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"Lock-Up" is an episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It introduces the original character Lock-Up to the series.
"Lock-Up" was the 82nd produced episode overall and the 17th episode produced in the second season.
Synopsis[]
Several Arkham Asylum inmates lodge complaints against Lyle Bolton, the Asylum's sadistic new chief of security. When Bolton is fired, he vows revenge on societies' true lunatics, the officials whose policies have turned Gotham City into a haven for crime. Taking on the new identity of master jailer Lock-Up, Bolton kidnaps several prominent Gothamites and locks them away on an abandoned prison ship. It's up to Batman and Robin to confront Lock-Up and battle him for the lives of those he's wrongfully imprisoned.
Plot[]
Batman and Robin take Scarecrow back to Arkham Asylum, but they notice that Crane is completely afraid of returning. The cause is the new security chief, by the name of Lyle Bolton, who acts aggressively towards Crane, leaving Batman wondering if the man is doing his job or if he is going overboard.
A few days later, Bruce Wayne requests a hearing in Arkham Asylum to learn about Bolton's performance. The members of the jury are Commissioner Gordon, Mayor Hill, Doctor Bartholomew and Bruce Wayne. The inmates that are questioned about Bolton's behavior are Harley Quinn, Jonathan Crane and Arnold Wesker (And Scarface, for that matter). Bolton is present in front of them. All of the inmates are asked questions about Bolton's attitude to the inmates in Arkham, but they all reply that the guard is doing an excellent job, while looking at the guard with evident fear in them. Bruce notices their anguish and he decides to act as he speaks that in light of their testimony, they should grant Bolton a permanent job at Arkham Asylum. At that moment, the inmates show their true feelings about the way Bolton mistreats them as well as the other inmates and Bolton loses his temper, attempts to attack them until he has to be stopped by several Arkham orderlies and Bruce, who drops a chair in front of Bolton, making him trip over. Doctor Bartholomew fires Bolton from Arkham and never allows the man to get another job in security. As he is being taken out of Arkham, Bolton starts rambling that he needs to clean the city from the real scum like the police, the politics and doctors who refuse to recognize them for the scum they are. Bolton is taken out of Arkham and the media and press are waiting to get an exclusive from the man, who has been fired under charges of extreme violence to the inmates.
Some weeks later, Bolton watches the news by Summer Gleeson, in which he looks like a villain and he decides that the media is also part of the problems of Gotham City.
Six months later, Bruce Wayne and Summer Gleeson come out of a fancy restaurant after they had an interview over dinner. Bruce is called back to the building to answer a phone call and Summer gets on her car. Suddenly, the door locks on Summer's car are shut and when she tries to open a window, the handle breaks on her hand. A big truck appears on the street and parks behind Summer's car, opens its back doors and some big iron bars start dragging the car inside the truck. Summer uses the horn of the car to alert Bruce and he tries to get out, but the door from the building is locked tight by some special device. Bruce opens his suitcase, where he keeps his Batsuit and he starts a smoke machine to create a smoke screen while he changes into Batman. Using some explosive devices from his Utility Belt, Batman opens the door and goes straight for the truck. Batman opens the back doors and finds a big man in a disguise, who offers Batman to work together, but when Batman refuses, the man who calls himself Lock-Up, attacks Batman and overpowers the Dark Knight. The Gotham City Police Department arrive at the scene, but Lock-Up manages to escape with Summer as his hostage.
Batman picks up the lock device used to trap him inside the building and takes it to the Batcave for further analysis. Batman deduces that such device could have only been developed by Lyle Bolton and he tells Robin to investigate and look for clues in Bolton's last known residence. Robin goes there and finds the place empty but for a broken TV and a wooden box with the letters "F-84". In the meantime, Batman goes to Arkham Asylum and finds that the security guards have been subdued and fearing the worst, Batman goes to Dr. Bartholomew's office just to find it empty and when he looks through the window, he is just as shocked to see the Batsignal lit. Batman arrives at the GCPD Headquarters and asks for Commissioner Gordon, but instead finds Harvey Bullock, who has been handcuffed to a post, but managed to start the bat-signal with some effort. Bullock informs Batman that Lock-Up appeared and kidnapped Commissioner Gordon. Remembering Bolton's words in the asylum, Batman frees Bullock and tells him to give extra security to Mayor Hill.
At the Mayor's house, Bullock and several other officers surround the Mayor to prevent him from being abducted by Lock-Up. Hill insists that his personal security is more than enough to protect him, but Batman and Robin come out of nowhere and reply that if they could get past them, then it might not be enough. At that moment, Lock-Up uses a smoke grenade, throws it to the main room, and captures Hill. Batman opens a window to dissipate the gas and then, he and Robin run to the Batmobile just to find that Lock-Up has placed a lock on the car's wheel.
Lock-Up takes Hill to his personal prison, where he is keeping Summer, Gordon and Dr. Batholomew. Gordon tries to talk some sense into Bolton, but the man electrocutes the commissioner and leaves his prisoners caged in cells.
Back in the Batcave, Batman and Robin search information about Bolton's past and they learn that he was in charge of the security when Stonegate Penitentiary was being built. Robin recalls the code F-84 and they discover that it's the name of a ship that was used as a temporary prison until Stonegate was finished and that it was under Bolton's command. Batman and Robin locate the ship at the present time and they go to the place in order to stop Lock-Up.
Using the Batboat, they arrive at the ship and they climb to the deck with some Batropes. Lock-Up learns about them because of the cameras he installed in the entire ship. Batman tells Robin to find the main power source and disconnect it, while he looks for Bolton. Lock-Up tries to stop the duo by setting traps on them, but none are effective. Batman finds Lock-Up and they start fighting, while Robin locates the power source and disconnects it. The fight between Batman and Lock-Up causes the ship to start moving towards some rocks and the ship is damaged when it crashes against them. Robin locates the prisoners and he does his best to free them from their cells, which start to fill with water. The ship starts sinking and more water comes inside the ship from the damage done by the rocks.
Lock-Up gets the upper hand and he places handcuffs on Batman just when Robin and the prisoners open the exit. Robin and the others witness how Lock-Up pushes Batman to the ocean and how the Dark Knight manages to tangle Lock-Up's
foot with the handcuffs, causing them both to fall to the sea. After a while, Batman comes out of the water, with his hands freed and carrying the unconscious body of Lock-Up. He uses the Utility Belt to call the Batboat to their location and take them all out of there.
Lyle Bolton is taken to Arkham Asylum as a patient and prisoner, much to the inmates' amusement. However, Bolton seems to be fine with it, since now he would be able to keep an eye on all of them.