Batman: Caped Crusader Episode 2 Review

…And Be A Villain

Spoilers ahead…

After the setup in episode one, Batman: Caped Crusader’s second episode ‘…And Be A Villain’ dives into a classic detective mystery. Actress Yvonne Frances has been missing for two days, and GCPD’s Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) interviews Bruce Wayne, the last person seen with her. Bruce plants a bug in Montoya’s coat, and lawyer Lucius Fox bails him out.

Montoya questions Basil Karlo, Yvonne’s co-star, who despite being a good actor doesn’t quite have the looks for the part. He lies about not seeing Yvonne recently and makes an exit. Montoya learns of his lies & goes to his apartment, only to find that Karlo is murdered. Batman, who has been eavesdropping on Montoya, chases the culprit, who narrowly escapes. Montoya starts to doubt her detective abilities. Meanwhile, Yvonne wakes up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by filming equipment. Dent also visits Montoya at GCPD, trying to use the case for his political gain.

The killer strikes again, targeting more people connected to Yvonne’s film. Back at the cave, Batman finds a clue leading to the suspect, and Montoya heads to the studio to question the others. She learns that Basil sought help from makeup artist Jack Ellman to fix his appearance and impress Yvonne. Batman arrives at the studio just in time to stop the killer from claiming another victim. The culprit manges to escape yet again leaving Batman to discover two more bodies, one of whom Montoya had just interviewed.

Montoya heads to Jack’s place while Batman checks Karlo’s body in the morgue and makes a grim discovery. Jack subdues Montoya, revealing that he is actually Karlo. Failed treatments and Yvonne’s rejection left him bitter, transforming him into Clayface. Yvonne chastises him, even though Karlo believes he’s finally playing a part he was meant to, that of a villain. As always, Batman breaks in to save the day.

With her fate hanging in the balance, Yvonne is freed by Montoya while Batman takes down Clayface. Montoya tries to apprehend Batman, but due to a distraction he escapes. Montoya clearly isn’t a fan of vigilante justice.

This episode mainly focuses on Montoya’s exploits, suggesting that we’ll see more of her. The storyline is dark and feels personal for Batman. It remains to be seen whether Batman and Montoya will find themselves on the same side of the line when it comes to carrying out justice.

Rating: 4/5

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