August 22, 2020

Batman (1966) Episode 79&80

Episodes 79 & 80

Batman’s Anniversary/A Riddling Controversy





Plot:On Batman’s anniversary of working with the police Riddler crashes the party and plans to steal a de-moleculizer



Guest Stars:John Astin as The Riddler. Sigh. More below.



Niitpick-The question is, if we had never had Gorshin would I still hate Astin’s portrayal? Yeah. It’s to much Gomez Addams for me. Riddler is supposed to be a fun character (Jim Carey hit it right) but Astin can’t pull it off. He is trying I’ll give you that, but where Carolyn Jones channeling Morticia made sense Astin’s channeling his Addams Family character does not.



Trivia:As I noted before Gorshin never came back in Season 2 so Astin stepped into the role. I always wondered if Gorshin regretted that.



Bat Silliness:The whole luncheon to celebrate Batman is awkward.



Bat Gadget:heal to toe Bat Rockets



Bat Trap:Sigh. Batman and Robin sinking into a giant anniversary cake. Sure.



Final Thoughts:I love John Astin. He was great on The Addans Family and hilarious on Night Court. But wow is he miscast here. His Riddler is to dark in tone. The episode is off to a weird start as we go right to Wayne Manor and skip our reveal of the villain. Because it’s really a surprise celebration for Batman and Robin. Sigh. Can you say lame? It’s almost a relief when Riddler crashes it. I like how the first clue Batman solves is a puzzle not a riddle, did they forget which villain they were writing for? Then we have an underwater fight which is so painfully slow. And don’t ask how they’re clothes seem to be dry. They never even solve one of the riddles before getting a new one. After the diversion with the cake, solved by Bat rockets because sure. By the way the shot of the two shooting of the cake is one of the worst effects, the strings are clearly visible. The big score is a de-moleculizer which can alter the state of matter. It basically makes things vanish and by the way it’s a pen light, no effort was put into the prop at all. I really can’t believe it can do what it’s claimed it can do. The way Batman deciphers the riddles is cool to bad the answer was spoiled for us. Riddler threatens police headquarters and the way that gets resolved by Batman is beyond belief. Sigh. By the way this has been brought up before but in the last few episodes the villains have been stealing cash to get their hands on the item they really want. WHY NOT JUST STEAL THE DAMN ITEM????


Grade:D, Astin is a problem but the script is a disaster

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