I don’t have anything clever to say about it, but the “match scene” from Death of the Family is definitely the part I think about most. That scene was great, in my opinion. It did a wonderful job at making me feel tense and anxious about what the hell Bruce was going to do. Was he going to stand and ignite the fire (which is what he ended up doing) or would he let Joker throw back the match? I could feel Bruce’s thoughts race and the overall pressure of what was going to happen. The family’s gaze fixated on Bruce. And Joker.
I think I can safely say that the match was a test. I’m not great with words or analyzes like I used to be, so I’m not sure I can explain my thoughts around that clearly. But I think about what goes through Joker’s head. And the point. Perhaps the match was a parallel to “no matter what, you always end up with me. You love me more than you love them. You let me get them. You let me hurt them and murder them.” No matter what, the room was going to go up in flames due to Bruce standing up on his own, choosing Joker, or letting Joker hurt them again.
Ouch.
