SEASON 1
This page lists summaries and reviews for episodes of The New Batman Adventures. They are listed in the order in which they aired. Keep in mind that since this is the same continuity as Batman: The Animated Series (which ended at episode #85), the first episode of The New Batman Adventures is number 86.
HOLIDAY KNIGHTS
NUMBER: 86
AIRED: 9/13/97
WRITTEN BY: Paul Dini
DIRECTED BY: Dan Riba
RATING: ***.5 (out of 5)
SUMMARY: December 22: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are bored and out of money, so they kidnap Bruce Wayne using mind control from Ivy's lipstick and go on a shopping spree. Eventually Bruce realizes what's going on
and before Ivy kisses him, he falls down an elevator shaft. He changes into Batman and stops them at a warehouse. December 25: At a department store, a bunch of kids are shoplifting and Barbara Gordan sees them. She changes into Batgirl and tries to stop them, but it turns out that it's Clayface. She ultimately
shocks him into submission with an electric Christmas decoration. December 31: The Joker takes over the downtown New Year's festivities and plants a bomb there. Batman and Robin arrive in time to stop it. January 1: Batman meets Commissioner Gordan at a bar where they share coffee and talk about this holiday's events.
COMMENTS: While it was well done, this episode seemed somewhat rushed and was lacking a little in the plot area. The glue that held the comic book that this was taken from together was the excellent Mr. Freeze story, and without it, the episode suffered. Basically, this episode is better in comic book form.
SINS OF THE FATHER
NUMBER: 87
AIRED: 9/20/97
WRITTEN BY: Rich Fogel
DIRECTED BY: Curt Geda
RATING: **** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: A young boy enters an apartment after stealing a policeman's donuts and is greeted by thugs looking for his father. He rushes outside and literally runs into Two-Face. The boy is taken to a dock where Two-Face reads note his dad had left him. Batman arrives and is injured by a crane. The dock catches on fire
and Batman takes the boy and they jump into the water. Batman is almost passed out and they escape in the Batboat that he sets for "autopilot-home." When they get to the Batcave, Alfred tends to Batman. The boy, Tim Drake, has found the entrance to Wayne Manor and sees pictures of Bruce. Batgirl finds him and takes him
back to the cave. Tim overhears that his father was found dead in the river. Meanwhile, Two-Face is on television demanding 22 million dollars or he will create a deadly gas and release it. Batgirl and Batman go to an old movie theater for Two-Face. Tim puts on the original Robin suit (or does he?) and goes to the
theater himself. Batman, Batgirl, and the new Robin take Two-Face down. Batman is mad at Tim for coming, but they begin training the next morning. Dick Grayson arrives at the end of the episode to open arms.
COMMENTS: This episode is a good introduction to the new Robin, although some parts are annoying (his calling Two-Face "Puke-Face"). The animation is good, and the return of Dick Grayson put this episode in the better half of the first season. There are some continuity errors, however. Both in the episode and in The
Batman Adventures: The Lost Years #4 comic book, Tim puts on the original Robin suit. The suit Tim wears is different than the original in design, but also in "Over the Edge" we see that the original costume (same design and color scheme that Dick Grayson wore) is still in the case in the Batcave. Hmmmm...
WORLD'S FINEST: Story by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini; Written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and Rich Fogel; Directed by Toshihiko Masuda; Aired: 10/5/97
WORLD'S FINEST PART 2: Story by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini; Written by Steve Gerber; Directed by Toshihiko Masuda; Aired: 10/5/97
WORLD'S FINEST PART 3: Story by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini; Written by Stan Berkowitz; Directed by Toshihiko Masuda; Aired: 10/5/97
COLD COMFORT
NUMBER: 88
AIRED: 10/12/97
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
DIRECTED BY: Dan Riba
RATING: ** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Mr Freeze returns to Gotham City "to destroy hope." First he destroys a dinosaur skeleton which was everything to the scientist who put it together. Then he goes to the Gotham Tricentennial celebration and destroys a commissioned painting: "Twilight in Gotham." The artist is crushed. In the Batcave, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin
try to figure out why Freeze is acting so irrationally. After his wife was revived, he never came to visit her, so she gave up waiting, left Gotham, and married her doctor. Freeze's next target is Bruce Wayne (to destroy his surrogate family). This is thwarted when Batgirl arrives. She places a tracer on Freeze's van as he escapes. When
they follow the signal to his hideout they are found by Freeze's henchgirls. They Call Freeze who appears as just a head on spider legs! (My God, indeed.) Supposedly, the accident made Freeze deteriorate to that point, so he couldn't come back to see Nora. He is determined that everyone will feel his loss, and Batman will lose what he
values most: Freeze will destroy Gotham city by freezing it, and he will keep Batman alive so he can see his dispair. Batman gets on the helicopter Freeze is using to drop the bomb as it's leaving. They fight, Batman ties Freeze to the bomb, it's let loose into the ocean, Freeze is stuck inside the big ice formation. (But is he? No! His head is gone!)
COMMENTS: I personally refuse to acknowledge this as a Mr. Freeze episode. Not only do I hate the new character design and the new mean streak (Freeze was only ever doing what it took to save his wife before. He wasn't really mean.), but I absolutely hate that whole "he's only a head" subplot. This is a huge continuity error. Only a year
or a year and a half before, Freeze was a whole person, nursing a broken leg to health (in Subzero). So we're supposed to believe that his body deteriorated to just a head in that amount of time?! Absurd! I also hate the quick-fix idea of having Freeze's wife run off and marry someone else. (She's still legally married to Freeze, isn't she?)
This episode is unbearable to watch after witnessing the touching shows "Heart of Ice," "Deep Freeze," and "Subzero." It basically rips apart the Mr. Freeze we have known before. (I prefer to think that this Freeze is a robot, or this episode was just someone's dream.) Also, where is Batman's compassion towards Freeze? In "Subzero," Batman
risked in own life in trying to save Freeze's. Now, He just drops Freeze into the ocean on a bomb saying, "I think we've seen the last of Mr. Freeze" in a very cold manner. The whole bomb-ice formation theme also seemed way to much like the end of the Superman episode "The Prometheon" for my taste. Overall opinion? BOO!!!!!
NEVER FEAR
NUMBER: 91
AIRED: 11/1/97
WRITTEN BY: Stan Berkowitz
DIRECTED BY: Kenji Hachizaki
RATING: *** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Downtown, a man is flying around on a rope. Batman and Robin confront him. He's not afraid of anything. The heroes take the man to safety. Some well-dressed men who were watching the incident report to a shadowy figure about the events. Meanwhile, at Wayne Enterprizes, a worker barges in a yells at Bruce and then quits. After he leaves,
Bruce finds a card in his wallet that says: NEVER FEAR. Next, we see Bruce disguised and at a conference for the company. He goes off and snoops around and is knocked out by the shadowy figure who is: The Scarecrow! Bruce is sprayed with the gas that takes away fear, and the Scarecrow leaves him for dead. Batman and Robin go out in the Batwing
and Batman is flying out-of-control. They get to Scarecrow's hideout, and confront the well-dressed men. Batman is unafraid of their guns, and is even unafraid of killing! The leader of the men tells Batman that Scarecrow is in the Subway. Robin ties Batman up to prevent him from going out of control. Robin finds Scarecrow who is selling the
antidote to the gas for ransom. Robin is captured, but Batman escapes and arrives. Batman strangles the Scarecrow, practically killing him, but Robin escapes and gives Batman the antidote. Batman stops attacking the Scarecrow. The subway car they're on won't stop, so they jump off. Batman tells Robin that he'd done the right thing by tying him up.
COMMENTS: This episode is decent, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere. There are some good moments between the affected Batman and Robin, and some good animation, but the story didn't feel whole. The Scarecrow's plan (release the gas and sell the antidote) is old and extremely tried. It was already even used once this season when in "Sins of
the Father," Two-Face held the city for ransom or he would release a gas. That, and this episode doesn't really seem to go anywhere. Any other Scarecrow episode is far better than this, although I do like the new character design, and the new voice is very creepy (which is great!).
YOU SCRATCH MY BACK
NUMBER: 90
AIRED: 11/15/97
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
DIRECTED BY: Butch Lukic
RATING: ****.5 (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Nightwing is observing a gunrunning operation when Batman and Batgirl arrive and talk to him. Nightwing soars into action, defeating many of the crooks. As he is chasing one down, he looses him. He finds the man tied up by Catwoman who blows him a kiss and leaves. Nightwing leaves and goes to the leader of the group's apartment. Catwoman shows
up and gives Nightwing some information about the man. She wants to be Nightwing's partner. They enter the man's apartment and find the shipping schedules they were looking for. Batman had been watching this whole spectacle. He goes to Selina Kyle's place and warns her to stay away from Nightwing. Nightwing arrives there and Batman leaves. Nightwing
and Catwoman leave to find the shipment. They find it, and the men are smuggling artifacts. Catwoman begins smashing them. She is looking for the "Cat's Eye" emerald she had smuggled in the shipment. She had played Nightwing for a fool. Batman and Batgirl show up, and Nightwing tells them that she had smuggled the emerald just like Batman had said.
They had set Catwoman up! The leader of the operation arrives and Batman defeats him. Nightwing goes after Catwoman and captures her.
COMMENTS: This episode is great!!! Not only does it feature some of the best animation and fight scenes of the season, but it also has a great story. I love the double cross that Batman and Nightwing pull on Catwoman. Her reaction is hilarious! This episode provides a great introduction to Nightwing, and shows that he really is a "man wonder," as
Catwoman says. I also really like the theme music given to Nightwing that we hear in this episode. Overall, it is VERY good. Definitly one of the best of the first season.
DOUBLE TALK
NUMBER: 89
AIRED: 11/22/97
WRITTEN BY: Robert Goodman
DIRECTED BY: Curt Geda
RATING: ****.5 (out of 5)
SUMMARY: The Ventriloquist is dreaming: He sees a beautiful, serene park. He runs to it, but he cannot get there. A trunk is chasing him. Scarface jumps out of the trunk and turns to shoot him; he wakes up. His rehabilitation has been approved, and Scarface has been successfully repressed. He is given a home at Wayne Gardens Halfway House and a job at
Wayne Enterprizes. On his way home from work, Scarface's old gang confronts him and tries to get him to gring Scarface back. Batman arrives and fights them. He tells them that the Ventriloquist is off limits. At home, the Ventriloquist hears Scarface's voice, but he convinces himself it wan't real. At work, he gets a letter that is addressed "Dummy."
"Scarface" calls him on the phone that night, and Batman is tapping it. Batman chases after "Scarface" who had made the call. A scan on the Batcomputer reveal that it wasn't Scarface's voice, and Batman says he has found speakers in the Ventriloquist's home. The next day, when the Ventriloquist gets home there is a Scarface puppet sitting on his couch.
He submits, and Scarface is back. The fake Scarface that had called him the other night turns out to be a hood who was hired by Scarface's old gang. Batman and Batgirl arrive at the seen of Scarface's heist. Batman convinces the Ventriloquist not to ruin his life and to do something right. He takes the tommy gun and shoots up the Scarface puppet which
falls and is chewed up in some fan blades. Batman sees that the Ventriloquist gets his job back and is not in trouble.
COMMENTS: This episode is probably the best underrated show of the season. It is very touching, and has a very optimistic ending that I really enjoyed. I feel happy for Arnold Wesker when I view this episode, because he has finally gotten his life together, and the end suggests that it will remain that way, and not that Scarface will return (the
way many other Scarface episodes have ended up). If you have seen this episode and dismissed it, I ask you to watch it again, and let it touch you. I also think that this episode has some of the best Batman animation seen so far (i.e. when he tells the old gang to stay away from Wesker). This is a beautifully done episode.
JOKER'S MILLIONS
NUMBER: 92
AIRED: 2/21/98
WRITTEN BY: Paul Dini
DIRECTED BY: Dan Riba
RATING: ** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: The Joker is out of money. So much so that he can barely evade capture by Batman because of lack of weapons, gas, etc. In fact, Harley gets caught by Batman and put in Arkham because there isn't enough money for two ejection seats in their car. This all changes when a crime boss leaves millions of dollars and riches to the Joker.
The Joker is no longer in trouble with the law because of a lawyer who looks like Johnny Cochran ("If your client's filled with glee, he must go free!"). The Joker basks in his new-found wealth, laughing it up at the Penguin's new exclusive club. The Joker also hires a new "Fake Harley" to replace Miss Quinn, who, by this time, has esaped
Arkham. However, problems arise when the Joker finds out that the crime boss duped him by only giving him a small sum of real money which he has already blown. The rest is counterfeit. Because he doesn't want to admit that he was outsmarted, the Joker stages a heist of a bunch of money from a boat. Batman shows up and takes him down. At
the end in the police car, we see Harley (mad at him for ditching her) waiting for him with a club...
COMMENTS: This is a real disapointment. It has funny moments, especially the O.J. joke, but the animation and story is lackluster. "Fake Harley's" voice is extremely annoying (Yes, I realize that's supposed to be a joke), and the art is, at times, static (see Harley's head go round and round in the washingmachine through the magic of using the
same frames over and over again!!!). This is usually not the stuff of Batman: The Animated Series, but (somehow) this episode uses that. It makes me sick. Stay away from this one.
GROWING PAINS
NUMBER: 93
AIRED: 2/28/98
STORY BY: Paul Dini and Robert Goodman
WRITTEN BY: Robert Goodman
DIRECTED BY: Curt Geda
RATING: ***** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: A girl is roaming the streets in the early hours of the morning when she is taunted by a biker gang. Robin shows up and fights them, and then he talks to the girl. She doesn't remember anything of what's happened to her. She runs away and Robi pursues, but he sees that Batsignal which he reluctantly responds to. At police headquarters,
Commissioner Gordan shows Batman and Robin video of a robber they've been unable to indentify. Batman's never seen him either. The next day when Tim is riding in the car with Alfred, he spots the girl at the bus station. He changes into his Robin costume and goes after her. When he confronts her, she tells him that she doesn't even know her name
so he calls her "Annie." She reveals that she is on the run from a man who turns out to be the guy from the video. The man appears there and says he's her father. Batman shows up and he and Robin chase the man. They both end up loosing him. Batman takes a soil sample from a brick that the man kicked, but Robin goes off on his own to find Annie.
He does find her, and she sees searchlights that remind her of something. Robin takes her to a lighthouse which is near a factory by the water. They enter some pipes leading into the place. Meanwhile, Batman discovers who Annie's "father" is and urgently rushes off. In the pipes, Robin and Annie run into the man. It's Clayface! They escape from
him into the factory, but some of the mud from him is absorbed into Annie's skin. She now remembers everything: She is part of Clayface. He was washed out to the ocean and couldn't hold his form, but he floated near the pipes and something in the chemicals made him whole again. He created her to go off and see if it was safe, but when she went away
from him, she forgot everything. Clayface finds them and catches Robin, forcing him over a vat of an acid. Annie sees this and (literally) runs into Clayface. Robin is freed, but Annie is gone. Batman arrives as a tank in the factory explodes. They get to safety and Clayface is captured. The cops say he'll be booked for robbery. Robin thinks he should be tried for murder.
COMMENTS: This is, without a doubt, the second best episode of the first season. It is beautifully constructed, from the story to the animation. This is the first time I really LIKED the new Robin. This show was originally scheduled for the old series but was never produced (therefore, the Dick Grayson-Robin would have been in it), so when this
incarnation was created, Robert Goodman rewrote it for the Tim Drake-Robin. This story is exceptional, but the absolutely SUPERB animation brings it to life. The art in this episode should win awards. It feels and looks like Anime, but is a great Batman story. I'm glad this never made it into production before, because I think the animation
wouldn't have been as well done. If you haven't seen this episode, you must see it. If you saw it but didn't like it, watch it again for the first time. All I can say is, "Wow."
MEAN SEASONS
NUMBER: 98
AIRED: 4/25/98
STORY BY: Rich Fogel
WRITTEN BY: Hilary J. Bader
DIRECTED BY: Hiroyuki Adayama
RATING: *** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: At a fashion show presenting it's Spring line, a woman shows up dressed in green wearing a mask. She and her henchmen bombard the audience with exploding Easter eggs. She kidnaps the woman in charge of the show and leaves a page of a calendar with the date April 3rd circled. The woman is dubbed "Calendar Girl" by Harvey Bullock.
Bruce Wayne is scheduled to appear at an auto show a few days later, but when he arrives, he sees one of Calendar Girl's henchmen and has Alfred take him somewhere that he can become Batman. The car companies are unveiling their Summer lines when Calendar Girl shows up in yellow with Uncle Sam hats that launch fireworks. Batman arrives, but
Calendar Girl succeeds in kidnapping the man in charge of the show and leaving a page with August 7th circled on it. By cross-referencing the companies' names as well as the circled dates, Batgirl figures out the the woman is Paige Monroe, a former model who was dumped by the companies on the respective dates she had circled. Batman and
Batgirl pay a visit to her ex-agent who tells them that the last thing he had gotten her was a television show that was cancelled. He also says that he's heard rumors that she was disfigured by plastic surgery. Calendar Girl's next stop in an unveiling of Fall television shows (where we get to see hilarious previews for the fake T.V. shows,
"Model Students," "Teen Cop," and "Malibu Vets"). She shows up in red with exploding pumpkins. She kidnaps a television head and leads Batman and Batgirl outside to face a giant robotic dinosaur. They beat it and find another page (October 29th? is circled). Batgirl discovers that Paige still holds title to a defunct nightclub called "Faces"
and they race off. At the club, Calendar Girl explains how each of the executives ruined her. She emerges in black with a sickle to celebrate "The Day of the Dead." Batman and Batgirl come and they fight. They win. Bullock takes off her mask after she is arrested. She is beautiful, but she can't see that anymore.
COMMENTS: This episode was decent, but some of the deeper elements ended up seeming a little melodramatic. The subplot involving an employee of Bruce's tries to be a commentary on aging but goes nowhere. Also, the whole scene with the dinosaur is a huge rip-off on Jurassic Park as well as the one seen in the Superman episode "A Little Piece
Of Home." The episode has good animation, however, and is very funny in some places (the television convention in particular). All in all, the episode has it's moments, but is nothing spectacular.
THE DEMON WITHIN
NUMBER: 103
AIRED: 5/9/98
STORY BY: Rusti Bjornhoel
WRITTEN BY: Stan Berkowitz
DIRECTED BY: Atsuko Tanaka
RATING: **** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake are at a museum auction where a young boy named Klarion and a man named Jason Blood are in a heated bidding war for the branding iron of Morgan LeFaye. Ultimately, Bruce Wayne steps in and buys the item for one million dollars. He gives it to Jason. Klarion threatens Bruce, but leaves before he does anything
Jason says that he turned his parents into mice. At Jason's place, Tim is interested in a statue that Jason tells him is of Merlin's demon, Etrigan. Klarion's cat sneaks in and takes off with the iron, but Bruce sees it. It turns into a humanoid form, and they fight. Jason recites a spell and changes form into the Demon. The cat escapes, and
Klarion uses the iron's power to separate Blood and Etrigan. Klarion uses the Demon to cause general mayhem and destruction around Gotham, and Batman shows up. Klarion makes spells that an aging-because-he-is-now-separated-from-the-Demon Jason counters. Batman gets away, but Klarion sends Etrigan to kill Jason. While he is absorbed in controling
the Demon, Batman sneaks up and swipes the iron from Klarion and recites an incantation to make Jason and Etrigan one again (say that three times fast!). Etrigan comes back and defeats Klarion who he puts in a glass globe on a shelf in his apartment.
COMMENTS: This episode is very good and has some great animation, especially of Batman. Using Tim as a type of conduit through which to view the mysteries of magic is a nice touch. We are introduced to it at the same time he is. I also liked the mystical elements used here, and it was nice to see that the writers respected the continuity set up
by the Batman Adventures Annual #2 (where Batman and the Demon met) by having Bruce and Jason already know each other. I also like the voice casting of Billy Zane (The Phantom, Titanic) as Jason. He had just the right quality for the character. An all-around good, fun episode!
OVER THE EDGE
NUMBER: 97
AIRED: 5/23/98
WRITTEN BY: Paul Dini
DIRECTED BY: Yuichiro Yano
RATING: ****** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Commissioner Gordon and the police department rush into the Batcave shooting and chasing Batman and Robin. They destroy the Batmobile, so B&R have to escape in the Batboat. They are persued by a policeboat, but Nightwing shows up and helps them evade capture. They escape to an warehouse off the water. Since Nightwing isn't sure what's going on, Batman recaps: The Scarecrow had taken control of City Hall, and, while Batman and Robin were taking care of
his goons, Batgirl persued him to the roof. She can't find him, but he sneaks up behind her. The Scarcrow takes his staff and whacks her across the head with it, sending her flying off the building. Commissioner Gordon is arriving at City Hall when Batgirl's body crashes onto the hood of the car and flies off onto the road. On the roof, Batman and Robin look down in horror, while the Scarecrow simply laughs. Commissioner Gordon takes Batgirl's mask off and sees that
it's his daughter. She dies. The Commissioner now hates Batman. By accessing her computer, he finds out that Batman is Bruce Wayne. The police storm Wayne Manor... Nightwing decides that they need supplies, so he goes to his loft where the police are waiting. He is arrested. Batman tells Tim to give himself up, because they won't blame him. Commissioner Gordon hires Bane to take Batman down. At Barbara's funeral, Batman is spotted and gunfire breaks out. Batman
jumps over to a rooftop where Bane is waiting. They fight. Commissioner Gordon gets to the rooftop and says he wants Batman alive but Bane wants to kill him, so he throws Gordon over the roof, but Gordon hangs on to the edge. Batman electrocutes Bane and then goes to help Gordon, but Bane staggers back up and hurls the Batsignal at Batman and the Commissioner, sending them off the building... Batgirl wakes up. It was all a Scarecrow fear-gas halucination. She
decides that she needs to face her fear, so she meets with her father to tell him that she's Batgirl. Before she can, he tells her that she's old enough to make her own choices, and they don't need his approval. He tells her that he loves her, and they hug.
COMMENTS: The best episode of the season. This is an extremely powerful twenty minutes (only twenty?) that contains the most shocking and beautifully told story I've seen since the original Batman: The Animated Series. It contains the most graphic scene I've ever witnessed on a "kid's" show (fall and death of Batgirl). It shocked me so much the first time, that I didn't believe what I'd seen. This episode even manages some humor with a group of villains (Harley
Quinn, The Mad Hatter, The Riddler, and The Ventriloquist) suing Batman because he abused them. They have hired the Johnny Cochran look-alike lawyer to sue for one million dollars ("If the Bat's on a spree, Wayne must pay a fee"). This in no way takes away from the dark grandeur of the show (which also includes a "Batman and Robin" inspired scene with Bane lifting the Batsignal). After viewing this magnificent episode, I am speechless.
TORCH SONG
NUMBER: 95
AIRED: 6/13/98
WRITTEN BY: Rich Fogel
DIRECTED BY: Curt Geda
RATING: **.5 (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Bruce's date takes him to a "Cassidy" concert. She currently the hottest ticket around. One of her crew used to date her and is still obsessed with her, so she fires him. During the concert, he breaks into the control booth and screws up the pyrotechnics, so that the stage bursts into flames. Luckily,
Batgirl is at the concert too, and she saves Cassidy (Bruce can't because of his date). The man creates a costume and weapons and goes after her at a restaurant as Firefly. Batman and Batgirl thwart this attempt, but Firefly later suceeds in abducting her a recording studio. Firefly has developed a gel that can
burn through anything. He is going to use it to destroy Gotham so the two can escape together. Batman shows up, however, in a new costume so that the villain's "fire-power" doesn't work on him. He beats Firefly and Cassidy is safe, but the memories of fire still haunt her.
COMMENTS: This episode has virtually no story, but it does have some nice visuals. Batman's fireproof suit is pretty neat (it reminded me a little of Superman's from "Brave New Metropolis"). It is one of those things that is a variant costume we actually see on the show, but will probably never make it to action
figure form because Kenner would have to create an entirely new sculpt (it took until the Mask of the Phantasm for a "Retro Batman" figure). Oh, well. Anyway, Cassidy's character was a throw-away, and I didn't even like her design very much. (Not to mention that her performance was horrible.) Some of the scenes
involving Firefly's attack were also some good eye-candy, but the lack of depth in the episode make it forgettible.
LOVE IS A CROC
NUMBER: 94
AIRED: 7/11/98
WRITTEN BY: Steve Gerber
DIRECTED BY: Dan Riba
RATING: *** (out of 5)
SUMMARY: Baby Doll is now a hotel manager. She sees Killer Croc's trial on television, and she identifies with him (they both have rare conditions). She falls in love with him after he escapes the trial and is caught by Batman. She meets him at the jail and tells him she's going to help him. She causes the
police van that is transferring Croc to crash, and the two escape together. They go on a crime spree, while Batman and Batgirl try to find their hidaway. Croc is always going off and leaving Baby Doll alone, so one time she follows him. He is a a bar flirting with a group of girls, and reveals to them that he's
planning to ditch Baby Doll and go solo. She is crushed when she overhears this. Meanwhile, Batman and Batgirl find the hideout with the plans for Baby and Croc's latest crime. Then the place blows up. The crime is at the local nuclear reactor. While Croc thinks it's a ransom, Baby Doll is planning on blowing
up the whole city, her and Croc included. Batman and Batgirl arrive just in time. They deafeat the two, bringing Baby Doll's plans to an end.
COMMENTS: This episode is very, very odd. The prospect of Baby Doll and Killer Croc hooking up is a weird one, and the episode is hard to judge. Some elements seem standard of these types of stories, though, and it feels a little bit generic. I didn't like Baby Doll the first time she appeared, and I still don't
like her. I also don't like the redesign of Killer Croc, so that might be why I didn't think this was anything fantastic. Something to think about: When Killer Croc pushes Batman's head towards the rotor blades, his "ears" hit the fan, so to speak. When they are in it, they remain intact, sparking. Are we to
believe that the pointed ears on Batman's cowl are metal, and not the same fabric as the rest of his costume? It looks that way... Basically, this episode has many levels. You may find one you like.
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