There’s a new villain in Gotham City this week, though Gordon (Neil Hamilton) knows who they are, it’s the Black Widow (Tallulah Bankhead), an older criminal with a spider motif that is sure to spell trouble for Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) in this two-part story written by Robert Mintz.

The first episode, Black Widow Strikes, first aired on 15 March, 1967.

Using her cerebrum short circuit device, her nerve paralyzer and more, she’s robbing banks, and no one seems to be able to stop her. So once again, the city turns to the Dynamic Duo for help, and the pair put their minds to work on tracking down Black Widow’s hideout.

The trail leads them to a benign-looking home with two elderly folks sitting on a porch chatting and responding to Batman’s questions. But something strikes the World’s Greatest Detective as odd, and they discover the two old folks are in fact… robots!

Coming to the conclusion that it’s all a front, Batman and Robin deduce that there must be a hideout under the house and, sure enough, find themselves in the Widow’s lair, with all of her thugs with their spider-based names.

As formula predicts, fisticuffs ensue but all goes afoul for the Caped Crusaders when they find themselves ensnared in some very large spider webs. Trapped, they can only watch as Widow brings out two large, modified spiders, and sets them at our heroes’ feet.

As the arachnids slowly climb the tights of Batman and Robin, we are left with a cliffhanger that will be answered the following night on…

16 March, 1967 saw the airing of the conclusion of this story, Caught in the Spider’s Den. Our heroes are able to stop the attack of the giant spiders, but that doesn’t mean that Widow won’t be ready for them with a fiendish plan!

She uses her nerve and cerebrum control to bend Batman to her will, and Robin is tied up waiting for his fate. Widow converts her two robots to look like the Dynamic Duo and uses them to start robbing banks, which turns the police against them, and one officer believes he has shot and killed Batman!

Robin is able to escape his bonds and frees the mind-controlled Batman by asking him to sing loud enough to disrupt the controller. Reunited, the pair go after Widow and clear their good (if vigilante) names.

Once captured, the deprogramming of Black Widow’s criminal tendencies begin, using some of her own tech.

It’s a fast-moving tale, and it’s interesting to see a slightly older baddie menace Gotham. I love that Batman belts outcome Gilbert & Sullivan. The spiders are a little silly, but they fit with the series. It’s amazing that two seasons in (and this season is monstrously huge) the camp still works, and is damned entertaining.

That being said, we’re coming up on the close of the second season, so we’ll soon see how the third season plays out, and if it is as entertaining as the rest of the series.