“Ego Centered”
As time goes on and we sink deeper into our dark side, we tend to build more of a sense of reality around our newfound character. We have to make sure this new character doesn’t relate back to the old one, whatever it takes, we can’t be connected to the former self we’ve thrown in the back of our heads. Over time, since I created the idea of a Bruce and a Kory in my head and the traits each individual holds, this will eventually cause an identity crisis in me. I’m torn between feeling I’m a Grandfather Clock swinging between characters and the actions they may do, but what do I really want to do? Me. The one who sees both characters and is aware of it all?
This episode speaks a lot from Bruce Wayne’s POV of the Harvey/Two Face situation. Being actually friends with Harvey, Bruce is haunted by the traumas of not being able to save his friend Harvey. Knowing this, Batman’s dreams and subconscious haunts him as he now correlates this loss with Harvey to how he lost his parents as a kid. Once again Bruce feels helpless in the situation he may have still not been able to prevent.
Like most episodes with Two Face as a star in the drama, these batman episodes are very introspective not only into Harvey/Two Face but also Bruce/Batman. As Bruce battles with the idea of losing Harvey, Harvey battles with the idea of losing his lover Grace. After finally attempting to contact Grace, she arrives to meet Harvey but he confronts her with the reality that he is now Two Face and no longer Harvey Dent. He shows her how his life is now a dichotomy of order and chaos, hence the two faces of Two Face (Harvey Dent and Big Bad Harv). Grace lets Harvey know that he’s lost a grip on his mind and his feelings. Being consumed with his newfound addiction to chance, Two Face places all his decisions in the flip of a coin to choose his fate.
Grace accidentally sets up Harvey with Rupert Thorne’s goons after activating her tracker which she thought was help from the GPD. As the end of the scuffle comes about Two Face ends up with luck being on his end as he lands Thorne at his feet. Before he pulls the trigger, Two Face flips his coin to see if he’s gonna pull the trigger, then Batman throws a mix of coins into Two Face causing him to lose track of his token. Not being connected to the one thing that makes him who he is, Two Face slowly falls apart mentally and needs to be comforted by Grace to know that he’s still ok.
This episode ends by giving us a glimpse of hope for Two Face. How he was created and the morals Harvey stands for make it hard to believe that Two Face has full control of the situation and that there is still hope to save Harvey. Commissioner Gordon wonders if there is still hope for a person like Harvey with so much anger built up inside of him, but by questioning Harvey we must also question ourselves. Is there enough hope for us to be better? Can love truly be the healing that we need?
There’s a different face we show everyone. The person who cut you off saw a different you than your parents may have last saw of you just like your spouse’s version of you is different than a random person who pursues you at the gas station may see. I’ve talked before about how I feel everyone gets a different version of me depending on how I open up to you. I like to compare myself to an Ogre because we have layers. Each layer depends on the comfort zone of our conversation and how deeply we choose to peel the onion is only a matter of understanding. Again, it all comes down to we all just want to be understood. Maybe that’s all Harvey needed, was to be understood…
-KoryH