Episodes 43 & 44
The Greatest Mother of Them All/Ma Parker
The 
Plot:Ma Parker manages to seize control of Gotham Penitentiary
Guest Stars:Shelley Winters as Ma Parker, another villain I can’t remember for the life of me.
Trivia:Julie Newmar’s Catwoman pops up in a cameo (nice to know they don’t disappear just because it’s not there episode) as well as Milton Berle as prison guard. He’ll be back next season.
Niitpick:Ma Parker tells her daughter girls don’t belong in crime. And Ma is? Oh 1960’s casual sexism….
Bat Silliness:Batman stops to remind a citizen to lock his car
Bat Gadget:Ma Parker has a motorized wheelchair which is honestly kind of awesome. Batman has a short wave radio in his Utility Belt.
Bat Trap:A bomb in the Batmobile. The duo in electric chairs, again
Final Thoughts:You can almost feel the writers trying hard to make Ma Parker a serious threat to Batman. Which she isn’t. The silliness is just, well, silly here. I mean Ma is having a shoot out with police while her kids have a normal family dinner and she knits. Satire? I don’t get it. Apparently the shoot wasn’t easy for Winters, she suffered a back injury early on. Thank goodness Batman was smart enough to realize the duo were catching Ma and her boys too easily. Of course he doesn’t stop her master plan. Parker had been substituting guards at the prison for her gang, and NO ONE NOTICED? Batman does finally prove that he isn’t as stupid as the other cops in Gotham and outwits her. How she really thought her crazy plan would work is beyond me.
Grade:C, I admire Winters effort here but Ma Parker?? Part 1 isn’t awful but Part 2 is just padding. Once Ma seizes the prison there isn’t much left except get to the end already. Another new villain tomorrow, same bat time same bat channel!
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