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The Laughing Bat is the twelfth episode of the second series of The Batman. It features the Joker posing as the Batman.

OverviewEdit

The episode starts with a jaywalker getting attacked by a mysterious shadow which has the same appearance as Batman. It is then revealed to be none other than the Joker, who has decided that if he couldn't beat the Batman, he'd be the Bat, with Batman arriving all too late for him to save the jaywalker from becoming a victim of a new strand of "joker-gas", which Batman's antidote apparently fails to cure. Although the Joker is enforcing the law throughout the episode, he does so through alarming methods, using his joker gas to apprehend "criminals" for the most minute and unreasonable reasons, such as cops breaking the speed limit in a car chase (after stating that nobody is above the law), and an elderly lady for driving three blocks with her left-turn signal turned on. In addition to that, he demanded payment from Gotham (1 million dollars), stating that "crime-fighting isn't charity work". After attacking the Mayor's wife, Sheila, Joker tries to gas two girls playing on a side walk by drawing on it with chalk, claiming that they are "scum" and what they are doing is "graffiti", but is stopped by Batman. A short confrontation ensues, which results in the Batman's defeat at the hands of the Joker, who states that if he is going to be the Batman, he needs a "joker of my (the joker) own", and injects him with a venom which "injects a bit of humor" into the Batman. After a disastrous meeting with the mayor, Bruce Wayne finds out that the venom actually infects the nervous system and causes the body to increase in fits of laughter, which kills his enemy after a few hours. Batman devises a cure, but it requires a sample of Joker's venom as well. Meanwhile, The Penguin breaks into the Gotham Museum of Art, with both Bruce and the Joker to stop him. After a short scuffle, Penguin is injected with the Venom by accident as well, which leads to Batman and Joker facing off once again in one-on-one combat. Despite the Joker's near victory, Batman ultimately defeats the Joker by stealing the venom from Joker and curing himself. With the Batman finally cured, he defeats the Joker and tells a short Joke, which results in the Joker laughing uncontrollably, with the Batman telling him (with an uncharacteristic smirk) that "that's the Joker he (the Batman) knows" whilst pulling off the Joker's cowl. The episode then ends, with both the Joker's and the Penguin's laughter echoing throughout Gotham.

Cast Edit

Credits Edit

Written by Michael Jelenic
Directed by Seung Eun-Kim

TriviaEdit

Joker's 'secret identity' in this episode somewhat resembles Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity.

Interesting enough, Batman-Joker and Laughing-Batman are fighting in this episode together against the Penguin - more or less.

QuotesEdit

Joker: I must say, Mayor, of all the scum I've taken down so far, it was your wife who disappointed me the most.

Mayor Grange: My wife? Sheila? What have you done to Sheila?!

Joker: Eleven items at a ten items grocery check out -- she had it coming.

Batman: The costume party is over, Joker.

Joker: Joker? Didn't you hear? The Clown Prince of Crime has checked out. He just couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't take the Batman. Always there to foil his greatest schemes, and it's starting to drive him mad. (Batman grabs Joker) Then, the Joker thought, if he couldn't beat the Bat, he'd be the Bat.

Batman: Stop me if you heard this one before, Joker. A man walks into a bar ... (Throws Joker against a street lamp) ... and said "Ow".

Joker: (starts to laugh) Good one, Batman! Said "Ow"? (pauses, then laughs even harder) Who knew you had it in ya? (Laughs some more)

Batman: (smirks) That's the Joker I know.

Alfred: You should at least wait for Batwave to finish examining your blood for dangerous substances.

Bruce: I think the only dangerous things you'll find in there, are my cholesterol levels.

Alfred: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but why do you suppose the tribute act, master Bruce?

Bruce: Cheap knock-off is more like it.

Joker: Sorry, Pengy, but bringing in Gotham's second biggest criminal will fetch my largest bounty yet.

Penguin: "Second biggest"? Says who?!

Joker: New improved Batman beats original recipe!

Penguin: (seeing Joker as the Batman) Joker?

Joker: I'm the Batman!

Penguin: You see, the thing is ... you're NOT!

Joker: The eggs, Penguin, or I scramble you!

Penguin: Are you out of your gourd? I'm in the middle of a heist! You don't see me barging in on your "Gas all of Gotham" schemes, do you? It is called professional courtesy!

Penguin: Batman?

Joker: Joker.

Batman: If it isn't dumb, and dumber! (Laughs uncontrollably)

Penguin: Okay - now you two are starting to creep me out!