2x23: Marsha, Queen Of Diamonds
There are probably two guest baddies on this show that arguably could've been precursors for Poison Ivy. The obvious one would be Louie The Lilac (and I'm a bit off getting to him) while the other would be seductress, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. Played delightfully by Carolyn Jones (who would go on to play Hippolyta in Wonder Woman 77), Marsha's ambition moves beyond diamonds as she successfully manages to get Commisioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara and Robin under her love spell and when she fails to snag Batman under her control, she's quick to use Robin as a means to get into the Batcave. Except Batman won't let anyone in that's a stranger so Marsha's genius solution is to become Mrs Batman. It's a genius cliffhanger moment as Batman is inches away from giving up his bachelor lifestyle. 9/10
2x24: Marsha's Scheme Of Diamonds
Once again, the show demonstrates that when they put the effort, Aunt Harriet really can come up with the goods. It's her that Batman ends up having to thank when both her and Alfred come up with a fake previous marriage to stop Batman from having to marry Marsha. There's some great comedy with Marsha's scatty Aunt Hilda (Estelle Winwood) - the world's least effective witch and another amusing moment where the Dynamic Duo are 'frogs's (they're really not) before Marsha's great scheme comes undone. One of the best two parters we've had on the show and even better in the knowledge that Marsha and her delightfully dotty aunt come back for three more episodes later in the season. 9/10
2x25: Come Back, Shame
I'm not the biggest of Western fans (though I do like the genre) but the diversity in original baddies this show is it's biggest strength. Cliff Robertson gives a good performance as bad cowboy Shame, complete with his own motley crew to cause headaches for the Dynamic Duo. It's a decent enough run around, but also distracting in parts given that we get a fair amount of scenes with a little boy named Andy, who is fixated on getting his radio back. 6/10
2x26: It's How You Play The Game
Again, not a hugely compelling second part to this story, though we did get a moment where Robin was shot in a scuffle, took some bat pills and did some sums in order to assert he was better after getting hit by one of Shame's bullets. The end scene where Andy decides to trade in his cowboy costume for a Batman one is a little twee for my liking but I did find Shame giving the kid back his radio rather amusing. 6/10
Next blog I''ll delve into The Penguin's Nest/The Bird's Last Jest and The Cat's Meow/The Bat's Kow Tow.
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