A whacked-out Wednesday Addams is sucking out other children’s life-force. Yes, you read that correctly.
SPOILER WARNING! The following contains spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader Episode 8 titled “Nocturne”. Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!
MAJOR POINTS
- A goth girl at a carnival literally breathes lifeforce out of people
- Harvey Dent got the inevitable acid spray to his face
Opening Stinger: Two kids, Dickie and Jase, sneak out of their house late at night to look at the local carnival. A girl dressed in black lures one of them into a dark room.
Dr. Knight shows off an invention that makes a girl named Natalia strong enough to lift heavy barbells. Sometime later, Jase finds Natalia and asks her about Dickie. She takes him to Dickie, who is already unconscious. It turns out Natalia has been abducting children and sucking the life out of them. Dr. Knight tries to interfere but Natalia tosses him against a wall, apparently breaking his legs.
Bruce Wayne joins the search for the missing kids but is knocked out by a group of carnival thugs. He returns later as Batman and interrogates one. Sometime later, Batman finds the children and Dr. Knight. Knight reveals Natalia is his sister and that she needs to be found before sunrise before dying.
Meanwhile, Harvey Dent secretly meets with Rupert Thorne, who gives him a briefcase of cash under the condition that he drops the charges against another fellow criminal.
Natalia chases another girl, Carrie, through the forest. Batman stops her from draining Carrie’s energy and after a brief fight reveals that Dr. Knight is dead. This stops Natalia’s rage. She sits down and waits to be killed by the morning sun. Batman takes her under his cape rushes her to safety.
Later, the kids are recovering at a hospital, with Carrie telling the story about how she saved Batman. Bruce learns that Natalia is recovering as well.
Harvey Dent decides not to drop the charges, which angers Rupert. One of Rupert’s thugs attacks Dent in the washroom and sprays him with acid.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
- What was the point of this episode outside of Harvey getting the acid burn?
- How come Batman couldn’t fight his way out of Natalia’s attack but a small child can?
EASTER EGGS
- All of the children’s names are references to Robins over the years. Dickie (Dick Grayson), Jase (Jason Todd), Steph (Stephanie Brown), and Carrie (Carrie Kelly).
- Carrie saving Batman with a slingshot is a reference to Frank Miller’s epic Dark Knight Returns story where Carrie, as Robin, saves Batman’s life with a slingshot.
- One of the heavies at the carnival is named Waylon. Killer Croc’s real name in the comics is Waylon Jones and worked at a carnival before becoming a supervillain.
- Alfred reads from a book “Alias The Gray Ghost”. The Gray Ghost has been the alias for several characters in DC history, both heroes and villains.
- Two reports strongly resemble the Golden Age Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen
FINAL GRADE: C
This episode was just weird. The biggest thing to come out of it is Harvey’s disfigurement which we all knew was coming. Natalia in the comics is known as Nocturna and her powers vary depending on the universe. One version is described as a psychic vampire. Maybe I’m just not familiar enough with the Nocturna character but I can’t help but think most people would see Wednesday Addams instead.