"Critters" is the second episode of the second season of The New Batman Adventures.
Plot
Farmer Brown shows off his latest and greatest invention.
Out in a convention hall, microbiologist Farmer Brown proudly displays the results of his research: a giant sized sheep. He believes that having giant animals will help to end world hunger. However, the sheep becomes irritated by the flashing cameras and escapes it cage. The sheep then goes on a rampage only to be stopped when Bruce throws a curtain over it causing it to fall. Farmer Brown then gives the sheep a sedative and the incident is over for the time being.
Later, Farmer Brown is summoned to court over the incident and he is ordered to remove all giant animals from Gotham and seize all experiments. Farmer Brown pleads with the judge claiming that to seize all activity will ruin him but the judge simply claims, "You should have thought of that before creating these monsters." Farmer Brown is outraged and decides to show the judge some real monsters.
A year passes and Bruce is on a date. A woman screams that there's a bug and points to a giant praying mantis. Several more arrive and start attacking the city. The police arrive and start shooting at the bugs but their exoskeletons are too hard for bullets to penetrate. Batman arrives and tries using pesticides on the bugs but it doesn't work. The bugs corner him but they soon fall apart and the incident is ended.
Batman takes a head from a mantis and analyzes it. He discovers that the bugs were genetically altered to be immune to poison and they only fell apart because they were made to. He explains to Batgirl and Robin that it was all a preview for worse things to come.
Back at Farmer Brown's farm he has his daughter Emmylou "prepare the livestock to go to market."
Giant cows made by Farmer Brown stampede on Gotham.
A giant cow and bull are unleashed on Gotham and are soon met by Batgirl and Robin. Giant chickens are also unleashed into the skies of Gotham and attack a police blimp. Batman arrives wearing his jet wings and confronts the chickens. The police are fortunate enough to land on a building roof and the chickens take off after Batman.
Meanwhile, Batgirl and Robin deal with the giant bovines. Batgirl manages to stop the cow by hurling bolas onto her hind legs and getting her caught in wet cement. The bull attacks a china shop and Robin provokes it by waving his cape like a bullfighter, the bull charges after him and crashes into a building. Batgirl then drives a cement truck behind it trapping the bull..
While this goes on, Batman continues to flee the giant chickens and catches two of them in nets. However, the third chicken manages to evade the nets and chases after him. This one is caught when it crashes into a vat of hot barbeque sauce and is burned.
Back at the Police Station, Batman talks to Commissioner Gordon about the incidents. As they talk a genetically engineered goat arrives and demands fifty million dollars in cash without any intervention from Batman or the bugs will come back for good.
Bullock delivers the money but is shoved off the boat. He grabs a rope and manages to make it to Farmer Brown's hideout but is caught and thrown to a mutant pig. Farmer Brown checks the money and discovers that it's just a bunch of green papers with a single bill of real money on top. He also discovers a bat tracer on the money and realizes that Batman is coming.
Batman, Robin, and Harvey Bullock face a giant mantis.
Batgirl and Robin arrive just in time to knock out the pig with tranquillizer darts and save Bullock. Emmylou confronts Batgirl and proves to have super strength provided by beef steroids. She easily manages to stop both Batgirl and Robin. Meanwhile, Batman fights Farmer Brown who is using an electrified pitchfork. Batman seems to have the upper hand but surrenders when he sees his partners are being threatened.
Farmer Brown locks the heroes up in the silo which is actually a rocket carrying unhatched giant mantises. The silo is launched towards Gotham while Farmer Brown and Emmylou head for an escape boat. A mantis hatches and attacks the group but it focuses on Batman who tricks it into breaking the door open. Everyone escapes the silo and Batman drives an armored truck into the silo causing the truck to explode. The silo explodes in midair destroying the bugs and foiling Farmer Brown's plans. The debris from the rocket land on Farmer Brown's boat and the two are left in the water.
Later, Farmer Brown and Emmylou are taken prisoner while a rooster ominously crows from Farmer Brown's farm.
Background Information
Production Notes
- When Farmer Brown's missile blows up, the resulting explosion is reused footage from the scene of the Superman: The Animated Series episode "World's Finest, Part III" in which two Wayne/Lex T-7 droids blow up after Batman electrocutes them.
Production Inconsistencies
- One of the bugs slashes its arms at Batman, but ends up hitting the truck of Pest Away. In the next shot, the now ripped off arms are no longer visible.
- In one scene Batgirl is shown to bind the hind legs of a giant cow using bolas. However, in the next scene both the cow's front and hind legs are shown to be bound.
- It seems strange that after Bullock is knocked into the water, fully clothed, he's able to swim fast enough to catch up with a powered boat.
Trivia
- In the commentary, Dan Riba and Paul Dini mention that although fans hated this episode they liked it.
- This is one of the few episodes in which Batman is shown willing to kill.
- During the rampage of Farmer Brown's animals on Gotham, the bull that Batgirl and Robin were fighting crashes into a china shop, and wrecks it. This is a sight gag of the common idiom "a bull in a china shop".
Cast
Uncredited Appearances
Quotes
Robin: That's a lot of bull. |
Farmer Brown: Check your shoes for what the cow left and check your money. Two solid rules. |
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