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The World's Finest Presents

Episode #14 - Critters
Original Airdate - September 19th, 1998

Farmer Brown's up to no good scientifically as he creates overgrown farm animals with which he assaults Gotham City in retribution of his strange growth project being taken away from him. 

Media by Bird Boy
Review by Robin III
Credits
Story by Steve Gerber
Written by Joe R. Lansdale
Directed by Dan Riba
Music by Shirley Walker
Animation by Koko/Dong Yang

Voices
Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Mathew Valencia as Robin/Tim Drake
Tara Charendoff as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon
Peter Breck as Farmer Brown
Dina Sherman as Emmylou
Robert Costanzo as Detective Harvey Bullock
Bob Hastings as Commissioner Gordon
Jane Singer as Old Woman
Dorian Harewood as Judge
Phil Hayes as Sergeant
Screen Grabs






Pans





Quotes
GORDON: Quick thinking, Wayne.
BRUCE: Actually, I was trying to escape through the window...
--
DATE: ...And after you didn't call I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me. That maybe I'd end up like all the others.
BRUCE: I've just been busy at work. You've got to have a little faith Sharon.
THE DATE FROWNS.
BRUCE: Karen?
THE DATE FROWNS AGAIN.
BRUCE: You're not going to help me, are you?
--
BATMAN: The DNA was altered so that these insects were immune to poisons. They were engineered to self-destruct when they did.
ROBIN: But why would someone do that?
BATMAN: To show us that he can.
--
ROBIN LOOKS AT THE COW THAT HE JUST ESCAPED FROM.
ROBIN: That's a lot of bull.
--
BROWN: Always check your money first, honey. Check your shoes for what the cow left, and check your money. Two solid rules.
--
BULLOCK: So you survive the Joker and the rest of those freaks only to buy it from [Jed] Clampett and a bunch o' bugs. And I got to be here to see it!


Review: "Look out Robin! He's Amish!" I kept waiting for Batman to yell this at some point in the episode, but was sadly disappointed what he didn't. This was an attempt to be a throwback to those bad 50's sci-fi B-movies, and well, it worked in a way. It was bad. The concept was just out of place for the world of Batman, especially since the Batman space adventures of the 1950's ended in the 1950's when they were supposed to.

The concept could have worked if applied well, but the combination of having this Amish farmer screaming "Yee-haw" and calling the Caped Crusaders "Batfolk" mixed with elements like the goat-ransom-message and the giant insects (on a farm?) Just didn't work. Oh, and add in some of that wacky technology that Farmer Brown probably borrowed from Apokalypse and hey, we got us one hootinany of a bad episode, pardner! Yip-yip-yipee!

 The animation was nothing to write home about, or review as such since it's been the same animation quality used in Chemistry, Joker's Millions and Old Wounds. The inconsistent character models and sloppy action was all there, but you have to admit, the large farm animals did look threatening and twisted.

Overall, this episode could have been saved with the Bat-team commenting on how absurd this all was. The quip from Bullock about how Batman was about to die almost made the final scene worth it, but what this episode needed was a lot of jokey remarks about how far-fetched Brown's plan was, then maybe some dignity would be salvaged.

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