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* At the end of every subway line there are mechanical trips which activate the train's brakes to prevent the train from running off the end of the line. |
* At the end of every subway line there are mechanical trips which activate the train's brakes to prevent the train from running off the end of the line. |
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* After Robin ties Batman up he removes Batman's utility belt. When Batman escapes and catches up with the train the utility belt is back. It's possible Robin left the belt out of reach but where Batman could find it or Batman had access to a spare belt, but both possibilities seem unlikely. |
* After Robin ties Batman up he removes Batman's utility belt. When Batman escapes and catches up with the train the utility belt is back. It's possible Robin left the belt out of reach but where Batman could find it or Batman had access to a spare belt, but both possibilities seem unlikely. |
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| + | * When an electrical line is cut the only way both ends could be sparking is if they're both connected to power sources. It's highly unlikely that this would be done in an outdoors overhead power grid. |
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=== Trivia === |
=== Trivia === |
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Revision as of 14:45, 10 May 2011
"Never Fear" is the fourth episode of The New Batman Adventures and originally aired on November 1st, 1997.
Plot
A man swings madly through Gotham's skyscrapers. Initially confused for Batman, the real thing spots him, and with Robin, follows him, until the man's wild antics destroy part of a huge ad and leave him dangling over a ledge. Together, Batman and Robin manage to stop the ad and its live wires from crushing or electrocuting anyone below.
Batman tries to reason with the man, but he simply won't listen to reason, claiming he no longer has any sense of fear. After this, he tackes Batman, throwing both off the building. Batman uses a grappling gun to have himself and then snag the daredevil in midair. As the crowd cheers, a man in a white suit, not looking so satisfied, leaves. He then confers in an auditorium with a shadowy figure, who berates him for not keeping a watch on the lunatic, who turns out to be a test subject.
Bruce finds a possible clue.
Next day, as Bruce Wayne enters his office, his secretary informs him that an employee has been calling all day, and that Tim is waiting in his office. Tim asks about the man they saved the day before, and is surprised to hear from Bruce that the man was in fact acrophobic – i.e., afraid of heights. Just then, the employee mentioned, Seymour Grey, forces his way into the office and demands that Wayne listen to him; he says he has great ideas for the company, but has always been afraid until now to voice them. To demonstrate his complete lack of fear of anything now, he also quits his job and plants a kiss on Wayne's secretary. Security arrives and carts him away, and Bruce notices his wallet on the floor. Opening it, he finds a card with the words: "Never Fear."
Bruce goes to the address on the card and joins what is apparently a self-help seminar led by the Guru, who claims that he can help people get rid of their fears. Bruce, disguised, sneaks away from the meeting and finds a secluded office. Opening one of the drawers with a lockpick, he finds a large amount of gas canisters. When he's about to examine one, a shadow from behind hits him with a heavy wooden stick and knocks him unconscious. The shadowy figure turns out to be the Scarecrow.
Fearless Bruce battles a crocodile.
Wayne awakens in a zoo, where the only exit is next to the crocodiles' cage. From a high hill, the Scarecrow confronts him. Wayne plays dumb, acting like he was simply snooping around for loose cash. The Scarecrow shoots Wayne with a gas gun and then dares him to approach the crocodile cage. Wayne crosses over the cage without fear, and is tackled by the beasts. As he goes under, a red stain dots the water, and the Scarecrow leaves, satisfied. Suddenly, Wayne reemerges from the water, and as one crocodile's body floats up, Wayne walks away looking unharmed.
At Wayne Manor, Tim and Alfred are discussing Bruce's absence, when suddenly he enters in a furious mood, and immediately tells Tim to suits up, and they fly out together in the Batwing. Batman tells Robin that the Scarecrow has now invented a gas that has the opposite effect of his trademark fear toxin: this one removes a person's fears, leaving them unable to discern right from wrong, and turning them into reckless daredevils. As he pilots the Batwing through a hair-raising turn, Robin asks him whether he's breathed the gas, and Batman says, "Yes, but I can handle it." Robin is not totally convinced.
Batman almost crosses the line.
When they reach Scarecrow's lair, the canisters are gone, and Guru intercepts him accompanied by a bunch of goons. Batman, with his new fearless attitude, takes them all down, but Robin is forced to act quickly to keep him from getting shot by the thugs' guns.
Batman confronts the Guru, who refuses to talk, apparently unmoved by the prospect of jail time. Batman resorts to a brutal tactic: dangling him from the building's roof, then slowly cutting through the rope. The Guru, scared out of his wits, talks, but Batman turns away without pulling him up. Robin jumps and catches the rope just as it breaks, managing to save the Guru.
The Guru has revealed that Scarecrow is planning to release a massive amount of gas into the subway system. As Batman prepares to hop into the Batwing, Robin coils a rope around him, takes away his belt, and leaves him tied there, saying he is out of control and no longer afraid to kill. Batman pretends contrition and offers to let Robin lead if he releases him. Robin is nearly fooled, but he sees through his façade in time. As Batman berates him in anger, Robin flies off.
In the subway, Robin boards the Scarecrow's train, in hopes of stopping him before the gas is released. While he brings down the Scarecrow, one of the goons hits and cuffs him. By then, however, Batman has already escaped.
Batman manages to enter the carriage, and dispatches the bodyguards by throwing them out the moving carriage, apparently unconcerned what they will hit. Then, ignoring the cuffed Robin, he reaches the Scarecrow and starts strangling him with his bare hands. In their mêlée, he inadvertently destroys the master controls of the carriage, setting it haywire. As they tangle, Robin frees himself of the cuffs, and tries to deter Batman from choking the Scarecrow, but to no avail. He then takes the inhaler with the gas's antidote. Immediately, he sprays it Batman's nose. Coughing, Batman comes to his senses, and realizes the train is heading for a deep ravine, just in time to jump off with the Scarecrow and Robin.
Walking out of the subway, Robin tries to apologize to Batman for tying him down. Batman replies it was the right thing, and comforts Robin by saying that a little fear is a good thing.
Background Information
Production Inconsistencies
- It seems strange that in two separate cases (undercover and as Batman) somebody successfully sneaks up behind Batman and is able to attack him. With Batman's finely honed senses shouldn't he have detected them approaching?
- Subway cars have a "deadman's switch" where the operator has to hold a switch down (or a handle in place) to operate the train. If the operator has a heart attack or another serious problem and is disabled the brakes automatically activate. There's no indication of any deadman switch in the train in this episode.
- At the end of every subway line there are mechanical trips which activate the train's brakes to prevent the train from running off the end of the line.
- After Robin ties Batman up he removes Batman's utility belt. When Batman escapes and catches up with the train the utility belt is back. It's possible Robin left the belt out of reach but where Batman could find it or Batman had access to a spare belt, but both possibilities seem unlikely.
- When an electrical line is cut the only way both ends could be sparking is if they're both connected to power sources. It's highly unlikely that this would be done in an outdoors overhead power grid.
Trivia
- This is the episode where Batman intentionally attempts to kill a criminal, and almost succeeds (albeit while under the influence of a mind-altering drug).
- This episode marks the first appearance of Scarecrow in The New Batman Adventures. He is given a new, more horrifying appearance and is voiced by Jeffrey Combs, replacing Henry Polic II.
- In the Batman comic books, there actually was an encounter with the Scarecrow that was just like this episode. Scarecrow was using a special drug to take away fear from people and cause them to do reckless things, then he would try to sell their fear back to them when they were hurt (and he would kill them if they refused). He even managed to drug Batman and thus Batman was forced to fight his overconfidence to save Robin (who was actually the Jason Todd Robin at the time).
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kevin Conroy | Batman/Bruce Wayne |
| Mathew Valencia | Robin/Tim Drake |
| Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. | Alfred Pennyworth Acrophobic Man (uncredited) |
| Jeffrey Combs | Scarecrow |
| Charles Rocket | Guru |
| Ken Berry | Seymour Grey |
| Pamela Segall | Mother Sarah (uncredited) |
Quotes
Batman: Death is death. Does it matter who administers it? |
Scarecrow: You'll soon see what Gotham City will be like without fear, and it won't be pretty. Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people surpress their worst impulses. Fear is power, and today it will be quite expensive if you want the antidote. |
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