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
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