Recap / Batman: The Animated Series E53 "Paging the Crime Doctor"

Matthew Thorne (Joseph Campanella), a former doctor, must perform a delicate surgery on his brother, crime boss Rupert Thorne, but cannot do it alone—so he kidnaps his former colleague, Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Batman rushes to save Dr. Thompkins before Rupert's men kill her.

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Tropes in this episode include:

• Adaptational Nice Guy: In the comics, the Crime Doctor is an unrepentant criminal, with a dash of Mad Scientist to boot (something ironically hinted at in this episode's title card). In the episode proper, he is a good, honest doctor who helped his brother out but broke the law in doing so. Now he suffers from the guilt of his actions and the price he paid for not reporting the bullet wound to the proper authorities.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Rupert Thorne steals an incredibly expensive surgical laser for his brother. His brother points out that he's not going to be doing cutting-edge brain surgery patching up mobsters and the laser's use by Thorne's goons (twice) as an impromptu laser rifle does a pretty good job making Batman run for cover, up until the batteries run out (very quickly).
• Back-Alley Doctor: Matthew Thorne. He lost his license when he pulled a bullet out of his brother, notorious crime boss Rupert Thorne, and never told anybody. He was relegated to a licenseless, back alley existence afterwards.
• Cain and Abel: Of the Thorne brothers, Matthew is the Abel, still trying to do his best to help people even after losing his license and detesting violence (even though it's a ruse to help her escape, he suggests giving Dr. Thompkins a drug overdose that will kill her quickly and painlessly rather than the bullet to the head that the goons [eagerly] want to deliver). Rupert is an utterly ruthless crime boss that has no problem ordering the death of anything that gets in his way, even the people who saved his life (one of which is his own brother). He also resents Matthew for looking down on his criminal career even though his dirty money helped put Matthew through medical school.
• Continuity Nod: Subtle, but according to the production codes this episode comes after another subordinate claims to have offed Batman. As Batman survived that explosion, Rupert Thorne dismisses the newest claim of Batman's defeat fairly quickly.
• Energy Weapon: An experimental laser scalpel is one of the items stolen by Thorne's men when they are retrieving supplies for his operation, and it gets used by the goons as an impromptu laser rifle twice when they fight Batman. The scalpel fires off a constant beam that can cut through anything, but unfortunately for the goons, the batteries run out very fast.
• Foil: While a previous episode gave us the Stromwell brothers, this episode gives us a spotlight on Rupert and his own brother Matthew. On one hand, one could say Stromwell's younger brother Michael at least has nigh unconditional love for Arnold, despite that saving him cost him a leg. Ultimately, their bond is what helps redeem Arnold from his crime life. Meanwhile, the Thorne brothers aren't exactly on good terms. Matthew resents Rupert for costing him his medical license, and his brother shares the same sentiment for how he looks down on his criminal ways. And Matthew only helps Rupert, not out of brotherly love, but because of the possibility he will get his license back.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: Leslie Thompkins's yearbook which identifies Matt Thorne's graduating class as 1908, in contrast to "Beware the Grey Ghost," which gave the modern setting as 1992.
• Gratuitous Spanish: The patient Leslie treats shortly before Batman visits is a young Hispanic boy. When she tells his mother that he'll be okay, she thanks the doctor in Spanish.
• Heel–Face Turn: Matthew Thorne saves Leslie from his brother after he realizes he plans to kill her because she knows too much.
• He Knows Too Much: Leslie Thompkins after she helps Matthew perform surgery on Rupert Thorne.
• Hidden Depths: Dialogue from a personal argument hints that Rupert Thorne sacrificed all his ambitions in life to give Matthew a chance to fulfill his own.
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Somewhat justified since each time we see him shooting there is something partially blocking his view or he couldn't haim because he was running. But still, Jake fired so many ammos, at such short range, that even on sheer probability, he should have hit someone at some point.
• In Name Only / Literary Allusion Title: For the French dub. For some reason, the French title is "Dr. Jekyll's Return" (Docteur Jekyll, le retour), while beside Matthew Thorne being technically also a criminal doctor for totally diferent reasons and means than Jekyll, there are nothing in common between The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and this episode.
• Kidnapped Doctor: The only person Dr. Thorne can think of that might be able to help him with Rupert's heart surgery is Dr. Leslie Thompkins. After being kidnapped, she helps with the operation, but she's giving snark and death glares the entire time she's there.
• Laser Cutter: An experimental "laser scalpel" that Thorne's goons steal alongside all necessary medical supplies for their boss' surgery becomes a Chekhov's Boomerang throughout the episode. Because it is the size and general shape of a rifle, the mafia goons repeatedly try to use it as a gun to shoot Batman.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: Invoked. Matthew tricks a goon out of shooting Dr. Thompkins by claiming he'll give her a drug overdose.
• No One Could Survive That!: Rupert Thorne's men see Batman fall off the bridge and see no sign of him hitting the water, missing that he lands on the carriage taking pedestrians over the river. So they believe they killed him. When they report this to Thorne, the man dismisses the claim and believes Batman survived the altercation.
• Open Heart Dentistry: We don't know what Matthew Thorne's specialty was before he lost his license and became a Back-Alley Doctor; it could be he's perfectly qualified to remove a tumor from around his brother's aorta. But to assist him, he kidnaps Leslie Thompkins, who isn't a surgeon at all, but a GP who runs a charity clinic; she is seen diagnosing kids with the flu and giving Batman painkillers for a concussion. Nevertheless, short of an actual hospital, she's Matthew's first and only choice as an assistant.
• Power Trio: Matthew Thorne, Leslie Thompkins and Thomas Wayne had been this in medical college decades ago, where they had been nicknamed "The Three Musketeers".
• Tell Me About My Father: At the end of the episode, Bruce bails Matthew out, and the doctor is instantly suspicious about his motives—until Bruce says this trope's name (the doctor had been good friends with Dr. Thomas Wayne in medical school). The episode ends with Matthew reminiscing and an enthralled Bruce looking on.
• Ungrateful Bastard:
  • Rupert Thorne's decision to murder Leslie Thompkins after she's saved his life.
  • Rupert also accuses Matthew of being this as it was Rupert's dirty money which helped pay for Matthew to even go to college.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Leslie was still upset with Matthew for saving a criminal (even if it's his own brother) and didn't tell anyone, thus losing his license and credentials as a result.
• Worf Had the Flu: Batman initially comes off pretty badly in his fight with one of Thorne's goons, as he's still suffering the effects of his concussion the night before. He does eventually get the upper hand, but not until after he's been knocked around a lot.
• Villains Never Lie: Leslie doubts Rupert Thorne would ever keep his promise to help Matt regain his license; it doesn't become clear to Matt until later.

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