BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER Recap: (S01E03) Kiss of the Catwoman

The Batman-Catwoman dynamic has been a classic will they/won’t they scenario for decades. His mostly lawful-good sensibilities are attracted by her chaotic-neutral energy. With the fabulous Christina Ricci stepping in to voice the entitled and innovative Selina Kyle, Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 Episode 3, “Kiss of the Catwoman,” is a hot time in Gotham-town, for sure.

At the Gotham Museum, Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) stands at the Wayne Collection showcase where his murdered mother’s pearls are displayed. Selina Kyle (Christina Ricci) joins him, admiring the necklace. He implies that she steals things when she likes them. She admits she’s been caught with things that aren’t hers in the past but she doesn’t take that seriously. She flirts with him, pointing out they’re both wealthy orphans. He reminds her that her father’s alive, serving time in prison for tax fraud.

Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle Stand together near a museum exhibit. Selina, on the left, is dressing in an off-the-shoulder black evening gown, turned away from Bruce but looking at him over her left shoulder coyly. Bruce Wayne is dressed in a tan double breasted business suit with a white shirt and coordinated tie. — Batman: Caped Crusader. Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Batman: Caped Crusader’s “Kiss of the Catwoman”

Bruce hears a couple of reporters commenting that his mother shouldn’t have been wearing valuable pearls in Crime Alley if she didn’t want to get robbed. He turns one around and punches him out to the delight of Selina and the Gazette’s photographer, O’Brien (Tom Kenny).

Bruce ends up in Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s (Jamie Chung) office after his attorney works out a deal with the District Attorney’s office. He doesn’t plan to take up too much of her time. She points out that spending time with her is part of the agreement that’s keeping him out of jail for felony assault. He’s been ordered to attend several weeks of sessions.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel sits in a green armchair wearing a pink blazer and a knee length skirt. — *Batman: Caped Crusader*. Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

The Doc’s Metaphorical Couch

Dr. Quinzel begins by asking if he’s ever resorted to violence before. Bruce tries to laugh it off but she gets him to admit that comments about his mother are triggers for him. He notices there’s a file on him on the table near his chair. When Quinzel offers to discuss his parents’ murders, he declines, stating he’s gotten past it.

As she explains repressed trauma and its potential effects on a person, he tunes out and flashes back to the night his parents were murdered. The detective questions young Bruce (Santino Barnard) until Alfred (Jason Watkins) insists on taking him home.

In the present day, Alfred asks Bruce how his therapy session was as he chauffeurs him home. Bruce describes it as a waste of time. He opens the file he stole from her office and finds it filled with blank paper and a folded note to him from Dr. Quinzel with a happy face on the front.

Selina Kyle

Selina’s maid Greta (Jackie Hoffman) opens the blinds and wakes Selina up in her bed covered with sleeping cats. Greta points out it’s mid-afternoon already. Selina throws her pillow at her.

Greta goes through a stack of past-due and last-notice bills. She informs Selina who directs her to burn them with the rest. Greta brings Selina a cup of coffee and cautions her that the electricity will be turned off soon. In addition, she hasn’t been paid in a long time either. She suggests Selina stop bringing home stray cats as the cat food bill is enormous. Selina tells her to stop worrying. She’ll figure things out somehow. Noticing the article about Batman on the front page of the paper, she asks Greta to get out the sewing machine.

In her new Catwoman suit, Selina starts burgling Gotham’s jewelry shops. After a string of heists, police interrupt her one night. Running from the uniforms, she encounters Flass (Gary Anthony Williams) and Bullock (John DiMaggio) and evades them, after clawing Bullock in the face. Turning around, she finds Batman standing behind her. She introduces herself as Catwoman, pirouettes, and kicks him in the face. He catches her with bola snares and leaves her for Flass and Bullock to pick up.

Memories

At his next session with Dr. Quinzel, Bruce once again remembers the night of his parents’ murders, specifically, the ride home with Alfred. Dr. Quinzel calls him back to the present, asking him if he might be repressing himself by living the cliché life of a rich playboy. He denies this. She challenges him on his active social life, pointing out he uses beautiful women as accessories to his image.

In court, Selina pleads her case to the judge. District Attorney Harvey Dent (Diedrich Bader) states that they don’t have any proof that Selina committed the burglaries and the jewels were returned so the state is willing to drop the charges. He and Selina share a knowing look as the judge dismisses the case. Sitting in the gallery, Flass and Bullock are unimpressed with this result.

Barbara Gordon (Krystal Joy Brown) is also irked. She confronts Dent with his double standard for rich criminals versus her clients. He admits that’s probably true except that Selina is flat broke. Getting into her car outside the courthouse, Selina tells Greta they need to spruce up their ride.

Repercussions

At police headquarters, Detective Cohen (Yuri Lowenthal) gives Bullock a hard time about Selina walking on the charges until Bullock threatens him with violence. Flass calms down his partner, promising him Selina’s running out of lives.

Alfred and Bruce see the news that the charges against Selina were dropped. Although she promised never to do it again, that night she burgles some private residents as they sleep and steals their cat to boot. While looking over her haul on a rooftop, she’s joined by Batman.

He chases her over the rooftops of Gotham until she trips and falls. Diving down, he catches her and slows their fall with his grappling gun. As he lowers them to the ground, she kisses him. Once on the ground, she slips on a pair of electric knuckles and zaps him. She runs into the shadows and emerges driving her new Catmobile.

Cat on the Lam

The next morning, Flass and Bullock kick down the door to Selina’s penthouse apartment and find it completely empty. The doorman (Tom Kenny) explains she moved out after the court case was dismissed. Flass and Bullock are angry as she hit four safes the night before and now they have no idea where she’s living. In a rough area of town, Greta sweeps up in a cat-infested dive of an apartment. She questions Selina’s life choices.

In the Batcave, Batman crumples the paper reporting on the continued string of cat burglaries. Alfred suggests getting some sleep as Bruce has appointments to keep. This inspires Batman and he orders Alfred to get the limo while he gets changed.

Setting a Trap

Bruce meets with the Gotham Museum director (Jackie Hoffman) and insists on the early return of the Wayne jewels in light of Catwoman’s crime spree. After the museum, Alfred reminds him he has an appointment with Dr. Quinzel. Getting ready to go out, Catwoman hears news of the museum’s exhibit shutting down early.

In Dr. Quinzel’s office, Bruce points out that this is his last session. He thanks her for her help. She gives him a long look and agrees to sign the paperwork. However, she adds, she doesn’t believe they’ve made any progress in therapy. She offers to keep him on as a patient but he politely declines.

In the car afterward, Bruce hands Alfred the signed paperwork with instructions to make sure Lucius Fox (Bumper Robinson) gets it. Alfred wonders if he shouldn’t continue with some type of counseling, but Bruce cuts him short and tells him to drop the subject. Alfred pauses thoughtfully and sadly complies.

The Vow

Flashback to young Bruce Wayne lying awake in his bed on a rainy night. Unblinking in his terror, he relives the gunshots that killed his parents. Alone, he cries. Later, Alfred wakes up when Bruce opens his bedroom door. Standing in the doorway, Bruce vows, “They’re going to pay. All of them. I’m going to make them pay. And you’re going to help me.” With that, he closes Alfred’s door.

In the present day, Alfred warns Batman that Selina may evade justice again even if he catches her tonight. Batman promises she won’t. He tracks down The Gazette’s photographer, O’Brien, and recruits him to take some pictures.

Bagging the Cat

At the Gotham Museum, Catwoman has tied up the guards. A silent alarm’s been triggered and Flass and Bullock are on their way. Catwoman cuts an opening into the Wayne display case and takes the pearls. Batman steps out of the shadows and tells her to put them back. O’Brien gets a picture of her holding the pearls. She snaps her fingers and summons a black panther. Leaving Batman to deal with the big cat, she takes off.

Batman throws two knock-out gas grenades at the panther. Initially, it leaps on him but he holds it off until the gas takes effect. When Catwoman reaches the front doors, escape is blocked by Flass and Bullock. She changes direction and Flass shoots her in the leg. Bullock goes to cuff her but Flass tells him they won’t need the cuffs. As Flass aims to shoot her in the head, Batman grabs his arm and directs the bullet straight up. He beats up Flass and then knocks Bullock out too. O’Brien gets it all on film.

Batman bandages up Catwoman’s wound and cuffs her ankle to a nearby table. As he walks away, she accuses him of being no fun. He agrees. In the alley, he meets with O’Brien who tells him he took pictures of everything that happened on the same roll of film. Batman tells him to make sure the Catwoman photos run in the paper. He doesn’t care about the ones where he’s beating up Flass and Bullock.

Greta Gets Her Own Back

Still in costume, Selina calls Greta from lock-up to come bail her out. Greta apologizes and says that isn’t possible. She’s sold all of Selina’s belongings as compensation for three years of back pay. She informs Selina that her cruise to the Bahamas is leaving in an hour and hangs up on her former boss.

In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred debrief the case. Batman’s satisfied that Selina will go away for a while after this. Alfred observes that the other photos might cause him problems but Batman’s not too concerned. When Alfred brings up Dr. Quinzel again, Batman informs him his coffee’s cold. Alfred gets the message and leaves to get a fresh cup.

Alfred flashes back to the night of the Waynes’ murders. He was cleaning the car, humming happily, while waiting for them when he heard the gunshots. He ran down the alley but it was already too late to prevent their deaths or Bruce’s trauma.

The entire 10-episode first season of Batman: Caped Crusader is streaming now on Prime Video.

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Diana Keng

Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.

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