|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
| Almost Got 'Im | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 35 | |
| |
| Air date | 10 November, 1992 |
| Directed by | Eric Radomski |
| Written by | Paul Dini |
| Music by | Stuart Balcomb |
| Airdate Sequence | |
| Previous I Am the Night |
Next Moon of the Wolf |
| Production Sequence | |
| Previous Terror in the Sky |
Next Birds of a Feather |
Almost Got 'Im is an episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. It is notable for being the second episode where various enemies of Batman are seen together in one single episode; the first one being The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne. The story is based around personal anecdotes of each of the villains and their confrontations with Batman, which is reminiscent of a specific story from the Golden Age of Batman Comics.(See Notes)
"Almost Got 'Im" is the 46th produced episode and the 35th episode aired.
Synopsis
On a criminal hideout in Gotham City where crooks gather seeking protection from the police, Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy want to determine which of them has come closer to eliminating the Batman. Each one of them tell the story about the time when they were most certain about defeating their dread enemy, but none of them has gotten closer than the Joker, who not only managed to capture the Dark Knight and almost killed him, but he also has kidnapped Catwoman and is planning to eliminate her. All this happens while the crooks are unaware of an intruder among their ranks.
Plot
Criminal Meeting
The Joker, Two-Face, Killer Croc and the Penguin are sitting down in a dimly lit club playing poker. In walks Poison Ivy who kicks Croc's chair over and decides that she wants in on the game. Croc doesn't like being made a fool of and lunges at Ivy, but she knees him in the crotch and Croc decides to behave.
After Ivy settles herself into the game, each of the villains take turns regaling one another with tales of how they almost defeated the Batman.
Poison Ivy tells the story about her last encounter with Batman during last Halloween when she was infecting a pumpkin patch with her patented toxic spray. She succeeded in getting the drop on Batman, but Batman used the remote control on his Batmobile to chase Ivy up a tent pole, trapping her.
Flying Penny
Two-Face then tells how he had captured Batman and flipped his coin, which landed on bad heads. He took away Batman's Utility Belt and strapped him down to a giant penny which was resting upon an over-sized coin-flipping device. Two-Face activated the device, sending Batman flying through the air-which depending on how it lands will either crush Batman to a pulp or break every bone in his body; but Batman managed to snatch Two-Face's lucky coin and used the jagged edge to cut the ropes and free himself. Landing on his feet, he kicked Two-Face into a bag of stolen loot and apprehended his henchmen with the crane. Batman then flipped Two-Face's coin at him and said, "I owe you a dollar."
Once Dent has finished his tale, Killer Croc tells about the time he encountered Batman in a quarry. He then says that he threw a rock at him. The others look at Croc bemused expecting there to be more to his story. Croc qualifies his abridged account by citing that it was a "big rock."
Unimpressed with Croc's story, The Penguin starts his tale about how he baited the Batman into his "Aviary of Doom" where he unleashed a flock of poisonous humming birds at him. The Batman avoided their dangerous beaks with his cape and managed to incapacitate the birds by turning on the sprinkler systems. The Penguin then sent a giant cassowary after him which began tearing through Batman's costume with its talons. Batman picked up one of the unconscious hummingbirds and stabbed the cassowary in the leg. The fast-acting poison knocked the creature out and Batman was free to apprehend the Penguin who had escaped via his umbrella-chopper.
Joker's Deadly Trap
Finally, it's time for the Joker to give his anecdote and he starts telling them how his gang once caught Batman and strapped him to an electric chair. The chair was positioned on a theater stage before a literal captive audience at gunpoint. With his assistant Harley Quinn at his side, the Joker demonstrated that the chair was activated through the power of laughter. Forcing the audience members to laugh through his laughing gas caused thousands of volt of electricity to shoot through the machine. Fortunately for Batman, Catwoman arrived in time to rescue him from the Joker’s clutches.
Cats don't always land on their feet
Once the villains finish telling their tales, the Joker reveals that he has since captured the Catwoman and had Harley tie her down to an assembly line at a cat food processing plant, where she was to be ground up and mixed with supplies of cat food.
Almost
At this point, Killer Croc reveals that he is actually Batman in disguise. The other patrons of the club are members of the GCPD who all pull their weapons on the villains simultaneously. They force the Joker to reveal where Catwoman is being held.
At the cat food cannery, Batman finds Harley Quinn taunting a bound, gagged and enraged Catwoman. Harley attempts to escape by turning on the conveyer belt, forcing Batman to choose between apprehending her and saving Catwoman. Harley bolts while Catwoman struggles fruitlessly against her bonds, moaning frantically into her gag. Batman, finding the machine's power switch, is able to capture Harley and rescue Catwoman. After Batman frees Catwoman from her restraints, the two then go to the roof of the building where Catwoman displays her gratitude and obvious affection for Batman. Batman smiles then dives off of the building, leaving Catwoman standing by herself. She coyly smiles, "I almost got 'im."