"He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul"
Batman episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 16
Directed byMurray Golden
Written byLorenzo Semple Jr.
Production code8715-Pt. 2
Original air dateMarch 3, 1966 (1966-03-03)
Guest appearances
Donna Loren
Kip King
Greg Benedict
Tim O'Kelly
Cherie Foster
Linda Harrison
Sydney Smith
Glenn Allan
Donna Di Martino
Dick Bellis,
Joan Parker
Breeland Rice
Jim Henaghan
Special Guest Villain: Cesar Romero as The Joker
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Joker Goes to School"
Next →
"True or False-Face"
List of episodes

"He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul" is the 16th episode of the Batman television series, first airing on ABC March 3, 1966 and repeated on August 11 in its first season. It guest starred Cesar Romero as the Joker.

Plot synopsis

Picking up from the last episode, Gotham City suffers a massive power outage just as the slot machine spins the third lemon. The Joker and his henchmen beat a harried retreat, just as the cops arrive just in time to cut Batman and Robin out from the electric chairs before the power comes back on. After replaying the audiotape Batman secretly made while in the van, they were able to make out Susie as one of the members of the Joker's crime family, much to Robin's shock and dismay as he had romantic feelings for her. So Robin, in the guise of his true identity, Dick Grayson, an undercover agent, tries to trick Susie into leading him into the "Bad Pennies" and the Joker himself. His henchman Nick catches immediately on and sends Dick on his way, but not before tipping him off on an impending robbery at a local bar.

Batman and Robin enter the bar, trigger the gimmicked jukebox which reveals a double-barrel shotgun, deflect its bullets with a Batshield, and use a bomb to destroy the armed machine. They then realize that Susie is in danger and rush to her aid, just as The Joker, realizing that Batman is on to Susie, gives her some "imported" Canadian perfume (called "Une Nuit Sans Fin" (One Endless Night)"), which he instructs her to use only after she has planted answers to some important nationwide pre-college exam papers she stole inside one of the rigged machines, not telling her that the perfume has been poisoned.

In the gym, Batman and Robin confront Susie and warn her of impending danger, but she refuses to listen and slumps unconsciously when she applies the perfume. It is later revealed that Batman and Robin saved her life by using the "Universal Antidote" pills in their utility belts, and she repaid them by revealing the whole criminal scheme. Meanwhile, Joker, Nick, and Two-Bits arrive at the school in time to snap an incriminating picture of the Woodrow Roosevelt High School basketball team clutching the exam papers complete with written-in answers, which the team received from a rigged milk machine. The Joker then reaches a new low in crime: he plans to use the picture to disqualify and suspend the otherwise innocent team members for cheating, and stop them from playing Disko Tech in the night's big game, for he bet his cash on the opposite team and with the home players out of the game, the opposing team, Disko Tech would win from default. The Joker's exact wager was $50,000 on Disko Tech, with the odds set at 20 to 1 on Woodrow Roosevelt High, so this would bring him $1 million.

Batman and Robin suddenly announce themselves from the rafters to inform the students that the exam papers were counterfeit which they planted, rendering the Joker's picture useless. Batman and Robin then attack, putting the Joker and his henchmen out of circulation. Susie, meanwhile, is sent to the Wayne Foundation Institute for Delinquent Girls.

Notes

Preceded byThe Joker Goes to School(airdate March 2, 1966) Batman (TV series) episodes March 3, 1966 Succeeded byTrue or False-Face(airdate March 9, 1966)

References

  1. ^ Batman: A Milestone Tribute to Pow, Bam and Zap! (2011) Gould, Chris
  2. ^ "Entrei na Feira da Fruta vira livro" (in Portuguese). Impulso HQ. 5 April 2013.