"The Duo Defy" not only rang down the curtain on the lengthy second season, it was also the last to be aired on consecutive Wednesday and Thursday nights during its original network run on ABC. Mister Freeze (Eli Wallach) virtually repeats his demands from the Otto Preminger two parter, only here demanding a bigger ransom and threatening the entire country with the thermodynamic ice ray gun devised by Elisha Cook's Professor Issacson (unable to remember his secret formula due to the cold storage, it's up to glamorous Glacia Glaze to thaw him out with a little shared bodily warmth!). Batman, or rather Bruce Wayne, being the one who constructed the ice skating rink, naturally knows the right place to exit the chamber that almost vaporized the Caped Crusaders, and using a homing device attached to Mister Freeze's pet seal, manages to locate which of the hundreds of icebergs in Gotham Harbor houses the secret headquarters of the frosty fiend. George Sanders brought out the character's tragedy, Otto Preminger his vengeful loneliness, but the renowned Eli Wallach simply has a rollicking good time, carrying less baggage than his predecessors, even allowed a glamorous female accomplice in Glacia Glaze (Leslie Parrish). We also get the fourth appearance (out of six) of the Batcopter, scouring the harbor for the right iceberg. When next the Dynamic Duo appeared, they would now be joined by Yvonne Craig's Batgirl, in the person of Barbara Gordon, the Commissioner's daughter, recent college graduate and intended paramour to Bruce Wayne (good luck on that one!). This would also result in the absence of Madge Blake's Aunt Harriet (just two final appearances the final season), and an increased role for Alan Napier's trusted Alfred, the only man who knows the secret identities of all three super heroes.
3 Reviews
AGAIN MR. FREEZE WANTS TO FREEZE GOTHIC CITY
asalerno1028 June 2022
Mr. Freeze kidnaps a professor who has invented a weapon that causes lightning capable of freezing everything it touches, his intention is to threaten the authorities with using it in exchange for large sums of money. When they try to stop him Batman and Robin are trapped in a machine that will evaporate them and turn them into part of an ice skating rink, fortunately they manage to escape with their lives without the villain realizing it and prepare an ambush on the glacier that he uses as a lair. . The argument of this episode is poor and repeated, Eli Wallach personifies a more sympathetic and friendly Mr. Freeze who is far from the perverse and sadistic Otto Preminger. Anticipating what is to come in the following season, Commissioner Gordon mentions that his daughter Barbara is arriving in Gotham City.
Season Two: Running On Bat-Fumes
zkonedog4 July 2019
The first season of "Batman" was a cultural phenomenon, taking the TV landscape completely and utterly by storm in the spring of 1966. There was even a movie produced during the summer after that first spate of episodes aired. When the show returned for its second season (the fall of 1966) it was still campy fun, but for the first time it seems a bit of fatigue had set in.
There are still some great episodes among these fall '66 and spring '67 airings. Catwoman (Julie Newmar) is solid in her numerous outings. Van Johnson's Minstrel is an interesting new villain. Egghead (Vincent Price) is also a treat. Burgess Meredith's "Vote For Penguin" campaign is a classic, and Marsha Queen of Diamonds (Carolyn Jones) provides some memorable scenes as well. A Joker (Caesar Romero)/Penguin three-part team-up might just be the best single arc of any Batman episodes bar none. Simply put, if you are a fan of pop camp Batman, there are some episodes from this season that will be among your favorites.
However, there are also a bunch of episodes this season that are "just okay" or even "downright bad" (the first season didn't have many of these clunkers). Art Carney's Archer falls flat. The same goes for Shame (Cliff Robertson). Great actors both, but the episodes just didn't work. A few other guest villains--Clock King (Walter Slezak), Chandell/Harry (Liberace), Puzzler (Maurice Evans), & Sandman (Michael Rennie)--are terrible. Just not cut out to be Bat-villains.
One thing that seems clear is the fatigue of producing two episodes a week (and a movie) for essentially a calendar year. The interesting plot hooks of Season One? Largely absent. The intensity the actors bring to the roles? Sometimes waning. Almost by definition, pop culture fads can only last for so long, and the bloom is clearly coming off the rose as these episodes progress.
Another oddity is the switch from stone-faced, straight-laced characters/plots (but given ludicrous lines and put in ridiculous situations) to the show making fun of it's own popularity. One scene in particular, in which Batman gets offered a Bat-burger at a restaurant, is almost jump-the-shark-esque in terms of the show's pivot in this regard. To me, Batman '66 works best when it is played completely straight, so to speak. You have all this crazy, wacky stuff going on around the Dynamic Duo, but there should always be a sense that they are taking it deadly seriously. That is what the first season captured so incredibly. Here, however, there are too many times (at least for my liking) where the show parodies itself.
Overall, though, these are still fun episodes to watch. If you are a Bat-fan, I wouldn't skip them just because of a drop in quality. Just keep in the back of your mind that the Bat-Mania is starting to wear thin. As a whole, I'd give this season 7/10 stars.
There are still some great episodes among these fall '66 and spring '67 airings. Catwoman (Julie Newmar) is solid in her numerous outings. Van Johnson's Minstrel is an interesting new villain. Egghead (Vincent Price) is also a treat. Burgess Meredith's "Vote For Penguin" campaign is a classic, and Marsha Queen of Diamonds (Carolyn Jones) provides some memorable scenes as well. A Joker (Caesar Romero)/Penguin three-part team-up might just be the best single arc of any Batman episodes bar none. Simply put, if you are a fan of pop camp Batman, there are some episodes from this season that will be among your favorites.
However, there are also a bunch of episodes this season that are "just okay" or even "downright bad" (the first season didn't have many of these clunkers). Art Carney's Archer falls flat. The same goes for Shame (Cliff Robertson). Great actors both, but the episodes just didn't work. A few other guest villains--Clock King (Walter Slezak), Chandell/Harry (Liberace), Puzzler (Maurice Evans), & Sandman (Michael Rennie)--are terrible. Just not cut out to be Bat-villains.
One thing that seems clear is the fatigue of producing two episodes a week (and a movie) for essentially a calendar year. The interesting plot hooks of Season One? Largely absent. The intensity the actors bring to the roles? Sometimes waning. Almost by definition, pop culture fads can only last for so long, and the bloom is clearly coming off the rose as these episodes progress.
Another oddity is the switch from stone-faced, straight-laced characters/plots (but given ludicrous lines and put in ridiculous situations) to the show making fun of it's own popularity. One scene in particular, in which Batman gets offered a Bat-burger at a restaurant, is almost jump-the-shark-esque in terms of the show's pivot in this regard. To me, Batman '66 works best when it is played completely straight, so to speak. You have all this crazy, wacky stuff going on around the Dynamic Duo, but there should always be a sense that they are taking it deadly seriously. That is what the first season captured so incredibly. Here, however, there are too many times (at least for my liking) where the show parodies itself.
Overall, though, these are still fun episodes to watch. If you are a Bat-fan, I wouldn't skip them just because of a drop in quality. Just keep in the back of your mind that the Bat-Mania is starting to wear thin. As a whole, I'd give this season 7/10 stars.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
