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| The Worry Men | |
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| Season 1, Episode 64 | |
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| Air date | September 16, 1993 |
| Directed by | Frank Paur |
| Written by | Paul Dini |
| Music by | Lolita Ritmanis |
| Airdate Sequence | |
| Previous Mudslide |
Next Paging the Crime Doctor |
| Production Sequence | |
| Previous Read My Lips |
Next Sideshow |
The Worry Men is an episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. The episode features the third appearance of The Mad Hatter since the episode Perchance to Dream.
"The Worry Men" was the 65th and last episode of the first season to be produced and the 64th episode to be aired.
Synopsis[]
Wealthy socialite Veronica Vreeland returns from Central America bringing tiny handmade dolls for all her friends. According to native legend, once placed under a pillow the dolls do the sleeper's worrying for them. Unknown to Veronica or her guests, each of the dolls contains a tiny microchip which plants hypnotic suggestions inside the sleepers' brains, even Bruce's.
Plot[]
The Worry Men
Veronica Vreeland throws a party themed after her trip to Central America. She starts giving her guests some souvenirs she brought home after her trip. The trinkets are little dolls known as "The Worry Men", and legend says that if you put it under your pillow at night, it would make your worries go away. Bruce Wayne is among the guests along with Hayden Sloane; and he refuses to believe in such things but he accepts the doll as a gift from his friend. Moments later, Bruce notices a man on the skylight of the building and decides that it is time for him to leave the party, much to Veronica's dismay.
The man on the rooftop of the building, noticed how Veronica delivers the worry men to all her high society friends and seems glad to see it. Batman appears behind him and notices that the man is wearing some kind of tribal outfit, like the ones displayed on Veronica's party. The shaman tribe man attacks Batman with a series of gadgets and weapons but they are all inefective against the dark knight as the tribe man realizes and tries to escape by jumping off the building. Batman prevents the man from escaping and acting on desperation, the tribeman smashes the skylight and cuts the chain of a giant tiki mask ornament on the party, and it starts falling towards the people in the party. Batman uses his Grapple Gun to attach it to the mask and ties it to a nearby pole, preventing the mask from crushing everybody inside. However, when he turns to look for the tribe man, who has disappeared from sight, he finds nothing, despite the man being hiding below a gargoyle ledge from the building.
Moments later at Wayne Manor, Bruce asks Alfred about the weird events of that night, but Alfred is just as surprised as Bruce with the entire situation. While picking Bruce's clothes, Alfred finds the worry men from Veronica and Bruce explains how it is supposed to work. Willing to help Bruce in some way, Alfred places the doll under Bruce's pillow.
Wayne's Money
The next day, Bruce goes to Wayne Enterprises in a very bright mood and asks his secretary, Dana Blessing to give him a case with 20 million dollars on it. Bruce takes it to his office and places it on the ledge outside of his window. Moments later, Dana comes inside to ask about the money but Bruce doesn't seem to know what she is talking about. As they are speaking, a man disguised with a similar tribal outfit appears on the window and picks up the case with the money and leaves the place before Bruce is able to stop him.
At night, Bruce and Alfred watch the news on the TV about similar situations happening to other wealthy people in Gotham City. Batman finds a pattern and discovers that all of them, including him and Sloane, were guests at Veronica's party and deduces that he must look for her to get some answers.
Veronica is sailing on her private yatch and dragging a heavy bag across the deck when Batman appears and offers his help. Veronica refuses any help and gets all protective with the bag and when Batman asks her what is she going to do with it, Veronica starts feeling weak and almost faints. Batman helps her and he takes her to a nearby seat. At that moment, three men disguised with the same tribal outfit, approach the yatch in a small boat. Batman opens the bag and finds all of Veronica's jewels inside. Veronica is completely surprised to see it and she doesn't understand what is happening. The tribesmen have reached the deck and approach Batman from behind. Batman fights them and with a little help from Veronica, they are scared off the ship, but Batman manages to rip a piece of clothing off the disguise of one of them. Veronica feels completely shocked after the events and she takes off the worry men trinket from her hair and aims towards the sea, but Batman prevents her from tossing them away. Batman takes a closer look at the dolls and discovers a secret compartment with a chip inside and he then questions Veronica how exactly did she obtained them. Veronica explains that they were given to her by an English short man with a big hat.
The Mad Hatter is the mastermind
Back in the Batcave, Batman analyzes the chip and finds that it is produced to control brainwaves during the sleep, making the person susceptible of manipulation. All the evidence points to one man only: The Mad Hatter.
On his hideout, Hatter enjoys the recently stolen money from Gotham's prominent citizens but he changes his mood when his henchmen return to him empty handed and with Batman on their tails. Hatter prepares a plan to welcome Batman to his secret hideout.
While on the Batmobile, Batman is contacted by Alfred and the latter informs that the piece of clothing Batman took from the henchman belongs to a costume supply factory, which must be Hatter's hideout.
Upon Batman's arrival, he is attacked by many over-sized stage puppets that resemble many of his rogues, but he is able to overcome the attack. However, Batman is also attacked by Hatter's henchmen and they manage to subdue Batman and take him to the Hatter who explains Batman about his master plan of using the worry men made by the Jaguar Shaman from Central America, whom he is using against his will and after that, "retiring" from crime with help from all the money he has stolen. Before his final act Hatter wants to take a look at the man behind the cowl, but Batman still has some fight in him. Hatter tells his henchmen to put Batman on the guillotine for his final extermination. Taking a device from his Utility Belt, Batman starts a sonar that disrupts Hatter's mind controlling devices and forces the henchmen to take off their hats, returning to their own consciousness. Hatter releases the rope from the guillotine, but Batman is able to stop the blade with his feet. Before Hatter could finish Batman off, he is attacked by his former henchmen for using them for his own personal purposes and against their will, but before they can hurt him more, the Jaguar Shaman tells them to stop and leave Hatter to the police. Hatter seizes the chance and taking a small gun from his hat, he threatens them and looks for Batman, who is nowhere to be seen. Hatter looks at a bat shadow figure approaching him and shoots it, just to realize that it was another of his own stage puppets. The real Batman strikes from behind and knocks The Mad Hatter for good.
The Worry Bat-Man
The next day, after having recovered the stolen money, Bruce places it on the company's account again and he tells Alfred that the shaman wasn't interested in punishing Tetch and just asked for a ticket back home, but before he left he sent Tetch some "souvenir" that would help him think about changing his evil ways.
In Arkham Asylum, Tetch can't sleep well at night and it is all because a worry Batman placed under his pillow, courtesy of the shaman.