MovieChat Forums > The Dark Knight (2008) Discussion > Maggie Gyllenhaal ruined it and Rachel b...

Maggie Gyllenhaal ruined it and Rachel became a horrible character


This had the potential to be the best superhero movie of all time. It had the best villain, best screenplay, great performances from most actors............and then they had to replace an eye candy like Katie Holmes with Gyllenhaal.

Don't get me wrong, Holmes is not a great or even good actress. But she's extremely cute in an innocent way - the type that makes you infatuated just by watching her when she gets sad. I wanted Bruce to impress her. That was a huge part of Batman Begins.
It had the best "reveal" of them all at the end, when Bruce indirectly revealed he is Batman to someone who had looked down on him.
That was so satisfying to watch.

I hate when actors/actress get replaced in movie series. It takes away all sentimentality. It's part of the reason why I didn't like Interstellar......spoiler incoming............because that old lady was not the same person who portrayed the young girl.
It was also one of many, many reasons why the Schumacher Batman movies sucked. They didn't feel like sequels to any movie, because there was a new Batman in each. And also a new Dent.

I guess Katie Holmes didn't give them a choice, if it's true she picked Mad Money over TDK. They had a mountain to climb, but they could've done a better job. How about picking a new fairytalishly cute face? Someone that could instantly make you feel infatuated just by looking them in the eye? They seem to have realized their mistake when they picked Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle in TDKR. She would've been a worthy replacement to Katie Holmes.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is too average-looking, too dull. Also, the character was horrible in TDK. We're supposed to find her sympathetic while she's playing both Dent and Wayne? Ugly on the outside, ugly on the inside. Her death was the best thing to happen in the movie. It gave TDKR a chance, and that movie ended up being the best one in the trilogy.

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See, I had an opposite reaction.

In Batman Begins, Rachel comes off as childish and immature because Holmes didn't deliver a good performance.

In The Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a performance that makes me think she's an intelligent, professional woman to be admired for her skill and abilities more than her appearance alone. I'm also not sure why people think Gyllenhaal is ugly. Okay, Holmes is prettier, but Gyllenhaal isn't bad looking.

I also disagree with her "playing" Wayne and Dent. She was attracted to Dent, but still hung up on Wayne. "Its complicated". Right? She was torn between two worlds, knowing Bruce's obsessive crusade and double-life would constantly get in the way of a happy relationship, even if she still had feelings for him. That's not "playing" people. That's being caught in the middle of emotional attachments.

Holmes' performance holds back Batman Begins (a movie I otherwise actually prefer), while Gyllenhaal's elevates The Dark Knight.

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Maggie is not ugly, but she is not pretty enough for a Batman girl.
It seems we don't watch Batman or DC movies with the same expectations.
IRL, I'm all about the chase when it comes to love and relationships. There's nothing more enjoyable in life than impressing a girl and making her fall in love with you - especially if she looked down on you at first.
I watch superhero movies with this mindset. To me, half of it is about the secret superhero's relationship with the girl. Will she find out? How will she react? How do they deal with it?

Batman movies are only as good as the appearance of the girl allows them to be.
Am I a sexist / misogynist for thinking that? Probably.

Batman 1989: Kim Basinger. Good.

Batman Returns: Pfeiffer. Great.

Batman Forever: Kidman. Her prime, but still not my taste.

Batman & Robin: Uma Thurman. Her prime, but not my taste at all. Eww. Kill Bill is the only Tarantino movie(s) I dont like.

Batman Begins: Katie Holmes. Wow.

TDK: Gyllenhaal. The movie had the best components of them all, but it was bottlenecked by the girl.

TDKR: Hathaway. Endless potential.

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I'm watching them for the characters, themes, aesthetic, and so forth. Actors contribute to that, and attractiveness never hurts, but the focus of most superhero movies is not on the girl.

There is a fun in the storyline involving the romantic entanglements. The secret identity dance was never better than in Batman Returns, I think.

In terms of physical attractiveness, I'd prefer any of Holmes' Batman love interest predecessors. We really divide on Thurman. To me, though, Holmes is pretty, but looks too girlish. Gyllenhaal isn't as "hot" as Pfeiffer or Kidman, but she becomes more attractive because her Rachel had a better personality, more character, and the performance was superior.

Winning over a girl can be a great plotline in a movie (or in real life, if real life has such a thing as plotlines), but I think Gyllenhaal tapped into the potential of the character more than Holmes did.

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"but she is not pretty enough for a Batman girl".... who cares. This is a superhero movie, not James Bond. If you want prettier girls than watch a porno lol.

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Basinger and Pfeiffer make Holmes look like a dog. Kidman was sex on legs too but unfortunately she was in a bad movie.

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Which showed they needed to rely more on eye candy rather than a good performance or interesting character. The older Batman films had good things but were more style than they were substance.

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Nonsense. Basinger and Pfeiffer are both better actresses than Maggie Gyllenhaal. Pfeiffer's performance alone is better than any of the female leads in the TDK trilogy.

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I would say Maggie is a more talented actress than Basinger is. Pfeiffer was good but I would say Hathaway did a good job as well. Pfeiffer is more theatrical but in terms of character arc and personality Hathaway is more in line with the comic book counterpart. I am a substance over style type guy but to each his own. I felt Nolan balanced style and substance better than Burton did. I preferred his take on the Joker as well.

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Nah, Basinger is a better actress than Maggie, she's won an Oscar too which Maggie hasn't. Being unattractive doesn't make you a better actress.

Pfeiffer was leagues above Hathaway. Nobody remembers Hathaway. Pfeiffer's performance is one of the most iconic in movie history.

I like a marriage of both style and substance, but this isn't about the directors, we're talking about the female leads. Pfeiffer's Catwoman had way more character development than Hathaway's. Her character wasn't even called Catwoman in the movie, she just seemed like a generic cat burglar. Her characterization was all too generic.

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Being unattractive does not make you a better actress but winning an Oscar does not make you a better actress either. We are comparing how they did in the Batman films. Maggie's best performance was not in the Dark Knight just like how Basinger's best performance was not in Batman 1989. Maggie's best performance was in Crazy Heart for which she got nominated for an Oscar. Basinger's best performance was in LA Confidential for which she won an Oscar. Kevin Costner won a best director Oscar where as Alfred Hitchcock never won a best directing Oscar. In no way shape or form is Costner a better director than Hitchcock. Basinger has also gotten tons of flak for roles she has been in also in the same way Maggie has not. In my book Maggie wins. I find the character of Rachael Dawes far less cliche than Vicky Vale.

Nobody remembers Hathaway? What are you basing this off of? I am not denying Pfeiffer was good but to say Hathaway was forgettable is a stretch. Hathaway happens to be one of the more memorable aspects of The Dark Knight trilogy.

Her characterization fits more in line with the comic book counterpart. Not being called Catwoman in the movie is not a big deal. Would the movie change drastically had she been called that? No it would not.

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An Oscar is certainly an indication of being a good actress. Basinger's performance in LA Confidential is better than anything Maggie has ever done, and let's not even talk about who's more attractive. The bottom line is, Maggie isn't fit to be Batman's love interest. She's below average, I mean i'm not a billionaire like Bruce Wayne and even i've been with better looking women than that. It was bad casting.

Hathaway was completely forgettable, I don't think anyone thinks of Hathaway when they hear Catwoman. I'd even think of Halle Berry before Hathaway and that was one of the worst films of all time. It wasn't really Hathaway's fault, it was more Nolan's direction. Her character was bland. Like I said, Pfeiffer's performance will be remembered forever. Totally iconic and memorable.

Let's not talk about faithfulness to the comics, because Ledger's Joker is nothing like the Joker in the comics. You can't have it both ways and conveniently use faithfulness as a positive only when it suits you. And again, Hathaway's Catwoman is so faithful that they never even call her Catwoman! Give all the poor excuses you want, but it's not faithful when you're too ashamed to even give the character their official name. Might as well call Batman, Birdman while we're at it if names don't matter. Her character was completely generic. You could've pulled her out of that movie and stuck her in a generic crime movie, and no one would connect the dots. Average performance, completely forgettable.

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I disagree I do not think Kim's performance was better than anything Maggie has ever done. Who says a woman needs to be attractive to be Bruce Wayne's love interest? Also I do not find Maggie to be a bombshell but I do not find her ugly. A person being attractive does not equate to a performance being better. I already showcased that winning an Oscar does not automatically mean you are better than someone who has not. Do you think Costner is a better director than Hitchcock? Do you think Basinger is better actress than Amy Adams?

In your opinion she was forgettable. You personally do not think anyone remembers her, that is anecdotal. You offered no facts to support this claim. Sorry but that is not enough to sway me. I do not think she was bland and I found Nolan's direction to be rather solid even though I had a few flaws. Halle Barry before Hathaway? Halle Barry is remembered because of how awful that interpretation was. Nice joke though.

Ledger is nothing like Joker in the comics? http://gothamalleys.blogspot.com/2011/08/comic-book-references-in-movies-part-vi.html Also since we are talking Oscars does that mean Ledger and Phoenix gave better performances as Joker since both of them won Oscars and Nicholson didn't? Since Oscars are the end all be all in your book that would mean yes.

Never said it was a complete translation. However you do not get to excuse Burton's liberation while criticizing other interpretations for the same thing. Point to a comic where Catwoman's story was like the one Burton created. Also nope good performance from Hathaway in my opinion and I remembered it. See rather easy to throw out buzzwords and act like it is fact.

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You can disagree all you want, but the consensus is it was a more critically acclaimed performance than anything Maggie has done. The point is, if they're even similar in acting prowess, then Basinger is the better fit since she's significantly more attractive. Who says a woman needs to be attractive to be Batman's love interest? How about every Batman movie and comic book ever. Next you're going to say Bond girls don't need to attractive. Now I know you're just reaching and getting desperate in this argument.

Your analogy of Costner and Hitchcock is nonsensical. Costner only ever made one movie which was nominated or won an Oscar. It was an anomaly. Hitchcock was nominated for Best Director 5 times and a further 50 nominations for his movies overall. His movie Rebecca also won Best Picture. Your analogy of Amy Adams is also stupid, because she has at least had 6 nominations. Maggie has simply had 1 nomination. That's it. And she looks like dog meat compared to Basinger. Like I said, if they're even close in talent, Basinger's looks puts her way over the top.

I hate to break it to you bud, but this is all opinion. You are not offering facts either. You saying Maggie is a better actress is also opinion. However, Pfeiffer's performance being more iconic than Hathaway's is a fact.

Yes, Ledger's Joker is nothing like the Joker in the comics. He plays a generic criminal who wears face paint (face paint was never an explanation for his white skin) and goes on about his scars like he's a child abuse victim. This was nowhere in the comics prior to this movie. Also he doesn't even use gag weapons. This is one of his signature traits in the comics. Again, stop fanboying and being inconsistent with your arguments. Either being faithful to the comics is a good thing or a bad thing, you can't jump in and out when it suits your argument.

Ledger only won the Oscar because he died. Pity win. You can't convince me otherwise. He practically won it before the movie even came out. Phoenix gave a great performance and deserved his win, but that was barely a comic book movie. It was an arthouse movie with the Joker name slapped on the title to sell tickets. Not in the same category of Batman 89 or even The Dark Knight. And don't put words in my mouth, I never said Oscars were the be all end all, I said it was the differentiating factor between Basinger and Maggie, neither of whom are exactly Meryl Streep. They're close enough but Basinger is significantly better to look at.

Dude, I think you are arguing with yourself at this point. YOU are the one who brought up faithfulness to the comics, not me. I just pointed out the hypocrisy in your arguments. Nolan's movies are NOT faithful the comics in many fundamental ways. Your arguments are dishonest and wildly inconsistent.

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Now you are attempting to appeal to authority to invalidate my opinion. It is your opinion that she is more fit because she is more attractive. That is a prerequisite for you there is no rule book that requires that. Show me the comic book that specifically states that it is a rule that the love interest has to be a bombshell. Also I want to see where that is a requirement in the films as well. Have fun searching for that. Fyi just because other movies had that does not count as proof it is required. Also we were talking about how they performed in their Batman films. As it stands Rachael is less cliché than Vicky Vale. Rachael>>>Vicky and Maggie>>>Kim all day every day for me. I do not find Rosamund Pike attractive, good actress but in the end she was a Bond girl she does not strike my fancy in terms of women. There you go.

No my argument fits just fine. Your argument for putting Basinger over Maggie was she won an Oscar and Maggie did not. Now you are backpedaling because you realize it is a nonsensical argument. Emily Blunt has never been nominated for an Oscar but I would put her far above Basinger in terms of versatility. Michael Keaton only has one Oscar nomination Eddie Redmayne beat him the year he was running and has another nomination, so a win and a nomination. Does that mean he is better? Anthony Perkins who played the iconic Norman Bates was not even nominated for that role and only has one nomination with no win. That must mean Cuba Gooding Jr is a better actor than Anthony Perkins I mean he actually won his Oscar after all... This fits perfectly, Perkins only has one supporting nomination with no win. Cuba won the only supporting Oscar he was nominated for.

I never said I was offering facts you are the one who seems to think you are the sole authority on what determines quality. I never once said it was not my opinion. The argument was not about Pfeiffer vs Hathaway it was Maggie vs Basinger. Nice try on attempting to twist the argument though. Not to mention it was laughable you tried to make a case Barry was more remembered than Hathaway. What a joke.

So you are going to conveniently ignore the comics in which I linked you to? Quite funny man. I actually provided evidence and you ignore it. A generic criminal? No he has the purple suit, he is insane, he has the white makeup, maniacal laugh etc. Anybody can tell who that is without him saying he is the Joker. Nolan's Batman is more grounded than the past versions were.

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So grounding it does omit some things but not to the point of being unrecognizable. We can tell who Batman and the Joker are. The scar stories are to toy with his victims which is a trait of the Joker. So no that in line with the character. Also nope you are the one being a hypocrite. So then lets just sum it up it is okay if Burton strays from the comic source material but not anyone else's interpretation. Do not be a blind Burton fanboy it makes you look ignorant. Show me a comic where Catwoman's story is her story in Burton's films. I am still waiting on that proof of yours. You know you can't provide it.

Ledger won because he was great not a pity win you will never convince me otherwise. So as it stands Phoenix>>>Ledger>>>Nichoslon. We will go ahead and put Phoenix at the top since you have no excuse to bail you out. As it stands both did better than Nicholson who not only did not win, he did not even garner a nomination for playing the Joker. Joker is a comic book film it is simply more realistic and grounded in the same way Logan is. Just because it is more grounded does not mean it is not a comic book movie.

Burton's movies are also not faithful to the comics in fundamental ways yet you say nothing. I said originally Hathaway's Catwoman was more in line with the comics than Pfeiffer's version. I never said it was 100% dead on. I also provided proof of the comics they took from and were inspired by for Nolan's vision. You did none of that in your defense.

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I agree with most of your points on Holmes vs Gyllenhaal's depiction of the character but I have to agree (unfortunately) with OP on how she played Dent and Wayne.

I absolutely think that she was completely unfair with them. It was complicated, and she was caught in the middle of emotional attachments, but I don't think it was right at all. She was unwilling to commit to Harvey because she still held on the hope that things could work out with Bruce. And I think that was intentional as TDK establishes her to be a flawed character in how she relates to these two men. (It's clear she doesn't know Bruce as well as she thinks, and she arguably doesn't know Harvey that well either.)

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Is that because she's deliberately playing with them, though? I don't disagree that she was in the middle of them and wasn't committing; I don't even disagree that it's unfair to Dent and Wayne while she oscillates between the two of them that they don't want to be dangling like that. But "playing with" seems to imply an intentional action, and I don't think she was deliberately being unfair or mean. My reading of it is more that she couldn't decide if she wanted to go with her close friend Bruce - for whom she was developing feelings - and the "safe" choice of Dent. The mature, sensible thing to do would be to go for Harvey, but her gut and heart were drawing her to Bruce. I think she was just as caught up in the whirlwind as they were, and that's somebody who's confused and finding herself, not somebody who's a player.

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Hmm, it's possible maybe we're using the word "play" differently. Or maybe our personal values are really different, and thus, our interpretations of her character differ accordingly.

I believe she was already taking the safe choice of Harvey while still harboring feelings for Bruce. I think she's always had those feelings for Bruce (since Batman Begins), and they never went away. She didn't pursue Bruce though because of all the concerns about his Batman identity.

I think this is the whirlwind you're describing but I think a key difference is that you believe her feelings with Bruce to be developing, sudden, passion-driven. And it wasn't until the press conference when she finally goes wait, I want to go for Harvey.

But since I think her feelings were always there, I'm leaning towards her thinking that Bruce is a backup option if things don't go well with Harvey (or anyone). I think she's been holding out for the possibility that Bruce will finally reject the Batman identity. I don't think she rejects Harvey's proposal because she's confused of who to choose (though, she does say "I don't know" iirc). I think she rejects Harvey's proposal because she's not ready to give up on Bruce. And then the press conference happens, and she's like, whoa, you're never gonna let go of Batman. This will never work. I'm picking Harvey.

I don't think she may have been intentionally being mean. But I think she was intentionally doing what I described above, which I consider to be a mean thing.

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Yeah, I think our differences might be mostly semantic.

So, I definitely agree that her feelings for Bruce go far back, but are being held up by his Batman persona. But I slightly disagree on Harvey. I believe that she was starting to develop feelings for Harvey even prior to The Dark Knight. I also wouldn't say that the feelings she has for Harvey are disingenuous, which is why she's torn. I just think that her passion sort of lies with Bruce, while her head leans to Dent.

And, again, while I agree that she sort of hopes Bruce will stop being Batman, I don't think she's thinking of him as a "backup" or Dent as a consolation (for that matter), but rather that she knows Batman is what's keeping her from Bruce, while at the same time thinking that it is a deal breaker, and if he's going to be Batman, she should be sensible and move on.

As to meanness, I think she was trying her best, and because she's torn, this isn't deliberate, so it's not mean. I would agree, though, that she owes it to herself as much as to these two guys that she should sit down and figure out her priorities and then go for her actual love.

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Regarding in terms of backup/consolation, yeah, I think that may be where we fundamentally differ. I can see what you're saying though, in that she has these developing feelings for Harvey while also harboring a passion for Bruce as well. The batman identity is something that would simply make it an easy choice, the dealbreaker.

Our different views seem to still be based on the exact same pieces of evidence in the film too, so it's not even like we're going through different thought processes. We've just responded to the depicted conflict differently.

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That's one of the most interesting things about art, is how it can mean very different things to different people. It's kinda great that we can each watch the same story and take away different ideas about it, which in turn is what makes message boards fun.

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Agreed! I was disappointed when the IMDB boards went down...I just found this place a couple of weeks ago. Glad something like this still exists.

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My biggest thing about Gyllenhaal is that she just hams up the performance. Just listen to the way she delivers many of her lines. Very cringeworthy when you hear the way says certain things. Makes me hate the character if that's how she talks to people, or the actress if that's how she thinks her character should talk.

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Yes. It's bad enough that she has an unattractive face, by Batman love standards.
Why was she so irritating? Why did she have an annoying smirk all the time?
Why was she kissing Dent and Wayne?

Ughh. Such a horrible distraction in an otherwise great movie.

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I completely agree with you! The movie would have been perfect had Katie Holmes returned to that role. I am not a big fan of Maggie and don't find her attractive at all. I really felt like she was terrible in the role, something about her was just off.

Everyone fawning over her, Joker calling her beautiful, it made no sense to me.

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Katie Holmes is not a good actress and they made the right decision to recast her, she would've been way out of her league acting wise in this movie. "don't find her attractive at all"..... whether you find her attractive or not is completely irrelevant to the film, the movie isn't even about that. Good looks don't equal good performances. Maggie was hardly terrible, that's just your opinion. I just don't get these petty criticisms, "the girl wasn't pretty enough WAAAAA!!".... are you fucking kidding me?

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🙄

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When a bunch of characters are fawning off her looks, it's pretty damn relevant. I mean not in Joker's case. I had to head canon that he was being a lying psychopath when he called her beautiful just to make it seem believable. But then when she shows ZERO worry or empathy for Dent when he is almost assassinated in court, nothing I could do would make this believable. Complete 180 from Rachel in the first movie, who was a bleeding heart, caring, and forgiven, over her head idealist, that somehow became self righteous, pretentious, high-horse, pedestal standing scumbag in the second one.

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Maggie Gyllenhaal is fucking hot. Have you seen Secretary? Even if you don't agree that she is hot, that's your opinion and it is far from conceivable that many people would think otherwise

And your criticisms of the changes of the character of Rachel (indifference do Dent almost being killed in court) are criticisms of the WRITING of the film and are totally distinct from your criticisms of Maggie Gyllenhaal. An actor can only work within the bounds of the script and directing they are given. Dent himself was pretty indifferent to almost being killed. Blame it on Nolan for the overly streamlined pace that he sets in his movies

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I agree with everything you wrote; especially with the actresses.

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GYLLENHAAL>HOLMES.

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YUP^

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Personally I find Maggie Gyllenhaal very beautiful. She reminds me of the actresses in the golden era of hollywood.

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She looked like a damn melted face Shar Pei puppy in the movie.

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Personally I think Jake in a wig and push up bra would have been more convincing.

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Couldn't have said it better myself, and Bale also had great chemistry with Katie. Her death would have had so much more of an impact on me in TDK. A real shame it worked out that way, but I think we have Tom Cruise to blame for that - her career turned into a mess after their marriage.

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Not to mention, it killed any impact of her death driving Two Face mad. Like c'mon. How could anyone give a rats ass about her? She showed ZERO concern when a man tried to assassinate her man in court.

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