History Recap / TheBatmanS1E12TheRubberfaceOfComedy

* CopsNeedTheVigilante: This episode shows the negative side of this trope, in that all of the villains captured by Batman have resulted in the police department looking like idiots, and Chief Rojas starts to get really desperate to turn the odds.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Detective Yin takes down Punch and Judy by herself. For reference, note that ''Batman'' had trouble against these guys earlier in the episode.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: This episode marks the debut of Punch and Judy, Joker's CoDragons in this continuity before the introduction of Harley Quinn in Season 4.

* MythologyGag: Joker says he came about as a result of [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke "one rotten day"]] and intends to prove that others are the same.

-->'''Joker''': So we have issues with the boss, eh? Well, who doesn't? Bosses make terrific tormentors. Tote that barge, lift that bail, rewrite that script, sort that mail. All it takes is one too many orders to make the cuckoo call.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Ethan defending Batman by saving how he saved his life from Joker when Chief Rojas takes credit for capturing the Clown Prince of Crime in front of the press gets Ethan suspended from the force by Rojas.

* SecretKeeper: Bruce decides to reveal to Ethan his identity as Batman, before one of them is forced to harm each other. Unfortunately, Joker's torture of Ethan prevents Bruce from doing so, and he never decides to trust Ethan with the secret after he turns into Clayface.

* TooDumbToLive: Ethan contradicting Rojas at a press conference about how the Batman saved him. This gets him landed on suspension. Though, he’d probably had lost some sanity after all he'd been through that night, it's possible he simply refused to let Rojas get away with trying to take credit for Batman saving his life, consequences or not.

** When Batman chases Joker into a Hall of Mirrors, the latter remarks, "You think this is confusing, try living inside ''MY'' head!" This foreshadows the premise of "Strange Minds", in which Batman uses a machine designed by Hugo Strange to enter Joker's mind to find the location of Detectives Yin, who was recently kidnapped by Joker.

-->'''Joker:''' You think ''this'' is confusing, try living inside MY head!

* MythologyGag: Joker says he came about as a result of [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke "one bad day"]] and intends to prove that others are the same.

--->'''Joker''': Uh-oh.
--->'''Batman''': Say cheese!

-->'''Joker''': If Gotham belongs to Joker, the dull face of tragedy must become the rubber face of comedy!

** When Batman chases Joker into a Hall of Mirrors, the latter remarks, "You think this is confusing, try living inside ''MY'' head!" This foreshadows the premise of "Strange Minds", in which Batman uses a machine designed by Hugo Strange to enter Joker's mind to find the location of Detectives Yin, whom he has recently kidnapped.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Bennett hallucinates under the influence of Joker's brainwashing, he first imagines Joker as a giant surgeon threatening to 'operate' on him. Then, the image changes into [[BadBoss Rojas]] as that surgeon, sharing the same baleful eyes as Joker. This foreshadows his role in "Night and the City", where his obstinate ways lead to him being just as big a threat as Joker.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Joker's outraged that Chief Rojas considers Batman a bigger menace than him.

* TooDumbToLive: Ethan contradicting Rojas at a press conference about how the Batman saved him. This gets him landed on suspension. Though after all he'd been through that night, it's possible he simply refused to let Rojas get away with trying to take credit for Batman saving his life, consequences or not.

%%* WhamShot: The above mentioned {{Cliffhanger}}.

* VillainHasAPoint: Joker's not exactly wrong to point out Chief Rojas's [[LopsidedArmOfTheLaw lopsided priorities]] when he considers the Batman a bigger criminal threat than a maniac like the Joker.

* ExactWords: Joker when threatening Ethan says "You don't know what this stuff does to humans." When Yin drops her weapon at the implied threat, he blithely says he doesn't either and decides to find out.

* VillainHasAPoint: Joker's not exactly wrong to point out Chief Rojas's lopsided priorities when he considers the Batman a bigger criminal threat than a maniac like the Joker.

* VillainHasAPoint: Joker's not exactly wrong to point out Chief Rojas's fucked up priorities when he considers the Batman a bigger criminal threat than a maniac like the Joker.

-->'''Joker''': Uh-oh.
-->'''Batman''': Say cheese!