Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jan 2, 2016 | 1 comment

The kids are alright.

Maybe I should call this Batman ’66 Fortnight?

Holy Ocean’s Eleven!

Every day until 1/12 — the 50th anniversary of Batman’s TV debut — we’re counting down our Top 13 episodes. For more info on our latest Batman ’66 celebration, click here.

And bring on those comments — either here or in whichever social-media thread you found this. We want to hear your thoughts!

In case you missed them:

13. True or False Face/Holy Rat Race (click here!)

12. Green Ice/Deep Freeze (click here!)

Now to No. 11 …

The Wail of the Siren is, overall, the best episode of the third season (though it’s not the highest on this list. I’ll explain later this week). Joan Collins’ Siren would have made a great comic-book villain, a de facto Poison Ivy with a sinister sonic spell.

But the real treat is the Robin-Batgirl team-up. This is a formula they could have followed to give the characters — and actors — more space in the 30-minute-episode third season: Pair up Batgirl and Robin or Batman and Batgirl or even just Batman and Robin again, with the Terrific Trio saved for multipart episodes. With Bruce Wayne in Siren’s thrall, the junior partners have to be resourceful on their own — and it works really well.

As a comic-book reader, the episode (along with a ’60s standalone tale in Detective Comics) presages the Bronze Age Robin and Batgirl team-ups in Batman Family. That team-up was so successful, DC ended up retconning Barbara Gordon to be closer to Dick Grayson’s age and they’ve become the great star-crossed lovers of the Batuniverse (other than that Bat and Cat).

But back to the show. The two best parts are when we find out that Bruce Wayne keeps a safe behind a painting of … a safe (which you can own by the way).

That’s Mark Waid with his.

And the rooftop fight scene is one of the best in the show’s history. Great choreography and drama.

Man, I love any night scene on this show.

NEXT: No. 10. Holy Cat Scratch Fever!