Batman encounters another Golden Age villain with a 21st-century makeover!
SPOILER WARNING! The following contains spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader Episode 6 titled “Night Ride”. Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!
MAJOR POINTS
- Batman deals with his first supernatural threat in the form of The Gentleman Ghost
- Lucius Fox bought the Craddock family’s home, which has been around for centuries
Opening Stinger: An armored car is raided by what appears to be a ghostly highwayman on horseback.
Bruce Wayne, Alfred, and Lucius Fox discuss the robbery. Bruce dismisses the robber as a guy in a costume, while Alfred believes it could be a ghost. Lucius tells Bruce that he bought the property at a place called Heritage Hill.
Rupert Thorne propositions Harvey Dent about his mayoral bid. Dent is insulted by this, saying he wants to rid Gotham of the corruption. Thorne is not surprised but tells him the offer will still be on the table if he changes his mind.
Later, the Ghost appears on a subway train and robs all the passengers. Dent pleads with the Ghost to leave the citizens alone and take his money instead. The Ghost laughs this off and rides off, leaving Dent dumbfounded and embarrassed. Batman chases The Ghost in The Batmobile but loses him when he rides through a wall and disappears. Batman notices that The Ghost targets underprivileged people, is obsessed with the 18th century, and has a coat of arms he doesn’t recognize.
Bruce’s old librarian friend recognizes it as the Craddock coat of arms, a founding family of Gotham. However, James Craddock was hanged for crimes committed during the American Revolution. The Craddock family lived in Heritage Hill ever since.
Lucius meets Russell Craddock to finalize his purchase of the Craddock’s home. The Ghost appears and attacks them. Batman tries fending him off but fails. The Ghost leaves Batman with a hand frozen in ice as a warning. that he will do much worse if they meet again.
Batman seeks Linton Midnite’s help to stop Craddock’s ghost, aka The Gentleman Ghost. Linto gives him a magic book to send Craddock to the next world. He only needs the original property claim and blood from a nobleman.
Batman and Alfred start the ritual, but The Ghost suddenly appears and attacks them. Alfred lights the deed, but Craddock possesses him in a final effort to stop them. However, Batman fends him off and burns the deed, banishing Craddock into a vial, which BAtman hands over to Linton.
In the final scene, Dent learns his poll numbers plummeted after the subway incident. He calls Thorne to take him up on his offer.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
- Was this a one-off episode?
- Will Dent’s embarrassment on the subway cost him the election?
- Does Harley know that Bruce Wayne is Batman?
EASTER EGGS
- Linton Midnite in the comics is a master voodoo magician
- The Gentleman Ghost’s outfit looks like a mix of The Lone Ranger and a traditional highwayman. However, Linton wears a suit similar to the Ghost’s comic counterpart
FINAL GRADE: C+
Supernatural stories aren’t usually my cup of tea, so maybe that taste affected my opinion of this episode. If we do get more of them it may mean an appearance from John Constantine at some point.