When Terry's criminal friend Charlie "Big Time" Biggolow is released from prison, he soon tries roping the now Batman into the criminal world again.
Tropes:
- Body Horror: The exposure to the growth hormone slowly mutates Charlie into a monstrous form.
- Bittersweet Ending: The bad guys are in jail, which includes Big Time. But Terry now feels guilty he couldn't somehow save his friend from becoming the monster he is now.
- Character Development: Terry lampshades this to Charlie when he offers a "job". He points out that, unlike Charlie, he has a life now and a real job.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Or rather, Charlie entails Terry's dark and troubled past. Years ago, they found common ground over both their parents' divorce, and did all sorts of delinquent stuff together. But one night, Charlie got serious when he broke into someone's house...and Terry followed. Naturally, they got caught. While Terry only got a few months in juvie for being underage, Charlie went straight to prison. And ever since then, Terry's felt guilt that it could've been him in Charlie's place, had their respective ages been the other way around. But while his feelings of guilt are understandable, given that Terry and Charlie are Not So Similar, it’s very likely that Terry would have tried to use a second chance to atone had he been old enough to go to jail, while Charlie would likely have continued on his path of crime had he been the one who was underage.
- Dramatic Irony: In the end, after Big Time's arrest, Dana points out that it's a good thing Terry didn't get mixed up with his ex-friend that time. Sadly, given he fought Big Time as Batman, Terry (and the audience) knows that's not entirely true.
- Meaningful Name: Well, nicknames. Charlie was "Big Time" because he "always thought he was going to make it big". And Terry was "T-T" ("Tiny Terry") because according to Charlie, "he was always thinking small".
- Not So Similar: Terry believes he and Charlie are cut from the same cloth, a couple of dumb kids who got into trouble, and the only difference is that Terry got off for being underage. But what he doesn't seem to realize is, their choices are what ultimately set them apart. Charlie was given a second chance to turn his life around to make up for being in jail, but he squanders it and misuses it to help his criminal bosses. Terry, on the other hand, went above and beyond to change his life when he chose to become Batman. And he's made the most of it in order to provide for his mother and brother.
- Off on a Technicality: Thanks to being a minor, Terry got off easy compared to Charlie. Charlie tries exploiting that guilt to get him on-board with his latest scheme.
- Properly Paranoid: Bruce openly distrusts Charlie and only cuts him a break because of Terry. Later, he goes back on his instincts and digs up some research on Charlie, barely surprised when he learns Charlie's cellmate was a crime lord.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Charlie and Terry exchange this with each other. Terry calls Charlie out on how he's still a kid looking for short cuts in life. In turn, Charlie angrily belittles how Terry "never could see his way out of that tiny little box" and hasn't changed. However, that's mitigated when it's revealed Terry put a tracker on Charlie, indeed older and wiser than Charlie gives him credit.
- Resolved Noodle Incident: After several hints, we discover why Terry spent 3 months in juvenile hall: He went on a petty crime spree in response to his parents getting divorced.
- Shadow Archetype: Terry feels he and Charlie are the same, but that he caught a break simply by being underage. In reality, the difference is that Terry really was a dumb kid who was misled by a toxic friend, while Charlie was that toxic friend and committed his crimes for selfish reasons.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Charlie thinks he's a real criminal mastermind. He's really nothing but an incompetent, pathetically small-time crook.
- Toxic Friend Influence: Dana sees Charlie as this to Terry, and not without justification.
