This tells a very familiar story about an evil developer (in this case Roland Daggett) who is trying to drive people out of their homes so they can bulldoze them and build something new and fancy in their place (in this case a mini mall).
Despite Gotham having an abundance of abandoned warehouses, factories, and amusement parks, the evil developer doesn't try to look elsewhere to build. Probably because all the abandoned places have psycho criminals living in them and they are a right nightmare to budge. So the evil developer resorts to dirty tactics to drive out the everyday residents of the infamous Crime Alley. Why this particular piece of land is so crucial to Daggett's development is never made clear, but he's willing to resort to mass murder to get his mini mall. Sheesh, not even a full one, just a mini one.
Unsurprisingly, the residents of Crime Alley all seems to be nice, hard working people living through tough times who "Won't be driven out of our homes" by a shady developer despite living in a complete shit hole that is literally called Crime Alley. This neighbourhood might be a lost cause, but it is their lost cause and they won't leave it. Where else are they going to go? Blüdhaven?
Bah, better to live and die in Gotham.
I really can't tell if this episode was meant to be a complete farce or just ended up that way by accident. All the obstacles that keep getting in Batman's way as he races to save Leslie and stop the bomb eventually just become too ridiculous to take seriously. There's even a goddamn runaway tram car.
Oh god! They give Batman a literally trolley problem to solve.
Naturally, because he's Batman, he manages to save everyone.
Leslie Thompkins was created by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Giordano and first appeared in Detective Comics #457 (March 1976) in a story entitled 'There Is No Hope in Crime Alley', which this episode was based on. Nitro was based on "Nitro" Nelson, a one-off villain from Batman #58.
I Know that Voice
Thompkins was voiced by Diana Muldaur, best known for hating Data during season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation and for famously falling down that open lift shaft on L.A. Law. Nitro was voiced by David L. Lander, who played Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman on Laverne & Shirley. Madman was voiced by veteran voice actor Robert Ridgely. His best known live action work was appearing in several Mel Brooks productions including Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, Life Stinks, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Notes and Quotes
--When Batman confronts Crocker and Nitro, they are getting into a truck that has: "J. Olsen and Sons, Photography Equip, Discount Prices" written on it. This is obviously a reference to Jimmy Olsen.
--The final scene is quietly emotional, but feels out of place in an episode like this.
--Where are all the criminals in Crime Alley?
--The criminals are so dumb they leave the front door of the building they are planning to bomb wide open so just anyone can wander in and catch them in the act.
--Batman tells the cops their way will endanger the hostage, but his way ends with both them falling off the roof.
--He also deals with the thugs trashing someone's apartment by smashing through the window and destroying her ceiling lamp. Really isn't helping, is he?
Leslie: "This used to be a beautiful street. Good people lived here once."
Batman: (Placing two roses on the ground) "Good people still live in Crime Alley."
Batman: "Roland Daggett's up to something."
Alfred: "That almost goes without saying, doesn't it, sir?"
Daggett: "These people don't value human life like we do."
Batman: "Nobody values human life like you do, Daggett."
Maggie: "Leslie went looking for you. I told her to be careful. Bad things happen to people in Crime Alley."
Batman: "I know."
Two out of four trolley problems.
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011. More Mark Greig.
Huh. Where's the Batman when you need him?
ReplyDeleteNomadUK, indeed. :(
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