Viewer Log: Batman: Caped Crusader ep 15

 The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is on the hunt.

Last time on Batman: Caped Crusader, Batman became the center of a cult. The cult worshipped Barbatos, the Demon Bat God, and under the orders of the Mad Monk, stole lots of treasure to offer up to their dark god. The cult accelerates after murdering a man to get their offering and are told by the Mad Monk to get the blood of Barbatos’ avatar, Batman, to summon their lord. Batman investigates the murder and the cult and learns from Linton Midnite that it’s a scam. Barbatos is a fake god that pops up every decade or so that occult grifters use to fleece people out of their money. And obviously the fake Bat God’s cult would work Batman into their mythology. The cult escalates further by kidnapping Jim Gordon and talk show host Hattie Tetch (Gordon had agreed to an interview to try to boost moral) and it’s revealed Hattie’s produce Dala Landry is part of the cult. They kidnapped the two to sacrifice to Barbatos, as they represent an ally and an enemy of the Avatar. Batman busts in and frees the captives before running down the Mad Monk. He gets Batman at gunpoint and reveals that he was indeed a grifter. Batman is able to get the gun away from him and capture the Monk. But he doesn’t get far, as Dala heard his reveal, and so stabs the Monk as a blasphemer. She sobs and calls out to Barbatos when Batman grappling hooks away. After, Hattie Tetch has warmed to Gotham PD and Jim Gordon but is still adamant that Batman is a menace that must be stopped. Really showing off her J. Jonah Jameson right there. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Oh, and I should remind you of Jim Corrigan. He was introduced in season one and was largely a background character until the episode “Moving Target.” A hit is put out on Barbara Gordon (everyone assumes it’s on Jim because they’re always together when attacked) and he’s one three cops protecting the Gordon’s for most of the episode. That is until Batman is drawn away to fight the episode’s villain Onomatopoeia, it’s revealed he’s a corrupt cop and is going to kill Barbara for the bounty. She holds him off until her dad can arrest him.

 

Ep 15: The Spectral Hand

 

We open with Barbara at the gun range doing target practice. She remembers Corrigan threatening to kill her as she makes several head and body shots. Montoya calls out to her, but Barbara doesn’t respond right away until prompted again. She insists she’s fine despite being very obviously not fine. As shown by her sneer as she goes back to shooting.

 

The two women head out, and Montoya points out that Barbara seems… tense. Barbara reveals she’s on edge because Jim Corrigan is going to be released from prison soon. Maybe. He’s offered to be part of some medical experiment in exchange for a reduced sentence. Montoya tells her that she doesn’t have to go as a witness, but Barbara insists that she does, to look that ‘animal’ in the eyes. Montoya tells her she’s not going alone.

 

At Blackgate, Corrigan is grabbed and brought to a surgical theater for the experiment. Barbara and Montoya, along with a late arriving Bruce, are some of the few viewers. Bruce claims to be here because Dr. Peterson’s longevity experiences might be worth investing in… but we the audience knows Batman is just checking in on an old case. Montoya accuses him of only caring about money, and Bruce responds, “what else is there? Besides wine, women and the occasional song?” he heads toward a seat. Montoya and Barbara say, “I can’t stand him,” in unison. Dr. James Peterson steps up, presenting his Osiris Project. Peterson claims that this project is about reviving the recently deceased and increasing the longevity of people. He thanks Corrigan for volunteering (Barbara snidely adding “Volunteering to get his sentence reduced”) and they begin. They stop Corrigan’s heart with an injection. As he goes under, the last person he intentionally sees is Barbara in the crowd. He flatlines a few minutes later and they begin the procedure. They stick a metal headband on his head and power up some electronics. This feels very… movie Frankenstein. It seems to be going well for a minute, his heart starts beating an everything, but then the machines start going wild. Corrigan starts screaming in agony as his skin is burned and his hair goes white with the stress. He dies on the table.

 

One of the prison guards lets a colleague know that Corrigan died, and that leads to a riot as the prisoners believe that if the cops will kill a cop, they’ll kill anyone. They’re able to grab a guard, steal his keys and hold him at gunpoint. The second guard sets off the alarm as the prisoners try to escape. Bruce hears the alert and runs off to intercept. Montoya takes Barbara with her, saying that while she knows Barbara can take care of herself, the prisoners finding the police commissioners daughter is at the prison would be bad. Batman cuts off the wannabe escapees at the gate, kicks their asses, and leaves them for the cops.

 

Later, we see a pair of coroners taking Corrigan’s body. One of them says that it is hard to feel bad for Corrigan, but they both agree the way he died was nasty. As they start chatting about their Christmas and New Years plans, Corrigan opens his eyes and sits up. Seeing a corpse get up obviously freaks out the guards and they drive off the road. Alfred drives Bruce home, mentioning that maybe it’s better the experiment failed, and muses about how extending life indefinitely could be dangerous. Bruce is barely listening. Alfred suggests that maybe he should make the biscuits that Bruce liked as a child, but those were tied to memories of Bruce’s mom, so that really shuts Bruce down. They come across the scene of the accident and Bruce gets out to investigate. The coroners are both dead, but he sees a trail walking off into the distance.

 

At the police station, Gordon chews out Barbara for going to the experiment, saying that she could have been killed. Montoya excuses herself from the parent/child dispute. When alone, Barbara says that she felt relieved when she found out Corrigan died, and asks what that says about her. Gordon tells her that it means she’s human that went through something traumatic. She heads home, Gordon warning her to be careful as the storm is getting bad.

 

We cut to a bar where a drunk named Vinny de Leone is forcing the bartender to stay open and serve him drinks. Corrigan, who grabbed a green hooded jacket at some point stumbles in. He still looks like a walking corpse, and only mutters Vinny’s name and the word “Vengeance.” Vinny takes several shots at Corrigan, but he barely slows his plodding step. Once close enough, Corrigan’s eyes go black and he seems to give Vinny a heart attack. The bartender calls the cops and tells Montoya what happened, saying that Corrigan walked off with two bullets in him, and that he didn’t seem human.

 

At the Gordon house, Barbara is reviewing Corrigan’s case while listening to the radio. The host says that he’s going to be doing a dramatic reading of a Christmas Carol, which Barbara shuts off. She hears a thumping outside her window, goes to check and sees it’s just a loose shutter.

 

Corrigan finds another victim, Roger Marshall as the man is threatening to beat up his lady. Roger runs off when he gets a look at Corrigan’s corpse like face. He runs into a department store and starts throwing things over to try to slow Corrigan down. Batman hears about a break in on his police scanner and goes to investigate. Corrigan corners Roger, and tells him, “Vengeance.” Roger seems to think this is about the death of his wife, who he definitely murdered. He tries to (badly) convince Corrigan that his wife fell down the stairs, the jury acquitted him and everything. He throws a chair at Corrigan, but he bats it aside. Roger runs outside and laughs at having escaped Corrigan… right up until he’s hit by a Christmas tour bus. Batman pulls up in time to see Corrigan’s black eyes return to normal and then shuffle off. He runs after the ghoul, but once Corrigan is out of sight, he seems to vanish. Must be weird to be on the receiving end of that for once.

 

Gordon calls Barbara to let her know that he’ll be even later than normal getting home. He claims Christmas is like a Full Moon in Gotham. Gordon asks if she’s okay, and Barbara admits that she can’t get Corrigan out of her head. He reassures her that Corrigan isn’t on her, and that she should get to bed and have some of his terrible eggnog before she goes.

 

Batman hears another sight of Corrigan the zombie and heads for the Hotel Gothamite. Freddy Borke is up waiting for his mistress to show up and complaining that she’s late. He hears a noise and has his goon check it out. The goon opens the door and Corrigan is waiting on the other side. He comes in, crushes the guards windpipe and throws him at the radio, shattering it. Freddy makes a run for it, climbing up the fire escape to the top of the hotel. Batman pulls up as Freddy runs across the roof. He grappling hooks up to the roof and tries to fight Corrigan, but the undead ma barely notices him. He uses his mysterious power to trap Batman under a fallen letter from the Hotel’s sign. Freddy tries to escape Corrigan by climbing on a flag pole, but falls and ends up improbably impaling himself on the Star atop the Christmas tree the city set up. Graphic way to die. Corrigan slips away into the crowd, somehow reaching the ground as Freddy hits the star. Dude is slow when observed, but the Flash when not.

 

Barbara is still waiting up when she gets a call. She assumes its her dad, but it’s Batman. He lists off the victims: Vinny De Leone, Roger Marshall, and Freddy Borke, and asks how they’re tied to Corrigan. This is how Barbara learns Corrigan is somehow wandering around. Barbara starts to list off their crimes, but Batman cuts her off (De Leone bilked people out of insurance money, Marshall killed his wife, and Borke was deep into the drug trade), he needs to know how they tie back to Corrigan. Barbara says that he was the arresting officer in all three cases, but they were let off due to insufficient evidence. Batman realizes that Corrigan is going after people that got away from him, settling unfinished business. Barbara says that can’t be true, as the bounty was lifted, but Batman warns her to call her father. He was going to say more, but Barbara hung up on him and got her own gun ready.

 

Batman sees people fleeing from the subway station and runs in just in time to follow Corrigan onto the train. They fight again, but Corrigan’s supernatural strength is too much for Batman. He tries to choke out the zombie, but it doesn’t work and he almost loses his head. Corrigan beats Batman and then throws him out the back of the train.

 

Corrigan gets off the train and walks down Barbara’s suburban street. She opens the blinds and sees him coming. She decides she’s going to face him, to end this one way or another. She opens the door with her gun drawn. Batman is following, but his injuries have him moving slowly. Corrigan calls out Barbara’s name. She asks if he’s “ready to die again, you son of a bitch!” Corrigan pulls down his hood and just looks at her. Barbara shakes as she holds the gun on him and finally asks why. She’s not a criminal that got away, he attacked her, so why is she on his list. He then mutters “Forgiveness,” and “Please, Forgive me.” Batman comes up as Corrigan drops to the ground. Barbara says that he came all this way to ask for forgiveness and starts to tear up. Batman reaches out to maybe comfort her, but pulls back. He leaves her be as the cops and Gordon pulls up. He covers Barbara with a coat and asks if she’s alright. She says no, but that she thinks she will be.

 

Batman returns to the cave and sees Alfred left him a plate of Christmas cookies. He grabs a cookie as he walks by.

 

           This was an interesting spin on The Specter. For those that don’t know, James “Jim” Corrigan is best known as the Specter, the spirit of Vengeance. As the name implies, he’s a supernatural ghost that hunts down individuals that need to be punished. He’s a lot like Ghost Rider but without the flaming skull or motorcycle. He’s typically given near god-like power and omnipotence. This version of Corrigan seems to be a less powerful version of that. He knows where his targets are and can seemingly reach them wherever they are, and he can hit them with enough bad vibes that they die. While obviously the procedure is what triggered this short undead life, I like that the story kept it vague as to the actual mechanics. Is this some sort of latent Meta ability? Is he possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance? The episode doesn’t spell it out, and that’s for the best. I very much loved how they set up this final confrontation with Barbara. From the very start, Barbara doesn’t fit the pattern of guys Corrigan is going after. He strikes at low lives, people that escaped justice, and yet we’re all worried that he is going to go after Barbara. She was the last person he looked at in life. And while we don’t get shown what’s going through Corrigan’s head in this episode, I think the implication is there that she was as much on his mind as he was hers. The episode seems pretty vague on how dirty Corrigan was as a cope, but the implication I got was that he was supposed to be a lot like Dent. Did he cross ethical lines? Ya, probably. But it was ultimately in the pursuit of trying to do good, at least up until trying to kill Barbara. Ya don’t come back from the dead and kill three dirt bags unless you had at least a little of your integrity left is all I’m saying. I don’t have much to say about Batman himself in this one, as most of the episode was just him in pursuit of Corrigan. He’s not questioning how a zombie is walking around or anything, just running. But I liked that small moment when he almost reached out a hand to Barbara. Batman of the last season I think would have just left the moment he knew that the danger had passed. But after at least a year of growth in universe, he was willing to at least consider offering someone a bit of comfort when they needed it. That’s real growth for this ice king Batman. And that’s all I have to say about that. When we come back next month, we’ll see the return of a season one champion, Harleen Quinzel. Look forward to it. Have a good night and stay safe.

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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social

Viewer Log: Batman: Caped Crusader ep 14

Batman's not the only creature stalking the night. 

Last time on Batman: Caped Crusader, Batman got a new alias. Hoping to get any new info on the mysterious man running Rupert Thorne’s business with the crime boss MIA, Batman and Alfred created the alias of Matches Malone. He enters Blackgate prison and is mad the cellmate of Mark “Dez” Desmond, the only member of the Thorne Crime Family they’d been able to arrest since Thorne’s disappearance. Which is good timing, as the Riddler had just decided to tie up the loose end that was Dez. Bruce saves Dez from four assassination attempts, which bonds the two men, and after the fourth, Bruce uses his skills to help them escape. Dez lets slip some of the info he has on the Riddler, namely his name and the fact they’d been running together for years. Riddler is there to greet them at the docks, where he quickly executes Matches’ for no real reason. Thankfully, Batman survived the shot and was able to get his gear. He interrupts the Thorne goons heist, and Riddler decides that’s the last straw. He’s sure now that Dez tipped off the cops and that’s why Batman showed up so promptly. Batman stays with Dez until he dies, the gangster realizing that Matches Malone was Batman the whole time, and what a trip it was that his best friend in the world was the Batman. The Joker watches this final interaction from a distance. Batman broods on the information that he got on the Riddler, and if it was worth allowing the Riddler to escape so that Dez didn’t die alone. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Ep 14: Devil’s Due

 

We open on a jewelry heist. A thief cuts open a display, but before he can grab the jewels, he’s grabbed and has his arm broken by someone with a Bat silhouette. The mysterious bat beats the guy bloody before killing him with a dagger. I saw now cape in the silhouette, so it’s obviously not the REAL Batman.

 

The next day, the reporters gather to try to get pictures of this latest killing. Eel O’Brien, a sleezy photographer from last season, is up front and center trying to get pics. The cops ignore him. Gordon asks who the guy is, and Montoya says he was a two bit thief trying to work his way up to cat burglar. Whoever attacked him stole the jewels to. Gordon is a bit confused as he was called in bright and early for this case, as a murder at the site of a robbery isn’t that unusual… so Montoya opens the door to another room and we see a Bat drawn in blood. Unfortunately, Montoya timed the opening poorly, so Eel got a great shot of the bat.

 

The front-page headline is “Bat-Man Turns to Murder!” Hattie Tetch covers the story and is extremely smug about Batman’s apparent murder of a criminal. She’s very gleeful of her condemnation of Batman, and also the GCPD failing to stop him. We’re shown a scene of a mother comforting her son as Hattie describes the Bat drawn in blood with lurid detail. Shifting to Wayne Manor, Bruce is also watching Hattie’s broadcast and looking… annoyed. He’s so distracted that he doesn’t notice when Lucius tries to get his attention until Lucius is basically yelling at him. They’re having a long meeting that involves Bruce signing a lot of contracts. Bruce apologizes for being distracted but insists it’s Hattie’s fault. Lucius agrees that she’s doing her job well, forcing people to keep their eyes on her. He insists that it’s fluff, though, as Batman isn’t a killer. Bruce is surprised by that statement from Lucius, the lawyer explaining that Batman saved his life once and that gives him a pretty good indication of where Batman falls on the friend or foe scale. But Bruce needs to focus on the contracts. Hattie brings up the missing Rupert Thorne and his son Mattie and asks if the Gothamites tax dollars were somehow involved in the disappearance. She signs off and we see Gordon was also listening to the show on the radio.

 

At the station, Hattie drops her persona as some kind of refined lady and demands a drink. One of her aides brings her a glass of water, which she throws back in his face as she said a DRINK ie, liquor. She mutters about the country going to crap as another aide, Dala Landry, brings her a Manhattan, straight up. Hattie is infuriate that she’s been covering Batman for weeks but somehow the Gotham Gazette scooped her. Dala points out theirs is an evening show, so it’s hard to compete with daytime news when it happens overnight. Dala suggests Hattie focus on feel-good stories to counterbalance the Batman fear mongering to get people to watch her. She says screw that, and wants Batman on her show, and demands Dala make that impossible request happen. Dala sees a more reasonable idea in that, though, and suggests bringing Gordon on instead. Hattie loves the idea of getting to grill the commissioner and tells Dala to get on it. Dala says Hattie’s wish is her command, and Hattie retorts, “You bet your ass it is.”

 

I much prefer unfiltered Hattie to TV Hattie.

 

Late at night, we join a bat themed cult. Their meeting is within a burned-out church with a large bat demon presiding over the pulpit. The Mad Monk in charge yells at his cultists for fouling up a retrieval mission with a murderer and demands an explanation. The cultist that did the killing takes off his hood and we see he’s like 17. He says that they couldn’t risk the thief stealing the artifacts they’d been sent for, and they were able to grab it and a bunch of other valuable to use as a tribute to their Lord. The Monk compliments them, but says that the Baubles aren’t worthy of their god, Barbatos. He says that the man that interrupted their heist was a sign that Barbatos demands blood. He whips his cult into a frenzy, promising they’ll receive everything they donate back tenfold. The cultists draw knives and they all start chanting “All hail Barbatos!”

 

At GCPD, Gordon finishes a meeting with Dala and asks Montoya if there’s an update on the burglar. She says he’s a pretty standard thief, nothing unique or interesting about him besides how he died. She asks about Dala, and Gordon tells her to come into his office. He reveals that he’ll appear on Hattie’s Tea Party tomorrow night. She warns that this’ll be a hatchet job, and that Hattie only wants him on to see him squirm trying to defend Batman. Gordon says that she can say whatever she wants about Batman or him, but he wants to get her to stop slandering GCPD. He knows that it’s good for moral for the rank-and-file cops to see that the brass has their back. Besides, he’s dealt with worse. Montoya isn’t so sure, but she leaves without argument when dismissed. When seemingly alone, Gordon says aloud that he knows Hattie would prefer getting Batman on her show. He was hiding behind a filing cabinet. Batman says he didn’t kill burglar. Gordon says he knows, because Batman doesn’t kill (yet) and because at least three assailants beat the guy, and Batman works alone. He vanished partway through that, as per usual.

 

As Batman drives around town in the Batmobile, he sees a cultist chasing a homeless guy. He follows them into a park, where its revealed that this was a set up by the cult. The homeless guy was that kid, who tells Batman that he’s the Avatar, and they want his blood not his life. Batman punches the kid out and the Bat cultists rush him. Batman is obviously a better fighter, but they use their numbers and a smoke grenade to confuse him, so he’s sliced up a few times before the cultists run off. He heads to the Batcave where Alfred treats his wounds. Alfred suggests that Bruce might want to look into occult circles to figure out this cult.

 

We jump to Linton’s Books as Linton Midnite returns home with a couple. They enter the bookstore and find Batman waiting. Linton ushers the couple to his backroom, saying this is business that he’ll tie up shortly. Linton already knows about the murdered thief and the bat symbol. Batman asks about Barbatos. Linton says he needs a drink and pours himself some Burbon as he explains. Barbatos is a bat demon god that is said to sleep beneath Gotham, waiting for his followers to make a sacrifices of blood and treasure to revive him. Batman asks how to stop Barbatos, and Linton says that he can’t. Because Barbatos isn’t real. An urban legend that pops up every couple decades. Batman says a group of cultists attacked him over this myth, and Linton asks if he’s really surprised a bat worshiping cult wove him into their mythology. Linton warns that when the treasure doesn’t work to raise Barbatos, the cult will move onto blood sacrifices. Batman says that they’ve killed once already, and so Linton points out that’s something the Avatar should stop, right?

 

Gordon is brough onto Hattie’s show. He almost gets makeup put on him, but Hattie insists that Gordon’s rugged good looks need no enhancement. She offers him something to drink, even something strong, but Gordon turns it down, saying he doesn’t touch the hard stuff before an enemy engagement. Hattie insists that this is just a friendly chat and says Dala will grab him when its time.

 

The kid gives Batman’s blood to the Mad Monk, who compliments him on his good work. The kid falls to his knees and weeps, saying that he doesn’t understand. He followed the Monk for years, and yet Barbatos chose an unbeliever as his Avatar. When he knows the kid’s faith is particularly shaken, the Monk snaps his neck, sending him to Barbatos.

 

Gordon is brought towards the stage by Dala, who gives him tips on how to handle Hattie. They hear a commotion and see some cultists kidnapping Hattie. Gordon pulls his gun, but before he can do more than threaten the cultists, Dala stabs him with a tranquilizer, knocking him out. She tells her boss that they’re both coming with the cult.

 

Montoya and Flass are driving when they hear of the kidnapping. And Alfred and Batman hear it in the cave. Batman and Alfred try to figure out where the cult is based. Remembering that they sacrifice treasure to Barbatos, Batman decides to check out local burglaries to see if there’s a connection while Alfred reads up on the cases.

 

I feel like a dilapidated church would be an obvious place to check, but that’s just me.

 

Gordon and Hattie are tied to some slabs. Gordon asks if she’s alright, and Hattie says this isn’t her first scrap. She says, “East Gotham, born and raised,” to let him know how used to kidnappings she is. Dala comes in, but she’s sporting a new sexy vampire look. Ya, turns out she is pretty high in this cult. Hattie calls her an ungrateful tramp and that she’s fired. Dala says that Hattie treated her like crap for years, and she never knew why, but the religious psychosis the monk fostered makes her believe that it was all part of Barbatos’ plan. Gordon asks if this is going to be a ransom situation, but Hattie picks up that it’s a ritual murder situation. Dala explains they’ll sacrifice the blood of an ally and enemy of Barbatos’ Avatar to draw their lord to their world.

 

Alfred tells Batman that based on his research, St. Bartholomew’s church is the best location. Batman hits the pedal to the metal and races to the church.

 

At the church, they prepare the to sacrifice the two, Dala clearly taking a lot of joy from telling her boss to shut up. The Monk swears that soon Hattie will be silent forever. Batman shatters the stained glass coming in and a fight ensues. The Mad Monk declares the Avatar “fallen” and orders his cultists to kill him. Batman frees Gordon, and Gordon frees Hattie and all three kick some ass. Hattie apparently keeps a knife in her hat for such occasions. The Monk grabs a bag of treasure and runs into the catacombs, Batman on his train and Dala on Batman’s. The Monk tries to encourage Batman to leave him be, as his cultists could have killed Batman in the park. He swears if they cross paths again, he won’t be so generous. Batman sees his trail in the grime and follows the trail. He finds an open manhole cover and assumes the Monk went down, but no, he hid behind Batman and puts a gun to his skull. He thanks Batman for his help in all this, as it became a lot easier to sell people on a Bat Cult when he showed up. He makes it clear that he doesn’t believe in his own religion, something that horrifies the unseen Dala. The Monk wanted to keep Batman as like a distant figure head, but his frenzied cult got… well, frenzied. He thought that Batman would kill his cult and make it easy for him when they came for his blood, but Batman isn’t a killer. The Monk tries to shoot him, but Batman dodges and they fight. Batman kicks the gun away and grabs the Monk, who tries to bargain with Batman to get him in on the con. Batman knocks him out with a punch.

 

The cops take the cultists away as Batman brings the Monk up. Gordon, Montoya, and Hattie are waiting when he does. Gordon tells Montoya to cancel the manhunt for the Monk. Hattie demands to know where Dala is as she wants to fire Dala again. Dala shrieks “Blasphemer!” and stabs the Monk in the back. He falls on the knife, ensuring his death. Dala, lost in her delusion, asks if Batman will bring Barbatos’ terrible glory. He doesn’t say a word and instead grappling hooks away. Dala sobs as she repeats ‘All Hail Barbatos,’ to his retreating form.

 

The next night, Hattie explains what happened to her, giving all the credit for her rescue to Gordon and GCPD. Gordon, having his guest appearance, says that they should thank Batman as well, but Hattie insists that Batman inspired all this. She claims that a bunch of weak-minded fools are in Gotham like her former producer, but her viewers aren’t among them. We pull out to see a rich murdered guy watching the program, with the Joker watching over his shoulder. Hell of an ending.

 

This was a solid episode overall. The Mad Monk and his little bat cult were interesting antagonists. Organized religion is a powerful force, as shown by how devoted these guys were to get Batman’s blood. Having all these cultists going out for Batman’s blood did allow them to overwhelm Bruce despite his superior fighting skills.  I liked the fact that we found out pretty early on that it was a grift from Linton Midnite. Partially because it was just nice seeing him again, but also because it shows Batman’s growth. He went from a character that went through a lot of mental backflips to try to rationalize the Gentleman Ghost, to at least be willing to consider that a Demon bat god exists. There’s of course some doubt that lingers, like can we trust Linton Midnite who in both appearances has given off very morally grey vibes? But then the monk snaps the neck on his devoted follower, and ya, that seems pretty clear cut that he’s a phony mystic. His getting stabbed in the back was a bit of a surprise, but it was a fitting end. I liked seeing more of Hattie Tetch and getting a look of the person behind the mask of talk show host. The ‘prim and proper personality is much crasser and courser in private’ trope has been done to death, but it works with this version of Tetch. Her comment about being born and raised in East Gotham got a chuckle out of me every time I hear it. Also, her having that sharpened pin or knife or whatever in her hat for an emergency weapon was metal as hell. I’m glad that they didn’t try to soften her, reveal that she’s got strong journalistic integrity or something behind the scenes. Nah, she’s a gossip columnist with a tv show, she’s about ratings and getting big guests. Pretty cut and dry. Honestly, I feel bad for Dala. Woman is clearly treated like dirt by her boss, finds hope and comfort in a religion (albeit a weird ass cult, but we find comfort where we find it), only to find out that the monk is a charlatan and that the Avatar of her faith wants nothing to do with her. I hope they send her to some place OTHER than Arkham so she can start getting psychological help. And that last minute Joker tease was neat, but they’re getting a little repetitive. Just Joker… watching… menacingly. I know that’s what he spends a lot of this season doing as he prepares for the big finish, but I’m just saying that they could have varied his approach a little is all. But that’s my one big gripe. Anyway, ya, fun story. Next time, we’re introduced to another spirit of vengeance. See you there. Have a good night and stay safe. 

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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social

Viewer Log: Batman: Caped Crusader ep 13

 Bruce tests out a new look. 

Last time on Batman: Caped Crusader, Batman faced off against a rocket woman. Local business conglomerate Triad Industries has being attacked by a mysterious rocketeer who was destroying their various lab sites. The Triad tried to bill it as industrial accidents, but when Batman investigated the scene, he saw damage that was WAY too severe to be caused by an electrical fire. Bruce feigned interest in the company to try to get an interview with their chief scientist, Roxanne Sutton. Unfortunately, the Ceos of Triad, Hardwick, Lawford and Lydecker inform him that Sutton was killed the previous year in a lab accent at her home. They tell him about Ultrium, the super fuel that Sutton made for their rockets and mention how they’re moving a bar of it from one of their facilities for their upcoming test launch. The train is attacked by the Rocketeer, who is then attacked by Batman. In their fight he learns the Rocketeer is in fact Sutton herself. She escapes Batman with her rocket, and so Batman investigates her home, discovering a secret lab beneath her barn. Sutton is fixated on ruining Triad Industries and their CEOs for what they did to her work and the fact they’d attempted to kill her. Batman tries to reason with her, but she just hits the self-destruct and escapes. In the climax, Sutton rockets towards the rocket but is cut off by Batman’s prototype Batwing. They have dog fight and crash into a warehouse. Sutton convinces Batman to let her destroy her work before the Triad can ruin it further. Batman holds off Hardwick and his goons, and Sutton chases the rocket. Hardwick is smug that she won’t be able to stop it, but Sutton surprises him by ripping out the Ultrium, destroying the rocket, killing herself, and bankrupting Triad Industries in one fell swoop. Batman and Alfred burn what was left of Sutton’s work to keep it from anyone who’d misuse it, and in a closing scene we see Bruce is building the Sutton research center on the site. And in a post credit moment we see the Joker stealing the Blockbuster formula from a clearly dead Hugo Stange. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Ep 13: Deep Cover

 

The episode opens with Riddler and his goons chasing an armored car. Partway through the chase, Eddie pops out of his car and cackles madly as he shoots up the back of the car. It crashes into a lamppost, and Eddie’s crew gets out. He walks up to the guard and asks, “When is a Pineapple not a pineapple? When it’s a grenade!” reveals the grenade, pops the pin and throws it into the car. The guards are both killed in the explosion. Eddie’s gang grabs the bags of money as Montoya, Flass and a few uniform cops pull up. A shootout ensues, but then Batman leaps in and takes out a few goons. Eddie throws another grenade, but Batman takes it out mid toss with a batarang. Eddie and his goons get into their cars and drive off. Batman flees and Gordon pulls up. Gordon dejectedly says that they’re losing the fight, and Montoya corrects him, saying Eddie is making it a war.

 

Later, we come in at Blackgate Prison as Montoya and Flass interrogate Mark “Dez” Desmond. He was Eddie’s number 2 and the guy that got injected with the Blockbuster formula. Montoya demands to know where Rupert Thorne is, and Barbara (Dez’s lawyer, shocker) tells her to make Dez an offer. Montoya asks who Riddler is, asking what his name is and if he’s taking over for Thorne. The Riddler is still a mystery man to the GCPD… somehow. I know the ability to track people was a lot harder in the 1940s era world, but come on, the dude draws attention to himself like no other. Barbara pushes for a deal, but Montoya and Flass actually agree that they won’t offer one. As Blockbuster, Dez did over a million dollars in damage and (allegedly) attacked a witness. I know that that is how you speak in a legal setting, innocent until proven guilty… but they literally ALL saw him attack Gregory. Anyway, Dez says that he wouldn’t take a deal if offered as he is no rat. Flass asks who’s side Barbara is on, and she says she’s on the Law’s side, like they’re supposed to be. Dez makes a snide comment that Flass of all people should know he’s not a rat, all but stating that Flass was on Thorne’s take until he disappeared. That pisses Flass off and he throws Dez up against a wall to threaten him. Montoya pulls him off and Barbara calls for a guard. As Dez is led away, he tells Flass to tell Thorne the next time he sees the mob boss to buy Flass a new suit.

 

Jim Gordon makes a condolence call to the wife of one of the killed cops. Batman comes in silently, as usual. Gordon tells Batman that the department needed the cop, Fuller, as he was an honest officer. He tells Batman that Riddler, the “mystery man” is who they’re after. Saying that he popped up after Thorne’s arrest and has tripled gangland murders and is the cause of a ton of other crimes going up as well. Batman says that he must be a goon making his own move, but Gordon says it’s just as likely that Thorne’s lost it and he’s burning the city down for arresting him. Mark Desmond is the only member of Rupert Thorne’s crew that they’ve been able to arrest since the new guy took over, and he’s not talking. Gordon says that Dez would rather face 20 years in prison than be known as a snitch. Batman muses that Dez needs someone to confide in. Gordon says that crosses off most of the city unless Batman knows someone… and then notices Batman slipped away. Regardless of timeline, Gordon seems to HATE that trick.

 

At Riddler’s hideout, the club Stumpers, his men are counting the take. Eddie’s goons are all chafing under Eddie’s management style, one guy saying that Eddie let one of their guys, Rocco, get gunned down. The other goon says he hates Eddie too, but Thorne put him in charge, so their hands are tied. Eddie’s girlfriend Lily overhears the goons talking about the situation and she goes to tell Eddie, who is primping in the mirror. She lets him know that Rocco’s death isn’t sitting right with the gang. Eddie calls them all whiners. Lily tries to get Eddie to just talk to them. Eddie goes to talk, and acts calmly as he asks the goon, Vic, what is on his mind. Vic knows he’s on thin ice, and calmly and unthreateningly suggests maybe they stop going so hard against the cops and maybe less of their guys get killed. Eddie says Rocco dying is better than him ending up in a cell, getting worked over by the cops and then squealing. Vic says that Rocco’s no snitch, but Eddie insists that anyone can be a snitch with the right screws. He asks Vic how you fix a leaky boat and then shoots him in the stomach when he doesn’t answer. He asks the others if they have concerns and then don’t answer. He says that he knows the cops are visiting Dez and that he needs to put a plug in that too. … Ohhh, right, because mobster slang for shooting someone is putting a plug in them. I legit didn’t get that right away. Eddie’s an asshole and a cheater, but usually his riddles follow some kind of logic.

 

We move to the Batcave. Alfred is working on some documents as Batman watches a mob movie. I assume so he can pick up on the lingo… but like, the WORST way to pick up on a subculture are watching movies about it. He’s going to do the mob equivalent of the “What’s up fellow kids!” meme. Alfred says that he’s finished with the paperwork and the pickup from stately Wayne manor to Blackgate will be in an hour. When Batman doesn’t respond, Alfred gets in front of him and quizzes Batman on his false identity. He’s from Detroid, has a rap sheet that includes Robbery, Fraud, larceny, and he’s looking for a job driving for the mob. Batman is brought into Blackgate and introduced as Dez’s new roommate. He goes by Matches Malone. Dez asks, “who cares” and tries to get back to sleep.

 

Batman’s disguise is a pencil mustache, glasses and sloppy hair. I have no idea how no one is saying, “Holy shit, is that Bruce Wayne?”

 

Matches gets lunch in the cafeteria and spies an inmate getting passed a note. It has a shiv inside and just has the name ‘Desmond’ in it. Matches marches over and bumps into the guy before he can go for Dez. The shiv is knocked away, and the guard covers it with his boot. Matches and the goon start fighting, but it’s broken up by the guards. When the captain asks what happened, Matches says, “he scuffed my shoes.” Dez laughs at that excuse and later in their cell formally introduces himself. Dez apologizes for being a jerk and Matches tells him to forget about it.

 

The next day, Matches spots for Dez as he lifts weights. Dez says that he keeps feeling like they’d met somewhere before, but Matches says that he just got into town. Dez shakes his head at getting into Blackgate so fast, but Matches says that he’d rather find trouble than let trouble find him. Case in point, the goon he punched out has grabbed some buddies who are all coming Matches and Dez’s way. They decide to make tracks. They’re followed, but Matches shuts a door and barricades it by sliding a mop into the handles. Dez compliments Matches’ intelligence and Matches says that he doesn’t take bruises that he doesn’t buy.

 

Later, in the laundry room, Matches and Dez wash uniforms. Dez says how lucky he is that Matches is his cellmate. Matches tells Dez that he’s being targeted and he’s pretty sure Dez has been marked. Dez scoffs at this, saying that anyone that comes after him has to answer to his boss. And he’s totally unaware when that bruised eyed goon comes into the room and the guard leaves. Matches says that he’s come to Gotham looking to work for whoever runs the place, talking quickly because he sees all the goons approaching with crowbars. Dez realizes what’s up about a second before it’d be too late. They fight off the goons, Dez bashing the bruised eyed man’s face in a few times before the guards arrive. They’re ordered back to their cell.

 

Dez is freaking out now that he knows he’s being targeted. He says he’s protected. Matches ask if he means by Rupert Thorne. Dez is surprised by this and asks how Matches knows about Thorne. He claims everyone in Detroit knows about Thorne. Matches suggests that he reaches out to Thorne and gets this straightened out. Matches correct him, saying it’s MR. Thorne, and you don’t reach out to him, he reaches out to you. Matches shrugs and says he needs to figure this out before someone takes him out.

 

Back at Stumpers, Eddie is having dinner with Lily when a goon comes in to ruin the mood. Eddie warns him that if his champagne goes flat, he’ll mess the goon up. Eddie is infuriated to hear that Dez is still alive, as it’s been a week since he put out the hit. The goon shrugs, saying that Dez made a friend. He grabs the goon by the necktie and slams his face into the table, shrieking that Dez doesn’t have friends, he has Eddie and that’s it. He flips his table and Lily to the ground and grabs his tommy gun. He shoots all over the place, shouting that he wants Dez dead NOW.

 

Dude is causing a LOT of damage to his property, how has no one figured out this is a mob hideout?

 

At Blackgate, Matches and Dez get into a routine. They have meals, work in the laundry, play chess and so on. Later, they’re in the yard and Dez is extremely confused. He’s never been locked up for more than a day or two, now it’s been weeks. Matches, bouncing a ball against the wall, reminds Dez he’s been marked and asks who he pissed off. He asks if Dez talked to the cops, which pisses him off. He tells Matches to drift while he thinks about things. As soon as Matches walks away, one of the other inmates attacks the guard, knocking him out and taking his gun. He tries to shoot Dez, but Matches’ throws his racket ball at him, messing up the shot. A fight breaks out, and the two fend off the other inmates, but are beaten badly by the guards. They’re ordered into the hole.

 

In solitary Dez thanks Matches for helping him. Matches says that he can thank him by getting him a gig with Thorne. Dez says that’s not that simple as Thorne wants guys with skillsets. Matches claims to have been the wheelman for a big job in Detroit two years back. He claims that his partners tried to cut him out, but he got his cut and they got their reward for trying to screw him. Dez says that Matches reminds him of a buddy, a guy he met in Juvie that he’s been running with ever since. He “Shot up so many joints, they started calling him the Riddler.” I. HATE. This. Explanation. For. The. Name! Moving on. Dez got him into Thorne’s crew and now he’s practically running the place. Matches says he needs to meet this guy, and Dez says that’s not easy from inside the joint. He’s thinking of how he can get out. Any plan he had is made moot by Matches, who disassembled his bed while they’d been talking and used some of the springs to pick the locks on their cells. They make a break for it. Matches figures out a break in the searchlight pattern at the gate and they use the bedframe bits to climb the wall. Matches makes it first, as he’s Batman fit, but Dez is slow. He almost falls but Matches catches him and they escape on a police boat. Matches says he held up his end, so Dez will meet his end, right?

 

They reach the warehouse docks and get outfitted in new suits. Dez says that Thorne runs these warehouses and keeps emergency supplies in them for when his goons need it. Ya never know when you need a new suit because the old one got bloody. Eddie pulls up and warmly welcomes Dez, saying Dez is the only one who’d do something so crazy as escape Blackgate. Dez says they need to talk to Mr. Thorne and tell him that folks aren’t following the rules. Eddie says that Thorne is still on ‘sabbatical,’ but he’ll figure things out. He asks Matches who he is. Matches makes it just a bit into his backstory before Eddie shoots him in the gut and knocks him into the bay. Eddie mocks his name, though he’s one to talk. He hands Dez his gun, saying that Dez’s timing is impeccable. They’re doing a job tonight, going to steal Lily some new jewelry, and Vic is… out. So they could use him. Dez is visibly depressed at Matches’ ‘death’ but still goes along with it. Matches survives, pulls himself from the bay and calls Alfred to bring him the car.

 

At the jewelry store, they grab necklaces and other finery. Eddie tells Lily this won’t take long. Batman breaks in and starts fighting. He takes out several goons, though Eddie’s the one that kills most of them. Eddie is infuriated when Batman knocks his gun out of his hand. He picks it back up and shouts at Dez for surviving when he tried so hard to get Dez killed. He thinks that Dez squealed, which is how Batman figured out this job was happening. Dez says he’s not a squealer, and Eddie says, “not anymore,” before shooting him in the stomach. Eddie and his crew escape. Batman stands over Dez as he dies. Dez figures out that Matches was Batman all along. He laughs, saying that he and Eddie went way back, but his best friend in the world was the God Damned Batman. Batman closes Dez’s eyes after he breaths his last. Unbeknownst to him, the Joker watches him from a distance.

 

Back at the cave, Batman informs Alfred about what he’d learned about Eddie. Edward “The Riddler” Nygma, impulsive, reckless, a chaotic personality that is sure to spread. Alfred says that he hates to admit it, but Batman’s job might be easier when Thorne returns. Batman kicks himself for hesitating to grab Eddie after Dez got shot. Alfred says that empathy is a sign of a healthy mind. Alfred leaves Batman to brood.

 

Well, that was a fun change of pace. Rather than do a lot of distance observation and occasionally getting pulled in for a fist fight, Bruce was in the thick of things more or less from minute one. Matches Malone has been Bruce’s favorite fake id when he needs to do undercover work for decades, so it was nice to see it get some limelight. I really feel bad for Dez. Sure, criminal, not a good man by any stretch of the imagination, but he at least thought Eddie had his back. The idea that Eddie wouldn’t reward his loyalty never seemed to enter his brain until Eddie started shooting him. And why would it? They’d been working together off and on for at least 15 years (depending on when they met in Juvie), he was clearly Eddie’s closest confidant on the job. But ya, in the end, he was just another boy in Eddie’s wake. I do like how this episode characterizes Eddie Nygma. Impulsive, angry, short-sighted, and overall just a terrible person to work for long term. He can’t lead by being impressive like Rubert Thorne, so he HAS to rule by terror. And he’s even bad at doing that, because even the most terrifying of bosses have to bend on occasion and spare a henchman like Dez. Ya don’t ax off loyal guys like that and stay in business long. Oh, right, and I HATE this idea that he’s the Riddler because he riddles things with Bullets. I understand downplaying his usual intelligence and love of word games and puzzles to focus on his anger and superiority complex… but that name is stupid with this context. Besides, the dude is regularly asking rhetorical questions and word games. He’s riddling verbally constantly, so why the hell do you need to use this other meaning of the word?? It’s silly! Sorry, I’m very worked up by this. Back to the episode, Eddie is a bad friend, and while Bruce was actively lying to Dez, it was nice that Bruce showed him what a real friend would be like. Even bad guys need friends. I hope he doesn’t brood on this long, though, there was no situation where Dez was going to walk away from this situation. It’s the nature of the beast. Next time, a cult comes to town. What fun for Bruce. See you there, have a good night and stay safe. 

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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social

Viewer Log: Batman: Caped Crusader ep 12

 Batman goes toe to toe with a Rocketeer. 

Last time on Batman: Caped Crusader, GCPD made a play to take out Rupert Thorne. The cops had the crime boss in custody, but their case rested heavily on a single witness due to Thorne’s vast connections and money. The man in question being Julian Gregory, the ‘Calendar Man’ accountant with an eidetic memory. Thorne obviously wants him taken out yesterday, so orders his top man Edward “The Riddler” Nygma to take care of it. Batman and Gordon try to protect Gregory, but refuse to openly work together for stupid principles and pride. Batman is able to get the airfield Gordon used to get Gregory into town for Barbara, and he arrives in time to stop Eddie from taking out Gregory, but only just. They move Gregory to a safe house and Batman has to waste time checking all three locations because again, he won’t ask Gordon to clue him in. Eddie goes to evil scientist Hugo Strange to get the Blockbuster formula, a drug that’ll hulk someone out long enough to mess stuff up. He uses it on his buddy Dez, and he starts wrecking up the hotel. Batman arrives just in time to distract Blockbuster and save Gregory, ultimately ramming Blockbuster into the side of the building with the Batmobile repeatedly until he passes out and reverts. Gregory makes his case, but the Judge dismisses the case, the implication being that the judge was on the take. Thorne and his son leave the station but are seemingly kidnapped by a mysterious man that pricks Thorne with something that makes him laugh hysterically. And the story ends with Barbara forcing Batman and Gordon to talk and work out a more amicable partnership going forward. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Ep 12: Rocket’s Red Glare

 

The episode opens with a group of guards getting donuts late at night. Their snack time is interrupted by someone attacking the building. The saboteur sends out a message saying that they’re attacking Triad Industries, but the guards are not the target, and they should leave for their own safety.  The guards run out just as the upper floors are destroyed. They see someone in a rocket pack flying away from the destruction.

 

We move to Wayne Manor where Wayne Industries CFO Lucias Fox is reading about the break-in in the paper. He comments that there were no casualties, which is something. Alfred notes that it’s weird that the building was attacked like that. Lucias says the story is that the damage was caused by an electrical fire, but Alfred points out that that seems unlikely, as it only hit the top three floors and there’s no heavy machinery in the building. Bruce cuts in, playing the fool and saying they’re silly for caring about this at all. Lucius says there are a lot of unanswered questions. Bruce asks why Lucias is at his house for business on a Saturday. Lucias corrects him that it’s Monday, and therefor he’s got paperwork to sign. Bruce brushes the paperwork aside to look at the paper. He remembers Triad Industries vaguely, and Lucius reminds him that the CEO of the business reached out to him for funds, which were denied. Bruce remembers that they had some kind of super fuel they’d been working on. Lucias says that they had documents and a pitch reel, all of which are still at his office. Bruce asks him to bring that stuff around the house tomorrow, they’ll screen it in the movie room. Lucias asks why he’s doing that, and Bruce says he’s just following Lucias’ advice and taking an active hand in the business.

 

That night, Bruce takes out his Bat-glider to check out the wreckage of the Triad floors. He has Alfred ready on the radio to write down anything he says. The damage is obviously too great to be caused by an electrical fire. He can’t tell if it was done by bombs or grenades. The investigation is interrupted by one of the guards leading his boss, Mr. Hardwick through the area. The guard, Sal, says that maybe they should bring the cops in on what is happening, a LOT of their buildings have been hit recently. Hardwick says that the partners will decide what the cops learn, Sal the guard should focus on keeping a lid on things. They find Batman’s gilder, and he surprises them to keep them from looking at it too closely. He grabs the glider and escapes as they shoot at him.

 

The next day, Bruce watches the demo-real “Up and Away!” Oh and we see why its Triad Industries. It’s made of three companies, Squalo Mechanical, Carrion Motors and Fuchs Industrial. A woman does a voice over talking about how the world sucks right now, and that the future of mankind is in the stars. The woman, Dr. Roxanne Sutton, says that the future will be lead by her rockets and her new super fuel Ultrium. She claims it is clean, pure and inexhaustible. Bruce asks why they turned down the funding. Lucius says that it was because Triad’s triple CEOs wouldn’t let them inspect their rocket designs or independently verify Ultrium. Bruce says that their presentation has his interest piqued and that he’d like Lucius to set up a meeting. Lucius says that being involved in business suits him.

 

The next day, Lucius bemoans his decision to set up a meeting, as Bruce doesn’t know how these sorts of things go. They meet Warren Lawford, CEO of Triad Industries. They’re joined by Hardwick and they’re brought in to have a look at Ultrium. Bruce says that he’d like to chat with Sutton, but Hardwick bluntly says that she’s dead. They’re greeted by the third head of the triad, Armand Lydecker at the top of the escalator. Bruce asks about Sutton, and Lydecker says that she was killed by an accident at her home lab. Nothing was left, poor thing. They say that luckily that they saved all of her records just before the accident. Which isn’t suspicious, like at all.  Bruce and Lucius are impressed by the prototype, and ask if they’re still on schedule despite the loss of Sutton. Lawford says they’re actually ahead of schedules. Lydecker asks them to thick of a rocket the size of an office building, powered by only a tiny bit of Ultrium. They’re going to have their first test flight in a few days, only open to a few industry heads and some international dignitaries. Lawford says that they’re taking no chances, they’re moving the Ultrium from one of their private facilities by train, and they’ve got a ton of men covering the transfer. We shift focus to see them load up the Ultrium and leave the facility, the masked rocketeer watching from a cliff face a few miles away.

 

The train crosses a bridge and the Rocketeers rocket flies along side it. They land on the train and start busting heads. They take out the guards with a hand pistol that fires small rockets. Batman pulls up alongside the train and climbs aboard. Batman and the Rocketeer fight each other and the guards for a bit, that is until the Rocketeer shoves Batman aside to save him from a shotgun blast. The shotgun breaks part of her helmet, revealing her to be Roxanne Sutton. She hits Batman with a flash that blinds him, and shoves him over onto a guard. She switches pistols with one that shoots and energy beam and separates her car from Batman’s. Batman gets up in time to see the caboose explode and then the Rocketeer fly over to her rocket. He gets into the Batmobile and tries to chase her… but he’s in a car and he’s following a rocket. She flies off.

 

Batman returns to the cave and sets up a conspiracy board to figure out what is going on with Sutton. He notes that four Triad buildings have been targeted, five now with the train. The first one happened about six months after Sutton’s supposed death. Alfred asks if they’re officially calling these attacks now. Batman says that saying about once is an accident, twice is coincidence, but anything more is a pattern. Batman reveals that the office attack seemed to only be about destroying the Triad’s library, taking out their patents, blueprints and other design info. She’s using her rocket pistol to destroy things. Alfred asks why she’s doing all this, and Batman says that they’ve got too many questions right now. But he knows where to get answers.

 

He checks out the ruins of Sutton’s house. He checks out her barn and finds a secret entrance to a lab. Inside he finds some rockets and Sutton’s own conspiracy board. She has Hardwick, Lawford and Lydecker on the board marked as Shark, Fox and Vulture respectfully. She also altered her headline from Genius dies to Genius murdered. Batman realizes that Sutton is behind him and tells her that she should stop before she hurts someone. Sutton points out the irony that BATMAN is telling her to give up a vendetta. They wrestle for her gun and Batman learns that Sutton’s face was badly burned in the explosion. He says that the accident affected her mind, but she reveals it wasn’t an accident. She learned that the Trio were going to sell her rockets to foreign militaries. They try to soothe her, but she says they breached her contract and they’ll be hearing from her lawyer. She makes it home and finds a stick of dynamite in her lab just before Hardwick sets it off. They assume she dies in the fire, but she was saved by hopping into her rocket prototype. Batman says that he’ll bring the criminals to justice, but she refuses his help, She makes her lab self-destruct and flies off. Batman grabs her blueprints and makes it out just before it explodes.

 

At the cave, Batman lays out her blueprints and adds them to his board. He says that she’s obsessed, and Alfred adds she’s also thorough. There’s only one site left, and it’s the one where they’ll have the demonstration tomorrow night. Alfred suggests Batman bring in Gordon and GCPD. But Bruce refuses to involve them, they’re vaguely 1920-40s era cops battling a woman with scifi tech, she’d cut through them. He needs to make it to the testing facility, but it’s a few hundred miles from Gotham, so Alfred asks how he’ll reach it in time.

 

We jump cut to the night of the test, and Lawford’s presentation for the rocket. He claims that Ultrium is clean, renewable, and only a small fraction is needed to power the rocket. He claims that the future is theirs… at wholesale prices. He exits to the lab to find Hardwick and Lydecker arguing. Hardwick is insisting that they do the test, but Lydecker points out that their last bit of Ultrium is on that rocket, if ANYTHING goes wrong they’re screwed. He says that they should lie and say they had technical difficulties and call them all back in a few months. Hardwick insists that this is their ONLY shot. Lydecker is scared Roxie is going to come for them, but Hardwick insists his men can handle it this time. Why he thinks that after five other successful attacks from Roxie, I’ll never know.

 

Sutton’s rocket approaches the test site and we see how Batman caught up. He got himself a prototype Batwing in the form of a single engine plane. He and Sutton have a dog fight and Batman is able to destroy her rocket. She then takes to the sky and cuts off the Batwing’s wing and it crashes. He ejects and the two wrestle, crashing into the warehouse at the facility. Batman tells her to back down, and she tells him to look around. They’re surrounded by HER work and they’re going to sell it to madmen and war profiteers. She’s shot from behind by Hardwick, who says that “It’s called Business, Roxie,” and then orders his men to kill them both. A shoot out commences, but Roxie gets up and shoots over a rocket to distract the guards. Hardwick asks why she couldn’t just take the money and let the MEN handle the business. Roxie shouts she won’t have their blood on her hands. She says that the last bit of Ultrium is on that rocket, and if she destroys it, she bankrupts Triad. She fires a few more shots, and then is out of bullets. Batman holds off the goons with Batarangs. Hardwick tells the others to launch the rocket now. When his scientist doesn’t hit the button, Lawford throws him aside and hits it himself.

 

The rocket takes off. Batman tells Sutton to go while he handles the goons. She grabs her helmet and takes off. As Batman boxes Hardwick, Sutton rockets after her rocket. She rips open the side and finds the Ultrium. Batman knocks Hardwick to the ground, he laughs and says that the demo will be a complete success, there is nothing she can do. This proves to not be the case as Sutton rips the Ultrium out of the Rocket, causing it to explode.

 

We get a few papers talking about the rocket disaster, the bankruptcy of Triad Industries, and the ongoing legal trouble for the Terrible Trio. Bruce and Alfred go to Sutton’s old lab and throw all her blueprints into a pit. Alfred splashes gasoline over them and asks if this is the right choice. Bruce says that this was Sutton’s wish. Alfred points out that her work could change the world, and Bruce asks who’s hands would they trust the blueprints in. They set them ablaze and then head out. As they drive away, we see a sign advertising the foundation of Sutton Laboratories (a Wayne Foundation Project) is being built there.

 

We jump to Dr. Hugo Strange’s lab. A mysterious man steals the Blockbuster formula and walks away whistling. We see Strange sitting in a chair, a rictus grin on his face. He’s very clearly dead.  

 

I liked this episode quite a bit. The reveal that the mysterious saboteur Rocketeer was actually Dr. Roxanne Sutton was glaringly obvious even when you don’t know her villain’s name is Roxy Rocket. Odds are really good that when a scientist or other gifted individual dies mysteriously so their evil partners can reap the benefits, the guy coming in to wreck stuff is that scientist. Her scar is gnarly, I can see why her goons thought she was dead. Her suit kicks ass, and I like that it was heavily inspired by the original Rocketeer Cliff Secord. Shame she was seemingly killed in that closing scene, I’d have liked to see more of her. But that seems to be what we’re doing with this show, lots of one-and-done villains. You probably didn’t know it unless you’re deep into Batman lore, but Sutton’s business partners are based off the Terrible Trio, a group of Batman villains that are villainous inventors. Warren Lawford, Armand Lydecker, and Gunther Hardwick are known as Fox, Vulture and Shark respectively. While they didn’t use these codenames in episode (just Sutton’s conspiracy board with each of them labelled), they certainly stuck to the personalities of the characters, being smart guys that were still using someone even smarter to do their dirty work. I also liked how each of their businesses were named in some way after their respective animals. Squalo is Italian for Shark, Vultures are Carrion eaters, and Fuchs is German for Fox. It’s clever branding. Really, my only complaint is that last scene where it’s revealed that Joker, we all know its Joker come on, killed Hugo Strange to get the Blockbuster formula. One of Batman’s big villains, arguably one of the one that they should have considered for a season long antagonist if/when they get a season 3, and he’s killed off after two short appearances? That’s mindbogglingly stupid. Could have at least had Joker buy the formula from him and threaten his life so that we could get more Hugo. But, no, we’re just killing off Batman villains left and right with this show. Whatever, what’s done is done. Next time, Batman has to go undercover to learn more about Eddie Nygma, so it’s time to bring in his favorite alias, Matches Malone. 

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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social

Viewer Log: Batman: Caped Crusader ep 11

 Batman's back and he's got a score to settle.

Last time on Batman: Caped Crusader Batman did his best to protect Harvey Dent from the forces attempting to end him. It didn’t go well. Rupert Thorne ordered his minions to kill the former DA as Dent was aware of a lot of the dirty dealings in Gotham. The cops try to transfer Harvey to Arkham, but he’s attacked by Bullock and Flass. Barbara and Dent hold them off for just long enough to escape, Barbara handcuffing herself to Dent to keep from running off on his own. They make plans to meet up with Commissioner Gordon and Batman at Gotham docks. Mobsters and the corrupt cops arrive just before Batman and Jim, and they all try to catch up with Dent. Batman holds off the goons, but Dent is unfortunately shot and mortally wounded protecting Barbara from Flass. Batman grabs the gun and threatens Flass with it, only to throw it into the bay with disgust after shooting near Flass’ head. Batman thanks Alfred for helping him with his exploits. He tracks down Thorne and throws a batarang at Thorne, cutting his ear. In a post credits scene, we see a pale man make another man die laughing and says that his formula is perfect. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Ep 11: Brute Force

 

We open with Hattie’s Tea Party, a local tv show hosted by Hattie Tetch. She’s a gender bent version of Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter fyi. She talks about how crime is a plague in the city and things are getting worse. We’re shown a scene of several gangsters robbing a bank just as Batman arrives. Batman is able to fight and capture a few of them, but this group is lead by Eddie “The Riddler” Nygma, who gets a way with several bags of money. Jim Gordon and Renee Montoya arrive just as Batman drives off. Hattie includes some color commentary about how Batman is a masked vigilante making things worse for unknown reasons, and that GCPD is wasting time harassing local business man (and crime boss) Rupert Thorne. She’s been covering the case, and claims the case against Thorne is gossamer thin. We’re shown a scene of Thorne being brought into custody some time ago. She says that the new DA Peter Mitchell has a new surprise witness to add to his case. And because she’s the ‘Mad Hatter of News’ and also unethical as hell, she got her hands on and reveals the name of the informant, Julian Gregory. He’s known as the Calendar Man for his perfect memory. Thorne, watching from his very fancy cell, breaks his TV with a glass. A guard asks if everything is alright, and Thorne says he needs a new TV and Gregory has to die.

 

Batman and Alfred try to figure out where Gregory is going to be on their map. Batman is sure that they’re not bringing Gregory in through Gotham International Airport, they need something smaller, easier to control. They’ve narrowed it down to two possible locations. Alfred asks why he just doesn’t ask Gordon where they’re going, but Batman says that he might ‘work’ with the cops, but he’s not one of them, and regardless of his professional relationship with Barbara Gordon, he’s not completely trusted. He heads out to speak with her to see if she’ll tell him where they’re going. Alfred points out that if Gordon hasn’t invited him, he might not appreciate Batman just showing up. Batman says that he might not be invited but that doesn’t mean he’s unexpected.

 

At Blackgate Prison, Eddie Nygma is brought in to speak with Thorne. Thorne chastises Eddie for how he’s been handling Thorne’s business. Eddie tries to make excuses, saying that Batman keeps butting in, but Thorne cuts him off and asks who the ‘real’ top of the list is. Eddie thinks about it for a moment before saying “the accountant.” He promises to track the accountant down, but Thorne says he already knows where Gregory is going to be. Eddie is impressed that Thorne has a mole in GCPD, and Thorne tells him to ‘Diversify your portfolio,’ it gives you options. Eddie says that he’ll remember that.

 

We jump over to GCPD. We learn that Harvey Bullock was demoted back to a uniformed officer after that fiasco at the docks and he’s telling Flass how unfair it is that he’s being punished when Flass is the one that killed Dent. Flass tells him that he’ll get Bullock his shield back, he swears. Bullock says that he’s been feeding him that line for a weeks. Their conversation is interrupted by Flass reaching a private meeting room. Bullock tries to follow, but Montoya reminds him this meeting is for detectives only. They shut the door in Bullock’s face. Gordon says that Hattie Tetch is annoying, but she’s right about the case being thin, so they need to get this done fast and neat. Montoya asks how Thorne’s case could be so flimsy when he’s broken every law in the books, and Gordon points out that Thorne is rich, so that counts for a lot. They need to see Thorne put away, it’s their duty as the protectors of Gotham. Flass makes a snide comment about how it’s Gordon and his ‘bat buddy’ defending city, but doesn’t just gives Gordon a snide salute when he asks if Flass has something to add.

 

At his club, Eddie shrieks at his goons that they’re all worthless. His girlfriend Lily Gardner gets him to calm down, a little, asking if she’s worthless. He tells his men that they’re going to prove that they run this town, not some accountant. They’ll get him before he squeals like… he struggles to think of an animal, and when Lily suggests a pig or a mouse, he screams and shoots the ceiling. He repeats that the accountant dies tonight.

 

Batman calls up Barbara and asks what airport Gordon is taking the accountant. She tries to say that her dad doesn’t share private info with her, but Batman insists that Gordon and the accountant are in danger and he’s the one to help them. Barbara relents, saying that her dad has used Moldoff airfield in the past. Batman rudely hangs up and drives off.

 

Gordon and Montoya wait for the plane to come in. Montoya compliments Gordon’s speech and then points out that he didn’t mention Batman. Gordon says that he thinks of Batman as an asset, helpful, but he doesn’t want to rely on him to do his department’s job. The plane comes in and they go to meet Gregory. As he comes out, Gregory asks his escort what Warren G Harding and James K Polk have in common. Both were born on November 2^nd. Riddler and his crew pull up and start shooting at the plane. They miss Gregory, but kill the pilot, who knocks over the controls, causing the plane to tax. Gregory jumps out of the plane. The gangsters try to charge Gregory, Riddler shouting “Die Squealer!” But Batman distracts them with his batarangs. He takes out several goons and sees one is killed by the plane’s propellers. Riddler and his buddy Mark “Dez” Desmond escape, Riddler killing a goon that Batman grabbed with his machine gun. As they drive off, Dez says that he didn’t have to do that, but Eddie insists that that is how you keep a secret. Dez says that Thorne wouldn’t like it when he hears this, but Eddie tells him Thorne isn’t going to hear it until after the accountant is dead. He says he’s got a guy that will tell him where to find the accountant.

 

Batman meets with Barbara in her parking garage. He tries to get her to tell him where the accountant is, but she refuses to tell him. She says that she won’t cross ethical lines to help Batman or spy on her dad. She tells Batman that he’ll figure it out.

 

Montoya and Gordon have a meeting in his office. He tells her that they have a leak in their department and that he wants her to find it. She says that if there’s a leak, they both know it’s Flass. Well, she almost said it, but she’s cut off by Flass coming into the room. Gordon says that he’s assigning Montoya as Flass’ partner, and that Montoya is the lead detective. He orders them to take Gregory to the Chandler Arms and sit on him until he testifies. They head out.

 

Eddie meets with Professor Hugo Strange. He’s buying a chemical from the good doctor, something to even the odds with Batman. Strange gives him a serum that will make the person he gives it too will be made inhumanely strong. Eddie asks for the price, and Strange says that its on the house, he wants to see his formula field tested on the Batman. And Eddie agrees that’ll be a sight to see.

 

We jump back to Blackgate where Thorne is taking a shower in a private suite. He demands a towel, and Batman throws it at him. Thorne is calm, starts to shave, asking if Batman is here to threaten him or something. He says that he’s not afraid, that he’s going to beat this trial and when he does, he’s going to see Batman burn. Batman grabs his towel and starts choking Thorne out. Thorne still isn’t scared, saying that Batman doesn’t have the stones to do this kind of dirty work. He taunts Batman, saying that Gordon thinks his safehouse is Fort Nox, but he can get to Gregory whenever he wants. Batman tightens the towel before throwing Thorne aside. Batman leaves, Thorne shouting after him that Batman will burn.

 

Batman calls up Alfred for a list of GCPD safehouses that they know are still active. Alfred gives him three, the Adam’s garage, the Chandler Arms, and the ward street church. Batman races off to check all three.

 

Eddie has Gregory in his sights, saying that the squealer is like Repunzal in her tower. Dez asks what the plan is, to shoot there way in or something? Eddie says that the plan is much bigger that that. Dez asks what they’ll use, and Eddie says “not what, who.” And injects Dez with Strange’s formula. Dez hulks… I’m sorry, Blockbusters out into a colossal titan. Eddie tells him to kill the squealer.

 

In the hotel, Gregory is freaking out. The detectives try to keep him calm, a plan that is made harder when Blockbuster starts climbing the side of the building. He breaks into the room, saying it’s time to die. Uniform cops shoot at Blockbuster, but he slaps them around. Montoya calls for backup, and a moment Later Batman flies in. Flass shoots at Batman but gets knocked aside. Montoya tells the Calendar Man to move his ass. Gregory makes it down a floor, but Batman and Blockbuster break through the ceiling in front of him. Batman is down for a minute, Blockbuster goes to kill Gregory, but Montoya stops him with her gun. Batman wrestles with Blockbuster, the two end up leaping from a window. They wrestle midair, but Batman disorientates him by slamming both his ears. They land hard, but Blockbuster gets back up. The cops distract him long enough for Batman to get the batmobile and then he runs Blockbuster into the side of the hotel repeatedly, trying to knock him out. Blockbuster gets under the car and starts to lift it, but Batman activates his rocket boosters and slams him hard into the building. Blockbuster gets knocked out and reverts to Dez.

 

Later, Julian Gregory is able to testify in court. He’s in a neck brace and cast, but he’s able to say that he told Thorne that several of his dealings were illegal but he was told to do them anyway. Thorne’s lawyer asks for a dismissal, saying that the prosecutions evidence is nothing more than evidence tainted by the most corrupt police department in the US. The case is dismissed, much to Batman’s irritation.

 

Outside the courthouse, Barbara asks if Jim is alright. Jim says he’s the farthest thing from alright. Montoya knows that Thorne got to the judge, and that they should have seen that coming. Flass comes up and says they didn’t because they’re chumps. He says that they keep thinking Gotham will start fixing itself, but they’re living in a dreamworld with Nemo. Hattie claims that Thorne’s acquittal will start the next chapter of Gotham. Barbara says that she hates this. Jim says Thorne won this round, but it’s not over yet. Thorne and his son Matthew are taken to their car, the driver helps Thorne in and sticks him with something.

 

They drive off, Matthew saying that he knew they’d beat the charges. Thorne tells his son about diversifying his portfolio. Diversify and you can’t lose. Thorne starts laughing way harder the should. It quickly spirals into hysterical laughter as his face contorts into a rictus grin. The driver watches the scene in the rearview mirror.

 

Barbara forces a meeting between her dad and Batman on the roof of GCPD. She says they need to talk and to do it without her. She leaves them to discuss their situationship.

 

Overall, that was a good start to the season. Looks like we’re picking up more or less where we did last season, with the GCPD trying to take Thorne in even without the testimony that Dent could have given. Obviously this wasn’t going to go well with a gangster as rich as Thorne in a city as corrupt as Gotham, but at least they’re trying. The Riddler is an addition I have mixed feelings about. I wish that he’d been introduced last season, but I understand that the showrunners didn’t know if they’d get another season when they wrote the first. That said, having him just appear at the start and make it clear that he’s Thorne’s number 1 goon makes it seem like Thorne just hired a rando as soon as he got arrested. This version of Riddler is fine. He focus on his anger is an interesting interpretation, as we see almost none of his usual smug superiority complex. They’ll explain his nickname next episode, and I’ll say right now that I HATE the reason why he’s called the Riddler in this one. You do get a sense of what a sociopath he is when he sticks his friend with the Blockbuster formula. He had no idea what it was going to do, he just stuck a needle in Dez’s neck and hoped for the best. Monster. Its funny that in this dark, noir inspired version of Gotham one of the few characters we see not given a gritty overhaul is Julian Day aka Julian Gregory aka Calendar Man. FYI, since the 80s, he’s been depicted as a Hanibal Lecter style nutjob with a day fixation that is covered in tattoos about the days, weeks, and months of the year. And in this he’s just a tiny accountant. Super weird. Hattie is a fun spin on the Mad Hatter. Not sure why she needed to be based on the Mad Hatter, as she’s just a TV personality, but whatever. Hatter is kind of a lame villain after all, so I’m fine with finding other ways to use the name. Batman had to do a lot of running in this episode, which I do think was a good way to show that he and Jim need to coordinate. Had they planned things out together, Gregory could have been in a lot less danger overall, and maybe Gordon could have thought of looking in on the judge a little more and maybe see how Thorne had gotten to him. Just saying. Not that Thorne is going to be much of a problem for a while. The Joker has him and Mr. J isn’t a kind host, as I’m sure you’re all aware. But more on that next time. Have a good night, everyone. 

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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social