Episode Title: The Duo Defy
Original Airdate: March 30, 1967
When we last left Gotham City, Batman and Robin had been captured by Mr. Freeze (Eli Wallach) and are now trapped inside a Sub-zero Temperature Vaporizing Cabinet. Once vaporized they will become a part of the ice in the skating rink above Freeze’s lair. Will our heroes escape? Let’s find out in the final episode of season two…The Duo Defy.
As Freeze and his gang watch, it appears that our heroes vanish into a cloud of vapor. When the chamber clears, the Caped Crusaders are gone…vaporized. Now, with the Dynamic Duo out of the way, Freeze goes back to getting Professor Isaacson to write down his special formula. When Freeze and his gang leave (headed for his submarine disguised as an iceberg) Batman and Robin emerge from a hidden panel. Remember, the ice rink is actually owned by Bruce Wayne, so Batman remembered where the secret passage was. He and Robin ducked in and waited until the coast was clear. Cough-lame-cough.
Meanwhile, Freeze is back in Gotham Harbor in his iceberg-sub. So that he won’t be spotted, he’s used his iceberg magnet to draw other actual icebergs into the harbor. That way the cops won’t know which one is him. Then, with a little help from the lovely Glacia Glaze, Freeze is finally able to get the freezing formula from the professor. He then constructs a weapon which he uses to freeze much of Gotham. It even effects the Batcomputer in the Batcave. Fear not, though, Batman has a plan. He instructs Gordon to tell Freeze the city will meet his demands. Meanwhile, a tracking device is planted on the seal (remember him) from the last episode…still hanging out at City Hall. The seal is then released, figuring he will head back home to Freeze’s lair. Our heroes track the creature and defeat Freeze in the typical style.
After one of the worst cliffhanger resolutions we’ve had all season, this episode becomes quite enjoyable. Once again, the fun is spearheaded by Eli Wallach as Mr. Freeze. He was wonderfully over-the-top last time, but this time he’s just plain unhinged. Wallach is clearly eating up the chance to play a comic book villain. He scowls and sputters with such skill that I am deeply saddened that this is Wallach’s final Batman appearance.
The episode is a bit slim on story. Some sequences feel a bit drawn out, as if trying to fill time until we get to the final fight. Some scenes with Gordon and O’Hara especially feel like padding. I didn’t find myself minding so much, though, since we get a few awesomely silly plot points along the way. Just the fact that they were able to use the “homing seal” from last time is awesome. Keep in mind, though, that we don’t actually SEE the seal until the very end this time. Guess the budget only allowed for limited seal. Speaking of budgetary issues…let’s talk about Bat Pontoon Boats. As our heroes fly over the harbor in the Batcopter they mention that they will travel to Freeze’s iceberg using the Bat Pontoons. Do we see them, though? Nope! I’m sure they’re awesome, though!
Overall, this is a fun conclusion to season two of this classic series. Next time we’ll have a brief overview of season two before we launch into the third and final season. There are some pretty big changes ahead for the show, so stay tuned. Join us, same bat-time, same bat-channel (superhero).
Bat Gadgets Used:
Reverse Thermal Bat Lozenges
Echoing Seal Pulsator
Batcopter
Bat Pontoons (Mentioned but not seen)
Super Thermalized Bat Skivies
Holy:
Holy Escape Hatch
Holy Chilblains
Holy Polar Ice Sheet
Channel: Superhero 