A Fistful of Felt

"**A Fistful of Felt"** is the third episode of the third season of *The Batman* and the twenty-ninth episode overall.

## "A Fistful of Felt"

### Episode

3 (production order)4 (airing order)
29 (overall)

## Synopsis

After he is captured once again, Arnold Wesker is released from Arkham when Dr. Hugo Strange "cures" him by removing Scarface from him, allowing the former criminal to use his ventriloquism to start a new career as a children's entertainer. Batman is initially suspicious of this, but gives Arnold the benefit of the doubt, unaware that Strange plans to reunite him with his former puppet, which soon brings trouble.

## Plot

One dark night at the Gotham City Mint, the evil puppet Scarface and his Ventriloquist stand over a money print. Scarface laughs, saying that, since Wesker wanted to make money so bad, now they can make however much they want. The Ventrioquist, a more honest man, suggests that he and his puppet make money by actually working. Scarface slaps Wesker and tells him to pick up the prints.

As the man and his dummy walk out of the mint's safe, Batman descends from the ceiling. Scarface is not ready to just hand over his ticket of fortune, so the dummy pulls out a chainsaw. Scarface lunges towards Batman, dragging Wesker with him, while the hero defends himself using a Batarang.

Outsmarting the Bat, Scarface cuts through a beam with his chainsaw. The beam gives out bags of coins falling onto the hero. Batman falls onto a conveyor belt, unable to get up because of all the weight that is on him. Scarface turns on the belt which leads to a penny press. Batman will be squished and can't do anything about it!

Luckily, Batman thinks quickly. Noticing a large penny sculpture hanging from the ceiling, the Bat activates a gadget in his utility belt that locks onto the rope holding the penny up. The gadget cuts the rope, shooting a remote controlled blade at it, forcing the penny to drop. The penny's weight throws the conveyor belt and Batman. The hero dusts himself off.

Scarface is not done yet. The puppet pulls out a flamethrower and blasts it towards Batman. However, The Dark Knight leaps behind the giant penny, giving him a temporary refuge. Batman then pushes the penny towards the villains, forcing Scarface and the Ventriloquist to finally flee. They cannot escape the giant penny, though, and the coin falls ontop of them. Batman has beaten them.

At Arkham Asylum, Dr. Strange is counseling a group of inmates such as Joker and Penguin. Wesker and Scarface are among the group. He asks the inmates to have a one on one with the incent voices within. Joker says his mind does not talk. Scarface, begins to talk, but the puppet is interrupted by the Penguin who asks if Wesker is too old to play with dolls. Scarface threatens the Penguin and the Ventriloquist for apologizing. Dr. Strange is very interested in Arnold Wesker now.

Being escorted back to their cells, Strange stops Wesker's guard so that the doctor can talk to the patient. Strange suggests the Ventriloquist take a certain program to help his "problem." Wesker almost immediately agrees, wishing to be a normal citizen. Scarface, of course, shoots down the idea. Strange, interjects, saying the program is not intended for *both* of them. The orderlies confiscate Scarface from Wesker who begs for his puppet back. Strange stops the Ventriloquist and says there is someone he wants Wesker to meet.

The next day next to the abandoned cannery on Alden Street , during a speech announcing the new children's museum, Mayor Grange giving the speech introduces Bruce Wayne, who arrives by sky diving from his private jet. Wayne says that, unlike him, money does not fall from the sky. That's why Wayne Indutries is donating all the money needed to build the new children's museum, the Discover Drome. Wayne pulls out a detonator in his jacket and pushes it. An explosion erupts inside the old fish cannery. The ground is now broken for the new museum!

Much time passes. The museum is already completed. Back in Arkham Asylum, Dr. Strange congratulates Arnold Wesker. He is now free and completely rehabilitated. Wesker looks at his left hand and how Scarface is no longer on it. Wesker bursts into tears and thanks Hugo Strange for his work. Batman watches from ontop of a building, watching the newly released Wesker. The Dark Knight is skeptical.

Batman watches Wesker, telling Alfred that he heard Wesker talking about a "job" before he was released from Arkham. The newly reformed man walks into a rich building. Batman is very suspicious. The hero asks himself if Wesker would be able to pull off a scheme without Scarface. Wesker, behind a curtain but still rather visible, sets his briefcase down and pulls out a puppet. Batman springs into action, launching his Batrope.

Batman busts through the window. However, Wesker isn't doing anything evil. He doesn't even have Scarface. He's holding a funny, orange monster puppet. Wesker is a children's party act, and his puppet's name is Mr. Snoots. Snoots talks with a bubbly voice, nothing like Scarface. The new puppet asks Batman for his favorite color, but Batman, disappointed with his mistake, does not answer.

At Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne watches a documentary on Arnold Wesker's past and how he used to voice characters on an old television show, *Cockamamie Junction.* It also details Wesker's ascension into insanity and his recent rehabilitation. Wayne turns off the TV.

Wayne is not positive Wesker is completely rehabilitated. It seems strange. Wayne decides to talk to Hugo Strange to talk about the Ventriloquist's therapy.

In Strange's office, Wayne talks to the man about having Wesker perform at his gala later. But, Wayne is unsure of the Ventriloquist's sanity. Strange swears that Arnold Wesker is cured, and Wayne eventually believes him. As the billionaire leaves the room, Strange pulls Scarface out of his desk and suggests an evil plot.

After Wayne tells Wesker about the good news, the puppeteer returns to his apartment with multiple bags of groceries. He congratulates his puppet, Mr. Snoots, for such a good job. But Snoots is nowhere to be seen. Once opening up the refrigerator, Wesker finds Mr. Snoots on the shell, missing one of his eyes.

Wesker, frustrated that his puppet had been attacked, turns around to find Scarface sitting in a chair. The evil puppet welcomes his old puppeteer. Wesker yells at Scarface, saying for once he was happy. Scarface quickly puts the Ventriloquist in his place, and the two become an evil pair once again.

At the grand opening of the new museum, Alfred warns Wayne about the Batsignal in the sky. Wayne leaves the party temporarily to find out the problem.

As the billionaire walks away, Wesker arrives with Scarface, dressed to look like Mr. Snoots, and his two henchmen, Mugsy and Rhino.

On the building adjacent from the museum, Batman takes a call from the Commisioner. There was an anonymous tip that Wesker had turned evil again.

In the museum, Scarface orders his henchmen to release their onion gas balloons. While everyone is dazed from the gas, besides the villains because of their gas masks, Scarface tells his men to loot all of the museum's valuables. Before they get a chance to take much, Batman arrives and begins to fight.

Mugsy and Rhino are easily beaten. Scarface, again uses his flamethrower in an attempt to kill the Bat. Batman is distracted long enough for the henchmen to throw the wooly mammoth skeleton on top of him. When the hero busts his way out of the bones, the villains have escaped.

At the old Zeigler Studios building, Scarface and his men talk about their next move on the set of Wesker's old television show. Scarface says *someone* double crossed them. The puppet ulimately assumes it was Wesker, who swears it wasn't him. The henchmen look at each other,confused.

In Wesker's Apartment, Batman hops through the window to investigate. After searching his apartment, The Dark Knight realises Wesker's location.

Back at the old studio, Scarface finishes tying Wesker up to the train tracks. Scarface orders the henchmen to activate the train, Choo-Choo Chucky. Suddenly, a cartoony robotic train rides along the tracks approaching the Ventriloquist.

Batman jumps through the set and begins to fight the henchmen again. Batman stops the train, but due to the fight they destroy the lever, activating the train again. Batman tries to talk to Wesker, telling him that Scarface doesn't control him. Batman shows Scarface the real rat: Mr. Snoots!

Throwing the other puppet to Wesker, Scarface and Snoots "fight" each other until Wesker frees himself. The train, about to hit him, approaches laughing. Batman swings in and saves Wesker, but the Ventriloquist couldn't hold onto Snoots or Scarface. Both of them are crushed and killed by the train. Wesker cries for his lost puppets, saying that "[he] was the most special guy in the whole wide wonderful world". Batman says that if he is referring to Snoots, there may be hope for Wesker yet.

As Mugsy and Rhino are arrested, Batman talks to Hugo Strange, who is at the scene of the crime. Batman accuses Strange of planting Scarface in Wesker's apartment. Strange admits that he did, but only to test to his therapy. Batman looks at Strange disapprovingly before leaving, saying that he will be watching him from now on.

## Cast/Characters

* Rino Romano as Bruce Wayne/The Batman
* Alastair Duncan as Alfred Pennyworth
* Dan Castellaneta as The Ventriloquist/Scarface/Mr. Snoots
* John DiMaggio as Rhino and Mugsy
* Frank Gorshin as Hugo Strange
* Tom Kenny as The Penguin
* Kevin Michael Richardson as The Joker
* Adam West as Mayor Marion Grange
* James Gordon (phone call)
* Carly (cameo)

## Events

- Character debuts:

* Mr. Snoots

- Wesker's origins are shown.

- Scarface is rebuilt after the events of *The Big Dummy*. However, he gets destroyed once again here.

- Mr. Snoots is destroyed.

## Trivia

* In the opening fight, Batman uses a saw to cut a giant penny from the ceiling. This penny is a homage to the penny seen in the Batcave in the comic books and in the Batman animated shows.
* The title references *A Fistful of Dollars.*
* This is the first episode in the series since introducing Batgirl to have her absent, as well as the first episode in season 3.
* When Wesker gets tied up, a careful observer can see little of what his eyes are like behind the glasses.
* Despite not being featured in the episode,Batman mentions using the Batwave offscreen.
* This episode has similarities to the *The New Batman Adventures* episode *Double Talk.*
* The scene where Scarface leaves Mr. Snoots in a refrigerator could be an allegory to fridging.