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| Baby-Doll | |
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| Season 2, Episode 9 | |
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| Air date | October 1, 1994 |
| Directed by | Dan Riba |
| Written by | Paul Dini |
| Music by | Shirley Walker |
| Airdate Sequence | |
| Previous Riddler's Reform |
Next Time Out of Joint |
| Production Sequence | |
| Previous Bane |
Next The Lion and the Unicorn |
Baby-Doll is an episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It is notable for introducing the original character Baby Doll to the series, although it is her only appearance in the show. She does get re-used with a new appearance in New Batman Adventures though.
"Baby-Doll" was the 76th produced episode overall and the 11th episode produced in the second season.
Synopsis[]
A former child star, now grown bitter and insane, kidnaps her TV family and holds them prisoner on an abandoned sound stage. While Robin works fast to free the actors from Baby-Doll's explosive death-trap, Batman pursues the tiny fiend through a deadly carnival fun house.
Plot[]
After finishing a play, some actors get out of the theater through the back door and a young actor notices a little girl crying on the corner of the alley. He approaches her and tries to comfort her but as soon as he takes a look at the girl's face, he recognizes and is attacked from behind and knocked unconscious.
Mary Dahl as Baby Doll
A few days later, Commissioner Gordon calls Batman and Robin to discuss the recent abductions of actors that used to work on a past TV sitcom called "Love that Baby", in which the main character was a little girl by the name of Baby Doll, who was portrayed by Mary Dahl, an actress with a physical condition that prevented her body from aging and thus she looks like a child. Gordon informs them that until that moment, three of the main actors have been abducted and they start watching a documentary by Summer Gleeson on the current lives of the actors. After a while, Gordon informs them that he has placed some bodyguards for the youngest girl that was part of the cast and that hasn't been abducted yet, but that they're unable to locate Dahl.
At that moment, Harvey Bullock calls for backup as they have some trouble in the theater. The youngest woman in the cast is being abducted and the police can't cope with the situation. Batman and Robin arrive in time to stop the couple of thugs who are kidnapping the girl, but when they think they're safe, a big truck comes into the alley and makes its way by crashing against the police cars and the vigilantes. The woman is placed inside the truck and the thugs get away with her. Batman activates the Batmobile with his Utility Belt and commands it to follow the truck. However, he stops the car as he notices a little girl on the way and forces the car to crash against some crates on the street. The little girl is scared and looking for her mom and a few seconds later, a woman comes and takes the girl away. Batman recognizes the voice and when he talks to her, Baby Doll uses an exploding ball to create a smokescreen and getaway.
Knowing that Dahl is responsible for the abductions, Batman and Robin go to Summer Gleeson and ask her for a couple of her documentary episodes on the TV show where Dahl used to perform.
Baby Doll and her "family"
At that moment, the kidnapped actors find themselves in a recreation of the old set for the TV series and Baby Doll tells them that they are going to be a happy family again. With help of a couple of thugs and her personal bodyguard, Dahl prevents the other actors from leaving the place and she starts telling them what happened after the show ended and how her acting career wasn't working outside the TV series, which led her to gather the crew together like the good old times.
Batman and Robin learn about the tragic acting career of Dahl and they realize that she might be holding a grudge against her peers for that. However, it was Dahl who decided to leave the TV series after the producers introduced a new character that upstaged her in camera. When she failed in other acting roles, she wanted to go back to the series, but the producers wouldn't accept her offer and the show was officially canceled. Batman and Robin realize that Dahl hasn't kidpapped the actor who upstaged her and they deduce that he might be the next victim.
The next day, Spunky, the former kid actor and now musician is playing guitar in his garage when a woman crosses in front of his place with a baby carriage. She approaches Spunky and tells him to lower the volume of his music since her baby needs to take a nap. Spunky tells her that he needs to practice, but from the carriage comes Baby Doll and uses knockout gas on him to capture the last member of the cast.
With the complete crew of the TV series, Baby Doll recreates the last episode of the series, where she celebrates her birthday, but this time, the actors are tied to the chairs and the candles of the birthday cake have a dynamite among them. Dahl first pushs Spunky face into the cake..and then lights a dynamite stick ..she plans to "stay" with her family forever ..by killing both her "Family"...and herself. Spunky is the one to blow the candles out and he grabs the dynamite with his teeth and tosses it away from them. When the dynamite explodes in the next room, it creates a big smokescreen and from it comes Robin, who was disguised as Spunky in order to save the real Spunky and to learn Dahl's secret hideout.
Batman stops Baby Doll
At that moment, Batman arrives at the scene and with Robin's help, they incapacitate Dahl's henchmen and untie the actors. Dahl runs away and tells her bodyguard to take care of the duo. Mariam attacks Batman and Robin with amazing martial arts skills. Batman uses his Batrope to tie Mariam's leg and knocks her out by tossing her through one of the set fake walls. Batman goes after Dahl and Robin stays to make sure that the actors get out unharmed.
True reflection
Dahl runs away to a nearby fair, where she tries to merge with the people in the crowd. Batman tries to find her by looking from the highest point of the place, but there is too many people to locate her. Batman decides to drop down to let the people have a closer look of him and soon, all the people gather around the booth where Batman is standing, allowing Batman to spot Dahl running towards a funhouse.
Mary Dahl weeps and Batman understands
Batman tries to keep up with Dahl, but her little body allows her to get in small places and move faster than Batman. He tries to explain her that he understands that she must be feeling confused and that he wants to help her. Dahl doesn't believe him and she runs towards an abandoned house of mirrors, where she is overwhelmed by her own image reflected in all the mirrors. Dahl walks to the final mirror, which reflects her as the adult woman she could have been and suddenly she feels joy. However, she realizes that the reflection -just like her TV family-is not true and she notices Batman reflected in the mirrors. Realizing that she can never have either a normal family or a normal life, Dahl starts shooting all the mirrors until the only one left is the one with her adult image. Suffering an emotional breakdown for the life she will never have, Dahl breaks down and shoots that mirror as well and she keeps pulling the trigger, even though her gun has ran out of bullets. Batman walks to her and gently takes the weapon from her hands. Weeping and extremely sad, Dahl gets closer to Batman and mutters the catchphrase of her Baby-Doll character: "I didn't mean to"- as she hugs Batman's leg. Batman places a hand on her head and comforts the misunderstood Mary Dahl.