Staff Verification

Staff Verification is the eighteenth episode of the first season of The Joker Blogs. It was first uploaded on Youtube on July 3, 2010.

Characters

 * Katie Adducci as Summer Gleason
 * John Ford-Dunker as Jim Corrigan
 * Steve Gibbs as Lyle Bolton
 * Torrey Halverson as Jonathan Crane
 * Peder Lysne as Mike Engel
 * Scott McClure as Joker (archive footage)
 * Steven Molony as Dr. Jeremiah Arkham
 * John Rian as Harvey Bullock
 * Paul Vonasek as Dr. Hugo Strange
 * Julian Weinstein as Mac Rodello
 * Kira Westberg as Dr. Harleen Quinzel

Production Notes
DR. QUINZEL TO TREAT "JOKER" AT ARKHAM
 * The old news article on Dr. Harleen Quinzel reads as:

After a lengthy trial, it was decided last monday that the terrorist known as "The Joker" would be interred at Arkham Asylum Hospital for an evaluation under the supervision of Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, nephew of Amadeus Arkham. It was announced early this weekend that the newly appointed Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a former intern at Arkham, would be heading up the evaluation.

This has caused a [blocked text]

[continued after blocked text] some of the staff has stated there is a rumor floating around that the decision is just another example at the corruption of Gotham, hinting that some members of the board have been bribed.

"Only in Gotham," stated Vernon Fields, an attorney appointed by the state to head up the court's final decision as to whether the Joker will be placed at Blackgate Prison or remain at Arkham Asylum. "It's unimaginable that this would take place anywhere else. This monster deserves the death penalty, and certainly not his own room and nurse so that he can have this so-called treatment from a glo[blocked text]

[continued after blocked text] help bring relief to patients just like this and I will continue to do so. They'll see."

The court has appointed weekly meetings with D.A. Fields to evaluate the treatment and keep a close eye on its progress. But if Arkham's history is any indication, Gotham won't be at peace for quite some time.
 * Several interesting reports appear during the news coverage about the Wedding Day Massacre:
 * Arkham Asylum faces lawsuit charges from the Kopski family after the loss of their two sons.
 * GCN's Jack Ryder claims to have first hand account of "WDM." However he now claims that the video evidence was stolen.

Event Chronology

 * The events of "Staff Verification" occur after "Two Cops, A Clown, & A Police Department" and before "Home Sweet Home".

Episode Connections

 * The Joker gave himself up for arrest at the end of "Three Minutes To Midnight" and he was taken in by the Gotham City Police Department in "Two Cops, A Clown, & A Police Department".
 * The video still of the Joker firing his shotgun was from the shootout with police in "Three Minutes To Midnight".
 * The "Wedding Day Massacre" took place in "Shotgun Wedding".
 * Harleen continues "helping" the Joker in therapy until "Therapy Ends".
 * Jonathan Crane had a run-in with the Joker in "An Apple A Day".
 * Dr. Jeremiah Arkham was the Joker's hostage from "Car Trouble" and the subsequent episodes, "Let Sleeping Dogs Lyle", "Dinner With The Arkhams", "Road Trip", "Get Me To The Church On Time", and "Three Minutes to Midnight".
 * Dr. Hugo Strange previously worked in Arkham and was, for a brief time, the Joker's doctor in "Hypnotized". In the same episode, the Joker revealed Strange's address on-camera.
 * Thomas Elliot and Guy Kopski were shown to be close friends in "Shotgun Wedding".
 * Bruce Wayne's surgery is due to the gunshot injury he (as Batman) sustained in "Shotgun Wedding".
 * Mac Rodello was first mentioned in "Arkham Bound" by the Joker who stated he had a "friend" who was going to help him upload the therapy sessions to YouTube. Rodello's death occurred off-camera in "BRB".
 * The Joker kidnapped Lyle Bolton in "Let Sleeping Dogs Lyle" and forced him to film the Arkhams in "Dinner With The Arkhams" before making him go in the sewers in "Road Trip".
 * Andrea Beaumont learns in "Board Games" about who actually caused her parents' deaths.

Multimedia Connections

 * Several references to The Dark Knight:
 * Mike Engel, the host of Gotham Tonight For Gotham Cable News, appears
 * Behind the scenes footage as well as still photos from The Dark Knight showing Commissioner James Gordon in this episode. A still photo of Harvey Dent was also used.
 * Summer Gleason reporting on the alleged killing of Harvey Dent at the hands of the Batman.
 * Footage of Gotham General Hospital exploding (after the Joker blew it up).
 * Dr. Elliot says he is keeping things "Hush, hush". In the DC Comics universe, Elliot's other identity is as the supervillain Hush.
 * Several news reports that appear at the bottom during Gotham Tonight reference DC Comic characters or locations:
 * Park Row, infamous for being the location of where Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, was mentioned ("Park Row in Downtown Gotham will be opening its roads tomorrow following the demolition of the SRO Hotel").
 * Janice Porter, who succeeds Harvey Dent as District Attorney ("Newly appointed district attorney Janice Porter promises to follow in the footsteps of the deceased Harvey Dent"). Her DC Comics counterpart eventually stalks and has a relationship with Harvey before being killed by him.
 * Kurt Langstrom may be a reference to Dr. Kirk Langstrom, the scientist who developed a serum that gave him pseudo-vampiric qualities such as retractable fangs for drinking blood ("Gotham Science Lab, headed by Dr. Kurt Langstrom, will be revealing its proposal on Saturday for a new medical wonder drug.").
 * The passing of actor Simon Trent who in the DC Comics universe was best known for his portrayal of the vigilante the Gray Ghost. Matt Hagen was the former actor turned villain Clayface. ("Actor Simon Trent died last Tuesday of cardiac arrest in his home after attending the premiere of Imperial Pictures' "The Terror," the new Matt Hagen film. Simon Trent was 76.").
 * The Ice Berg Lounge which is a Gotham City nightclub run by Oswald Cobblepot ("The Ice Berg Lounge had to be evacuated and shut down following an incident involving gun fire after a ventriloquist act. Owner Oswald Cobblepot hopes to reopen doors in the next week").
 * The supercomputer H.A.R.D.A.C and creator Karl Rossum ("H.A.R.D.A.C owner Karl Rossum received over one million dollars in donations from Gotham Memorial Hospital to start research in robotic prosthetics.").
 * Catwoman who is known for stealing jewelry ("Another theft in a series of cat burglaries took place last night at the Falcone Estate where the Isis Diamond was stolen. Witnesses claim to have seen a costumed female culprit but it is unknown if it is at all connected with the Batman copycats.").
 * Temple Fugate, the Clock King ("Police were led to a stand-off Tuesday when 36 year old male Temple Fugate took hostages at gun point in a subway station. The suspect was reportedly screaming the word "time" before being taken down by police cadet Renee Montoya."). Renee Montoya, in the DC Comics universe, was a Gotham City police officer.
 * Jervis Tech, the Mad Hatter ("Scientist Jervis Tech was arrested yesterday on charges of indecent exposure after an incident involving children at the Wonderland theme park.").
 * Garfield Lynns, who later became the pyromaniac Firefly ("More arson related crimes in Midtown took another life yesterday. Garfield Lynns, a technican for the Gotham City Power Company, remained behind to check for survivors after the GCFD had the building evacuated. Authorities still have not located a body.").
 * Mark Mardon, who later became the supervillain Weather Wizard ("GCN bid farewell to meterorologist Mark Mardon and wishes him the best of luck in his move to clear and sunny Central City. Appropriately, in accordance with his departure, Gotham is experiencing record rainfall.").
 * Jean-Paul Valley, the Gotham University grad student who later embraces his identity as Azrael ("Gotham University grad student Jean-Paul Valley has WayneTech investors interested in his computer science project. Valley's work is said to revolutionize military-grade armor and weapon systems.").
 * Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a close friend of Bruce Wayne's father Thomas ("Dr. Leslie Thompkins will host the opening ceremonies of the rebuilt and newly renamed Gotham Memorial Hospital. She hopes the dedication of the Thomas Wayne Wing will "...Remind the city to believe in good.").
 * Ferris Boyle, the owner of GothCorps, and his employee Dr. Victor Fries who becomes Mr. Freeze ("GothCorp owner and socialite Ferris Boyle hires over 150 new employees including the reputable Dr. Victor Fries. Besides creating new jobs for Gotham, Boyle made bold claims this new team would be used to slow down the progression, if not cure cancer, in the next year.").
 * Dr. Jason Woodrue, also known as Floronic Man ("Several rare plants were stolen from the Gotham City Botanical Gardens. Dr. Jason Woodrue reported they went missing while security was distracted the night of "WDM."").
 * Gotham Organized Crime Syndicate in a state of chaos. The Falcone, Galante, Maroni, Odessa, Riley, and Sabatino Families are all vying for control. Roman Sionis stated in order to "Keep the freaks out of the family. They are going to fight fire with fire."
 * Several known mobsters and crime gangs in Gotham; the Italian Falcones, Galantes, Maronis, and Sabatinos, the Russian Odessas, and the Irish Rileys. Roman Sionis is a mafia boss who later adopted the identity of Black Mask. ("Gotham Organized Crime Syndicate in a state of chaos. The Falcone, Galante, Maroni, Odessa, Riley, and Sabatino Families are all vying for control. Roman Sionis stated in order to "Keep the freaks out of the family. They are going to fight fire with fire."").
 * The Riddler ("In a series of high-profile deaths of billionaires along with private detectives in Gotham City, new information says they may now be connected, due to a series of cryptic riddles found at each of the crime scenes. Each ending in the message: "Who is the Batman?"").
 * References to characters from Batman: The Animated Series:
 * Red Claw, who founded an international terrorist group ("In a failed terrorist plot, a group calling itself Red Claw hijacked a blimp and attempted to fly it into the Queen Industries headquarters in Star City. Apparently the group mistook the Orchid Hotel as their intended target and crashed into the wrong building. Both buildings were safely evacuated in time and all terrorists were killed.").
 * Carl Beaumont and his daughter Andrea Beaumont ("Philanthropist Carl Beaumont was struck down in the crossfire of what appeared to be a gang related incident. GCPD declined to comment whether it was a mob related hit. Beaumount is survived by one daughter, Andrea Beaumont, who has been rumored to be dating Bruce Wayne.").