Follow TV Tropes

Following

Recap / The New Batman Adventures E5 "You Scratch My Back"

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/btas_scratch_my_back_featured.jpg
In an effort to further distance himself from Batman, Nightwing tries to go it alone to stop a smuggling ring, and gets unexpected help from Catwoman.

Tropes:

  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Batgirl and Nightwing show this in the end of the episode.
    Batgirl: You alright?
    Nightwing: You know me, always happy to have a little help.
  • Badass Normal: Enrique is able to hold his own against Batman and despite being a one-shot villain, is one of the few characters to ever draw blood from Batman.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Dick accuses Barbara of this when it comes to getting close to Catwoman.
  • Container Maze: Nightwing and Catwoman deduce that Enrique's latest shipment of smuggled goods is coming in via cargo ship, and end up in one of these as they try to find the evidence.
  • Dating Catwoman: Played with. Despite Dick's team up with Selina turning out to be a part of the plan he and Bruce concocted, there's nothing to suggest the signs of attraction he showed towards her were ever insincere. Fact is he behaves like a frazzled school boy with a crush around Selina at times, especially when she suggests "turning up the heat."
  • Forceful Kiss: After Catwoman offers to split the money she'll make from the Cat's Eye emerald with Nightwing and travel anywhere in the world with him, she surprises him by suddenly leaning forward and locking lips with him. It only lasts for a few moments before Nightwing pushes her off him.
  • Hypocrite: Catwoman lectures Batman about his trust issues, saying that's why their relationship never worked out. She conveniently omits that it was her own actions in "Catwalk" and Gotham Adventures #4 that put a permanent dent in Batman's trust of her. There's also the fact that she never even reformed here and was just trying to play Nightwing to pull off a theft.
  • I Know You Know I Know: Dick and Bruce have a scene like this on a rooftop as part of their con.
  • Insult of Endearment: After Nightwing says how Catwoman "played [him] for a sap", Catwoman cozies up to him and says "but such a sweet sap".
  • Kid Hero All Grown-Up: Selina observes that Nightwing is a "Big Boy Wonder" now.
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Selina tries to give all of her pets attention, but as she says, there's just one of her and a few of them.
  • Kiss Diss: After Catwoman reveals how she used Nightwing to obtain the Cat's Eye emerald, she still flirts with him and offers to split the money with him and travel anywhere in the world together, before forcing a surprise kiss on him. However, Nightwing forces her off him and refuses her offer.
  • Likes Older Women: Selina being roughly around the same age as Bruce doesn't impede Dick from being drawn to her or getting flustered when she tries cozying up to him at one point.
  • Moral Myopia: When Catwoman reveals that she was using Nightwing to find the emerald she stole, she continues to flirt with him, offering to split it with him and springing a surprise kiss on him. Shortly afterwards though when it is revealed that Nightwing knew she was using him the whole time and he was working with Batman and Batgirl to find the emerald, she is outraged that he set her up.
  • Mrs. Robinson: Selina is very appreciative of the tall, fit young man Dick's grown into.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Catwoman acts very clingy with Nightwing while flirting with him, constantly trying to cuddle up to him, wrapping her whip around his neck to pull him close to her, and even forcing a surprise kiss on him.
  • Obviously Evil: Enrique El Gancho. He's bald, has a scar and a Hook Hand.
  • Out-Gambitted: Catwoman partnered up with Nightwing so he could find the Cat's Eye emerald for her, which she had arranged to be hidden in Enrique's shipment. He and Batman fully expected this and played along so she could lead them to the emerald.
  • Reformed, but Rejected: Subverted. Catwoman claims to be this in order to manipulate Nightwing, but it's part of her con and the heroes knew it all along.
  • Ship Tease: After wistfully looking at a photo of the two of them, Barbara reminds Dick that there's room for two on his motorcycle.
  • Shout-Out: A list of ships includes Andrea Doria, SS Minnow, HMS Bounty, and Poseidon.
  • Woman Scorned: Similar to how she previously did with Batman, when Nightwing rejects Catwoman's advancements on him, even pushing her off him while she is kissing him, she acts sad for a moment before suddenly attacking him. After trapping him under a heavy net she says she really did like him.

Top