Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995): Season 1, Episode 2 - On Leather Wings - full transcript

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

PILOT: This is Gotham Air One
reporting in.

Things are actually quiet, for once.

-You see that?
-What?

I had a blip.
It just ghosted across my screen.

-I don't see anything.
-It was there.

Whatever it is,
it must be right below us.

-There it is.
-There what is?

It looked like bat wings.

Bat wings?

Okay, take us up through those clouds,
just in case.



Sorry, kid.

There's nothing up here.

I swear, I saw it.

Something was flying
around up here.

NIGHT WATCHMAN:
Testing, one, two, three.

Testing, one, two, three.

You, too, can fulfill the dream

of being a high-paid radio personality

in your spare time, just like me.

Just call...

(CLEARS THROAT)

Just call
the Gotham Institute of Broadcast Arts.

Yeah, that's better.
Call the Gotham...

(CRASHING)



(EXHALES DEEPLY)

YELPS Get away!

- CREATURE GROWLING
- 4YELPS

(SCREAMING)

GORDON: I didn't authorize
this statement, Detective.

Come on, Commissioner.

Somebody asked me
a couple of questions.

ljust gave them
a couple of answers.

You gave them without my approval.

If you'd kept quiet, he wouldn't know
we're moving against him.

I'll find him.

ljust need
a little extra help, Your Honor.

What kind of help?

I want my own tactical squad

for the sole purpose
of throwing a net over this Batman.

-Commissioner?
-l've already denied the request.

Nobody's taking a vigilante force
onto my streets.

Your Honor, any nutcase
that dresses up like a bat,

sooner or later is gonna snap.

Listen, it's just not Batman's M.O.

Oh, yeah? Tell that to the guy
he just tossed through the window.

I think we could
spare a few men, Commissioner.

Detective Bullock does have a reputation
for getting results.

I'm authorizing the strike force.

Anything else, Detective?

Just make sure the D.A.'s office
can give me an airtight case, sir.

If you catch him, Harvey,

I'll put him in jail for you.

BATMAN: "Gotham police
declare war on Batman"?

I gather you've been reading

How to Make Friends
and Influence People.

Somebody's setting me up.

My heavens.

You mean, it wasn't you

tossing guards
out of windows last night?

I only toss butlers, Alfred.

Look here.
There were two very quiet burglaries

at other pharmaceutical
companies this week.

Nobody hurt like last night,

but chemicals stolen just the same.

And you suspect a pattern?

Only one way to find out.

l'|| cancel
Master Bruce's rendezvous with

Bambi, was it, sir?

Yes, Alfred, do that.

Come here, you.

(BOTH GASP)

-He's back.
-l'|| call the police.

(SNIFFS)

- GROANS
- BOOK CLATTERS

DISPATCH: ON RADIO
Calling Detective Bullock.

Calling Detective Bullock.

Yeah?

The Batman's been sighted
breaking into Phoenix labs.

Thought you'd be interested.

I want my squad there,
backed by choppers

and as many officers
as you can get now.

You're mine.

(SIRENS WAILING)

NIGHT WATCHMAN: ON TAPE
Call the Gotham...

(NIGHT WATCHMAN SCREAMING)

(SIRENS APPROACHING)

(CAMERA CLICKING)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

(SOLDIERS CHANTING)

BULLOCK: All right, you jokers,
pipe down!

He's in there.

I want him
by any means necessary.

Commissioner, you're just in time

to see us hang this bat upside down.

You sure he's in there?

The chopper pilots just spotted him
on the fourth floor.

Well, he can't be in two places at once.

Another pharmaceutical factory
was just robbed across town.

-You've got the wrong suspect.
-What?

There!

-Gas attack.
-ALL COUGHING

Put on your masks.

Hey, there he is.

(GUNFIRE)

Well, somebody's in there, Commissioner.

Call them off, Bullock, or I will.

(WHIMPERING)

(SHUSHING)

The Bat's got to be in there, sir.
What do you think?

-Tear gas?
-We'|| smoke him out.

Okay, men, ready with your masks.

(GROANING)

ANNOUNCER: The Gotham Zoo tour tram
departs in five minutes.

Adventures in Chiroptery,

at the Bat Exhibit,
will begin in 30 minutes.

Hello?

Anybody here?

Dr. March?

(BATS SCREECHING)

DR. MARCH: Who is it?

Bruce Wayne.
I have an appointment.

I called about a bat problem.

What do you think we are?
Pest control?

-| just need--
-Yes. Come in.

Why, thank you, Doctor.

You donate a few million,
and you think you own the place.

I understand
I'm to analyze something for you.

Yeah, Doc.
I keep hearing squeaks in my chimney

and I found these in my empty fireplace.

They look like hairs.

I thought maybe you could tell me
if I have a bat problem.

And what if they are bats, Mr. Wayne?
What then?

Destroy them like insects?

We won't survive
the next evolutionary cataclysm,

but bats will.

They're survivors, Mr. Wayne,
not pests.

You should understand that.

WOMAN: Dad?

I hope Mr. Wayne understands
you mean no disrespect.

Of course not, Miss...

Mrs.
Actually, Doctor.

I'm Francine Langstrom.

I think you spoke with my husband
on the phone.

Oh, Mr. Wayne,
I'm sorry I'm late.

I'm Kirk Langstrom.

Did you bring the sample?

I gave it to Dr. Mar...

Where'd he go?

Probably to get started on the analysis.

If it's a bat problem,
we'll know by tonight.

Dad was lecturing Mr. Wayne
on the virtues of chiroptera.

Chiropt-a-what?

Chiroptera. Bats.

And I hope he didn't get carried away?

He's a little protective of all this.

I think he likes bats
better than people.

I can't imagine.

I brought you this, too.

It's a recording I made
of the noise in my chimney.

(SCREECHING ON TAPE)

That doesn't sound like any bat
I've ever heard, Mr. Wayne.

The animal-behavior people
have a sound library.

Maybe they can identify it.

We'll let you know.

I'd appreciate it.

(SCREECHING)

I didn't realize you'd taken up
listening to rock 'n' roll, sir.

You know, I actually did check this

against any musical sounds.

Computer still can't come close
to pinpointing it.

(TELEPHONE RINGING)

Wayne Manor.
One moment, please.

A call for Master Bruce

from a Dr. March.

Hey, what's up, Doc?

You have bats, Mr. Wayne.

Common brown bats.

They shouldn't pose a problem.

As the weather gets colder,
they'll move on.

What about the sound on the tape?

It's actually two sounds.

Starlings and brown bats.

Probably fighting over
a nest in your chimney.

Appreciate the help, Doc.

l'|| return the favor
next time you're raising funds.

Bye-bye.

This computer checked that fiber

against every animal species
known to man.

I went to them because I thought
they might know something we didn't.

That hair wasn't a brown bat's.

And those melodic sounds?

Computer, check against combined sounds.

Starlings and brown bats.

Negative.

Sounds not originated
by either species.

I would say, sir,

that we have ourselves an incongruity.

lncongruity, Alfred?

He's lying.

And I'm gonna find out why.

(SCREECHING)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

MAN: Can't fight it.
It's got me.

(CHOKES)

(COUGHS)

Who's back there?

You!
I'm looking for Dr. March.

He's not here, Batman.

Where is he?

Giving a lecture
on human extinction

and bat evolution.

He's really quite brilliant.

He's misguided and a thief.

He's just a theorist.

He was afraid
to put it to the test.

But I wasn't.

I knew we'd discovered a formula

to create a totally new species.

Neither man nor bat.

And once I started taking it,

I couldn't stop.

I desperately wanted to.

But it took over.

Francine and March
tried to protect me,

but it was too late.

The beast knew what chemicals
were needed to bring itself about.

It was out of my control.

And it only needs one more component

to complete the process.

It's in me,

Batman.

(LAUGHS)

(ROARS)

FRANCINE: Kirk!

(GASPS)

I'm getting something strange.

Oh, not again!

I'm serious.
It's right below us.

GRUNTS Whoa!

Gotham Command, we need choppers.

We've sighted the Batman.

-Let's go!
-I can't do it, sir.

What do you mean you can't do it?

ljust got word not to let you up
without the Commissioner.

-Who told you that?
-The Commissioner.

GORDON: Get out, Detective!

The Mayor may not let me fire you,

but I am not taking the heat
for your fiascoes.

This is my case, Commissioner!
You heard the Mayor!

Then why don't you go
take it up with him?

I've got a job to do.

If you want to tag along,
fine!

Take her up, Lieutenant.

Hey, wait for me!

-There he is.
-GORDON: There they are.

What is that thing?

That thing is what we're after.

Holy...

Two for dinner, sir?

I got a list of all the items
stolen from the chemical labs.

Who would have thought
they'd be used to create a monster?

Maybe I can undo the fate
Langstrom has brought upon himself.

ALFRED: Does it appear feasible, sir?

lthink so.

Is he all right?

-Will he change again?
-No.

The formula's out of his system.

It's over...

for now.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

English - SDH