Junior

Junior is the first episode of the second season of NBC's The Batman. It first aired on November 16, 2009. It is the fourteenth episode overall.

​Plot
Bruce watches the news as it discusses the five villains who have rampaged through Gotham without getting caught for the past eight months. Alfred walks up and wonders when Dick will return from vacation. Bruce recaps what has happened after he was shot in the crime war then he was shot and almost killed by the Joker five days later he went on vacation where he has been living with his uncle in Los Angeles where he has been going to school and not being Robin.

In Arkham Asylum, Hall E is filled with seven supervillains who were created and arrested in the past eight months. Poison Ivy, Killer Moth, Man-Bat, Clayface, and Mad Hatter are in the cells while there are two isolated chambers at the end of the hall labeled, "Croc, Killer" and "Fries, Victor". Ivy gets angry when Killer Moth calls her useless and her plant-like abilities stretch so far she opens the cells, including the chambers. The seven supervillains bust out of Arkham by combining their powers.

Gordon, Montoya, and Allen investigate Arkham's breakout while Smallville detective is also there. Gordon asks Detective Maggie Sawyer what she is doing here and she responds by telling him that she is transferring to the GCPD.

In their Coast City apartment, Barbara Kean is only allowed to exit the apartment for groceries and James puts a shock collar on her when she leaves for if she tries to escape. Barbara gets a call from Jim but James declines it. He has kept her like this for eight months.

In their base, Joker tells Penguin and Riddler that there are seven new rivals in town and the three of them need to come out on top. It is revealed that after Selina's death, Harley and Two-Face left the team to rampage over Gotham while having a relationship.

Ivy meets up with Harley at her and Two-Face's apartment. Ivy interrupts a loud banging in their and Harley opens and is surprised to see her and they hug. Two-Face, without a shirt, frowns.

Killer Moth, out of costume, walks into a museum. The curator reunites with him as Killer Moth, Cameron van Cleer, gets his job as museum gift shop owner. Mr. Freeze visits a grave marked "Nora Fries" and drops off roses, her favorite flower according to Mr. Freeze.

At Arkham, Gordon, Sawyer, Allen, and Montoya walk in and question the staff including Nurse Leslie Thompkins who takes an interest in Gordon but he tells her he is in a relationship. Man-Bat, Kirk Langston, gets his job at Wayne Enterprises back with a demotion, he is no longer head scientist in the science division. Killer Croc attacks Arkham and almost kills Leslie but Gordon saves her.

At the GCPD, Gordon talks to Montoya about how Barbara hasn't answered any of texts or calls since she moved to Coast City. Montoya tells him she probably just doesn't want to talk to him but Gordon thinks not and droves to Coast City to find her. He knocks on her apartment door but no one answers. James Jr. looks through the peephole and gets a knife. Gordon starts talking and James Jr. has Barbara answer. After a long talk Barbara warns Gordon about James and Gordon comes busting in and stops his son.

The new villains in town have all split up now. Ivy is with Harley and Two-Face. Killer Croc is solo. Killer Moth plans to destroy the museum. Mr. Freeze is with Riddler, Two-Face, and the Joker. Mad Hatter tries to go back to his normal life. Clayface shape-shifts in Bullock as he prepares to join the GCPD and destroy from the inside. Man-Bat tries to make a serum to cure his daughter's cancer.

​Starring

 * Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
 * Alexander Gould as Dick Grayson/Robin
 * Sarah Hyland as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl
 * Zen Gesner as James Gordon
 * Dina Meyer as Barbara Kean
 * Diana Muldaur as Leslie Thompkins
 * Nathan Gamble as James Gordon Jr.
 * Jared Leto as the Joker
 * Brian McManamon as Basil Karlo/Clayface
 * Maggie Geha as Pamela Isely/Poison Ivy
 * Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin
 * Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma/Riddler
 * Zabryna Guevera as Sarah Essen
 * Floriana Lima as Maggie Sawyer
 * Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya
 * Andrew Stewart-Jones as Chris Allen
 * Benedict Samuel as Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc
 * Marc Singer as Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat
 * John Doman as Carmine Falcone
 * Nicholas D'Agosto as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
 * David Zayas as Sal Maroni
 * Thomas Haden Church as Cameron van Cleer/Killer Moth
 * Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
 * Nathan Darrow as Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze

​Trivia

 * This episode achieved 13.12 million U.S. live viewers.
 * Alexander Gould, Sarah Hyland, Zabryna Guevera, John Doman, and David Zayas do not appear in this episode as Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Sarah Essen, Carmine Falcone, and Sal Maroni.
 * This episode received generally positive reviews. It scored a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 65 out of 100 on Metacritic.