Batman: Caped Crusader — Episode 4 Review

I don’t know if Batman was just naive when he allowed that reporter to keep the photos of him slugging cops, or he didn’t care, but either way it has the expected result. The media is now against him and the Gotham police force has made him their number one target. On one side you have Renee Montoya, determined to bring him in smartly and by the books. On the other end you have Bullock and Flass, corrupt enough to just pull any stunt that lets them do the least amount of work, without caring who gets caught in the crossfire. And overseeing it all is Commissioner Gordon, who isn’t quite certain if this Bat Person is really a bad guy, but can’t say that out loud.

Someone online seemed to think the middle reporter in the front row is Lois Lane from the Max Fleischer Superman shorts. Given how much of an influence Timm has said Fleischer Superman was to Batman: The Animated Series, it would be a very easy assumption that the reference is intentional. However, he’s never publicly said that’s supposed to be Fleischer Lois. When getting the image to make this composite, I discovered the debate hasn’t really died down — multiple top results for “Max Fleischer Lois Lane” were screens from this scene.

Montoya has the reports and data to know where Batman is most likely to appear and what drives him out. Crime, usually. So the force stages four crimes across the neighborhood, some played more convincingly than others. It’s not nearly that simple to fool Batman however. He doesn’t even respond to three of the four, and when the fourth looks real enough, he just Batarangs the “crooks” from a distance, leaving them tied up on a street pole.

They’ll have to try something bolder. Later that night two police cars are chasing some mugs with tommy guns. The Batmobile roars to life from an alley and joins the pursuit….he took the bait! Renee orders four cars ahead to block the street and box the Batman in. This time she’s surely won! He wouldn’t be crazy enough to ram through all those cop cars, would he?

Uhhh…..would…..he?

Fortunately no one was hurt; they all abandoned their vehicles just in time. The downside is Renee is really starting to look bad. “COPS LEFT FLAT – FOOLED BY THE BAT!” read the papers the following day. Gordon gets a chewing-out over the phone by the city mayor, who’s up for re-election and can’t afford to look this weak. As he hangs up, Commish has no idea what to do next. But he’ll never believe what’s about to happen now….

The Batman’s next appearance is….HERE. Gordon simply walks into the meeting room and there he is, just standing there, examining their own notes about him. “GAAAH! DON’T MOVE!” Gordon screams, fumbling for the gun in his holster. He chases Batman up a fight of stairs to the roof of the building, and from there Bats just Bathooks to another roof and gets away. Just when he thought he’d been humiliated enough….Gordon stops to rest against a giant searchlight that currently has no use.

Insisting that their tactics aren’t working and that they need to “get inside his head,” Gordon hires none other than Harleen Quinzel to analyze the Bat. Despite being unaware she has met him before, Quinn comes to a pretty accurate conclusion: criminals are Batman’s #1 obsession, and when he attacks cops it’s because they’re in his way. To lure him out effectively they need someone he would really chase. “In other words…you need a weirdo.”

Renee isn’t willing to spring someone dangerous out of prison just to use as bait, but Bullock and Flass sure are. They go to the cell of the Firebug, a neurotic pyromaniac, and claim to Barbara that they’re taking him to Arkham for a “proper psych exam.” What they really do is play to his obsessions by flicking a lighter, then leave him alone in the car for a minute so he can escape. They even brought his costume in the trunk, which to anyone else would seem TOO suspicious, but the Firebug isn’t a bright bulb. After he leaves, Bullock and Flass slash their own tires and hit each other in the face to make the “escape” convincing.

It takes mere moments for the Firebug to get back to his old habits. As he blasts his flamethrowers and revels in all the pretty lights, he’s burning a building full of people down and the Batman has no choice but to respond. He must save their lives, stop Firebug AND avoid another police trap. When Gordon finds out what Bullock and Flass are up to he’s furious, but mopping up their mess takes priority. He arrives at the scene and runs into the burning building with Renee, intent on rescuing his fellow officers from their dumb plan.

Soon, however, it’s Gordon that needs rescuing. They’re quickly cut off from all exits by falling debris and flames. Meanwhile Bullock and Flass run into the Firebug, who surrenders. “I used all my fuel now, so….I give up,” he meekly says, raising his hands. Flass points out that “He’ll talk,” and the heartless duo blow him away, causing his body to fly out the window dramatically. Bullock looks out the broken window to make sure he’s dead, but at that moment his picture is taken by a reporter.

Gordon finally meets up with Batman, and is at last in an advantageous position to take him in….if Batman wasn’t carrying two children. He realizes the Bat is trying to save the tenants. Working together for the first time, they concoct a plan to send the children down the laundry chute, bypassing the flame-filled hallways. Once they’re safe, Batman disappears on Gordon for the first time of many.

So one would think that Bullock and Flass are about to face justice now that they’ve been caught by the press. But from the outside, the journalists interpret the events a different way. They see the pair as heroes who stopped the villain and saved the tenants — Batman gets no credit. If this wasn’t enough of a downer for Gordon, the next thing that happens is a total day-ruiner: the Mayor now wants Bullock and Flass in charge of the Batman case. At a local bar, Gordon, Barbara and Renee drown their sorrows in scotch, and we fade out on that dour note. But tomorrow’s another episode…