The eighth episode of Batman: Caped Crusader is an insidious mystery dealing with the supernatural. When the carnival comes to town, a series of child kidnappings alerts Batman to a peculiar little girl with a rare condition. The episode also explores Bruce’s past and his affinity for orphans.
We open with two little boys secretly leaving their group home for the tempting attractions of the carnival. The two boys, Dickey and Jace, sneak through the traveling circus when they run into an older girl. She tells them carnivals are magic and manages to separate the two friends. She leads Dickey onto an empty trailer, promising to show him something. The curious boy follows her into a dark back room.
In the next scene, we’re back at the carnival with Bruce Wayne and his girl-of-the-moment, Julie Madison. When asked what brings him to the carnival, Bruce replies, “Harvey Dent, the next mayor.” Wayne is going out of his way to support Dent, who is campaigning as a supporter of the carnival – and the orphan children – to bolster his stance in the polls.
Dent is trying every trick in the book, including being Rupert Thorne’s puppet. In addition to photo ops with the kids and being used in the dunk tank, Dent has to pull portions of the charitable proceeds for Thorne. He hates this operation, even being seen in public with the known thug. Later, the two meet in the parking lot discussing the continuation of their arrangement. Thorne continues to get paid, creating bad press for Mayor Jessup. All Dent has to do is drop the charges for an upcoming case. Throne tells Dent that, “Reform doesn’t come cheap.”
Soon, the crowd gathers around the next scheduled act, Dr. Knight, a traveling scientist who promises to unlock hidden abilities within the human species. He requests a strong volunteer to come up and lift a heavy barbell. A man attempts and fails. Then, he calls upon a little black-haired girl named Natalia to lift the barbell. She, of course, cannot. He asks her to step into his makeshift chamber, and with a switch, appears to zap the little girl with flashing lights and electrical currents. He tells Natalia to lift the weight again, and to the crowd’s surprise, she easily picks it up. As the crowd applauds, we see Jace, the young boy from the episode’s opener. He’s alone and looking for his friend, Dickey.
Natalia finds Jace, whose full name is Jason, and takes him to the same empty trailer. She promises to take him to Dickey. Natalia keeps her word and Jason finds Dickey, but he’s acting weird and tired. Suddenly, Natalia grabs Jason face-to-face and pulls life energy from his mouth. At that moment, Dr. Knight aka Anton, walks in on the ordeal. It’s revealed that Natalia is Anton’s little sister, cementing that their act is a rouge. Angry at Natalia, Anton forces her to promise that Jason will be her last victim.
The carnival is about to close for the night when Dr. Tompkins, the director of the group home, explains that she is missing a child, Stephanie Brown. Natalia lures Stephanie away from the crowd into a house of mirrors. Bruce isn’t too far behind. But when the fellow carnival workers – including one that looks like Killer Croc – see Bruce following the two girls, they misunderstand his intentions and beat him unconscious. By the time Bruce awakens, another child, Carrie, has gone missing.
Batman arrives to help find the missing children. After interrogating Anton, he discovers Natalia is Nocturna, a being who maintains her abilities by stealing the life force of others. Despite hating how she must survive, Anton has protected his sister, even shielding her from the sun. Soon, Natalia has another victim, Carrie, in her grasp. But the young tomboy escapes into the nearby woods. Batman struggles to battle the mutant child, almost becoming her next victim. Luckily, Carrie and her slingshot distract Natalia and foil her plan.
The episode closes with Dent in court the next morning. Dent fails to keep his end of Throne’s bargain, choosing to continue with his case.
Episode eight earns the vote for the most Law & Order: SVU-adjacent entry. The narrative is dark, again embracing a more mature tone. The use of a family-friendly setting to find victims is harrowing, especially when done by another child. Even the implications of what the circus employees thought Bruce was doing echoes of more live-action procedurals.
This episode is also heightened by its deep Batman lore, specifically for devoted comic fans. Our villain is Nocturna aka Natalia Knight. Born an orphan, she was later adopted into a life of luxury funded by criminal activity. As she grew older, she embraced the life of crime with her eventual lover, Anton Knight (no biological relation). This adaptation presents her as a child with her protective, older brother. Despite her evil acts, the writers illustrated empathy for her character, as she cannot help her condition or child-like approach to her abilities. Batman is even empathetic growing up as an orphan.
The episode also has some great easter eggs in plain sight. The four orphan children – Dickey, Stephanie, Jason, and Carrie – are named after various Robins Batman has adopted. Dickey is Dick Grayson, the first Robin. Stephanie Brown was born the daughter of a villain, eventually fighting crime as a Robin and a future Batgirl. While not canon, Carrie Kelley appeared in one of Batman’s storied comics, with makeshift weapons including a slingshot. Jason references Jason Todd, the Robin that died at the Joker’s hands, only to be violently resurrected.
Rating: 8/10