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Mayhem of the Music Meister!
Season 1, Episode 24
Mayhem of the Music Meister!
Air date October 23, 2009
Written by Michael Jelenic
Directed by Ben Jones
Episode guide
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Summary

  • Teaser: A conductor (the Music Meister) and his orchestra introduce the episode in the manner of a real musical.
  • Main Plot: The Music Meister uses his power to control people with music to try to take over the world and it's up to Batman, Black Canary, Aquaman and Green Arrow to stop him.

Appearing in "Mayhem of the Music Meister!"

Appearing in "Mayhem of the Music Meister!"Edit TEASER Featured Characters:

The Music Meister (First appearance) MAIN EPISODE Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Villains:

Other Characters: Singing cameos

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis

A conductor (the Music Meister) and his orchestra introduce the episode in the manner of a real musical.

Batman is pitted against Music Meister, who is able to exert powerful mind control through song. He makes his debut when Black Manta, Gorilla Grodd, and the Clock King attempt to hijack a communications satellite, beating back the military personnel attempting to stop them. Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary arrive to stop the villains, but both sides find themselves singing uncontrollably, much to their annoyance. The Music Meister forces the heroes and villains to dance to his songs by putting them under his control. Once he accomplishes this, the Music Meister forces the six to help him hijack the satellite. Batman, meanwhile, studies the scene from his hovering Bat-Gyro, before realizing that the Music Meister is able to use the sound of his voice to turn people into his own zombified slaves. As a result, the Caped Crusader slips earplugs into his ears to render the Music Meister's powers useless against him. Having successfully completed his task, the Music Meister tells the villains and heroes under his control that he no longer has any use for them, forcing them to dance toward the satellite's rockets as it is about to be launched into space. While Batman saves the heroes and the villains from their impending doom, the Music Meister makes his escape. Batman tracks the musical villain to his hideout and finds him playing a pipe organ to an imaginary audience. The Music Meister then activates a smoke screen from the organ's pipes to cover his escape when Batman attempts to apprehend him. The Music Meister flees through Gotham City on a strange, motorized, cart shaped oddly like a musical note. He outlines his envies and spite for Batman in song as the Masked Manhunter pursues him across the city. Desperate, the Music Meister takes control of nearby citizens and orders them to attack Batman. While the citizens yank Batman off his Batrope and begin striking him, the Music Meister remarks it's good thing that Gotham has Arkham Asylum, because Batman really drives criminals "bats". He then takes control of the minds of the various inmates of Arkham Asylum, including the Joker, Two-Face, the Scarecrow, Calendar Man, Crazy Quilt, Mr. Freeze, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, King Tut, and Psycho-Pirate, forcing them to join him in his song. As Batman continues to chase the Music Meister across the city by swinging after him using his grappling gun, the Music Meister activates his motorized cart to fly short distances into the air to escape him. As he hovers by the bars of one of the prisoner rooms at the nearby penitentiary, the prisoners all sing along with his hypnotic voice. the Music Meister then uses an energy cane to fry the locks on the penitentiary doors, freeing all the convicts into the streets. Aquaman and Green Arrow attempt to stop the riot, but the sheer number of supervillains overwhelm them and they are caught under the Music Meister's spell, as well.

By now having taken control of most of Batman's enemies and allies alike, the Music Meister forces them all to sing his chorus, all at once. He turns the people of Gotham all against Batman. Even the police officers find themselves under Music Meister's mind-control and turn on Batman with the other citizens. Black Canary arrives to help Batman fight off the Music Meister's mind-controlled masses, but can't resist singing as well, even though she is not under the Music Meister' spell. As she watches Batman fight against overwhelming odds from a rooftop, she sings a love song while she fights off criminals trying to attack her. The Music Meister, meanwhile, falls in love with Black Canary and her voice, joining in the song with her. But Canary turns on him, telling him, "Our voices may be in tune, but you sir, don't make me swoon!" She then turns her attention to Batman, who is finally, inevitably, going down under the overwhelming odds. The Music Meister uses his energy cane to shock Black Canary into unconsciousness. He takes the duo back to his hideout, and arranges for them to be caught in the "ultimate" deathtrap. Batman and Black Canary are tied by several cables in the middle of a makeshift stage. As lasers and acid-shooting microphones home in on them, large blades shaped like guitars swing back and forth, barely missing their heads. To make matters worse, the walls begin closing in, and the floor shifts back to reveal a tank of acid underneath. Batman and Black Canary brace themselves against the walls over the acid while Canary sings a song of doom. While the heroes brave the crushing walls to avoid falling into the floor of acid below, a hidden timer bomb reveals itself, leaving the heroes with a countdown of fifteen minutes to escape. Batman struggles against his bonds and manages to free his utility belt Bat-laser to burn a hole in the floor of the tank of acid below them. As the acid is drained through the hole, Batman and Black Canary drop through it. The walls crunch together above them and detonate the bomb, destroying the Music Meister's hideout above them. As Batman lands on his feet and catches Canary, he asks her if her singing was really necessary. Batman and Black Canary arrive at Gotham square, where the Music Meister is about to implement the next step of his plan.

Batman and Black Canary attempt to apprehend him, only to have the villain broadcast his musical voice across Gotham City, taking control of almost the entire population and causing chaos. He sends Aquaman, Green Arrow, and others under his control out to attack Batman and Black Canary. As mass looting occurs across Gotham, the Music Meister takes it a step further: he uses the communications satellite to broadcast his hypnotic voice all over the world, placing countless others under his control. In STAR City, a bank robbery is in progress, only to have the robbers and the bank staff sing along with the Music Meister's songs. The armored policemen attempting to arrest the robbers join in looting the bank vaults along with innocent passerby. In Egypt, tourists and archeologists watching excavation of ancient tombs suddenly begin stealing the priceless artifacts. At Buckingham Palace in London, England, the queen's treasures are carried away by citizens and the even the guards join in the looting. In Moscow and on the Great Wall of China, tourists begin to helplessly sing along as well. Even in undersea Atlantis, the people of Aquaman's homeland come under the Music Meister's hypnosis. In Gotham City, Black Canary is overpowered and her earplugs removed, so she falls victim to the Music Meister's control. Batman then offers the Music Meister a challenge: He will only bend to the corrupt conductor's will if Canary can outsing him in a contest. While Canary attempts to sing at a higher and higher pitch, she releases her canary scream, which Batman amplifies using a microphone. The pitch is picked up by the Music Meister's communications satellite, which transmits it across the world, shaking the people under the Music Meister's control out of their hypnosis. Batman then pummels the Music Meister with his fist, defeating him. As the nearby citizens recover from the pitch, Batman reveals the only way he was able to match Black Canary's voice with his own was using a Bat-audio tuning amplifier from his utility belt. Batman turns to leave, spotting the Bat-Signal in the sky. As the Caped Crusader responds to it, Green Arrow is mesmerized by Black Canary's voice as she sings a song. The two confess their love for each other through song as the day ends, as their lips touched together as they kiss.

Songs

Trivia

  • The Music Meister was created for the series and was voiced by Neil Patrick Harris. Diedrich Bader, the usual voice actor for Batman, gets an assist from Jeff Bennett, who is credited as Batman's singing voice.
  • The episode is included on 'Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem DVD and Blu-Ray.
  • This is considered one of the greatest episodes of the series, with its presentation being compared to the 2001 episode "Once More, with Feeling," of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an episode that is also a musical in a show that is usually drama/comedy.
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