'm okay with it. Not that it's terrible, it's just so sad and its dark, very deep, not what you'd expect from a kids cartoon show. Roddy McDowell's voice performance as Jervis was key to what made this episode interesting. The actress who voiced Alice was very well cast, her voice was adorable, lovely and funny all at once. My favourite part is when Mad Hatter surprises Alice when she arrives home and then she sees Batman and she says after she sees Batman "This is getting too weird." I just found that funny because of the voice performance. Great touch!