"House & Garden" is the sixth episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on May 2, 1994.
Plot
A giant creature climbs his way up a building and enters an apartment through the window. It seems to know the territory well as it moves towards an abstract painting, tearing it away. A safe is revealed and the strange being wastes no time disposing of the door and gathering its contents. The creature is interrupted by the owner, but is quick to knock him out-cold and leaves with the goods.
Poison Ivy introduces her new husband.
At the Police Department, Commissioner Gordon and a police scientist analyze a strange green substance that turns out to be a poison. The same poison was used four different times during the past month. The scientist admits to not identifying it and manifests his worry that he might not be able to keep the victims of the poison alive for much longer. Batman reveals himself from behind the shadows and points out his suspicion of Poison Ivy in the matter. However, Gordon insists that she is not a valid suspect and admits his belief that Ivy has turned over a new leaf. He reveals that she had been released from Arkham Asylum after apparently completing her therapy successfully. She also had married her psychiatrist, Steven Carlyle, becoming the stepmother of his two children, Chris and Kelly.
The next day, Batman and Gordon pay a visit to the Carlyle residence and express their suspicion regarding the mysterious robberies and poisoning attacks. Ivy sustains her innocence and the veracity of her redemption, explaining her attachment to her new family and to her new life. Ivy explains that because of her hyperimmune system, she's incapable of having children of her own--she insists that she's happy with her husband and stepsons accepting for who she is, that she would never commit crimes after finding their affection, claiming that "Poison Ivy is dead."
At Gotham University's dorms, Dick Grayson is flirting with a girl named Cindy. He is interrupted by a call from Batman, requesting him to find information on Steven Carlyle. The girl leaves and Dick is left alone in the room. He notices a shadow near the door and moves towards it, hoping it would be Cindy, but instead he is attacked by the strange creature. It smashes through the door, knocking off a nearby lamp. Unable to see his attacker, Dick receives a direct blow.
Bruce is attacked by a plant monster.
Police investigate the crime scene; some searching for clues, others comforting Cindy, apparently the only witness. Bruce and Gordon are also there questioning her. Gordon tells Bruce about his theory that Dick had been kidnapped in order to blackmail him.
While driving away, he is ambushed from behind by the plant creature. Struggling to keep the car on the road, Bruce asks the creature what it is after. It demands 5 million dollars be sent to him at the docks, at midnight, in exchange for Dick's life.
Bruce returns to his manor, prepares the money and decides to check on Ivy. He follows her throughout the day, but does not find any incriminating evidence. In fact, the opposite seems to be true, Poison Ivy seems to take pleasure in the life of a housewife, taking the children to school and running errands during the day. Batman concludes his observations of Ivy by observing her from the roof of her house as she is returning home in the afternoon. Vines, in turn, wrap themselves around Batman and deliver him to the ground where Ivy confronts him. Ivy says she is happy in her life and she would not throw it away as, at last, she is at peace and has the life she wants. Bruce shows up at the docks with the suitcase containing the 5 million dollar ransom and waits for a sign from the kidnapper. Shortly after, his name is called out by a voice hidden behind a row of crates. The creature demands for the suitcase, but Bruce remains unfazed and requests to see his ward. The creature extends his arm and shows a tied-up and blindfolded Dick struggling to release himself, then hides again, its voice growing angrier while asking again for the money. Bruce kicks the suitcase towards the crates and asks that the boy be sent out. Instead, the creature attacks him head on and we finally see its body — a giant green monster. Bruce only dodges the creature's blows, but in the end falls over, into the water. The monster turns and grabs a hold of Dick, preparing to throw him into the water as well. Before he can proceed, Batman rises from the water and cuts the monster's claws with his Batarang. The creature panics and Batman takes that opportunity to strike him frontally. The monster manages to escape by throwing Batman into a row of crates and running away, abandoning the docks.
Afterwards, Batman and Robin check notes in the Batmobile. Bruce tells Robin that Ivy is no longer his suspect because "all she wants is to be left alone with her husband and sons." Robin shows his surprise when hearing about Steven Carlyle's 'sons' and reveals the truth to Batman--Carlyle doesn't have custody of his kids (his ex-wife does) and Chris and Kelly are actually both girls.
With that information in hand, Batman and Robin return to investigate the Carlyle house. Robin checks the house and notices everyone is inside, asleep, except Ivy. Batman takes note and tinkers with the garden's pipelines before perusing it. The two look around and discover a hidden laboratory. After closer inspection, they find the real Dr. Carlyle in a testing tub. Shortly after freeing him, Batman notices a pack of plants moving. Closing in on them he is shocked to see babies emerging from the thicket. Caught off guard, Batman, Robin and Dr. Carlyle are captured by Ivy's vines. While Ivy confesses her real intentions and explains her experiments, she feeds the babies a growth formula, turning them into monsters and demanding that they kill the three men.
Meanwhile, Batman manages to cut himself and Robin free and fight the creatures. Batman stuns them by plucking nearby cables and electrocuting them. They then take Carlyle and try to run away only to find more mutants waiting for them. Although outnumbered, the Dynamic Duo manages to come through it all. Slowly, Batman draws them into his trap. With the creatures in appropriate position, he turns on the herbicide and finishes them off.
Poison Ivy cries on her wedding picture.
Seeing her plan fail, Ivy shows herself and questions Batman about where her plan had flawed. Batman answers while closing in on her; Ivy maintains her position and reveals her escape plan before collapsing and decaying. She was only an artificial copy, just like her experiments. The police arrive soon after to wrap up the case and use the laboratory's contents to form an antidote for Ivy's poison.
Soon afterwards, the real Poison Ivy flies away from Gotham. Inside the plane, she skims through her photo album, fixating her gaze over her wedding photo, shedding tears upon it. In a voice over, Batman says he believed Poison Ivy when she told him that she was happy for once in life with her family.
Continuity
- In Poison Ivy's photo album there is a picture of Harvey Dent when he approved the construction of Stonegate Penitentiary, as seen in "Pretty Poison". There is also a photo of the rosaceae vularis from that episode. Another photo depicts Ivy and Harley from their headline-grabbing crime spree in the episode "Harley and Ivy".
Background information
Home video releases
- The Adventures of Batman & Robin: Poison Ivy (VHS)
- The Adventures of Batman & Robin: Poison Ivy/The Penguin (DVD)
- Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Three (DVD)
- Batman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
Trivia
- Last full appearance of Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series. She later appears in "Harley's Holiday", but had no dialogue.
- An issue of the later Batman Adventures (Volume 2) comic series suggests that this is the last appearance of the "real" Poison Ivy and that the revamped version seen in The New Batman Adventures was merely another copy produced to keep Batman off her trail, whilst she went into hiding for good. None of this was ever incorporated into the animated series.
Cast
Uncredited appearances
Quotes
Plant Creature: Keep driving, or your neck gets a new airhole. |
Batman: All she wants is to be left alone with her husband and sons. |
Robin: I'm just sorry she got away. |
External links
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