What actor could have successfully filled in for Burgess Meredith as the Penguin or Cesar Romero as the Joker? The answer - of course - is NO ONE. The same was true for Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. The unique characterizations these three actors created for their roles were already iconic in their time, let alone decades later thanks to endless syndication.
On paper, I don't think the producers could have come up with a better option than John Astin. Lord knows, Astin proved his adept skill as an multi-dimensional oddball as patriarch Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family", and deft at playing camp. It's a damned shame that Astin didn't get to play his own original villain instead of hopelessly trying to fill another actor's shoes. He tries his utmost best here but it is sadly doomed from the start. The best captain on the seas cannot save a ship destined to sink.
The writing and execution of this episode didn't do Astin any favors either. As a previous reviewer highlighted, the writers reel in confusion after having re-worked a previous Gorshin/Riddler-planned script for Maurice Evans' dismal Puzzler. They make puzzles and riddles interchangeable. Furthermore, the gimmicky underwater bank vault heist is ridiculous, and the often fun villain's "moll" role is underwritten and flat.
So, may we forevermore release the good sport Astin from all blame and lay it squarely where it belongs?
On paper, I don't think the producers could have come up with a better option than John Astin. Lord knows, Astin proved his adept skill as an multi-dimensional oddball as patriarch Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family", and deft at playing camp. It's a damned shame that Astin didn't get to play his own original villain instead of hopelessly trying to fill another actor's shoes. He tries his utmost best here but it is sadly doomed from the start. The best captain on the seas cannot save a ship destined to sink.
The writing and execution of this episode didn't do Astin any favors either. As a previous reviewer highlighted, the writers reel in confusion after having re-worked a previous Gorshin/Riddler-planned script for Maurice Evans' dismal Puzzler. They make puzzles and riddles interchangeable. Furthermore, the gimmicky underwater bank vault heist is ridiculous, and the often fun villain's "moll" role is underwritten and flat.
So, may we forevermore release the good sport Astin from all blame and lay it squarely where it belongs?