"The Cat And The Claw" brings in Catwoman for the first time. Clad in a gray and black outfit with a cat for a sidekick named Isis, Catwoman (voiced by Adrienne Barbeau) has never looked better. This episode is the very first meeting between Batman and Catwoman, and the sparks fly from the moment they launch into their first exhilarating chase across the rooftops of Gotham City. Selina Kyle is a wealthy philanthropist (apparently the cat burglar business is going very well) who secures land for wildlife preserves, especially for mountain lions. But when she is muscled out of land from a corporation known as Multigon, she decides to see for herself--as Catwoman--why this company wants a piece of worthless land so badly. She uncovers a plot between Mulitgon and an international terrorist named The Red Claw (who is voiced by Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway on Voyager), who turns out to be a crimson-clad female assassin who can give even Batman a run for his money. Seizing a vial that contains a deadly virus, The Red Claw plans to use it to blackmail Gotham City, but not before she gives Batman and Catwoman a deadly whiff of the lethal contagion.

"The Cat And The Claw" is a fun two-parter that serves as a great introduction for Catwoman. She is easily established as a major player within Batman's world. What's amazing is how the writers and animators are able to convey the attraction that Batman and Catwoman feel for one another in the subtlest of ways. They lead such similar lives--right down to the fact that Selina has her own "Alfred" in the form of a young woman named Maven--that it's clear that Batman and Catwoman were obviously made for each other from the start. Selina is the rare person who can cause a crack to form in Batman's stoic façade; for he truly regrets having to bring this woman, the only love of his life, to justice. Being on the opposite side of the law can really put a crimp in a relationship.