• Airdate: September 5, 1992
• Director: Kevin Altieri
• Writers: Jules Dennis & Richard Mueller

     Catwoman sneaks into an apartment using her cat, Isis, to see and slip past the security lasers, and steals a necklace. Batman is watching and follows in pursuit, the two having a playful, banter-filled chase, with Catwoman eventually able to get away. Later, Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s most eligible bachelor, is auctioned off for a date at a charity for animal preservation. The bid ends when Selina Kyle puts up ten thousand dollars, with Bruce being smitten but Selina saying it’s simply for the animals, though Bruce is able to talk her into lunch. Noticing a police chase, Bruce changes into Batman and stops the robbery involved. Gordon tells Batman about Red Claw, a terrorist group, in Gotham City.
        As Bruce arrives for his date with Selina, her lawyer calls and says a deal she is interested in has been called off. Angry, she calls off the date but Bruce calls and sets one up himself using his connections. At the meeting, Selina is told an animal preservation area is being used for a new building location. Once Wayne and Kyle leave, Mr. Stern, the man behind it, speaks to a woman, who is Red Claw, and she orders Selina to be followed.
        Batman interrogates a mob boss on Red Claw information as Catwoman sneak into Multigon looking for information herself. Red Claw emerges and demands her men to kill her, but she is able to escape. As she makes her way to a ledge, Red Claw shoots it and Catwoman plummets before being saved by Batman. She is able to get away from him and disappears, returning home. She tells her assistant, Maven, about what she found out and says she will be able to save the mountain lions in the animal preservation, but she is watched by a Red Claw thug as she unmasks.

        Catwoman was subject to quite a few episodes revolving around saving animals the way Poison Ivy was subject to saving plants and trees, and her introduction episode is no different. I wrote during On Leather Wings that, considering that was the first episode in production, I wondered what Batman’s introduction would be like in the actual first episode to air. Well, here we are, as The Cat and the Claw part I was that very episode. How is the introduction to the iconic character? Great, actually.
        I bring this up because it also holds the best part of the episode(s) as well. Batman and Catwoman’s chemistry is written incredibly well right from the beginning, and their opening chase across the rooftops is the highlight here, wonderfully animated, staged and written to be playful in just the right way between the two. Any interaction that is given us, not just between these two, but out of costume too is fantastic; from Bruce impressing Selina with his connections, the great image of Batman swinging in to save her, the midair kiss with Batman’s reaction, and even the line “thank you for saving my cat”. Not subtle at all? Yes, but so on the nose it’s kind of amazing. The episode is filled with great moments that showed the writers knew exactly how to handle their flirtatious ways.

        Honestly, a lot of the negative surrounding this episode is better saved for expanding upon in the second part, simply because there is more given to explain it properly. There are a few other bits of notes here, though.
        First of all; holy close-ups, Batman! There are a couple of close-ups here that come out of nowhere and seriously give quite a shock.
        There’s also a great moment where Gordon arrives at the scene of the crime and he walks off to the edge of a darkened alley, turning his back to it but still having a conversation with Batman, who he just knows will be there. It’s a small bit that works in showcasing how well these two already know each other.

        Is the episode good? Again, it’s kind of hard to get into here without touching on the negative that is more properly suited to exploring in part II. What I will say is that the plotline itself isn’t anything special, but the episode is worth watching just for the dynamic between our two main characters.