Batman: The Animated Series (TV Series) Perchance to Dream (1992) User Reviews

Perchance to Dream - Dream within a reality or a reality within a dream?

[rexshard93 · 10/10 · 17 June 2012]

SPOILERS

When I watched the episode, it made me think for a while. For me, this episode explores into the dreams that really exists in our everyday lives and the reality that exists in our dreams. Let me explain.

Bruce Wayne has a dream and Mad Hatter has a dream. Through his dream machine, Mad Hatter gives the dream that Bruce always wanted in his real life. At first, Bruce denies it by believing that it isn't real. But after discussing with Leslie, Bruce completely believes that the nightmare is over. He completely accepts the dream as "reality." After that, we see few "true" moments of reality within a dream. A moment where Bruce Wayne is truly happy in his heart. A moment where Bruce hugs his father and asks him if he and mom could join their son and Selina at the opera. A moment where he "truly" saw Selina as Selina. The woman of his life. And not as catwoman. This moment is powerful, because of contribution from writers, Boyd Kirkland, and Shirley Walker. Walker's music not only gives the moment of happiness in this scene, but also a moment of comfort where Bruce feels that all of his nightmares are over.

When Bruce realizes that everything is nothing but a dream, he becomes totally angry. He realizes that he "never" can lead a normal life like others do.

He goes to find Batman. In Episode Mad as a Hatter, there are few moments where Mad Hatter is truly happy. The scene where Mad Hatter dances with Alice and the scene where he comes to the office as a new man. We see that the quiet & lonely Mad Hatter has transformed into a man who is sociable, happy, and wishing his coworkers pleasant things. We see flowers in his hands for Alice. Alice is the woman of his dream. When he realizes that he is losing Alice, he becomes very angry. In the end, he loses Alice.

This is where both Bruce Wayne and Mad Hatter are in common. They both lost what they loved the most. Bruce lost his family. Mad Hatter lost Alice, the woman of his life.

So Mad Hatter makes the dream machine to give what Bruce Wayne wants so that he can get what he wants. We all have dreams in our lives. We wants "some" of our dreams very badly. But when we realize that we "never" can get them, this leads us to anger. Through Mad Hatter's dream machine, we realize that Bruce Wayne would have been truly happy if his parents were alive.

Through Episode "Mad as a Hatter", 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 really happy if he had Alice.

Just like Bruce Wayne is angry, we see Mad Hatter very angry at the end, because of what he lost. Moments like these make Perchance to Dream a memorable episode.

The blue or the red pill?

[Mr-Fusion · 9/10 · 4 January 2017]

His parents are still alive, there's no childhood trauma and Bruce Wayne is about to live out the rest of his days in wealthy domestic bliss. Even though you just know there's a twist coming at the end of this story, that's a prize-winning hook. What better way to explore the psyche (and morality of Bruce than by torturing him with a false reality? 'Perchance to Dream' is a tightly-wound episode, full of misdirection, drama and a great Kevin Conroy performance. It's seductive in that you just want the guy to accept the lie and be happy for once. In some ways, I think the real twist is that it's not the Joker who's orchestrating this sick joke.

9/10

An Episode That Will Really Have You Thinking

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 10 December 2007]

Wow, this was a very strange episode, the most unusual one I've seen in the Batman animated series. It is a real thinking person's episode where things aren't what they seem. The villain does not appear until the last few minutes and he's behind all the strange events that Batman experiences throughout this story.

The beginning of this episode features a spectacular car chase scene that is magnificently drawn. Batman, it turns out, is lured into this warehouse, a victim of a trap....and then wakes up in his bed....and is in a world he totally is unable to understand. Is it real, or is it a dream....it's hard to tell.

There is a ton of sci-fi here, an intelligent show that will keep you puzzled, as Batman was here. When we find out what this is all about, near the end, it's pretty neat. Until then, be ready to be confused.

Lost Dreams

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 14 February 2016]

Warning do not read unless seen episode.

This is my second favorite episode of the show and favorite episodes in general. It's pretty much Batman doing "Abres Los Ojos" just like in that film it was about someone that believes he's might not be living in reality. What I love about this episode is that it really challenges our perceptions, just like Bruce were in the same boat were not entirely sure if he's really in reality.

However the emotional drama is what makes this episode stick out the most as we see in the existence he's in now, he is getting which is family we're we see Bruce's parents alive and well as well as marrying the love of his life Selena.

From these things we see Bruce in a place that has been a long ways off actually happy, just seeing that even I'm hopping that the realm Bruce is in is reality because it feel like he has a positive future, but as an old saying goes "some things are too good to be true." Bruce then gets a rude awakening when he of course tries to read the paper and if you know your psychology you can't read text, Bruce sees all of the words jumbled up not making any sense.

This of course leads to a fateful confrontation with the Mad Hatter. I really liked his motives because they actually weren't villainous but he created something to help people, by making each persons dreams come true in a way; but a foundation built on lies will not stand.

I really liked the conversation both Bruce and Mad Hatter have on existence. In a way this is about the constant inner conflict with Bruce on being the Batman but putting all of his dreams on hold. Bruce truly can have all those things he's dreamed about all his life but the tragedy is he can't let go of his crusade which makes those things all the more distant.

It then results in an ending that is tragic in a small way, Bruce/Batman despite coming back to reality he knows in his heart it's back to an existence full of darkness and misery, but from the last thing he says it is really sad because he feels his chances of ever making his dreams come true may'be lost forever.

Rating: 4 stars

Another fine chapter in the Batman Animated Series.

[Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-2187 · 10/10 · 29 September 2016]

Perchance to Dream is short and sweet, just like any good television cartoon should be. This episode starts out with Batman car-chasing some thugs to a warehouse, where he is unwittingly knocked out! He wakes up, and he is just Bruce Wayne, the Bat-Cave doesn't exist, and his parents are alive. And he's engaged to Selina Kyle: Catwoman. Something isn't quite right here, and Bruce isn't too sure what exactly is going on.

This episode is a subversive fantasy playing in the back of Bruce Wayne's mind, and we don't know this until he tries reading books where all the letters are scrambled-up. Bruce gets confronted by this when he thinks everything if finally alright. Bruce finally discovers that the Mad Hatter has created a fantasy-world inside his mind to keep Batman in a comatose-state.

This story is very confronting about Batman's psychology, and it explores a deep, hidden desire for Bruce to go back before he lost it all to his fight against crime. Very well-written and there's also some great action here and there.

Everything you ever wanted...

[David_del_Real_Reviews_in_IMDb · 9/10 · 28 November 2017]

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED...

--- --- --- --- Our plot this time is not a really complicated one, we have good old Bruce having everything he always wanted: his parents weren't dead, Selina is his fiancé, no need to become Batman and no trace of the Batcave,the Batmobile or Robin, and Alfred denies to know anything about them...there doesn't seem to be anything out of place in Bruce's life...except that we know that there is!!! PERCHANCE TO DREAM is one of those great DC stories where we will have one of our tormented heroes finally being released of all his sufferings and traumas and then having to find within the necessary strength and sagacity to wake up from the dream and face reality...

As I said it is not a complicated plot...but that does not mean it is not a very deep and interesting one.

If same as me, you happen to love this story, I strongly advise you to take a look to a brother-episode of this one, being found in "Justice League Unlimited" Season One, Episode Two.

Have nice dreams by the way...

Thanks for reading.

IMDb Review written by David del Real.

November 2017.

"The best dream anyone ever had..."

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 9/10 · 5 November 2013]

I love this clever episode for the profound way in which it explores fascinating deep ideas of dreams and whether or not someone would choose to remain living within a representation of their heart's desire, if they also knew that their happiness was built on a lie. In the story we the viewers are just as mystified at the mysterious alternate reality as Bruce is. I love the unsettling sense of creeping surrealness as tiny elements of the perfect dream world slowly but surely become more eerie and unreal... It's pretty clear right from the beginning of the story that he's dreaming as soon as it's revealed that there's no entrance to the Batcave, Alfred has never heard of Robin, and Bruce's parents are still alive. It's very compelling as we follow Bruce through his confusion and suspicion of everything in the unexpected world he finds himself in. He suspects it isn't real, but he has everything he could ever ask for, and he gradually grows to accept things, until something happens that unavoidably makes him realise that what he's living is definitely not reality. He can't read any text, because it's a dream, which as far as I personally can tell isn't technically true, but it works for the plot, so.. Things start to get seriously mind-bending when Bruce Wayne faces off against Batman, and it all comes to a fairly dramatic realization as everything that he's been experiencing is revealed to have merely been a cruel delusion conjured up by the vengeful Mad Hatter. To me a big part of what this episode is about is how strong-willed Bruce Wayne truly is. He doesn't hesitate to make what could be a fatal choice. A lesser man may have willingly chosen to remain living in the ideal dreamstate in divine ignorance of the truth, but he refuses to live his life as a dream no matter how perfect it may be, and would rather risk the possibility of destroying himself by leaping into the unknown darkness beyond the bell tower than live a lie. But is he really breaking free of the illusion because it's the right thing to do or is he breaking through the sanity of it and returning to the endless strife of his real life because he knows that as long as he's the dark knight, he can never know peace? I love the epic fantastic line he says to the Mad Hatter as he's about to make his leap of faith when the Hatter demands: "What if you're wrong!?", and then Bruce responds with: "Then I'll see you in your nightmares!" This is a brilliant and haunting episode that really makes you feel and ponder. It greatly expertly builds up the suspense and poignant themes of an alternate life that never was, then brings on the dark revelations of a man saving, and damning himself by making the impossible choice to let it go. A dream just too good to be true, and one that could never last...

We are in a Dream

[rasmus-714-713647 · 10/10 · 21 September 2015]

Yearh, so I watched this episode today, and WOW. This has to be in list of episodes, that I Will never forget.

That Dream is just controlled by THAT man? Who would have thought that?

In The first part of The story, I wasn't convinced about The episode. But then, at The last part, The terror really began.

This episode has to be a 10/10 and that's very much because THAT WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!? Okay, my favourite character isn't a part of this episode, but that's not The point here, no. The Dream is just absolutely amazing and quite a bit UNBELIEVABLE!

Thanks for it. I Will just go and continue my "path" With BATMAN!

Down the rabbit hole

[Fluke_Skywalker · 8/10 · 21 March 2017]

Plot; In pursuit of fleeing criminals, Batman is knocked unconscious and awakens to a life where Bruce Wayne's parents are alive and someone else is Batman.

This tumble down the rabbit hole is a great example of what makes Batman: The Animated Series one of the best cartoons of all-time. The focus isn't on fisticuffs and explosions and the like, but on drama; here an increasingly feverish and tightly wound tale that takes Bruce to the razor's edge. The ultimate twist isn't as satisfying as it could've been, but it doesn't take away from the power and effectiveness of this beautifully askew tale.

• Gotta give a special shout out to actor Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne), who gives a really strong performance here.

Dreams are not real

[juniorsam-79418 · 10/10 · 6 June 2023]

Dreams are not bound by the constraints of reality, and it is in this freedom that their power lies. By disregarding dreams as unreal, we risk neglecting a vital part of our human experience-one that can illuminate our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. So, let us embrace the enigma of dreams, for within them, we may discover profound truths that transcend the boundaries of our waking lives. They are like whispers in the wind, echoing the depths of our subconscious, but dissipating into the ether upon awakening. While dreams may not be real in the traditional sense, they hold a profound significance in our lives, offering glimpses into the vast landscapes of our imagination and the untapped potential of our minds.

"Then I'll see you in your nightmares!"

[thomasgouldsbrough · 9/10 · 26 January 2022]

Definitely an oddity, this episode is twisting and intriguing. Quite possibly the best episode of the animated series that I've seen. This episode has constant turns and twists, and it most certainly pays off. It's an episode that is sure to dwell on one's conscience, as it still does on mine.....