Episodes 15 $ 16
The Joker Goes to School/He Meets his Match, The Grisly Ghoul
Plot:The Joker is using a vending school in a high school to get kids to drop out and go into crime
Guest Stars:Cesar Romero is back as The Joker. By the way one of the henchman is SNL alum Chris Kattan’s father and man can you see the resemblance!
Trivia:Romero refused to shave his mustache and it is very visible in this Hi-Def age we live in. Also they often had a hard time making Joker’s hair look green, which is obvious in parts here. Speaking of our Hi Def age, the stunt double for Burt Ward is much more obvious than I remember it being!
Niitpick:The first of several school related stories. No idea why. The cheer leading is fine but I prefer the one’s from The Brady Bunch 😉
Bat Silliness:This show cracks me up. Is it really necessary to start every episode the exact same way? The building standing in for police headquarters we see at he start of every episode is a facade on the WB lot. I would give real money to see it. It’s been in a ton of other WB shows and movies.
Bat Gadget:Batman has a universal antidote pill which works for any poison. Wonder if it would work on COVID? But the big thing in this one is the first use of the Bat Shield. This is a foldable shield that Batman and Robin can hide behind. And if you can figure out how this shield could possibly fold down enough to be concealed in Batman’s utility belt, please let me know!
Bat Trap:Batman and Robin tied to electric chairs
Final Thoughts:It’s nice to see Dick’s personal life a little but man Burt Ward can’t play those scenes very well. He’s so bad it becomes a plot point. I complained about the female henchman that villains would have, but at least in this episode it’s part of the story. She’s a cheerleader working undercover with the Joker, and even gets a little backstory! At first I groaned thinking they were doing the subservient female trope again but they spun it differently than Zelda. She’s totally loyal t Joker, until he tries to kill her. Yeah that might make have a change of heart too! I ended up liking the character. As for Joker his plan makes no sense but I liked how while he can’t be full psychotic on this show he does show signs of that behavior here when he poisons the cheerleader who may have inadvertently betrayed them. And quickly gets over it, laughing. That scene was classic Joker, it’s no doubt Romero got the character.
Grade:B+, the story turns into a gambling story half way through but Joker is on point and I love that they gave the cheerleader (Susie) redemption and closure (she is sent to home for troubled girls). Usually the girls are there to be just that, the token girls, this one got a little more.
A new villain debut’s tomorrow. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel
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