The final two-part story of the first season of Batman was written by Sheldon Stark, part one, Fine Finny Fiends, was first broadcast on 4 May, 1966.

The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) is back! This time he plans to heist the goods from a secret multi-millionaire dinner which includes Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and his ward, Dick Grayson (Burt Ward).

No one knows where it’s going to be. Or perhaps one person will, but they’ll never talk, willingly. Alfred (Alan Napier) is in charge of organizing the food services and the like, so Penguin and his gang set up a fake fish store to capture the butler and then brainwash him to attempt to learn the location.

But Alfred doesn’t know it, because it hasn’t been decided yet. Infuriated, Penguin returns him to Wayne Manor where Batman notices that Alfred has suddenly developed an odd little twitch, and he realizes what has happened.

Through some diligent detective work, the Caped Crusaders discover that the proprietor of the false fish store, Knott A. Fish, also has a place down at the Gotham harbour. Unfortunately, Penguin and his fishy gang were waiting for the Dynamic Duo, soundly beating and capturing them and locking them in a vacuum room as the air is slowly pumped out!!

Our heroes are trapped, and there seems to be no way out!! How will Batman and Robin make their escape this time? Is this the way the season ends?

Batman Makes the Scenes is the first time in the series, for me, that Batman and Robin’s escape feels like a bit of a cheat. One minute they are almost dead, no air to be had, and then Batman is sharing with Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O’Hara (Stafford Repp) that it was no big thing to get his hand free thanks to his hand bat knife, and then use a small oxygen tank from his utility belt to save he and Robin.

We not only didn’t get a hint or glimpse of this, it still doesn’t explain how they got out of a locked room. I felt a little cheated.

The final episode of season one was first broadcast on 5 May, 1966 and was also written by Stark.

Free of Penguin’s trap, the dinner is planned, but Batman and Robin will be ready for him, and once again, the Caped Crusaders will win the day by foiling his plan to replace one of the charitable causes raising money at the dinner, promoted by beauty queens, with one of his own, Finella (Julie Gregg).

So we’ll have to see what awaits us next time as we dig into season two. What guest stars will visit with our heroes? What villains will menace them? We’ll find out next time.

Until then…

“Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed.”

“Roger. Ready to move out.”