[8.3/10] Another cool episode, if not quite as cool as part 1. I enjoy the continued friction between Batman and Superman here. The way that Batman’s voice shifts between affable Bruce Wayne when Lois is in the room, to shifting to that usual Batman growl when he and Supes are talking business is a particularly nice touch. Though to be frank, Batman is kind of a dick in this one. I get that he and Supes don’t like each other, but Bats seems to be rubbing it in, which feels a tad out of character. By the same token, Superman closing with “I couldn’t have done it without your help” and Batman responding, “I’m aware of that” feels like a particularly pointed kiss off. That part’s not necessarily that far off from Batman’s usual one-liners, but it just comes off cold and haughty to me. Either way, I like the second act set piece of the two of them working together to foil Joker’s plans. There's a lot of nice little details there, like Superman taking Bats’s warning to heart and wearing his lead-lined suit, oly for Joker to bust it open using acid. Bats fighting off Joker’s goons is always fun, and I like how both of the heroes had a hand in saving the day. Bats dissolving the kryptonite, and Superman using his remaining strength to bust them out of the factory, replete with a shocked look from Joker, worked well to show both of them succeeding when they work as a pair. In the same vein, I once again enjoyed the interactions between Joker and Lex. The two of them talking turkey while their seconds fight in the background made for an amusing sequence. Joker is once again in rare form here, galavanting about like the cartoon character that he is, and adding such irreverence with his mortal threats that you can’t help but be entertained by the guy. At the same time, I like each hero confronting the other’s big bad. Superman having to deal with Joker and “expect the unexpected” as Batman put it, makes for an interesting and different dynamic than we typically see with the Clown Prince of Crime and his normal foe. At the same time, I like how Lex doesn't take Batman seriously (calling him a chump in a fright mask is a good burn), only to have the Dark Knight swoop into his bedroom and intimidate the hell out of him until he takes things seriously. I also enjoyed the continued relationship drama material. Bruce asking Lois about any other romantic entanglements, only for her to tell him that his only competition “flew away a long time ago” works well. Plus, Batman’s catty line about Clark having already had his chance is fun. Though I also appreciate the subtext of Joker storming Bruce’s date with Lois to take her as bait, and Batman being unable to really do anything in his civilian guise. It leads to mutual mistrust but a mutual goal of keeping her safe between The Bat and The Man of Steel. The closing cliffhanger material isn’t bad either. Distracting Superman with a boat capsizing and forcing Batman to fight one of Wayne Enterprises/LexCorp’s bots is a good tease. I don’t know that we really needed Bats to have a jetpack (Joker kidding about him having propulsion envy was a laugh), but it passes muster. Overall, this one worked well as the middle entry in the trilogy, escalating the personal conflicts between the two title characters, complicating the relationships between their villains, and giving them a good reason for their alter egos to work together given the crisis.