"Critters" is the second episode of the second season of The New Batman Adventures.
Plot[]
Crowds are filing into the Gotham City Agricultural Expo. Out in a convention hall, microbiologist Farmer Brown proudly displays the results of his research: a giant sheep. He believes that having giant animals will help to end world hunger. However, the sheep becomes irritated by the flashing cameras and escapes the cage. The animal then goes on a short rampage in the hall, only to be stopped when Bruce throws a curtain over it, causing it to blindly rush forward and stun itself by bashing into the wall. Farmer Brown then gives the sheep a sedative and the incident is over for the time being. Commissioner Gordon complements Bruce on his quick thinking, and Bruce fibs that he was actually trying to escape through the window. As Farmer Brown and his daughter look on worriedly, the press begins snapping photos of the sedated sheep.
Later, Farmer Brown is summoned to court over the incident and is ordered to remove all giant animals from Gotham and his experiments are terminated. Farmer Brown pleads with the judge, claiming to stop his experiments will ruin him, but the judge has no sympathy and called them monsters. Farmer Brown is outraged and decides to show them some real monsters...
A year passes and Bruce is on a date that isn't going so well. An elderly woman at the next table suddenly screams that there's a bug and points to a giant praying mantis. Several more arrive and start attacking the café. Bruce attempts to smack one with a chair while his date runs away. After the bug dismantles the chair, Bruce slips away. At this point, the bugs move on to the rest of the street. The police arrive and start shooting at the bugs, but their exoskeletons are too hard for bullets to penetrate. Batman arrives and tries using pesticides on the bugs, but they have no effect. The bugs corner him, but they suddenly fall apart, and the incident is ended.
Batman takes a head from a mantis and analyzes it. He discovers that the bugs were genetically altered to be immune to poison and that they fell apart because they were meant to self-destruct after a certain point of time. He explains to Batgirl and Robin that it was all a preview for worse things to come.
Back at Farmer Brown's farm, his daughter Emmylou is told to "prepare the livestock to go to market."
A giant cow and bull are unleashed on Gotham and are soon met by Batgirl & Robin. Giant chickens are also unleashed into the skies of Gotham and attack a police blimp. Batman arrives wearing his jet wings and confronts the chickens. The police are fortunate enough to land on a building roof, and the chickens take off after Batman.
Meanwhile, Batgirl & Robin deal with the giant bovines. Batgirl manages to stop the cow by hurling bolas onto her hind legs and getting her caught in wet cement. The bull attacks a china shop and Robin provokes it by waving his cape like a bullfighter. The bull charges after him and crashes into a building. Batgirl then drives a cement truck in behind it, trapping the bull.
While this goes on, Batman continues to flee the giant chickens and catches two of them in nets. However, the third chicken manages to evade the nets and chases after him. This one is caught when it crashes into a vat of hot barbeque sauce and is burned.
Back at the Police Station, Batman talks to Commissioner Gordon about the incidents. Just then, a genetically engineered goat arrives and demands fifty million dollars in cash without any intervention.
Bullock is led to the docks by the goat and delivers the money, but then the goat headbutts him off the side of the boat. He grabs a rope hanging off the side of the boat and manages to make it to Farmer Brown's island hideout, but is caught and thrown to a mutant pig. Farmer Brown checks the money and discovers that it's just a bunch of green papers with a single bill of real money on top. He also discovers a bat tracer on the money and realizes that Batman is coming.
Batgirl & Robin arrive just in time to knock out the pig with tranquilliser darts and save Bullock. Emmylou confronts Batgirl and proves to have super strength provided by beef steroids. She easily manages to stop both Batgirl and Robin. Meanwhile, Batman fights Farmer Brown who is using an electrified pitchfork. Batman seems to have the upper hand, but surrenders when he sees Robin being threatened.
Farmer Brown locks the heroes up in the silo, which is actually a rocket carrying unhatched giant mantises, which will wreak havoc on Gotham without self-destructing as the first ones did. The silo is launched toward Gotham, while Farmer Brown & Emmylou head for an escape boat. A mantis hatches and attacks the group, but it focuses on Batman, who tricks it into breaking the door open. Everyone escapes the silo and Batman drives an armored truck into the silo, causing the truck to explode. The silo/rocket launches with the burning truck but then explodes in midair, destroying the bugs and foiling Farmer Brown's plans. The debris from the rocket land on Farmer Brown's boat and the two are left in the water. They are arrested shortly afterward. However, the sound of a rooster crowing from their island hideout indicates that some of their mutant creations may still be alive.
Voice Cast[]
- Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Matthew Valencia as Robin/Tim Drake
- Tara Charendoff as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon
- Peter Breck as Farmer Brown
- Dina Sherman as Emmylou Brown
- Robert Costanzo as Harvey Bullock
- Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon
- Dorian Harewood as Judge
- Phil Hayes as Sergeant
Uncredited[]
Trivia[]
- Bruce Timm remarked in the audio commentary for the episode, that from only a select few chosen episodes to do a commentary on, this was one of the ones chosen, because the creative team liked the episode and wanted to stick up for it, as it was very unpopular with fans. "We actually like this episode, but the fans hate it."
- Joe R. Lansdale said that this episode was meant to serve as commentary on the notion that "bigger is better".
- Bruce Timm commented that the story of this episode is something out of the 1960's Adam West Batman show, except it's all played straight.
- Peter Breck was home in Canada when the episode was being produced, but his flight to the States to record ADR was cancelled due to the 1997 Canadian airline strike, leading him to drive from Vancouver to Los Angeles. "He had literally driven straight through without sleeping" recalled Bruce Timm. "So I appreciated his attention to duty, and when we found out what he had done we said 'well, you know, Peter, we're not letting you turn around to drive back to Vancouver. We're gonna put you up in a hotel for the night.'"
- Dina Sherman mentioned she recorded her lines as Emmylou Brown separately from the rest of the cast.
- James Tucker has stated that this episode and The Ultimate Thrill were his favorite episodes to storyboard for,and credits the episode with helping to inform the tone of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
- Bruce Timm mentioned that Emmylou was injected with growth hormones by her father.