Batman - Holiday Knights (Episode)

"Holiday Knights" is the premiere episode of . Despite being originally aired in September, this episode contains three Christmas-themed vignettes, all completely unrelated to one another. The first story stars of the following tale is about Batgirl's confrontation with Clayface
==Plot==
===December 24===
In Mayfield's Department Store, Barbara is just purchasing a new tie for her father when all of a sudden an ear-piercing wail cuts through the air. The shop attendant comments on how they've been crying all day, at which point we see why: Harvey Bullock is playing Santa. With his partner, Montoya, he's on a stakeout to catch a mysterious 'invisible shoplifter.' Bullock does not enjoy playing Santa, but shows rare sensitivity when he unexpectedly meets a young girl whose father he put in prison. Though he can't bring her father home, he gives her some cash to soothe her Christmastime woes, encouraging her to buy a gift for her father - "as long as it ain't a hacksaw."Barbara, walking through the store, happens to spot a child shoplifting, but when she tries to apprehend him, his clothes and hand seem to dissolve into nothing. Then, Montoya gets a call through her earpiece that detectives are in pursuit of four child bandits in the store. Just when the children seem to be trapped, they meld together into...Clayface. He begins tearing up the place and no one can stop him, that is until Barbara gets changed into her Batgirl outfit and delivers a blow to the head that sends him crashing out the window and into the skating rink below. Montoya and Bullock arrive on the scene and with a little guidance from Batgirl, succeed in halting the giant shapeshifter by way of electrocution. Bullock is ready to close the case and celebrate, but Montoya reminds him they still need to recover the stolen goods - hidden in Clayface's clay body. Bullock starts rolling up his sleeves for the grim job ahead.
==Continuity==
*Clayface's return in this episode is not explained until the subsequent episode "Growing Pains", in which Batman and Robin express shock to see him alive and well after Batman watched him dissolve in the ocean at the end of episode "Mudslide". As Batgirl does not seem surprised to see him, she may be unaware of the events of that earlier episode but more likely, this episode probably takes place after "Growing Pains".
==Background information==
===Home video releases===
*
*Batman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
*Batman: The Complete Animated Series (Blu-ray)
===Production notes===
*"The Harley and The Ivy" segment of this episode was originally animated closer to the comic, with Harley in much shorter underwear. "We actually had to go back and give them boxers," noted Dan Riba. "It was surprisingly only about 3 or 4 shots, but we had to retake 3 or 4 shots and somebody had to draw boxer shorts on top of their little, whatever they're wearing.""The Yellow Batsuit, Mask of the Phantasm, and More BATMAN SECRETS with Director DAN RIBA!" by Watchtower Database (July 19, 2020)
*Due to a request from WB for a Christmas themed episode"Batman: The Animated Series writer" by Animation Arena, this episode was adapted from The Batman Adventures Holiday Special, cover date January 1995. Notable differences include:
**The comic is still in the style of .
**The comic includes a story that was not adapted to the episode, "White Christmas", featuring Mr. Freeze and written by Glen Murakami. After the death of his wife, Freeze breaks out of Arkham. When Batman finally captures him at the cemetery, he tells him he only wanted to make a white Christmas, because she loved snow. According to Bruce Timm, he originally wanted to adapt this story for the episode, but was forced to drop the idea when he discovered that Nora Fries was revived at the end of the story of Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, written by Boyd Kirkland & Randy Rogel; as it was required to have Nora dead to adapt the original issue. Furthermore, in Timm's opinion, Nora was already dead since the episodes "Heart of Ice" and "Deep Freeze".Back Issue #99 by TwoMorrows Publishing - issuu
**In the comic, the story featuring Batgirl and Clayface (entitled "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas") precedes the story featuring Harley and Ivy ("The Harley and the Ivy").
===Production inconsistencies===
*The sign at the tie stall at Mayfield's reads "Mayfieds"; the "l" is missing.
*Batgirl, Montoya, and Bullock defeat Clayface by shorting a string of Christmas lights in the pond Clayface was standing in, thus electrocuting him. However, in "Feat of Clay" Batman discovers that electricity has no effect on Clayface, allowing Hagen to fake his death. A possible explanation is that the chemicals that revived Clayface after "Mudslide" (as later seen in "Growing Pains") also stripped him of this immunity as a weakness. Or possibly that enough volts of electricity can only simply incapacitate him.
===Trivia===
*As the pilot episode of a series associated with Kids' WB with less strict censors than FOX, "Holiday Knights" features slightly more violent content than it's predecessor Batman: The Animated Series. Examples of such a change include, but are not limited to:
*While the girls are shopping, the music being played is based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas".
*This marks the first appearance of Mo, Lar and Cur, though they lack their Stooge-like voices here.
*This also marks the last time in the DCAU—until the Justice League episode "Maid of Honor"—where Bruce Wayne speaks in a noticeably different tone than his alter-ego.
*Tara Strong replaced Melissa Gilbert as the voice of Batgirl, as the creative team wanted a different, younger sounding take for Batgirl."[Batman: The Animated Series 25th Anniversary Panel]
==Cast==
Actor 	Role
Kevin Conroy 	Batman/Bruce WayneCarol singer (uncredited)
Tara Charendoff	Batgirl/Barbara GordonSuitors (uncredited)
Mathew Valencia	Robin
Mark Hamill 	The Joker
Ron Perlman 	ClayfaceMo, Lar and Cur (uncredited)Carol singer (uncredited)
Arleen Sorkin 	Harley QuinnSuitors (uncredited)
Diane Pershing 	Poison IvySuitors (uncredited)
Bob Hastings 	Commissioner Gordon
Marilu Henner 	Veronica VreelandSuitors (uncredited)
Robert Costanzo	Detective BullockCarol singer (uncredited)
Liane Schirmer 	Detective Renee Montoya
Rachel Davey 	Mary McSweeney
Tress MacNeille	Little BoyDispatch (uncredited)Suitors (uncredited)
Corey Burton 	Uniformed CopSports commentator (uncredited)Joe (uncredited)
===Uncredited appearances===
*Bambi
*John Erickson
*Mike McSweeney 
==Quotes==
===Part II===
==References==
Category:A To Z
Category:Christmas Day Episodes
Category:Batman - The Animated Series episodes