Robin's Reckoning Part II

Robin's Reckoning is the second a two part episode of Batman: The Animated Series. The episode originally aired on February 14 1993. It continues the origin story of Robin.

Plot
Batman tracks Tony Zucco while, secretly, Robin seeks to find Zucco to avenge his parents' death. As the investigation narrows to an abandoned amusement park, a series of flashbacks finish Robin's origin story.

After Zucco's escape, Bruce and Dick grow closer, engaging in a playful fencing match. Alfred then tells Bruce that Jim Gordon is convinced that Zucco might strike there to get the boy, prompting Dick to take matters into his own hands. After running away from Wayne Manor, he unsuccessfully tries to track his parents' killer. While searching a run-down section of Gotham City and avoiding Batman, who, unbeknownst to Dick, is also searching for Zucco, Dick rescues a woman threatened by a large man (implied to be a prostitute and her pimp). Using his gymnastic skills he defeats the full-grown attacker, knocking him unconscious. The woman treats Dick to dinner in a local diner. A waitress identifies Tony Zucco as the object of Dick's search but cautions him to avoid Zucco. Dick and Batman find Zucco at roughly the same time, but Dick lashes out at Zucco and Zucco throws him over a spillway. Batman rescues Dick before he can go over a waterfall, but Zucco uses the distraction to escape. Batman brings Dick back to the Batcave, revealing his secret identity. He then suggests that Dick's "temporary" stay become indefinite and offers him a place as his crime fighting partner, to which Dick eagerly accepts.

As the flashback ends, Robin takes off on his motorcycle to continue the search. He uses a phone tracer to obtain Zucco's address; in a fit of paranoia, Zucco fires a machine gun repeatedly into the ceiling, worried about the noise. An injured Batman falls through the weakened ceiling. Using a smoke bomb as a diversion, he limps from the room. Hiding in the amusement park, he hardly has time to treat his wounds before being attacked by Zucco's henchmen. Though limping, he picks off the thugs one-by-one through stealth, fighting several on the carousel. After the brawl, however, Zucco gets the drop on him, and prepares to kill him. At the last moment, Robin, still riding a motorcycle, crashes through the fence, rides straight at Zucco and, grabbing him by the collar, drags him behind the cycle to the end of a pier where he holds Zucco over the edge, determined to kill him. Batman arrives and desperately implores Robin not to let his emotions control him, but Robin lashes out at his mentor, exclaiming that he can't know how he, Robin, feels. When Batman remains silent, Robin suddenly remembers who he is talking to; abashed, he apologises and relents, handing Zucco to the police.

As Zucco is hauled away, Robin tells Batman he was right to leave him out of the investigation, as his emotions made him unstable. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Batman explains that he distanced Robin from the investigation because he was afraid his partner would be hurt. The two crimefighters reconcile, and return to Wayne Manor.

Cast

 * Kevin Conroy as Batman / Bruce Wayne
 * Bob Hastings as Commissioner James Gordon
 * Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Alfred Pennyworth
 * Rebecca Gilchrist as Chi-Chi
 * Linda Gary as Berty
 * Charles Howerton as Lennie
 * Loren Lester as Robin / Dick Grayson
 * Joey Simmrin as Dick Grayson (Age 9)
 * Lionel Mark Smith as Bus Driver
 * Thomas Wilson as Zucco

Credits

 * Written by Randy Rogel
 * Directed by Dick Sebast
 * Music by Shirley Walker
 * Animation Services by Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., LTD.