Batman the Animated Series the Laughing Fish

The Joker infects fish with laughing gas. After not being immune to copyright his Joker Fish, he targets the innocent bureaucrats who told him that copyright doesn't work that way.

Tropes in this episode include:

Actor Allusion: While trying to "cheer up" Harley Quinn, Joker says she can be his "Little Mermaid". Mark Hamill previously had a pocket-size vocalism role equally a crewman in the opening scene of The Little Mermaid (1989) (using a voice like to that of Solomon Grundy).
Adaptation Amalgamation: The episode is mostly adapted from the comics storyline "The Laughing Fish"/"Sign of the Joker!" (Detective Comics #475-476), even so, the final deed is largely drawn from the unrelated comic story "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" (Batman #251).
Adaptation Distillation: This story primarily adapts Detective Comics #475-476 and cuts out pretty much all the subplots carried over in the previous issues ^note to wit: Hugo Strange auctions off Batman's underground identity, causing Rupert Thorne to murder him. Thorne is haunted by Foreign's ghost because of this, and has the ire of the Joker, who wants the identity to stay secret. Meanwhile, Batman is carrying on a human relationship with socialite Silvery St.Cloud, who figured out Batman'southward identity on her own — she flees Gotham because she isn't set up to deal with having a boyfriend who could end up dead in whatsoever number of hideous means. Notably, in the comic Batman nabs Joker during an assassination attempt on Commissioner Gordon, using a gadget handed him by Hugo Strange'due south ghost. The episode swaps out this climax out for the aquarium showdown from the otherwise-unrelated Batman #251. ^notation That issue, the first outing for Mistah J subsequently a Long Bus Trip in the comics throughout the late '60s and early '70s, dealt with The Joker revenging himself on v of his henchmen (hence "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge"), 1 of whom was the one who had betrayed him and sent him abroad to prison house. The sequence in question had The Joker threatening to toss ane of the henchmen (swapped out for Bullock in the TV version) into a tank in the Gotham Aquarium which held a Great White Shark. Batman is able to defeat the shark and save the victim much similar in the TV episode, before chasing Joker out to the nearby embankment, where Joker slips on a convenient oil-spill and is unceremoniously arrested. There are a few changes to the plot outside of the deleted subplots:
- The inclusion of Harley Quinn and Harvey Bullock;
- The clerks targeted by the Joker were killed in the original (in the adaptation, Batman was able to administrate an antidote to the Joker venom in time);
- The Joker's Tv set hijackings are much shorter and more than direct death-threats in the original, defective the Parody Commercial bending of the drawing;
- At that place was a third attempted assassination, with Joker trying to sneak into become at his target dressed as a cop (sound familiar?). Batman foils this by apply of a device dropped past Hugo Strange's ghost, leading to a fight on a construction site, where Joker gets struck by lightning seemingly falls to his death. This was the original catastrophe, presumably changed due to information technology being likewise intense, or due to the ending wrapping upwards the Silver St. Cloud and Rupert Thorne subplots, and then being nonsensical to the plot of the episode (where Thorne didn't even announced) ^note Silverish breaks up with Bruce, telling him she couldn't behave to alive with not knowing whether or not Bruce would come dwelling house alive each nighttime, while Thorne, driven half-mad past Hugo Strange's ghost, returns to Gotham and confesses all his mob crimes.
Adults Dressed as Children: Two of Joker'south henchmen are dressed every bit 1950s-era children (1 with a beanie, i with Girlish Pigtails) for Joker's commercial for "Joker Fish" - and they did not enjoy information technology. Harley played their mom.
Artistic License – Law: In-universe, the Joker is mistaken when he thinks that he can patent fish considering they comport his image, and when the patent clerk tells him then, he decides to kill him. Mayhap an aversion, as Batman himself believes Joker knows the constabulary doesn't work that mode and is but using it equally an excuse to deport out a terror campaign for his own amusement.
- Even worse, his plan was to copyright (not patent) the fish so that anyone communicable them would have to pay him a royalty. That's not how copyright works. (And since the fish were going to be released into the wild, he plain didn't accept any issue with unauthorized reproduction...) But again, information technology'due south probable the Joker knew this all along and was simply doing information technology all For the Evulz...
Bait-and-Switch: For a moment it looked as though Batman was affected by the Joker venom (via true cat scratch), until we see it's the second clerk wearing Batman's adjust.
Body Double: Batman tries to protect one of the Joker'south targets by disguising himself as him and putting the actual target in a Batsuit. Information technology fails considering the target's cat, begetting a load of Joker venom, still recognizes its man.
Broken-Window Alert: It's not a stone, simply ane of the poisoned Joker Fish (a swordfish) that comes through the window of a predicted victim's home.
Cats Are Mean: Manifestly when they're infected by the Joker venom.
Disproportionate Retribution: The Joker introduces his "smile" toxin into the fish supply of Gotham Harbor, hoping to copyright the scarlet-lipped, grinning ichthyoids and sell them in supermarkets. When told that he cannot copyright fish because they are a natural resources, he retaliates by conveying out an elaborate scheme to kill everyone in the Gotham City patent part until he gets his way.
Does Not Like Spam: Harley's dislike of fish is mentioned here for the commencement time. It volition come up again subsequently.
Do Not Adapt Your Fix: Joker launches a series of commercials to "warn" the unfortunate clerks who are existence targeted, and to mock Batman. The first time it happens, Bullock orders the aqueduct changed, just the "it'southward on the same aqueduct" part happens. The second fourth dimension, Batman angrily turns off the TV while Harley sings the commercial melody after Francis was attacked.
The Cease... Or Is It?: Played with. The Joker falls into the sea very shut to a hungry shark. Commissioner Gordon asks Batman a bit later if he thinks the Joker's really expressionless. Batman says he wishes so, but that he has his doubts. The camera closes in on the Joker card that Harley has thrown into the ocean in mourning and and then it's eaten by the same shark, managing to make the viewer sure both that the Joker survived and that he did so only by the skin of his teeth (so to speak) at the same fourth dimension.
Everyone Has Standards: Bullock has fiddling love for Batman, but he thinks it'due south inhuman for the Joker to toss him to the shark.
Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Francis is in witness protection with Gordon, Bullock and Batman, waiting for midnight to pass. And then Batman notices Francis scratching himself, which leads to this.
Batman: Feeling alright?
Francis: (calmly) Oh, sure. It's simply that everything's been so crazy today, I haven't even had fourth dimension to rinse off that gunk the Joker's Daughter squirted on me.
Batman: (to Gordon) GET THIS Man TO A Infirmary! NOW!
Francis: What?!
Failed a Spot Bank check: The Joker'southward lift chair might have made a ameliorate escape method if he'd checked to run across if the skylight was open up before activating it.
For the Evulz: Given that the Joker made preparations to spray G. Carl Francis with the first part of his binary toxin even earlier his demands were rejected, information technology's implied that he expected as much and is perfectly willing to settle for killing a load of people in clever ways if he can't get his money. Batman explains this to Francis later, telling him that killing a harmless, powerless bureaucrat is merely the villain's idea of a good joke.
- According to Batman, Joker's insane schemes such as the laughing fish make no sense to others except him.
Force Feeding: A comedic example. Joker is doing a commercial for his new brand of Joker Fish, and tries to get Harley to eat one to show how good they are. Harley sheepishly protests that she's got a problem with fish, merely Mr. J just shoves it in her oral fissure. She manages to grunt out, "Yummy-yum-yum," before running offscreen to hurl.
Foreshadowing: Batman switching places with the 2nd target is noticeable when you noticed "Batman"'due south oral fissure didn't motion when he exclaimed "A Joker fish!". Gordon and Bullock are directed at the "second clerk" despite talking to "Batman". Then the "2nd clerk" tries to take hold of the cat despite the danger.
Gratuitous French: Albeit mispronounced. When the Joker introduces Harley to Mr. Francis, she says, in her "Noo Yawk" dialect, "En-chaan-tee", clearly pregnant to say, "Enchanté."
Instantly Proven Incorrect: With law everywhere, Bullock boasts that no one is getting into Francis'south house tonight. Batman then immediately reveals that he sneaked in disguised as an officer and that it was easy to do and so, too.
Insult Backfire:
Bullock: Come on, he [the Joker] was a demented, abusive, psychotic maniac!
Harley: Yeah. [sob] I'm really gonna miss him.
Lampshade Hanging: Every bit Bullock points out, it hardly takes a supercomputer or a Sherlock Scan to realize that an exotic fish probably came from an aquarium.
Latex Perfection: Batman's disguise as the second Joker target.
Mermaid Problem: The Joker seems to exist flirting with Harley Quinn by asking her to "be [his] little mermaid." He then puts a giant fake fish caput over her head, to which Harley responds, "You're actually sick, you know that, dominate?" Funny this got past the censors.
Mythology Gag: Like in the 1989 film, Joker'south venom becomes constructive when two or more than components are mixed. Similarly, there's him making fake commercials advertising his "products."
Never Establish the Body: Joker is concluding seen falling nearly the shark. All the same, Batman can't shake the feeling that he somehow survived.
Oh, Crap!: The Joker jumps into the ocean, completely forgetting near the shark that had recently been released:
Joker: See, Batsy, I recall of everything! Hahahahahahaha— AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
- As well, when the Joker arrived in Mr. Francis' part.
  Francis: Smashing Scott!
  Joker: Actually I'1000 Irish gaelic.
Pragmatic Villainy: The Joker doesn't throw Bullock to the shark—at least not right away—because he realizes that if Bullock found the place, Batman volition observe it pretty apace too. So he decides to keep Bullock alive a while to apply as bait.
Spiral This, I'thou Outta Here!: Instead of waiting for more than office clerks to be targeted, Bullock went after the Joker himself after noticing the exotic fish.
Shark Pool: The Gotham Aquarium is airtight for renovations, and so the Joker takes it over so he can feed people to its sharks.
Shout-Out: Joker pulls a wrench out of a box with the words "Binford Tools" written on it.
Spared by the Adaptation: As mentioned above, the episode loosely adapts a two-part story from the comics, where Joker successfully kills the first two people he threatens. In the TAS version, since broadcasting standards wouldn't allow straight-upwards deaths (at to the lowest degree not onscreen), Batman is able to administrate an antitoxin to both victims in fourth dimension. Doesn't brand the scene any less freaky, though.
- Besides spared is one of the Joker's thugs, who in the comics gets pushed into oncoming traffic just for asking the boss a question.
Squee!: Harley, when Joker says he's gonna make her his little mermaid.
Talk Like a Pirate: Joker indulges in this during his commercial.
Threatening Shark: Bullock's suspended over a Shark Puddle and and so Batman has to fight the shark. At the end Joker is apparently eaten by the shark, simply we all know how that turns out.
Vomit Discretion Shot: During the Joker'due south commercial for his fish, Harley takes a bite of the fish, then goes to puke off-screen.
Xanatos Gambit: Information technology is unclear if the Joker really idea this is how patent procedures work or if he's looking for an excuse to impale people, but the ii possible outcomes benefit him regardless. If the department agrees to his illegal demands, then the Joker will get money to finance his future schemes. If not, well he can just just have his fun with the standard routine of killing people and daring Batman to stop him.
You lot're Insane!:
- When discussing why Joker'southward Joker-fied the local fish population, Batman comments, "Normal criminals unremarkably have logical motives. The Joker's insane schemes make sense to him and him solitary."
- The Joker really gets it from Harley this time, who takes it as a compliment. (Right after the Squee! part.)
- Besides, Mr. Francis' reaction to his first run into with the Joker, all said in quaking fright; "He's crazy..."