Batman: The Joke’s on Catwoman

“That’s the first time I ever

It’s our first episode of 1968- a less idealistic and more cynical year than ‘67, with rioting and body bags from Vietnam starting to edge out peace and love. And, right on cue, we have a cynical episode on corrupt justice as our heroes capture Catwoman and Joker halfway through and we spend the rest of the episode with a trial in front of a corrupt jury.

It is, of course, absurd to see Batman- not a lawyer- handling the prosecution, but this is Batman. The courtroom antics of Lucky Pierre are delightfully entertaining, and Batman even states at the end that he would have done well in politics. And, of course, on Pierre’s desk in his first scene is a prominent photo of Richard Nixon. A newer, more cynical and conservative age is coming. And perhaps that age will have no place for high camp fun.

And high camp fun aplenty there is here, much as the Joker is again playing second fiddle to Catwoman. There’s more fun flirting between Batgirl and the Caped Crusaders, and a hilariously quick usage of a French dictionary- although a genuine 18th century treasure map certainly wouldn’t be in metres...

Again we get some delightfully eccentric characters, from a pair of lighthouse keepers to a judge who joins in the final fight. This episode, and this two parter, is utterly bonkers. And wonderful.