Question: Why did Alfred burn Rachel's note to Bruce Wayne?

Yup, haven't gotten over The Dark Knight yet. I do have an answer, just wanted to throw out the question for the sake of saying it out loud--or writing it down--and giving it some semblance of permanence.

It's a sad affair, what Bruce and Rachel had.

Fussing Over "The"

Two days ago, I found myself in the middle of a debate, the source of the conflict being the title of the latest Batman movie.

I was raving about how wonderful The Dark Knight was and one co-worker (a guy named Wowoo) corrected me. "Shan, it's Dark Knight. There's no The."

I, of course, took a break from my raving and became quiet for a while. Then Wendell, another co-worker, seconded his statement.

I was frowning by then.

No, no, no, no. It's The Dark Knight.

No, there's no The.

And so on.

They were laughing at me. Those who overheard were amused. What's the fuss? they asked. It's the same old thing.

But I knew better. It wasn't the same.

I wasn't one to back away from "fights" like this. I once won a hundred bucks in a bet with a colleague over the words "anarchy" and "archaic." I knew I was sure about The Batman thing and I wasn't about to give up. But I knew I needed concrete, incontestable proof. And I was going to get one.

The next day, I approached my worthy opponents (separately, so the confrontation had to be done twice) and told them in a firm, solemn voice that I had done a lot of research (a tv documentary, a magazine review and a blog entry written by a credible, established writer named Luis Katigbak) and I had irrefutable proof that the movie's title was The Dark Knight. With a The, not without.

It might have been the mention of my sources, or the earnestness in my tone, but they clearly admitted defeat when one of them said, "really? But I thought it was... oh, well. Okay. So it's The Dark Knight, then" and the other said, "I knew that. It was Wowoo who was insisting it's Dark Knight."

Another battle has been won.

Let's move on to the next.

THE DARK KNIGHT is The Joker's Movie

If the mask fits..

Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight has ensured the gloriousness of his exit from this world. His death had all the elements of tragedy in it (a failed relationship, depression, an alleged drug overdose), but the passion--and authenticity--with which he tackled the role of theJoker, neatly gathered the pieces of his life together into one seamless, unforgettable whole.

His portrayal of the Joker will definitely be one tough act to follow: woe to him who dares try his hand at playing the deranged blackguard in future Batman films.

Snug as a hand in a custom-made glove--the perfection with which Batman's mask hides his persona is the same perfection with which Heath Ledger fits into the Joker.

Ledger completely disappears into the Joker.

And, in acting, that is the true measure of credibility, in the same way that madness is one sure consequence of brilliance. For the Joker is mad and brilliant, from the logic behind and the atrocity on his painted face to the cunning and grand systematization of his crimes. The Joker, a creature of contradictions, is representative of the grotesque that is evil and yet wise, making perfect sense in all his incoherence.

Ledger has, by all means, upstaged Christian Bale in the film, though to give the latter credit he so rightfully deserves, he has proven, once again, that the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne is rightfully his, if we are to glean this from the now slightly aged, harder features that fit right into the mask and doesn't disappoint once it's taken off, the brooding stance, and the undeniable current of power in his acting.

One gets the sense that his (Batman's, or Wayne's) very presence is, in itself, a contradiction of his longing to stay in obscurity. He is a troubled man, perhaps even as troubled as the Joker, although he has channeled this conflict within himself into a compulsion opposite to that of his nemesis'. He "completes" the Joker's persona (I am aware that it should be the other way around, but I do have a point), underlining the villain's outrageousness and perfect ease in the limelight (albeit for corrupt, deplorable reasons) with his own taciturn but essential (hey, he's the superhero here!) role as the Dark Knight.

The "upstaging," then, must have been deliberate. And this, I think, is the point I'm trying to make.