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Private Notes
"The Dark Knight's First Night" is the name given to the short two-minute pilot used by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski to show Fox executives what they were planning to do with Batman: The Animated Series.
During a conference of crime bosses held in a Gotham City skyscraper, gangster Chuckie Sol is killed by a mysterious cloaked figure shortly after Batman bursts in on the meeting. Batman is blamed for the death. Councilman Arthur Reeves tells the media that Batman is an irresponsible menace, then attends a party at the mansion of billionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego. Reeves jokingly taunts Bruce for his bad luck with women and for having allowed an old girlfriend, Andrea Beaumont, to get away.
Since his last encounter against Batman, Mr. Freeze has found a home in the Arctic and started a family (of sorts) with the still cryogenically-encased Nora, an Inuit boy named Kunac, and two pet polar bears, Notchka and Chokka. Freeze returns to Gotham City with his companions, and enlists the help of Dr. Gregory Belson to find a cure. Belson determines that Nora needs an organ transplant, but due to her rare blood type there are no suitable donors available.
A new hero has arrived in Gotham, but as the title suggests, her identity is a mystery—even to Batman. During patrol, the Dynamic Duo after spots her trying to stop one of Penguin's shipment on Gotham's interstate and apparently would use lethal force after seeing her using a plasma rifle sending Penguin's truck with its driver off the bridge. Batman and Robin saves the driver from falling to his death. Batman must figure out who Batwoman is and to stop familiar enemies Penguin and Rupert Thorne from selling illegal weapons to the fictional nation of Kasnia. At the beginning of the story, the two employ Carlton Duquesne, a gangster, to provide protection.
Catwoman steals some things from Bruce Wayne's mansion and tries to escape while Bruce (as Batman) chases her. This is a short film with no dialogue, released as a special feature on the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman DVD.
A Conversation with Director Producer Bruce Timm about the episode "On Leather Wings"
