Season 6: Episode 309 - BATMAN: The Strange Case of Bruce Wayne/Heart of Steel Part 1&2/If You Are So Smart; Why Aren’t You Rich

The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

 

After a prominent judge is injured during a struggle with some thugs demanding money from her in exchange for a strange tape, Bruce Wayne decides to take a trip to Yucca Springs, a resort where the judge had vacationed, and consult Dr. Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist. Bruce soon learns that Strange has invented a machine that extracts people's darkest secrets from their minds and transfers them to videotape — and now Strange has proof of Bruce's secret identity as Batman, and plans to auction it to three of Gotham's prominent crime bosses.

 

Heart of Steel Part 1

 

Several robberies take place at major companies, including Wayne Enterprises, and Bruce Wayne, as Batman, discovers the thief to be a mechanical briefcase. Bruce meets with his old friend, Karl Rossum, an expert in robotics who lost his daughter to a vehicle accident years ago. He also meets Rossum's assistant, Randa Duane, and Rossum's ultimate creation: a prototype A.I. known as Holographic Analytical Reciprocating Digital Computer (H.A.R.D.A.C.) Bruce invites Duane to dinner, and around the same time, certain civilians start acting strangely. Most surprising is when Duane unexpectedly leaves Wayne Manor while Bruce is on the phone, and the entire Batcave turns on Batman.

 

Heart of Steel Part 2

 

Batman manages to free himself from the Batcave's clutches, and brings it back under his control, although he fails to track Duane down. Barbara Gordon approaches Batman to inform him of her father's sudden change in behavior. A brutal fight between Batman and Detective Bullock ensues, during which Batman pushes Bullock onto the Bat Signal, and reveals him to actually be an android, meaning that the real Bullock and James Gordon have gone missing, and Batman knows who the culprit is: H.A.R.D.A.C. Batman must stop the evil supercomputer before it is too late.

 

 

If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich

 

Edward Nygma creates the video game The Riddle of the Minotaur for the company Competitron, but is fired by his superior Daniel Mockridge, who wants the profits for himself. Nygma vows revenge, and takes up the mantle of the Riddler two years later. While Batman sympathizes with Nygma, he and Robin find themselves forced to stop him before he kills Mockridge in a life-sized version of the Minotaur maze. Despite successfully rescuing Mockridge, who complete a deal to move his company to Gotham, the incident leaves him in a permanent PTSD - type all-consuming fear of Nygma's return for revenge.

 

Opening Credits; Introduction (1.28); Episode One: The Strange Case of Bruce Wayne (32.30); Episode Two and Three:  Heart of Steel Part 1 &2 (47.10); Episode Four:  If You Are So Smart; Why Aren’t You Rich (1:14.48); Favourite Episode (1:58.53); Favourite Character (2:03.03);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (2:03.06); Closing Credits (2:03.46)

 

Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music 

 

Closing Credits:  Question Me An Answer by Bobby Van.  Taken from the album The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Lost Horizon.  Copyright 1997 Razor & Tie Records.

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Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 

All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.

 

All songs available through Amazon Music.