Episode #015 - See No Evil
Original Airdate - February 24th, 1993
Somewhere in a middle-class suburb of Gotham, little Kimberly Ventrix is
regularly visited by her imaginary playmate, "Mojo." However, the
mysterious, unseen Mojo seems awfully tangible -- and vocal -- for an
"imaginary" friend. At about the same time, a fortune in valuables
disappears as if by magic. Batman investigates, and finds himself
battling an invisible man!
Media by Borg4of3
Review by Robin III, Christopher N. |
Credits
Written by Martin Pasko
Directed by Dan Riba
Music by Shirley Walker
Animation Services by Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.
Voices
Kevin Conroy as Batman / Bruce Wayne
Dick Erdman as Elliot
Danny Goldman as Sam Giddell
Ken Howard as Hartness
Elizabeth Moss as Kimmy
Chuck Olson as Security Guard
Brock Peters as Lucius Fox
Jean Smart as Helen |
Screen Grabs
Pans
Quotes
VENTRIX: See ya around, Batman! Too bad you can't say the same!
Ha ha ha!
--
VENTRIX: Helen, please, cut me some slack here. I'll give you anything
you want.
HELEN: Want? All I want is for you to disappear!
VENTRIX: Okay. Okay. But just remember the old saying: 'Be careful what
you wish for.'
--
SAM: See those filaments embedded in the plastic?
BATMAN: Mm-hmm.
SAM: Run an electrical current through them and the stuff bends light
instead of absorbing it so you can't see it. But in the process the
plastic becomes toxic.
BATMAN: I know. I read the report.
SAM: I've spent the last two months trying to correct the problem but
it's hopeless.
BATMAN: So you were just going to dump it?
SAM: Yes, it's too dangerous. Funny thing is, some of it seems to be
missing.
BATMAN: Who else would know about this stuff?
SAM: Only the other assistant. Actually, he was more like an errand boy
- an ex-conn. Name's Ventrix. Lloyd Ventrix.
--
VENTRIX: You're coming with me whether you want to or not!
BATMAN: Not in this lifetime, pal!
--
BATMAN COMES SOARING PAST ON THE ROOF OF VENTRIX'S INVISIBLE CAR.
HOMELESS MAN: I didn't know he could fly too!
--
BATMAN (disgruntled): Peek-a-boo.
--
BATMAN: Get ready for your biggest disappearing act, Ventrix. The one
where no one sees you for ten 'til twenty!
--
KIMBERLY: Me and mommy are moving and even if daddy gets out of jail
this time, he'll never find us.
HELEN (worried): Kimberly! Who are you talking to now!?
KIMBERLY: Just Batman, mommy.
HELEN (amused): Oh, him again.
KIMBERLY: But he really was here, mommy!
HELEN: I know, honey. I know.
Review (Robin III): This was an excellent
episode. It was full of great animation, action, detective work, and
some humor too. The animation had little things that made it nice, like
Batman lifting the paint can lid and the pain stuck to it and dripped
off back into the can, the invisible car chase had some very nice
detail, and the people at the jewelry exhibit getting hit without anyone
really hitting them in the drawings were all very nice.
There was also some great humor, such as the guard who needs to go to
the bathroom and it's always locked, the construction worked thinking
Batman is crazy when he bursts into the room yelling after the invisible
Ventrix, and the 'peek-a-boo' line at the end was great.
Batman also got very nasty at the end, pounding the heck out of Ventrix
on the building. He went a bit over the edge, but it was interesting to
see him driven over the edge. He also seemed peeved in the drive-in with
the line 'Not in this lifetime, pal!'
It was also nice to have a real life situation of a broken marriage
intertwined with a villains plot of invisibility. The whole episode was
extremely well done.
Review (Christopher N.): A little
girl named Kimberly Ventrix begins to receive gifts from her invisible
friend Mojo. Kimberly’s mother believes Mojo to be an imaginary friend,
however all is not as it seems…
Later at a jewelry expo in Gotham City, an invisible man robs the place,
and Batman intervenes, only to fail to catch the thief. The thief
returns home to pull off the material covering his face, and stares at a
photo of Kimberly…
Meanwhile, Kimberly’s mother Helen has dropped her daughter off at
school, and has gone off to work. During her lunch break, Helen is
harassed by her ex-husband, Lloyd Ventrix, the same man who robbed the
jewelry expo. She tells him to stay out of her and Kimberly’s lives, to
disappear. Ventrix only says to be careful what you wish for.
Bruce Wayne investigates the matter further, and finds that his company
had been in talks with a scientist named Carrows had created an
invisible plastic. Batman looks into the matter only to discover that
Carrows has passed away, but his assistant, Giddell, has been carrying
on his work. Giddell explains that he was going to scrap the project,
since the plastic gave off toxins that poisoned the body and the mind.
Giddell mentions that there is a small amount of the plastic missing,
and the only other person with access to it is an ex-con named Lloyd
Ventrix.
In Kimberly’s room, Mojo is visiting with Kimberly, and then takes her
out of her room.
Outside, Helen is taking out the trash and confronted by Batman, who
explains that Ventrix has an invisible plastic that will destroy him.
Helen then realizes that Mojo is real. Upon arriving in Kimberly’s room,
Batman and Helen discover that she is gone. Batman takes off in pursuit
of the ex-con.
At a nearby drive-in movie theatre, Mojo reveals to Kimberly that he’s
her father. As Kimberly tries to escape, Ventrix tries to keep her from
leaving, however Batman arrives, and gets begins to fight Ventrix.
Kimberly escapes, and gets home.
Ventrix then attempts to make his getaway and run Batman down with his
car that he’s turned invisible. Batman then jumps onto the roof of
Ventrix’s car, and in the end the car is blown destroyed by an oncoming
train, after both Batman and Ventrix escape the car. Both men land on a
roof, and Ventrix has the upper hand on Batman. However, Batman pierces
a nearby watertower with several batarangs, and Ventrix is revealed in
the escaping water. Batman then takes Vetnrix down.
Later, Kimberly is in her room talking to someone who isn’t seen. Helen
rushes in, and Kimberly says that she was talking to Batman. Helen puts
her daughter back into to bed, and it is revealed that Batman was on the
roof listening.
I must say that I love the episode. The story is actually quite dark,
and it touches on real life issues while not getting sappy. There is the
issue of child abduction, the issue of a dangerous parent, the issue of
divorce/separation. Not only that, but the audience gets to see a very
interesting side of Batman. When it gets to the end, Batman just lets
loose on Ventrix, as he’s put a child in danger, his own daughter at
that. The episode also manages to inject some humor at a time when it’s
necessary. (The two vagrants seeing Batman on the invisible car.) I also
found myself enjoying Batman’s one liners. While I normally despise the
one liners in the early episodes, they worked here. (“Not in the
lifetime…”; and “Get ready for your biggest disappearing act…”)
There is also beautiful animation by Spectrum Animation. However, that’s
almost a given when it comes to episodes by Spectrum. Batman taking down
Ventrix is one of the nicest pieces the show has ever seen.
The score is excellent as well. While that was a given for every show up
until Justice League season one (my own personal opinion), this one is
just amazing, but what more can you expect from Shirley Walker?
And as a Kim Possible fan, this show provides an extra bonus. Y’see,
Jean Smart plays Kimberly’s mother, and she also plays Kim Possible’s
mother as well.
All of this plus the excellent voice acting that almost all of the FOX
episodes had make for one of the best episodes of Batman around.
[ Back to Episodes ]
|
|
