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"Trial" is the ninth episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on May 16, 1994. In a bizarre parody of a trial, Batman is kidnapped by his entire Rogues gallery, and put on trial, with the new district attorney who loathes him forced to act as his lawyer.

Plot[]

Mind-controlled guards

The Mad Hatter prepared the guards for a trial.

At her latest trial, Pamela Isley is sentenced to be returned to Arkham Asylum yet again. Gotham City's newest District Attorney, Janet Van Dorn, presses for life imprisonment, but the court's hands are tied by the fact that Poison Ivy was apprehended by Batman instead of a regular police officer.

When Ivy is returned to Arkham, Harley Quinn greets her enthusiastically, confiding that the inmates will be throwing a party soon, courtesy of the Mad Hatter, who has planted his mind control chips on the guards.

Janet's quoted on television as saying that Batman's a disgrace, claiming that he's the one who essentially created all of Gotham City's "super-criminals." She feels that Batman has made the city dependent on his myth, instead of facing the reality of what needs to be done to suppress crime.

That night, Janet and Bruce Wayne have a dinner date, but she's called away by a phone call. A short time later, the Bat-signal appears, and Batman receives a note from Commissioner Gordon informing him that Janet has been kidnapped. He goes to the rendezvous but is ambushed and knocked out.

Batman awakens in a straitjacket in a cell in Arkham, where Janet has also been taken. Two-Face welcomes her and informs her that, true to her words on television, Batman is going to be put on trial...by them. She will be his attorney. If she succeeds in defending him, they both go free. Failure will result in both their deaths.

Batman's trial

Judge Joker and D.A. Janet Van Dorn discuss Batman's trial.

An impromptu courtroom is set up in the operating theater:

Arkham jury

The "fair" and "impartial" jury.

Batman stands before the court accused of "creating" each and every one of them: driving them to become criminals, freaks, and monsters. But Janet has studied the histories of the rogues thoroughly, and her defense is brilliant.

The Mad Hatter claims he was a harmless scientist but admits that he was driven mad with love for his young assistant Alice, putting him on the path of crime. Harley thanks Batman for creating her loyal "puddin'", which Janet undermines by revealing that the last time she escaped from Arkham, the Joker ratted her out in hopes of reducing his own sentence. Ivy says it is Batman's fault she is a criminal since her only crime would have been trying to kill the previous D.A. Harvey Dent, now Two-Face. However, Janet goads her into admitting the depth and violence of her botanophilia sentiments.

Batman urges her to keep the farce going, while elsewhere the police follow the clues he has left. After fixing a tracer Batman dropped, Gordon finally gets a fix on his location.

In her closing argument, Janet realizes that she was wrong about Batman "creating" the criminals: even without him, the rogues would've most likely turned out the same way. While Batman may have inspired some of their costumes and dramatic poses, they made their own choice to become criminals. In reality, the criminals created Batman. To her own astonishment, the jury finds Batman not guilty. The Joker congratulates Janet on a job well done, but then merrily declares that they're going to execute them both anyway, which was probably planned from the very beginning.

Batman's rogues gathered together

Batman's enemies come together to at long last discover his true identity.

Batman is dragged into one of the treatment rooms and strapped to the electroshock couch. Before the switch is thrown, the Joker, who has swapped his judge's robes for a priest's cassock, begins to unmask Batman. Just then, Janet remembers a batarang Batman left on a criminal hidden in her pocket, and throws it at the ceiling light, shattering it and plunging the room into darkness. The moment's confusion is all Batman needs to break them out, tying up Harley in the process. Killer Croc then guards the door before Batman takes him out and the Joker fires a machine gun, nearly hitting Harley and damaging a generator, which shocks Croc.

Batman & Janet escape, but the Scarecrow blocks their way with a scythe. On their other side, the Ventriloquist, Poison Ivy, and the Mad Hatter follow up with them. Batman pulls Janet out of the way of Scarecrow's scythe, which decapitates Scarface and lodges itself in the wall. As Scarecrow struggles with the scythe, Batman throws him into the other three rogues and runs off with Janet. They are then confronted by Arkham inmates led by Two-Face, with the previous rogues coming up behind them. Batman throws an inmate into the crowd and escapes with the D.A. through the roof.

Janet apologizes to Batman

Janet Van Dorn apologizes to Batman for her mistake.

As they make their way to the exit, Gordon and the police storm in and hold the mob at gunpoint. The Joker pursues Batman and Janet outside, tying up him with a rope and swinging a heavy gavel. He is subdued after a brief fight in which Batman kicks him hard in the face. As the new day dawns, Janet makes her peace with Batman, as they agree that what they both want most is a city that doesn't always need him.

Continuity[]

  • Killer Croc seems to have a fixation for throwing rocks at Batman: in "Almost Got 'Im", he considers it his finest hour to have thrown a really big one at him (though that was actually Batman disguised as Croc); similarly, in "Sideshow", Croc tries to crush Batman's head with a large rock.
  • Mad Hatter refers to his first criminal act in "Mad as a Hatter".
  • Janet Van Dorn first appeared in "Shadow of the Bat".
  • This is the first episode to make reference of Harley Quinn's former life as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, which is then later explored in The New Batman Adventures episode "Mad Love".
  • Poison Ivy refers to the time she nearly assassinated Two-Face (back when he was still Harvey Dent) in "Pretty Poison".

Background information[]

Home video releases[]

Production inconsistencies[]

  • When Harley Quinn says "Shoot him" as the jury is shown, the Mad Hatter's mouth can be seen moving.
  • Although he is initially seen on the jury, the Riddler disappears entirely from the episode during the third act, with even his spot on the jury vacant.

Trivia[]

  • Janet Van Dorn has been redesigned since her brief introductory appearance in "Shadow of the Bat," and is voiced by Stephanie Zimbalist in this episode. Stephanie is the daughter of Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., who voices Alfred. She also attended the Julliard School for a year, at the same time Kevin Conroy was there.
  • The note that summons Batman to the courthouse is told in the form of a riddle, and features cutout letters to form the words. This was a similar gimmick used by Josiah Wormwood in "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy".
  • When Batman delivers the leader of the "Skulls" gang to Gordon, the man's T-shirt features a clear homage to the symbol used by Marvel Comics' The Punisher.
  • In delivering his verdict, Joker gives an obvious parody of Warner Bros.' Porky Pig.
  • The plot of this episode was the original idea for the first DCAU Batman movie, but it was felt that it worked better in the half-hour format. Instead, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was made.
  • The Scarecrow has no lines in this episode even though the script featured him speaking a few times. This is because his voice actor Henry Polic II had to undergo throat surgery at the time and was thus unavailable.

Cast[]

Actor Role
Kevin Conroy Batman/Bruce Wayne
Bob Hastings James Gordon
Mark Hamill The Joker
Waiter (uncredited)
Stephanie Zimbalist Janet Van Dorn
George Dzundza Ventriloquist & Scarface
Judge (uncredited)
Aron Kincaid Killer Croc
Roddy McDowall The Mad Hatter
Richard Moll Two-Face
Diane Pershing Poison Ivy
Liane Schirmer Renee Montoya
Arleen Sorkin Harley Quinn

Uncredited appearances[]

Quotes[]

Janet: Not only does Batman create these so called 'super criminals', he takes it upon himself to be their judge and jury with no regards to the legal system.
Reporter: It sounds like you want to put Batman on trial?
Janet: Believe me, I'd like nothing better.

Janet: You want to support law and order? You take off that mask and put on a uniform.

Two-Face: You said it yourself, lady. Batman made every one of us.
Mad Hatter: So, we're placing him before the bar to face our justice.
Janet: And me?
Two-Face: Basic fifty-fifty option. You get him off, you both go free. He goes down, you take the fall with him.
Mad Hatter: Amusing idea, what? Kidnapping you to be Batman's attorney?
Two-Face: Personally, I suggested a quick slug between the eyes but I lost the coin toss.

Janet: This is insane. Me defending you? As far as I'm concerned, you belong in here with them.
Batman: (apathetic) Whatever. You've got to go through with it. It's their game and their rules.

Ventriloquist: (quietly) Oyez, oyez.
(The shouting does not stop)
Scarface: (loudly) He says oyez, dirtbags! Dummy up! Geez, I gotta do everything for you. Court is now in session! The Good People of Arkham Asylum vs. the self-righteous vigilante called Batman! Our prosecutor is ready, likewise our fair and impartial jury!
Mad Hatter: Hang him!
Harley Quinn: Shoot him!
Killer Croc: Hit him with a rock!
Scarface: And now, all rise for the most honorable, most benevolent, most merciful Judge Joker!
Joker: (bangs gavel) Guilty!
Janet: I was promised a chance to defend my client!
Joker: Oh, very well. Like it'll make a difference.

Two-Face: (opening statement) Look at us. We're all freaks and monsters. And who made us this way? Batman!

Janet: I suppose you, like your friends, claim that Batman drove you to be a criminal?
Mad Hatter: He did.
Janet: And yet, as I recall your case, you brainwashed and kidnaped a woman who rejected you?
Mad Hatter: Batman forced me to do it. He was going to take her away from me. I had no choice.
Janet: You could have respected her wishes and left her alone...
Mad Hatter: I'd have killed her first!...Oop. I'd like that last statement stricken from the record, please.
Joker: Record? Is someone supposed to be writing this down?

Janet: I object to this witness! She's obviously trying to influence the judge.
(Joker is lying across the bench with his head in Harley's lap, while she massages his chest)
Joker: What makes you say that?

Janet: Sad, isn't it? Harleen Quinzel was a doctor here at Arkham until the Joker twisted her mind.
Harley: Ha! You're just jealous 'cause you don't have a fella who's as loving and loyal to you as my Puddin' is to me!
Janet: Uh-huh. And I suppose it was that same "loyalty" I saw the last time you escaped, and "Puddin'" here finked on you in hopes of getting time off.
Harley: Is that true, Puddin'?
Joker: "Finked" is such an ugly word.
Harley: (grabs the Joker and shakes him) You lousy scum-sucking creep!

Janet: And so it's Batman's fault you lead a life of crime?
Poison Ivy: He should have let me bump off Harvey Dent. We'd all have been better off. Wouldn't we, Harv?
Two-Face: (Muttering while flipping his coin) Why you rotten little...

Janet: I used to believe Batman was responsible for you people but now I see nearly everyone here would have ended up exactly the same, Batman or not. Oh, the gimmicks might be different, but you'd all be out there in some form or another bringing misery to Gotham. The truth is, you created him.

Mad Hatter: Your Honor, in light of Ms. Van Dorn's stirring defense, we have no choice but to find the defendant... not guilty.
Janet: Amazing!

Joker: Well done, counselor. You've proven that Batman didn't create us. That we in fact messed up our own rotten lives. And as we are so rotten, vile and depraved... we're going to waste you anyway! A-bi, a-bi, a-bi, that's all, folks!
(bangs down a rubber chicken)
Joker: Let's mambo!

Joker: (bad Irish accent) And now the final confession, the secret you've kept hidden for so many years...

Two-Face: Everyone spread out! Don't let him get away!
Batman: (from darkness) Who says I'm leaving?

Two-Face: Nobody panic!
(Everyone turns to find Harley Quinn dangling from the ceiling, strapped in Batman's straitjacket)
Joker: OK... start panicking!

Scarface: Hold on, you'll hit Croc!
Joker: What's your point?

Janet: I see now there's a need for the things you do. But I'm still going to work towards a city that doesn't need Batman.
Batman: Me, too.

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