Directed by Rob Bailey
Written by Ken Woodruff & Megan Mostyn Brown
The Arkham escapees begin a reign of terror over the city, while the GCPD struggles to contain their mayhem.
Tropes:
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Maniax! attack the Police Station, slaughtering most of the cops present, including commissioner Essen.
- Boom, Headshot!: Tabitha silences one of the Maniax! before Gordon can make him talk. And puts one in his heart for good measure.
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Crosses the Line Twice: Not only do the Maniax! attempt to burn a school bus full of cheerleaders alive, but Jerome remarks that it's been either that or a busload of senior citizen day-trippers. - Death by Adaptation: Sarah Essen is killed by Jerome during the massacre. She still dies in the comics, but at least survives long enough to marry Jim Gordon and live through ten years of Batman's career.
- Defiant to the End: Essen spits at and headbutts Jerome before he kills her.
- Dwindling Party: The Maniax! lose members at a prodigious pace. By the end of the episode, fully half of the inmates who escaped Arkham are dead.
- Eviler than Thou: Or at least, crazier than thou, as Jerome takes their game of Russian Roulette and nearly wastes every chamber on himself to prove he's nuts enough to lead the Maniax!
- The revolver used actually fires 5 shots, so Jerome actually wasted EVERY other round, besides the chamber loaded with the bullet!
- Foreshadowing: If his behavior, dialogue, and actions weren't enough, during some scenes Jerome is lit so his skin appears particularly pale, almost white, and his hair has a greenish tint.
- Gang of Hats: The Maniax! wear straightjackets as a team costume.
- Hard-to-Light Fire: An uncooperative lighter is the only reason Jerome and Dobkins fail to burn the busload of cheerleaders alive before Gordon and the other cops can intervene.
- He's Back!: After the massacre at the station, Harvey shows up to let Jim know he's not alone.
- I Am Very British: An oddly working-class variation. Alfred's intimidation routine on Lucius consists solely of nigh-impenetrable Cockney colloquialism. It almost sounds like another language.
- I Can See You: Jim gets a call from Barbara, and then sees her standing just inside the police station door with a cell phone. He tries to catch her, and gets led into a trap.
- Idiot Ball: The GCPD is on a manhunt on the escaped Arkham inmates, including Barbara. She still gets to walk into the GCPD HQ without any disguise or cover whatsoever to lure Gordon away.
- Jerkass Realization: Both Bruce and Alfred eventually realize they've gone too far in their actions toward the other and come to an understanding.
- Large Ham: Galavan auditions his escapees to see who should be the spokesman for the group. Jerome easily wins.
- Never My Fault: Once again Barbara still never owns up to anything she has done.
- Mythology Gag:
- Jerome's video in the GCPD is very reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker's video in The Dark Knight. Also, both have infiltrated police ranks by dressing up as policemen.
- Jerome having trouble with the lighter when trying to set the school bus on fire is also very reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker having trouble blowing up the hospital in The Dark Knight.
- The way that Sarah Essen dies at Jerome's hands bears a close resemblance to how her comic counterpart dies at Joker's hands in Batman: No Man's Land.
- "Knock, knock," is what Joker said in his only appearance in the Birds of Prey series.
- Russian Roulette: Galavan proposes one between Jerome and Robert Greenwood to put an end to their pissing contest for leadership of the group. Jerome manages to win without killing Greenwood.
- Screening the Call: Alfred tries to stop Bruce from finding out what his father kept in the hidden computer, first by trying to talk him out of it and then by smashing it. Bruce doesn't take this well.
- Stock Scream: The second shipyard worker seen falling behind the window of the Gotham Gazette lets out Take 1 of the Wilhelm scream as he falls.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: The Arkham escapees name their little band Maniax!
