Three years after taking the Bat mantle, Bruce Wayne has succeeded in getting rid of the ordinary crime bosses. Someone new emerges, however: the Joker. Meanwhile Chief Rojas assigns Detectives Ethan Bennett and Ellen Yin to find Batman and arrest him.
Tropes for this episode include:
- All There in the Manual: The book "Going Batty!" states that the orderly Joker attacked in Arkham Asylum is named Slam.
- As Long as There Is Evil: After Rupert Thorne is arrested, there's a power vacuum for the weirder villains to come on out, which means the fight isn't over for Bruce.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Detective Bennett arrives at Wayne Manor to see Bruce, it seems like he figured out Bruce and the Batman are same person and he’s to arrest him. Then it turns out that Detective Bennett is really an old friend of Bruce, and just wants to talk him.
- Batman Cold Open: The pre-credits scene is one of the purest examples of this in any Batman media, meant to depict how utterly unstoppable Batman is against any "normal" crooks.
- Clothing Damage: The sleeves on Joker's straitjacket are torn during his fight with Batman.
- Creator Cameo: Two of this show's producers are mentioned as Arkham inmates; three more, actually depicted on-screen, are caricatures of Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, and Glen Murakami from this show's predecessor.
- Crazy-Prepared: Bruce has a portable Bat alert that tells him when a crime is going on.
- Dramatic Drop: Alfred drops a Priceless Ming Vase he was dusting when he overhears Ethan tell Bruce that he saw Batman.Alfred: Only a Ming.
- For the Evulz: Joker had no reason to release his Joker venom on the prison guard, or to spread it to the city. He just thought Batman would be fun to play with.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: Despite thinking that Bruce should lead a normal, less hazardous life, Alfred prepares a cake for Batman's third anniversary and arranges for Bruce to have alibis with the ladies.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Joker meets Batman for the first time, he asks the latter what rational person would dress up like him, despite the fact he is dressed quite ridiculous himself.
- It Amused Me: The Joker is thrilled to have a Worthy Opponent, even if Batman won't play along with his jokes.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The guard that Joker poisoned at the beginning ends up guarding him at the end of it.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Joker asks Batman if he thinks his outfit is a "good look for [him]," referencing how the design is a departure from Joker's usual appearance.
- Mythology Gag: At the end of episode, Joker says "Blame it on the bats in my belfry." A nod to the 1989 film where he said "It can be truly said, that I have a bat in my belfry."
- No Endor Holocaust: Played straight in the episode itself, where Batman casually cuts Joker's poison-gas balloon open in the middle of Gotham Bay, with zero acknowledgement of what this would do the ecosystem. However, the episode's original storyboards (used in most of the picture-book and comic adaptations) show that the poison was supposed to disfigure some fish, as a shout-out to the Joker's infamous "laughing fish" scheme.
- Nothing Up My Sleeve: Joker wears a straitjacket with long sleeves that extend past his hands, allowing him to conceal weapons. The sleeves are torn by Batman.
- Refuge in Audacity: The Arkham guard is utterly perplexed that someone would sneak into a cell. Joker takes advantage of this.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Ethan is on Batman's side and admires how he can take down criminals. He's also assigned to help take Batman down.
