[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Attachment 216652

For a debut episode they do not get much better than this, were just hurled straight into the bat universe of Batman 66,no messing about with back story.(although Bruce does mention his parents murder) we just get right down to the action .Everything in this episode lays down format of what was to come, the narration, the bat mobile, climbing up the walls, bat poles and of course a camp humour that even today makes it such a fun watch.(we don't get any animated kapoww or biffs on the screen until the 2nd episode) Also we get a great villain to start off the series with Frank Gorshin as The Riddler, whose maniacal laugh make's you believe that Gorshin is truly looney tunes and capable of anything. What struck me on this re-watch, and especially when watching the Blu ray, is how elaborate a lot of the set design is, it seems no expense was spared, everything looks fantastic.(well for the first two seasons at least). Can't not mention how Adam West and Burt Ward really hit the ground running with the first episode, there seems to be a great chemistry and natural bond between the two actors...Highlights for the first episode are of course Batman dancing the Batusi with the very lovely Jill St. John at the Go Go bar and Batman getting his drink spiked and acting drunk, and wondering where his Robin has gone.
Smack in the Middle
In the continuing episode, things get weird, The Riddler kidnaps the boy wonder, so he can make a life like replica mask, he then gets Jill St John as Molly to disguise herself as Robin,(this is all getting very Freudian for what was a children's television show, but wait there's more to come)..Once back at the Batcave,Molly's disguise is blown, come on Batman knows Robin inside out, he knows when Robins being impersonated by a hot dame. This then leads us to the next quite unusual part of plot, Molly dies by falling into some sort of radioactive gizmo pit,(the Batcave is obviously nuclear powered),yes a death in what was ostensibly a kids show ,but throughout the series there was always something bizarre going on bubbling beneath the surface of the show, which is probably why adults and kids alike were fans. Overall a terrific start to the series, and largely they kept the show the same format, changing very little from what I can see, apart from the odd actor change with some of the villains and some famous cameos later on..Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode...Kerpowww

Off to a great start Inspector