Batman (1966) Episode 95

 

SEASON 3

Because the ratings were tanking creators brought in Yvonne Craig as Batgirl. More on her to come. Also, the show was on once a week instead of twice so the episodes dropped the cliffhanger ending in favor of teasing the next week’s villain. It was stupid. Much like Star Trek's 3^rd season Batman’s had its share of issues like a slashed budget and awful tine slot, and manages a lot of, not so great episodes. I never got why Batman tanked so hard, unlike Star Trek which was a massive hit (the network screwed it over). Usually show’s got a few good years in but this one barely lasted two. Why? But the sped up format and new character sure threw the formula off. I was dreading going over these episodes, and that dread was justified.

Before I start I need to mention that Batgirl was formally introduced in a pilot of sorts. The story never aired but it involved Batgirl saving the day against the villain Killer Moth. It’s a cute little pilot and actually does follow the original first appearance of her from the comics. It is online it’s worth checking out. The first official episode for Batgirl and Season 3 is…..

Episodes 95

Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin

Plot:Penguin kidnaps Barbara Gordon with plans to marry her

Guest Stars:Burgess Meredith as Penguin

Trivia:Of course Batgirl’s names is jammed into the opening titles. This always bugged me. Also the cuts mean no more seeing any part of Wayne Manor aside from Bruce’s study.

Niitpick:Penguin’s plan is idiotic and the music is different, which bugs me. This is something you may no notice unless you've watched previous episodes before hand but man is that new music terrible.

Bat Silliness:Back in the 60’s Howie Horwitz thought it was un lady like to for a girl to throw a punch. So Batgirl’s action scenes involve a lot of kicking, Ok. Craig was a dancer so the scenes work, but that’s a really sexist attitude!

Bat Gadget:Emergency Bat call box. I’m sure call boxes will never go out of style. And of course Batgirl has her own Motorcycle.

Bat Trap:Yeah don’t expect to many of these from now on thanks to the new format. But we get one here where the duo are stuffed in bags and dangled over boiling...water? I dunno.

Final Thoughts:Yvonne Craig is a delight appearing in many things including Star Trek. But wedging Batgirl in throws off the whole balance of the series, as does eliminating the cliffhanger two parters but that wasn’t the creators fault. I give her a break here because it’s her first appearance, but Batgirl takes over the plot to much and forces Batman and Robin to sit by and be rescued to much. Though to be fair this got better as the season rolled on. I think if they'd had a 4th season it would have been balances a lot better.  As for this episode, it begins with Batman and Robin returning from an unseen adventure against Catwoman. Which is already weird. Though it is kind of nice to see what happens at the end of a story. We meet librarian Barbara Gordon who also happens to be Commissioner Gordon’s daughter. Barbara is Bruce’s date. On her way home she gets kidnapped by the Penguin. It is nice to see Gordon in a role other than “Commisioner”. Penguin has announced he is going to marry Barbara so he can become a son in law to the Comissioner. Apparently Penguin thinks Gordon is some kind of mob boss? A misunderstanding has Alfred brought in as the preacher. I like that we find out how Alfred learns Barbara’s secret. Barbara has a revolving wall which hides her Batgirl disguise. Which is kinda cool and it’s a good disguise I have to admit. And Batgirl isn’t quite as uptight as Batman is. But then we have the reason I did not like her. In the second half Batman and Robin are kidnapped and Batgirl saves them. Which makes no sense to me. I’m not saying Batgirl should always be the damsel in distress but she somehow makes the Duo seem more ineffectual. The episode ends with huge news..Dick gets his diver’s license.

Grade:A, I’ll give this one a break. Good intro to a new character. However the new pace means we speed through the episode and it’s over before it’s begun. Hardly any character moments or anything. And teasing the appearance of the Riddler at the end seems empty somehow. At least next week’s they worked the villain into part one.