'Read My Lips' is one of the most psychological episodes of The Animated Series, and it comes in a delightfully hard-boiled package. The cast of trenchcoated hoods and jazzy score (gotta love that upright bass) really does create the perfect mood for Scarface. And mood is spot-on here; there's a "Child's Play" moment when the dummy's eyes spring open, startling Batman.
The Ventriloquist is one of the more fascinating in Batman's rogues gallery, and such a comic foil is just the result of split-personality disorder. Does the dummy really have control over the handler, or is it just an outlet for aggression? Handled differently, this could've been a hopelessly silly episode. Instead it's one of the most effective.
9/10