Batman: Caped Crusader (2024) s01e02 Episode Script

[ominous music plays]
[Yvonne]
I had a lovely evening. Good night.
[gasps]
[theme music plays]
[Bruce] Maybe I could just write a check.
[Montoya] For what?
We're here to talk about a missing woman,
- not a speeding ticket.
- Yes, and I'm trying to be helpful.
But I'd also like to keep my family name
out of the papers, if possible.
I thought a donation to the department
might ensure my involvement here
was kept private.
Or I could make a check out to you.
Miss Montoya?
It's Detective Montoya, Mr. Wayne.
And not everything
is for sale in this city.
I'm not interested
in dragging you through the mud.
I just want to find Yvonne Francis.
You were the last person to see her.
That's the only reason you're here.
Well, now I'm embarrassed.
Are you? Good.
So let's get back
to the night in question.
Your butler says you dropped
Miss Francis off at 11.
10:52.
Hm. Most people can't do that.
Remember an exact time like that?
Yvonne was starting
a new movie the next morning.
She had an early call time,
so I was watching the clock.
- [door opens]
- Don't say anything else.
Ah. There you are.
This is Lucius Fox, my lawyer.
Mr. Wayne is assisting
in a missing persons case, Mr. Fox.
Not anymore, he isn't.
Get your things, Bruce.
Mr. Wayne isn't a suspect.
[Lucius] And yet you dragged him down here
instead of interviewing him at his estate.
I wasn't aware having an estate
got you preferential treatment.
You're funny.
Any further questions will go through me.
Nice meeting you, Detective.
Yeah, I'll bet.
[radio static]
[Alfred] It seems to me, sir,
that you might be better served
pursuing your own investigation.
Detective Montoya's police work is sharp.
She got angry when I offered her a bribe.
Your point, sir?
If she's honest, intelligent,
and incorruptible, she could be an asset.
And, of course, this will help us locate
Miss Francis that much sooner.
Yes, that too.
[Montoya on radio] frustrating.
I really thought I was getting somewhere
before the attorney got here.
But the butler alibis him, and honestly,
I don't see Wayne as a suspect.
Need a crime to have a suspect.
We have a missing person.
A very famous missing person, but still.
That's my point.
Not a sign of Frances. Not a word.
Nothing for two days now.
Something's wrong here, boss.
I can feel it.
So what's your next move?
[Montoya] I'm going to the movies.
Detective Montoya.
I'm wondering if you could answer a few
questions about Yvonne Francis, Mr. Karlo.
Yvonne? I'd be happy to.
Please come in.
- Is there any news?
- I'm afraid not.
- How well do you know her?
- Well enough, I suppose.
We've been in half a dozen
features together.
Normally, I play the heavy who comes
leering after her damsel in distress.
[chuckles]
I may have caught a few of those.
We all have our parts to play.
This new film would have been
the first time I'd seen her in months.
Mr. Karlo, if there's something
you think will help me find her?
Just rumors that she was running
with the wrong crowd,
that she was becoming, well, troubled.
When you say the wrong crowd?
They were rumors. I didn't heed them.
Perhaps I should have.
In any case, I'm afraid I have a meeting
with Edmund Haynes.
He's my director on the new film.
I can't keep him waiting.
Sure. I appreciate your time.
[woman] And this one was last Tuesday.
There's Miss Frances.
- The dress is an Edith Head.
- It's very nice. Who?
- You said this was Tuesday?
- That's right.
"I haven't seen her in months," huh?
Would you be a doll and tell me
where Basil Karlo's meeting your boss?
Let me see. Huh!
Mr. Haynes doesn't have anything scheduled
with Mr. Karlo today.
[chair spinning]
[suspenseful music plays]
I'm looking for Basil Karlo.
Is he still on the lot?
No, Mr. Karlo left about an hour ago.
I need his home address.
[vehicle approaching]
- [man screams]
- [body thuds]
[tense music plays]
Operator? Police. Badge 742.
Central Dispatch, I need a radio car
and an ambulance.
2462 Slade Terrace, apartment 3G.
[suspenseful music plays]
[whipping sound]
- [gasps]
- [grunting]
[dramatic music plays]
[moans]
Uh where?
[Ellman] Relax, Miss Frances.
Mustn't ruin your makeup.
What is this? What are you doing?
Try to stay calm. You're going to need
that energy for your big scene.
Wait, wait! Come back here!
Help! Oh, someone, help me!
[lights clank]
[music intensifies]
I screwed up.
I was so sure Karlo was a suspect.
- Turns out he was a victim.
- Karlo lied.
Find out why, you'll know who killed him
and maybe locate Miss Francis, too.
If it's not too late.
Don't be so hard on yourself, Renee.
You took a big risk making me a detective.
I've let you down.
Not yet, you haven't.
- So I offered him double or nothing.
- [all laugh]
Detective Montoya, good morning.
Mr. District Attorney.
How's the Yvonne Frances case coming?
Well, it's now part of the Basil Karlo
murder investigation,
so at the moment I'd say not very well.
Don't be so glum.
What this is now is high profile.
You give me an arrest
and I can put on a hell of a trial.
Make us both look good.
Will anyone do, or should I focus
on finding the actual murderer?
You're a pistol, Detective.
Case like this could do wonders
for my mayoral campaign.
Mr. Dent, I genuinely don't think I could
care less about your mayoral campaign.
A bit of friendly advice: start caring.
Because after Election Day,
you'll want to be on my good side, Renee.
Good luck with the crime fighting,
Gotham's finest.
- Oh, and you, too, Bullock. [laughs]
- [all laugh]
[Valentine] You know what I'm looking at
right now, Sidney?
I'm looking at thousands of dollars'
worth of mad scientist gizmos
that we rent from
that McFadden guy by the day,
just sitting here getting all dusty.
Now, if you don't want that overage
coming out of your pocket,
you're going to find me another screamer
to replace the Frances girl!
And you're gonna do it today!
What?!
Mr. Haynes was hoping to speak to you.
I can fit him in at 11.
We got a fright pic supposed to start,
that, as of now, stars a missing girl
and a dead guy.
What does he want?
I suspect he wants to know
if he's still got a movie to direct.
[groans] Okay, fair enough.
Just set it up.
- [sighs]
- [man] Hm. [laughs]
[laughter continues]
What? What do you want?
- [lights clank]
- [groans]
[grunting, yells]
[groans]
No, don't!
- [electricity buzzing]
- [screaming]
[grunting]
[evil laughter]
[woman in film screams]
- Anything?
- While lovely to look at,
Miss Frances is no Gloria Swanson.
Anything useful?
- Regrettably, sir, no.
- [film stops]
- Anything useful?
- Some sort of silicate.
Peculiar.
Get the mercury vapor lamp.
- A monogram, perhaps.
- An abbreviation.
Monoscope Pictures Wardrobe.
Our killer has access to the studio.
[Montoya on receiver]
Detective Montoya, I'm expected.
Basil Karlo was one of the finest actors
it has been my privilege
to work with, Detective.
I'd go so far as to call him one of
the finest actors of our generation.
What a loss.
Did others share your opinion?
Everyone who worked with Basil
knew how good he was.
He was magnificent, incomparable.
But he didn't have the right look.
He didn't have the right face.
There was a story in the Gazette a couple
of months back about you and Miss Frances.
I wouldn't believe everything you read.
Yvonne's lovely, but
well, let's just say she's not my type.
Oh, Yvonne worked with Karlo
a half dozen times.
- The last one was Tower of Fear.
- Did he enjoy working with Miss Frances?
That's one way to put it.
He had it bad for her.
- All night long, lovey.
- [both laugh]
- Did she feel the same way?
- I don't think so.
But don't get me wrong,
she had enormous respect for Basil.
She felt he'd been cheated.
[Yvonne] It's terribly unfair.
With your talent, you should be
a leading man, Basil. If only
If only I didn't look like this.
Yes. You'd have been a star.
[Montoya]
That must have meant a lot to him.
Sure. But it also made him desperate
to do something about his looks.
The camera is kind to some,
cruel to others.
Its cruelty to Basil made him
ideal for certain parts.
- But not the parts he wanted.
- No.
Which is undoubtedly what drove him
to that lunatic conman, Jack Ellman.
Conman and lunatic?
That's quite a combination, Mr. Haynes.
One or the other, then.
He was a makeup artist at the studio.
Worked with Basil a few times.
Better than that, the treatment
will remake your career, Basil.
I just need some time and some more money.
Anything, Jack. I need a miracle.
- What was this treatment?
- I doubt there ever was one, Detective.
Last I saw,
Karlo lost his patience with Ellman.
Either give me my money back
or give me results.
You're as stupid as you are ugly!
You can't rush something like this!
You're nothing but a fraud! [grunts]
That's it, Ellman! You're fired!
Security had Ellman off the lot
within minutes.
- [Montoya on receiver] And when was this?
- [Haynes] Must have been two months back.
[Haynes] No, no, no!
Away from the camera!
Turn away from the camera!
[man] But I thought
No. You're not a thinker.
You're an actor.
Your job is to act the way I direct!
Me, the director!
- [scoffs] We are on a break.
- [bell rings]
I'll be in my office
reconsidering my career.
[eerie music plays]
- [gasps]
- [grunts]
- Run.
- [panting]
[suspenseful music plays]
[grunts]
[creaking]
[grunting]
- Pennyworth.
- [Pennyworth] Sir?
Give me two minutes, then call the police.
Monoscope Pictures beneath stage H.
I've found two bodies.
Lew Valentine
and the movie star Darryl Manning.
I'd say they've been dead at least a day.
Problem is, Detective Montoya
just interviewed Manning an hour ago.
This is Montoya. I'm in the east end,
847 Lark Avenue,
requesting additional backup
on suspect Ellman, Jack.
This is Flass. We're on the way.
[operator]
Dispatch confirms, backup en route.
- Nice night.
- Mm.
- Do we got any of those pickles left?
- Nope.
[dramatic music plays]
- Yes?
- Montoya. Police.
- You Jack Ellman?
- Yes. Yes, that's me.
I've got some questions for you
about Basil Karlo.
Has something happened to Basil?
Don't you read the papers?
Mr. Karlo was murdered last night.
I had no idea. I'm sorry.
Uh, please. We can talk inside.
This isn't Karlo.
It's a bit of a mess.
I don't get many visitors.
After I was fired,
I needed a place to continue my work.
The treatment you offered Karlo,
was that a part of your work?
Oh, you you heard about that?
It was experimental.
Sadly, Mr. Karlo wanted a miracle.
I'm curious, how did you find me?
I'm a detective, Mr. Ellman.
It's what I do.
You didn't make it easy,
if that's any consolation.
But some people like to
do things the hard way.
What about you? Hard or easy?
[shouts, grunts]
[gasps]
[grunts]
[haunting music plays]
[moans, gasps]
Karlo?
Very good, Detective.
It is I, Basil Karlo.
Your face
What did you do to your face?
Do you want the whole tale, Detective,
of all the years, all the parts
lost because of my face?
Of how Ellman promised he could fix it.
How he gave me a miracle instead.
They said I could have played
a thousand parts if not for my face.
But now I have a face that actually
could play a thousand parts.
I went to Yvonne to show her
that now things would be different.
That I could finally be the star
she'd seen in me.
[gasps]
Don't be alarmed, Yvonne.
It's me, Basil.
I'm yours, darling,
if you'll have me.
No, no! Get away from me.
[Basil] But she she rejected me.
[groaning]
- She refused to play her part.
- [gasping]
[growling]
Do you see now, Detective?
I've been given a gift to match my talent.
I can be anyone, fool everyone,
including you.
When I interviewed Manning, that was you.
[Basil] Oh, yes, it was. And you had no clue.
Just as you had no clue
the Basil Karlo you found
with a knife in his back was Jack Ellman.
I used his own serum on him
before I killed him.
So what is it? Everything you've done,
it's all about revenge?
At first. It is a fine motivation
for any actor, you must admit.
I find I am growing into the role.
Meaning you've gotten a taste for murder?
I have. And I'm not finished yet.
[Yvonne groaning]
[Basil] One man in his time plays
many parts, the Bard said.
I have finally found my last role.
It's ironic that it took me losing
my career and my love to see it.
But after a lifetime of playing the heavy,
the thug, the brute, the scoundrel,
I have realized
it was perfect casting all along.
Villain is the part I was born to play.
[Yvonne] Oh, for the love of Pete.
I don't believe you.
What? I killed Ellman and Valentine.
- I killed
- I don't believe your performance.
You're chewing on scenery,
relying on makeup effects
to enhance weak characterization.
It's insincere, Basil. It's not real.
Not real?
I'll show you real!
[glass shatters]
[suspenseful music plays]
[grunting]
Not to be a primadonna
- but faster would be good.
- Working on it.
[suspenseful music continues]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[gasps]
Um, I really don't want to die here.
[creaking]
[grunting]
[shouts]
[shouting]
[grunting]
[groans, sighs]
- [gun cocks]
- [Montoya] Don't move.
I don't want to shoot you,
but I absolutely will.
[pounding on door]
Police! Everyone, freeze!
- Oh, now you show up?
- [crashing]
[Montoya] Damn it!
- You saw that?
- Boy, oh, boy, did I see that.
Did the bat just solve
the case for you, girlie?
No. You just let the bat escape.
Allow me, Miss Frances. [chuckles]
Thank you, but I've had enough horror
in the past few days.
[Montoya on speaker]
I know you're still listening.
We're not done, you and me.
[dramatic music plays]