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matt_zimmerSo long I am splitting it into three parts.
Gotham: The Complete First Season (Part 2)
Harvey Dent:
Those kids are amazing. I just about busted a gut at Bruce's reaction to Cat asking if he's ever kissed a girl and if he wanted to now. And then Alfred walks in! Worst. Wingman. EVER. I loved the scene of him and Selina throwing stuff at each other because it is literally the first time we've seen Bruce act like a kid. And even Alfred could appreciate the power of that moment. Selina's take that Bruce's training is dumb is provocative, because on some level, she's right. It's not like Bruce lives in a bad neighborhood. Being strong and ready to fight evil is not something a person in his situation would usually be called upon. What happened to his parents was a fluke. I love that idea because it's pointing out something about the Batman mythos that most people pretend isn't there. The idea of Bruce training to become and becoming Batman is stupid, insane, overly complicated, and frankly, silly. I appreciated Cat poking holes in how dumb Bruce is to test how long he can hold his breath underwater. I think it's healthy to question the idea of Batman. I think Batman works best when there is an argument against the idea. I do not like my Batman completely flawless and angelic, containing nothing but pure-hearted virtues. The mission itself is kinda dumb. The fact that Bruce somehow manages to make it work is amazing. But that doesn't stop it being dumb. Bruce is such an Aspie. He asks Selina what it is like to live on the streets and she says it's not as nice as here. Apparently Bruce needs to be told this. Dummy. I liked their "You move quiet," / "So do you," moment because it's the first Batman / Catwoman moment in the continuity. I think Camren Bincondova played the scene where she's telling that crazy story about her mother being an actress / secret agent to Bruce very interestingly because I could not figure out her mindset, or why she is telling that story. Is she crazy enough to believe it? Or does she think Bruce is so stupid that he will? Or is it possible she's telling a story that crazy with the understanding that they BOTH know it's b.s., and that they both know the other knows that, without actually having to actually say it? I think it's the third thing, but Selina DOES think Bruce is pretty dumb, so that's possible too. Part of me wonders if Bruce is apprehensive that Selina witnessed the murders because he was embarrassed about the shriek. David Mazouz sort of played it that way. Barbara and Renee in bed with each other was steamy. I have to admit I was a little surprised they got away with that on 8:00 PM network television, but I'm not going to complain about it. It is very interesting and realistic that such a huge and unfixable mess as Arkham Asylum was started due to bureaucratic nonsense, rather than malice. Evil is mundane that way. Do you know why Arkham in the Batman mythos is dumb? It's for the criminally insane. Do you realize exactly how few criminals that designation is true for? Over the years, the law has made it REALLY hard for people to cop insanity pleas, and Arkham is filled to the brim. It should not be. People not competent enough to stand trial under the law as it is now are VERY rare. I can picture a ward of a mental hospital housing the criminally insane. An entire institution? Batman and Gotham thinks society is far darker and crazier than it actually is. Arkham does NOT hold up to scrutiny at all. I personally think it is the worst thing about the Batman franchise. And this show and this season give many prime examples of why. I liked the moment where Harvey Dent snaps. Frankly, we haven't ever seen him act as crazy since (yet). What I loved about his tantrum is the way he seemed to freak out the guy he was threatening (Lovecraft). The guy didn't seem all that concerned with his own safety in that moment. The expression on his face said "That was totally inappropriate and this guy is completely unprofessional". It's not that the tantrum is frightening which is what disturbs the guy. It's that it is totally uncalled for. His expression is, "Am I the only one who thinks this is nuts?" I love that idea. I especially like how immediately Harvey pulls himself together. I like it because he doesn't apologize or even looks worried that he went too far. He pretends nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Which is nuts. Harvey's trick with the coin and the kid always calling heads was neat too. He should bring his act to the Marriott. "Somebody out there loves you, kid" was SUCH a cool moment. Speaking of Harvey, does anyone else think it is weird that this show has two main characters named Harvey and it isn't ever commented on? Harvey is NOT a common name, especially for men that young, and you'd figure it would come up once. It's sort of like both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne's mothers being named Martha. When Batman v Superman pointed that out, it was the first time I realized that and went "Oh, duh." Well, the Harvey thing is even weirder because it is the same show / cartoon / comic and I've ALWAYS thought that was weird, even back in 1992. And it has still yet to be brought up. Weird. Penguin offering to keep Liza's secret was a badly written plot point, because nothing came out of it, and Penguin gained nothing by doing it. It was just a way for the writers to string along the Liza plot a little longer when we should have gotten a confrontation between Falcone and Fish a couple of episodes early. Still, I liked Penguin saying that he didn't NEED to prove anything to Falcone about Liza. He even concedes he probably won't be believed. But once that shade of doubt is released, it never goes back into the bottle, especially since Penguin is right. I have a question about Fish saying Penguin's visit didn't worry her. Is she lying to Butch? Because, if it were me, I'd be concerned. Penguin pops up all "How ya doin'?", actually freaking SMELLS her, and then takes off. I gotta say, that would freak me out. I sincerely think Fish is lying to Butch. At least I hope so. Because there is something wrong with her if she isn't squicked out by that. When Butch states that money is the root of all evil in such a cool, understated voice, I realized again that Drew Powell is absolutely amazing. He became the show's MVP in season 2. I have to say that Bullock and Gordon are pretty much the worst cops ever for letting the Russians get away with the bomb-maker. This is just about as dumb as Gordon dropping his gun during a shoot-out and not even trying to retrieve it. They HAD the dude and they must suck at their jobs big-time if the Russians were able to separate them from him so easily. But this wasn't terrible and those kids are definitely the best part of the show. ***.
Lovecraft:
If you want to get technical, Gotham is the worst written current superhero show on the air. Heck, it's also the worst written show based upon a comic book. It makes Smallville look like King Lear. But the truth is that Gotham has a ton of assets that often make the bad writing either not a big deal, or not noticeable at ALL. This is one of those episodes. First off, I've stated these kids are amazing. What is truly astonishing is that Clare Foley as Ivy Pepper is as good as she is. There was absolutely no need to cast an actress this phenomenal in her five minute scene in the Pilot, especially since this is the first time they've gone back to her. But I think the writers knew this was coming and picked a kid who could handle it. She is so creepy, I understand why Cat is afraid of her and a little bit puzzled as to why Bruce isn't. She's all "How you doing? You all right?" And Bruce says "I'm fine, how are you?" And she says "I'm doing great. How do I look?" That was some quality television right there. The stuff with Bruce and Selina was all golden. First off, I agree with Cat that Bruce refusing the kiss at the beginning of the episode was dumb. He's trying to figure out a rational reason WHY she wants to do it, as he is obviously not good boyfriend material. But he's overthinking it. He's cute and she's a horny teenage girl who wonders if he's a good kisser. That's all it is. I think Young Bruce's biggest weakness is the tendency to try to see patterns and meaning in random events. Maybe Selina is right that he should just learn to let things go. He might be happier. I love that when Selina tells Bruce he has to do what she tells him to from now on his response is "Yes, ma'am." That is NOT Batman. At all. Which is why it's awesome. This was the first episode I liked Alfred, so that makes it very significant. I still don't USUALLY like him, but because of this episode, I knew I'd at least like him SOMETIMES. He's a great fighter, and a little too comically insistent on being referred to as the butler. Bruce thinks of him as actual family and I think that response actually moves Selina because she didn't think of it that way before and now she's kind of feeling like she's crazy that she didn't. I love the methods Alfred uses to get information, because they are all different depending on the person, and what they will respond best to. That tells me Alfred is VERY good at reading people. For the kid in holding, it's bribery (why don't the REA:L cops ever think of that?), for Butch it is violence and degradation (Butch has to be a pretty bad name to have if it's given to you ironically), and for Fish he uses flattery and reason. And he gets what he wants from all three of them. One thing I noticed about Fish's reaction to him is that she seems a bit taken with him. Whether Alfred is ultimately jiving or not is immaterial. He seems completely sincere and that fact is enough to move Fish. Interesting. I also like that in crises Alfred will lose his filter and simply yell "Bruce!" with the Master part of his name completely forgotten. I like that this Alfred isn't unflappable. And I loved his hug with Bruce at the end. Do you know who else had an interesting hug? Nygma! Him telling Jim he was going to write a letter of protest on his behalf and then giving him a big hug leaves me gobsmacked after seeing season two and all of the misery that little creep wound up doing to him. Did the writers know at this stage of the game how badly Nygma would screw over Gordon in season two? If so, bravo. Great misdirection. While I am complimenting actors, I don't think Richard Kind gets enough credit for how menacing and scary he makes Mayor James. The first couple of episodes made the mayor seem incompetent and a bit in over his head, but starting with this episode, he's not only culpable for all of the horribleness, he seems to be behind most of it too. I never pictured the goofball from Carol and Company could play scary so well. He tells Harvey that he knows how to walk the line and insightfully says that Harvey won't protest TOO much about Jim getting hosed. He can work with an idealist like Dent who is willing to pick their battles. The fact that Gordon's self-righteousness is turned up to eleven on every single subject makes me think it's a wonder this guy wasn't shipped off sooner. "Waiter! There's a dead guy in my soup!" I loved Falcone's dinner scene, but I didn't believe it for a second. I get that mobsters are in a horrible line of work, but I do not believe a mob boss would expect his underlings to enjoy a nice meal while one of their company lies dead, facedown in his soup. That is a crazy thing to expect, and since Don Falcone is not crazy, it just shows another way in which the show is badly written. But that was the ONLY real thing, I noticed. I swear. At for Penguin keeping Liza's secret, I think the fact that he didn't get bitten for doing so is amazing. It seems really ill-advised and the biggest surprise to me is that Penguin is actually right when discussing timing. Because considering his relationship to the Don, he really shouldn't be. Penguin is right about something: Falcone has been far too forgiving of Fish and for far too long. He'll regret it. Soon. I loved Alfred calling Gordon a plank. He totally is. I think it is very noticeable when Gordon asks Alfred for the assassin's description that he doesn't say that she was African American and beautiful. And you'd figure that if you WERE trying to give somebody a description, you'd totally point out the two most obvious things about her. Maybe Alfred was trying to be color-blind and politically correct, but when Bruce is in danger is not the time to be reproachful of pointing out the killer's race. I kind of love how mad Selina is at Bruce saying that she isn't nice. He thinks he's being honest and insightful, and stating a deep truth about her soul, but in reality? He's being rude. Screw you, Orphan. I loved Gordon being able to ultimately commiserate with Lovecraft near the end about them both being nobodies and rats unable to see over the maze. Very few people in Gotham, especially powerful people, ever acknowledge how ultimately powerless the entire situation in Gotham makes everybody. I liked Lovecraft's honesty about that. I cannot say enough good things about the acting in this episode, particularly from the kids. Game of Thrones has ONE amazing kid in Maisie Williams, this show has three. And one of them isn't even a series regular. Even though Gotham often otherwise sucks, I kind of think it's a worthwhile show if just for that. *****.
Rogues' Gallery:
Good AND bad, but the good was REALLY good and the bad was REALLY bad. We'll start with the bad first. The stuff at Arkham sucked. Arkham Asylum has always been the weak link of the Batman franchise, and it is easily the worst and more implausible thing about the concept. A good Batman continuity can kind of work around it without drawing too much attention to how unbelievable and appalling it is. But even good Batman franchises can suck at it, because the concept sucks. Batman: The Animated Series' version actually sucked! Bruce Timm made it suck! Can you believe it? Unfortunately, Gotham embraces the suck and every single cr*ppy thing about the concept. All of the inmates are slobbering goons. All of the staff are incompetent and corrupt. It's super easy to escape from. Batman lore takes all of the worst fears the public has about the mentally ill and stigmatizes the frak out of them with Arkham. And honestly? Gotham's is probably the worst take I've ever seen. And I'm a little astonished Allyce Beasley is still getting work. The show can often hire a good 80's mainstay (see Carol Kane, Paul Reubens, and Frank Whaley) but Beasley is best known for having an annoying voice on Moonlighting. She isn't terrible here, but she isn't good enough to justify her taking this particular role other than to "surprise" the audience. Waiting for Gotham to cast Judy Tenuta next. And there is no way a mental hospital would ever put on a play that disturbing, or let the performers wield sharp objects on-stage. This is another example of this show being extremely badly written. I loved Ivy's scene on the phone with Barbara. I have said that she's amazing, but it's not like the show doesn't give her great stuff to work with. I love that Ivy has no idea who is on the phone, has no idea who Jim is, but is just cruel and clever enough to destroy a complete stranger's life because it's funny. This right here might have been Barbara Keene's breaking point, and I love how little thought and effort Ivy puts into deliberately hurting someone she's never met, and has no relationship to whatsoever. I kind of want to think the reason Barb became a psycho killer is because Ivy Pepper was bored. And I love that despite the fact that Ivy is a dumpster diving, starving orphan, she's still a vegan. That is SO Poison Ivy. I loved the scene of her sick at the beginning because she is uncharacteristically sympathetic. When she moans she won't go back to the doctors again, I realize this character has a backstory I very much want to learn. As much as the Arkham stuff sucked, I will commend them for casting the dude they got to play Gruber. Dude has a Dr. Mengele vibe to him, and speaks in the low spooky voice. Phenomenal. But I think the highest praise for the episode (and perhaps the season) was the scene at the end of Butch deciding to kill his childhood friend. Gotham has never had the best writing, but as written, the actors made it perhaps the best scene of the season. And Drew Powell wasn't even upgraded to series regular until season two! They gave him and this other guy we're only seen once before this layered and amazing scene. I cannot think of too many shows that lean so heavily on the guest cast, especially by making it the last scene of the flipping episode. And I love Butch for it. Before he kills his friend, he confesses he stole the good meat when they were kids, and seems REALLY upset that he is forgiven. And the reason he's upset is that his friend being so supportive and understanding means it's going to be all the harder to kill him. If he had been all "Screw you, Butch!" I think it would have been MUCH easier. The scene is incredibly deep and layered because of that. There is a reason Drew Powell was made a series regular in season two. Because he's amazing. I love how they used the old song "In the Still of the Night" for that moment. Gotham is not set in the 1950's, but it had that sensibility for this one scene. I think the cool thing about Butch seeming offended by Fish's suggestion that he might have turned, is that for all the viewer knew at that point in the season, Fish could have been right. It wasn't until the tragic scene at the end, that the viewer is made completely aware that Butch is willing to do anything for Fish, including things that hurt himself. Powell played every scene before that in the episode quite ambiguously, and perhaps the fact that he didn't fill in Fish on the plan or update her about what was going on, made us more suspicious than we should have been. I loved the scene of Harvey and Jim sort of screwing with the Warden once Harvey starts flashing his badge around. I love Bullock's reaction to the inmate reciting Shakespeare: "I can dig that." Somehow I think Harvey would be a MUCH better guard there than Jim is. Harvey seems to be toying with Lang in every single scene they share. It's amazing to me that a psychiatrist seems so in over his head and unable to realize exactly what is going on with Bullock. But maybe part of the reason Arkham doesn't work is that all of the therapists are really bad at their jobs. Not only do I love Moroni teaching Penguin a lesson, but I love the reason he did it. Taxing fishermen is a no-no. They risk their lives to bring people fish, and this is another example of how much regard Moroni gives the men under his employ. He seems to be a working class union man, which is probably why he has been as successful as he has been. And frankly, I love him for it too. Penguin is a smart monkey, but he's just a monkey, and Moroni is the zookeeper. What a great phrase to use to set a limit. I laughed that Gabe didn't know what a banzai tree is. I kind of really like the idea of Gabe. It seems that no matter how low down the totem pole they are, every crime boss has a personal assistant who is loyal to them over Falcone or Moroni. We are never even really given a plausible reason as to why Gabe is loyal. But he obviously is or Oswald wouldn't be discussing his duplicitous plans with him. Gabe seems to work for Moroni but is loyal enough to Oswald to know he works for Falcone and still not say anything. It's not really credible to me, but I kind of like the politics of that idea. Lee is REALLY bad at taking a hint she's in danger. I question her intelligence for not getting that. Do you know what moment of hers was smart? He pointing out she could be the killer. And it really bothers me that Jim didn't think of that. Jim needed somebody else to bounce ideas off of for the audience's sake (Lee is the cabbage-head in the scenario) so we are just supposed to accept his explanation of "You're not the type" and drop it. But Lee points out Jim's biggest fault that goes for everyone he meets. He tells complete strangers highly delicate and dangerous information without vetting who he tells the secrets to. I'm surprised this doesn't blow up in his face more often than it does, but Jim Gordon isn't being the last honest man by blabbing crime scene details to people he doesn't know. He's being a bad police officer. Considering he is supposed to be the last "good" cop, it amazes me the show made him as bad at his job as he is. Duncan being a patient didn't make much sense. How did Lang not already know that, especially if he came to Arkham with her? And if he did, why is he letting her play nurse in the first place? I get they were doing a bit of a riff on The Dream Team, where the strict psychiatrist at the beginning turns out to be a mental patient, but at least everyone in that movie knew that and acted accordingly. There is no explanation as to why Lang would let Jim think Duncan was a staff member. The Arkham stuff was horrible, but the Butch stuff (and Pepper's scene with Barbara) was great. ***1/2.
What The Little Bird Told Him:
Love the Johnny Cash at the beginning. When Don Falcone told Fish he could forgive a lot, he was being honest. He is very forgiving and understanding for Mafia Don. And the fact that Fish sort of personalized her betrayal to make fun of his feelings for his mother meant that she deserves no mercy. What is truly horrible about the way he killed Liza is that Liza insisted he had been a perfect gentleman and never laid a hand on her. And she also stated she felt completely safe with him. And I hate to think what I now do about Falcone, because that used to be true. John Doman was absolutely amazing this episode. When he slaps Penguin, it's as if Oswald had uttered the vilest obscenity possible. And Penguin is upset too because he has no proof and no way to offer it if he did. And yet Falcone knows he's right. As Penguin says, when has he ever been wrong? I love how gently Penguin broke the news. I almost thought part of him hated having to tell it. The flashback of Falcone at the funeral is a hint that Falcone did NOT grow up on a farm after all. I love that Carmine's history is so ambiguous except for the fact that he loved his mother. Nice touch to have her played by Mackenzie Leigh. But frankly, that doesn't make too much sense in hindsight. Because Liza had a 50/50 chance of getting the gig by winning the fight earlier in the season. You think that considering what a dead ringer for Mrs. Falcone she actually is, she would have been Fish's first and ONLY choice. I was kind of feeling bad that for most of the episode that the only trusted confidant available for Falcone to bounce ideas off of is Victor Zsasz. Saying that sociopath is inadequate to give a pep talk is the understatement of the year. Loved Moroni getting suspicious of Penguin but keeping his suspicions close to his chest. Barbara's parents are the worst. I totally see why she killed them. I wouldn't have, but I like, you know, GET it. Barbara lamely stating that she and Jim were very, very happy while sipping the tea is yet another hint that she is the most pathetic character on the series in the first season. It's not even a contest based upon that, and how easily a pair of 12 year old girls repeatedly punk and look down upon her. She is this show's punchline and that fact probably makes the idea of her turning into a psychopathic killer laughable. We seen her in far too many humiliating situations to ever be scared of her. Peter Scolari is another 80's mainstay for the show, but unlike Allyce Beasley, he's not miscast. He isn't as sinister in his first appearance as he wound up being, but it really weird that he had that in him in the first place. He's still major league creepy. Gotham seems to delight in challenging 80's sitcom actors. Gordon pointed out something interesting: this is the first time we've seen the Commissioner on the series. Considering what a presence Commissioner Gordon has in the Batman mythos, I'm a little surprised me haven't seen him before now either. Kringle picked out two superlative adjectives to describe Ed's gross riddle: "weird" and "menacing." Well, and inedible, but that goes without saying. But I like that at this stage of the game Kringle recognizes menacing when she sees it. We'll learn later on she has sad reasons for that, but I like that even if she allows that into her personal life, that doesn't mean she'll tolerate it from a creep at work. That's cool. I am about as outraged as Harvey is at Jim jeopardizing Harvey's job when he didn't actually have a plan. The series is trying to play it as funny, but it's actually detestable. This show makes SO many unforced errors with the unlikable characters because it thinks the audience will forgive them being horrible if they play it as a "joke". The writers miscalculate a LOT where the audience is concerned, but I think that might be their biggest failing about that. I do not think of Jim Gordon as the "last honest cop" when he is able to so casually lie about something so selfishly and stupidly. He's just as big a liar as anybody. He holds the high ground to no-one. I love Harvey repeatedly asking Gordon at the end if he truly believed he had been careful. And it bothers me that Gordon doesn't dignify that with a response, especially after all he's put Harvey through this week. That kiss at the end between Gordon and Lee was so steamy I kind of immediately understood exactly why Ben McKenzie put a baby into Morena Baccarin so quickly. I'm still not certain the kiss wasn't the thing that impregnated her. I love the press being allowed to take photos with the Eletrocutioner. That is SO dumb. But funny dumb, so I forgive it. Electrocutioner was great in general, although I groaned at him being defeated by a glass of water. That's just as bad as Batman beating Mr. Freeze with chicken soup. This show's prop department sucks. That voodoo doll looks nothing like Moroni and it is not credible Gordon got that out of that lumpy shape and "Mr. M". I love how Gordon is able to reason Moroni into becoming bait. It takes care of a problem for him too. One of the coolest things about Moroni to me is that he is truly reasonable. And as his trust in the Penguin attests, often to his detriment. Penguin swearing upon his mother's life when he lied to Moroni shows something interesting about Penguin that I don't think is made explicit enough. As much as he loves her, and as much as he dotes upon her, he's truly a terrible son. I would NEVER say such a thing about my mother much less go to it with as little prodding as he did. He appears to be the one taking care of Gertrude's needs at first glance. But the truth is, Gertrude loves and respects him more than he does her. That moment proves it. I have to say, Fish tut-tutting Butch over showing Falcone some respect and that she was ultimately doing it for his own good was quite laughable. Because if she actually respected Falcone and WAS looking out for him, she wouldn't have made the betrayal as hurtful and humiliating as she ultimately did. Fish has no part of the high ground this episode either, and it annoys me that she's trying to pretend she does. Enjoyable, well-acted, but with the exception of the Falcone stuff, stupid. ***1/2.
Welcome Back, Jim Gordon:
Wow, that was some LOUSY acting I just saw. The only two good actors in this episode were Cat and Bruce. The look on David Mazouz's face as Selina broke his heart was gut-wrenching. But at the same time I understand why she did it. Completely. "A better place to stay"? Bruce is clueless and basically just told Selina she was inadequate and that he was better than her. And the most infuriating thing about that is he truly believes he's being nice when he says that. Maybe Selina went too far with her meanness. But something needs to wake that kid up. Do you know what, though? I don't approve of Alfred making fun of Bruce's tears. I especially resent that the lesson the show seems to be saying is that Bruce is weak for crying them, and Alfred is a good parent by shaming Bruce into hiding his feelings. I hate stuff like that with a passion, and this type of thinking tends to infect Gotham more often than it does any other show I watch. And it's freaking infuriating. Also infuriating is the fact that the show gives us a virtuous, honest, black character and kills them off as punishment. That isn't only why Gotham sucks, but also why all of television sucks. Let's get to the bad acting: I just want to run up to Jada Pinkett-Smith and tell her truth. I want to look her steadily in the eye and say "The producers of Gotham are not your friends." If they were truly looking out for Pinkett-Smith's best interests they wouldn't constantly force her to turn in such a humiliating performance. Jada is NOT a terrible actress. She being made to be by bad writers, cruel directors, and clueless producers. I see why she left after season 1. After this episode, I wouldn't be surprised if her agent was read the riot act. I also thought Ben McKenzie was absolutely terrible in the last scene of the episode. The last person I've seen overact that much was John Lithgow on 3rd Rock From The Sun. To be fair, Delaware's actor is just as embarrassingly bad, but if McKenzie were actually a decent actor he wouldn't need to be good. McKenzie should have been able to carry that scene on his own. I think Ben McKenzie is a special level of fail as casting for Jim Gordon. He plays the character broadly and colorfully and hammily overacts. That is not Jim Gordon, or at least any Jim Gordon I've ever seen before. Gordon is pretty much the only normal person in Gotham City. An actor playing him should not be drawing as much attention to the performance as McKenzie does. Gordon is ostensibly a thankless role. But he desperate wants those thanks. I think McKenzie thinks this is a role for his Emmy reel. I think the producers should probably tell McKenzie to try to further his shaky career on his own time. Do you know what bothers me about trying to play up the drama of how Delaware was mistreated by Penguin's thug? I almost could care less. Yeah, it sucks his wife and kids were tortured, but if he were truly looking out for their best interests he wouldn't associating and covering up for first degree murderers. I have sympathy for Delaware's family. Not Delaware himself, and the show is crazy to think I (or Jim) should. He's pleas about how much he loved his family would sound more convincing to me if he wasn't in a line of illegality that puts them in genuine danger. That's on him, not Jim Gordon. I love that Alfred says that Ivy looks like she has mange. Because she does. And she snarkily asks if he's Bruce's bodyguard and he's all "If need be, Miss." Alfred usually sucks. But he did not in that moment. I also loved him saying "There we go, miss" when handing Ivy the twenty. Alfred is a total pro, even when he's bribing homeless orphan girls. I'm amused to realized Miss Kringle's buttholish boyfriend is actually Flass from the comics. I would almost sympathize with Riddler here but season 2 shows me it is entirely misplaced. Do you know what I noticed about Chelsea's Spack's performance? Just based on the scene where Ed gives her the greeting card, she is actually afraid of him at this point. She should have trusted that instinct. All things being equal, rewatching this season and this episode in particular tells me something about Ed that his evil half convinced himself of in the next season, but was certainly not true. In season 2 Evil Ed convinces himself (and Gordon) that he was ALWAYS this, and he's just embracing it for the first time. And that simply isn't true. Seeing Ed smile as Flass is taken down (as well as when he gave Gordon a hug earlier in the season) tells me Ed's motives, at least in the earlier part of the series, were actually noble and he used to be a genuine good guy. The idea that he was always evil and the murder of Kringle's boyfriend got him to embrace it does not hold up to scrutiny. Butch went above and beyond for Fish this episode. I love that guy, and even if I hate Fish, I love her relationships to both him and Harvey, including her asking Harvey to help Butch if he was alive. I love that. Another embarrassing Fish moment was embarrassing on purpose: Her walking in on Oswald in the middle of his imaginary monologue to am empty house had to be humiliating for Penguin, even more-so than being forced to kiss her feet. I just about died on his behalf. I think the look that Penguin had when Victor Zsasz showed up said "How lucky am I that that particular guy is on my side?". Because he really was. He would have been screwed otherwise. Victor's scene with Butch was ominous too. The look on his face as he asks his girls if they should kill him or take him home to play will give me nightmares. Do you know how I know Butch is in for a rough hew? He killed one of Victor's girls. That simply isn't done. Interesting that Fish's real name is Marie Mercedes. I kind of get why somebody would want to trade up from Marie, but Mercedes is kind of an awesome name already. Better than Fish at any rate. I thought the torturer made an excellent threat, and I just want to state for the record how well-written it was. This is what he says (more or less): "I will be extracting a sincere apology from you this evening. This won't take long." He's reading a file when he says that and those are some of the most mundane words and line readings I've heard. But the implications of what his ultimate goal for the night is are terrifying. He's going to make Fish beg for mercy and then kill her. There is no other way to interpret those two sentences. And he says them as if he is reading a chart at a doctor's office. This show isn't well-written very often, but I think that was brilliant. I loved how much joy Butch was taking in Fish menacing Penguin. No love lost there. I like the conversation between Bullock and Jim about Flass being the culprit and Harvey sort of waiting to share his suspicions because he's not a forward planner like Jim. I think Harvey's reasoning is quite sound here to be honest. Frankly, I usually side with Harvey in ethical dilemma between him and Jim, because Harvey can be convinced to do the right thing. But Jim can never be convinced to do the NECESSARY thing. Which is why he sucks. I loved Jim telling Harvey he had a thing for Fish and Harvey saying he doesn't have a thing for anyone and that his thing is for himself. Because just based on the kiss at the end, that is a total lie. I think my favorite thing about the episode was Penguin's men indulging his mother. I love that Penguin isn't embarrassed by her at all, even if she is pretty much the most embarrassing woman on the planet. Moroni said something interesting in the last episode: every man has a mother. I think perhaps the reason Penguin isn't embarrassed, and his men don't lose respect for him, is that each of them have a mother EXACTLY like this at home, and know exactly what is going on. This strikes me as a shared experience of the mobsters of Gotham, and the only way to handle it is to be cool about it with each other. That idea really amuses me. But boy, the acting sucked this episode. *.
The Fearsome Dr. Crane:
Okay, I pretty much adore the sponsor telling Harvey that truly brave people admit their fears, and Harvey stating that she's been hanging around too many timid and whiny people. It's the fact that he doesn't mean it and is just messing with her as to why that line is so great. I am allowed to still like Harvey after saying something like that if he is only joking. And I love how he sort of is using questions that come up in an investigation to sort of gauge the woman's response as to whether or not she'd be receptive to a date. He even asks if she's Irish! I also like that she's the type of person who is willing to tell Harvey not to be an @$$ within 30 seconds of meeting him. That is probably quite necessary for any relationship with him. I liked Harvey telling Jim he was in with the woman unless she was the killer. I love that line because it says that Harvey isn't actually sure and will just let the chips fall where they may. He told Jim last episode that he wasn't a forward planner. That proved it. The Penguin and Moroni stuff made the episode. I have to say, Penguin made pretty much every wrong decision here. I truly believe if he had handed Moroni the gun and said he could trust him, Moroni would have. Moroni LIKES him! He didn't merely bring him out in the middle of nowhere to kill him, he did it to TEST him! One which Oswald failed every step of the way. He was giving Penguin every opportunity to find reasons to trust him. He WANTS to be wrong, and Penguin refuses to let him be. I think Cobblepot's cunning in the Gotham Game of Thrones is pretty overstated if he so openly squandered the gift of the fact that Moroni already wanted desperately to believe in him. Oswald was his own worst enemy this episode. The game of secrets was riveting especially when Moroni smiles at the gun and says "Now THAT'S a good secret." I love how dismissive he is of the Penguin's pleas for mercy later on. It boils down to "Can you believe I used to fall for this?" and it's the fact that he's amused at his own stupidity which is the reason I like Moroni so much. Listening to Penguin in the first place is how Moroni got into this fix. I love when Penguin starts blubbering in the car and calls him on his cell phone the Don is amused, incredulous, and frustrated: "Can you believe this guy? Take it like a man!" I love that about Moroni. I love the amused expression on his face as Penguin begs. I also love how after Penguin tries to logic him into sparing him because he's more valuable to him alive, Moroni points out it's not business, it's personal. And it is. He killed Frankie, who he grew up with. I liked the moment of Moroni saying the fact that Frankie was stabbed in a gunfight always bugged him. The look on David Zayas' face as he said it was quite interesting. And it really should have bugged him. He should have suspected Penguin MUCH sooner than he did. I love Moroni quickly grabbing Penguin and saying he was pretty fast for a big guy. And it's true! He takes Penguin out without a gun. Even though I DO believe Moroni would have believed Penguin, he still played the entire scene smart. He explains nothing about the trip and does random things to rattle Penguin to accidently force him to make a mistake. And the Penguin ridiculously fell into that. I think Moroni's test WAS a legit one, but he might not have failed it so utterly had Moroni not been so scary and cunning. I loved the reaction of the guy in the car crusher as Penguin called him while being crushed. Penguin could have been discussing the weather. Speaking of excellent reaction shots, I think the scene where Moroni has an entire conversation about Penguin's betrayal on the phone with Fish in front of Penguin with him being none the wiser was excellently written and acted. Moroni gets every single bit of information from Fish that he needs to get without ever letting her know Penguin is there, or letting Penguin know that he is the person being discussed. He reactions to Penguin to throw off suspicion was truly the works of a smart man. There is a reason Moroni has gotten as far as he did. The shot of Julian Sands in the fedora and trench-coat was a great visual transition to the opening title card. An unarmed Fish dressed in hookerwear running at a heavily armed pirate in the last shot was as ridiculous and stupid as the Sands teaser was cool. This show is idiotic. The gunplay at the end between Crane and Gordon was excellent. The gunplay on this show is usually good for television, but I really felt the bullets landing here. Well boarded moment. Ed stuffing body parts into the coroner's locker shows another way Ed is disgusting. Although I did laugh when he put his gloved hand on his head and a giant blood spot was left behind. Still, I refuse to feel TOO bad for the M.E. This was the same guy who ruled that poor man last episode getting stabbed in the back with an icepick a suicide. Ed definitely is a creep. But it's not like the M.E. isn't either. The pencil thing was funny too. I really liked Bruce releasing Gordon from his promise. Gordon has been nothing but suck when it comes to that and when Bruce says he'll take care of the matter himself, you actually believe him, as crazy of an idea as that sounds. And I love that Alfred has Bruce's back in that moment. Gordon's all "He's dealing with dangerous people!" and Alfred's "Good thing he's got me." I think Bruce has been far too forgiving of Gordon's incompetence than he ever should have been. I will admit this episode shares a flaw with ALL Scarecrow episodes, no matter the incarnation. Crane's research makes no sense. What is he trying to prove? And how could it possibly be for the betterment of humanity? We sort of let it slide because he's a crazy Batman villain, but I kind of think that if DC is going to actually say this guy is a professor or a scientist, that they actually make that idea credible. Crane's "social experiments" seem about as well planned out as an average batch of Joker toxic enveloping Gotham. The Joker is TRYING to mess with people. What's Crane's excuse? Query: Where did Harvey get the knife to cut loose the sponsor's bonds in the pool? Do cops in Gotham routinely carry around knives? I didn't like the Soul Church moment at the end of Penguin getting on the bus to choir music praising Jesus. I don't know why, but I kind of felt that scene was offensive. And I seriously don't understand why I think that. Maybe I'm overthinking things. But every time I hear the choir sing as Penguin staggers down the bus I can't help but feel the show is showing extreme disdain for black people and black culture. Or possibly Evangelicals. Or both. And I can't pinpoint exactly why I feel that way. Maybe the best way I can put it is that it seemed like a bunch of superstitious black women fawning over a white savior. That was probably it. I didn't like everything in the episode, but it gets a super high grade for Penguin and Moroni. ****1/2.
The Scarecrow:
Interesting first meeting between Penguin and Riddler. Each is sizing the other up and showing they clearly don't like each other. What I love about the moment is that the show plays it as HUGE! As if it's one of the defining things of the season. But the thing is, somebody who doesn't know Batman wouldn't understand WHY the show is making such a to-do. As far as this show is concerned up to this point, Ed is a scrawny little shrimp barely worthy of notice. And the fact about Emperor Penguins? That WAS neat! I loved Harvey calling Ed competition for Lee. In his dreams. I think Moroni telling Penguin that he better hope Falcone lives a long life, because when he's out of the picture, Penguin is finished, states exactly how important Falcone is to holding Gotham together. His biggest skill is building the amounts of alliances he has, and getting people who otherwise hate each other, to declare peace for the greater good. And as he showed with Moroni and the blackmailed judge, he more often uses carrots than sticks. Which is good leadership. I love how the episode framed the shot of Moroni pouring over the drink in Penguin's hand. They show it in a shot between his legs so it looks like he's pi$$ing his pants. I will not deny this show often has cinematic flair. I like the scene where Falcone is very enigmatic and unconcerned as Oswald is trying to impress upon him the danger Moroni poses to him. I like it because Falcone seems to be pretty clearly telling Penguin that from now on Falcone is calling the shots. He's not taking Penguin's advice anymore and he no longer has the power he once did. He was taking him down a few pegs by ignoring him. I liked how Moroni was still able to concede with Falcone that Penguin is a moneymaker. He may hate the kid now but he still recognizes him as an asset. Falcone saying Penguin is smart enough to know he'll never be in charge is another thing that shows Falcone is a lousy judge of character. Julian Sands really sold the line "I have no FE-AH!". That's the kind of line that's best hissed in a British accent. I like Bruce and Alfred sharing the sunrise even if I was a bit appalled that Alfred didn't help him up the hill. Maybe this is their new thing from now on. And Bruce IS a cheeky monkey. I like that Bruce is legitimately angry at Alfred smugly sitting there. I like that he fell asleep on Alfred's shoulder. But did Alfred just call Bruce "Master B"? Seriously? A Pre-Wayward Pines Charlie Tahan was a good casting choice for Jonathon Crane. He's lanky and gawkward and has an outright awful haircut. I don't know if he'll be able to pull off the sinister aspects of the character that come later, but he did what he needed to do in these two episodes at least. I think it would be an interesting motive for Crane if he ALWAYS saw the Scarecrow in the corner of his eye as an adult, and that's where his madness lies. That's a great idea which is why the show will probably ultimately abandon it. This show is often given rare uncommon gifts (like Clare Foley) only to squander them for something much less interesting. Do you know what Fish in the underground prison is? Teri Bauer with amnesia on the side of the road. Kim Bauer lost in the woods with a cougar. I think the producers had absolutely no place for Fish until the season finale, but since Pinkett-Smith is a series regular, they were contractually obligated to give her something to do. But Fish's whole thing with the Dollmaker in the second half of the season went exactly nowhere. And I couldn't help but notice several people in the hole (including the guy at the beginning Fish befriends named Kelly) are nearly clean-shaven. They are barely with five o'clock shadow, and they've supposedly been there for weeks. Apparently, there is only one knife, but several of the men have razor blades and grooming kits. I did like SOMETHING about Kelly. I like that he instantly seems taken with Fish upon her putting those two would-be rapists in their place. There is genuine adoration in his face at that moment. Penguin has a tendency to say poetic, true sounding things, that do not hold up to scrutiny. At all. When he declares that it is better to hold the hand of a friend in the dark than walk alone in the light my first thought is "That is not true at all." I would much prefer to walk by myself in the daytime than walk with one other person at night. I'd feel safer. And that's not a question. Penguin's jive would be a lot more convincing if it were true. Do you know what is interesting about Penguin always reaching out to Jim in friendship? As of the end of season 2, Gordon is pretty much the only major player in the cast of Gotham that Penguin has never betrayed. That seems significant to me and either the writers are building to REALLY big betrayal down the line or one is never coming. I'm a little curious to see which it is. Passable episode. **1/2.
The Blind Fortune Teller:
You know, if Gotham did more episodes like this, I don't think anyone would have any problems with it. It was quirky and weird and Batman by way of David Lynch. It doesn't matter that the idea of Gordon loosing the snake is dumb, it's COOL. It doesn't matter that the Blind Fortuneteller is cheesy, he's INTERESTING. I think the thing that I most regret about the episode is due to hindsight. Season 2 will reveal that Jerome is NOT the Joker after all, and that is a crying shame. The kid Cameron Monhagan was magnificent in season two, and I'd LOVE to see him be able to take a legit shot at the character. He'd probably be the best one since Mark Hamill. What's amazing to me is that he plays meek and mousy equally well, and when he tells Gordon that he doesn't mind his mother's love life because if it weren't for that he wouldn't exist, you realize exactly what a b.s. artist this kid is. He is quite an adept performer and liar. The look of terror and regret on the Blind Fortuneteller's face during his final laugh hints to me that this is what his life has been like and he's been living in fear for years. It's why he tipped off the cops in the first place. "A fantasia conjured by a muddled mind" is a great phrase. I also like how he said the line "I DO so hate needles." I love how excited Lee was over all of the weirdness. It was infectious. I think the boardroom at Wayne Enterprises did the one thing they should never do with child Bruce Wayne: they underestimated him. That will be their undoing. The look of unease on their faces told me they realize they were starting to bite off more than they could chew. This episode was also significant for being the first after Zsasz "conditions" Butch. It's once Butch becomes a blank slate and starts mirroring whoever he is talking to that Butch became such a great character, and Drew Powell this show's MVP. As of now, as goofy as his scene was, he's also electrifying in a way he wasn't before. You aren't sure of what he's thinking or what he's going to do, and that just makes him riveting. And I love Zsasz busting a gut at Penguin's terror. And the glee in which he revealed that Butch would do exactly what Penguin wanted told me that this is a guy who loves delivering presents and his joy is actually quite lovable. It's settled. I officially want Victor Zsasz as my Secret Santa. As much as Fish's plot sucks, I'm glad they at least had the sense to finally get her out of the stripperwear. That beggared belief last episode. But if I am being TRULY honest, this WAS the one episode this year where I actually liked Fish. Because she DID deliver on her promise to "get some of us out of here alive". Fish isn't right about much, but I like that she was able to keep her biggest and boldest promise of the season. And her math is correct. Their lives aren't worth much, but they are clearly worth SOMETHING. I actually liked her kissing the forehead of the dead guy. It was clearly just for show, to engender sympathy from her followers, but I thought it was cool anyways. And frankly I thought it was very interesting how "57A" (as he was known in the episode) just accepted his death. He doesn't fight back at all when he's beaten to death, which tells me Fish's speech about family and togetherness must have meant something. The weird thing is it wasn't a great speech. But I'm betting the people in that hole were so desperate that they didn't need much. Do you know what was NOT credible about that speech? That Fish delivers it standing on the raised back of a guy to give her height. Stuff like that is why nobody takes this show seriously. Do you know what I love about Barbara hanging out with Cat and Ivy? She's trying to relate to them as a peer, but that just puts into sharp focus how well put together these criminal orphans are, and what a hot mess Barbara actually is. Barbara thinks she is being cool, and Ivy and Cat are the only people in the relationship to know she actually sucks. When I see The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy relating to Bart and Milhouse as a peer, the last thing I think of him as is cool. He's a loser, as is Barbara. And it's funny that Barbara has no idea how pathetic she is to those two. These homeless prepubescent girls look down on her. As they should. I especially love the conviction with which Ivy nodded her head at Barbara asking "Sailing? Really?". That kid is amazing and the show is out of its mind to get rid of her in season three. I like how protective Penguin is of his mother's hurt feelings. It's insane, and violent, and super sweet at the same time. But how did Gertrude not see him bloodily beat that guy? The spatter was clearly within her line of sight. Either Gertrude is nearsighted or in MUCH bigger denial than is warranted. The only thing about the episode I didn't like was the romance between the Flying Graysons. That's TOO prequel. I am not so comic book anal that I need or appreciate to see Dick Grayson's parents deciding to start a family. The origin of Dick Grayson's genetic conception is irrelevant. Filling in random holes in a badly written obvious way is what Smallville used to do. Granted, this show is just as bad as Smallville usually is, but when it comes to the prequel stuff, it usually isn't, that so I noticed it this time. Still, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this was the best episode of the season. *****.
Gotham: The Complete First Season (Part 2)
Harvey Dent:
Those kids are amazing. I just about busted a gut at Bruce's reaction to Cat asking if he's ever kissed a girl and if he wanted to now. And then Alfred walks in! Worst. Wingman. EVER. I loved the scene of him and Selina throwing stuff at each other because it is literally the first time we've seen Bruce act like a kid. And even Alfred could appreciate the power of that moment. Selina's take that Bruce's training is dumb is provocative, because on some level, she's right. It's not like Bruce lives in a bad neighborhood. Being strong and ready to fight evil is not something a person in his situation would usually be called upon. What happened to his parents was a fluke. I love that idea because it's pointing out something about the Batman mythos that most people pretend isn't there. The idea of Bruce training to become and becoming Batman is stupid, insane, overly complicated, and frankly, silly. I appreciated Cat poking holes in how dumb Bruce is to test how long he can hold his breath underwater. I think it's healthy to question the idea of Batman. I think Batman works best when there is an argument against the idea. I do not like my Batman completely flawless and angelic, containing nothing but pure-hearted virtues. The mission itself is kinda dumb. The fact that Bruce somehow manages to make it work is amazing. But that doesn't stop it being dumb. Bruce is such an Aspie. He asks Selina what it is like to live on the streets and she says it's not as nice as here. Apparently Bruce needs to be told this. Dummy. I liked their "You move quiet," / "So do you," moment because it's the first Batman / Catwoman moment in the continuity. I think Camren Bincondova played the scene where she's telling that crazy story about her mother being an actress / secret agent to Bruce very interestingly because I could not figure out her mindset, or why she is telling that story. Is she crazy enough to believe it? Or does she think Bruce is so stupid that he will? Or is it possible she's telling a story that crazy with the understanding that they BOTH know it's b.s., and that they both know the other knows that, without actually having to actually say it? I think it's the third thing, but Selina DOES think Bruce is pretty dumb, so that's possible too. Part of me wonders if Bruce is apprehensive that Selina witnessed the murders because he was embarrassed about the shriek. David Mazouz sort of played it that way. Barbara and Renee in bed with each other was steamy. I have to admit I was a little surprised they got away with that on 8:00 PM network television, but I'm not going to complain about it. It is very interesting and realistic that such a huge and unfixable mess as Arkham Asylum was started due to bureaucratic nonsense, rather than malice. Evil is mundane that way. Do you know why Arkham in the Batman mythos is dumb? It's for the criminally insane. Do you realize exactly how few criminals that designation is true for? Over the years, the law has made it REALLY hard for people to cop insanity pleas, and Arkham is filled to the brim. It should not be. People not competent enough to stand trial under the law as it is now are VERY rare. I can picture a ward of a mental hospital housing the criminally insane. An entire institution? Batman and Gotham thinks society is far darker and crazier than it actually is. Arkham does NOT hold up to scrutiny at all. I personally think it is the worst thing about the Batman franchise. And this show and this season give many prime examples of why. I liked the moment where Harvey Dent snaps. Frankly, we haven't ever seen him act as crazy since (yet). What I loved about his tantrum is the way he seemed to freak out the guy he was threatening (Lovecraft). The guy didn't seem all that concerned with his own safety in that moment. The expression on his face said "That was totally inappropriate and this guy is completely unprofessional". It's not that the tantrum is frightening which is what disturbs the guy. It's that it is totally uncalled for. His expression is, "Am I the only one who thinks this is nuts?" I love that idea. I especially like how immediately Harvey pulls himself together. I like it because he doesn't apologize or even looks worried that he went too far. He pretends nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Which is nuts. Harvey's trick with the coin and the kid always calling heads was neat too. He should bring his act to the Marriott. "Somebody out there loves you, kid" was SUCH a cool moment. Speaking of Harvey, does anyone else think it is weird that this show has two main characters named Harvey and it isn't ever commented on? Harvey is NOT a common name, especially for men that young, and you'd figure it would come up once. It's sort of like both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne's mothers being named Martha. When Batman v Superman pointed that out, it was the first time I realized that and went "Oh, duh." Well, the Harvey thing is even weirder because it is the same show / cartoon / comic and I've ALWAYS thought that was weird, even back in 1992. And it has still yet to be brought up. Weird. Penguin offering to keep Liza's secret was a badly written plot point, because nothing came out of it, and Penguin gained nothing by doing it. It was just a way for the writers to string along the Liza plot a little longer when we should have gotten a confrontation between Falcone and Fish a couple of episodes early. Still, I liked Penguin saying that he didn't NEED to prove anything to Falcone about Liza. He even concedes he probably won't be believed. But once that shade of doubt is released, it never goes back into the bottle, especially since Penguin is right. I have a question about Fish saying Penguin's visit didn't worry her. Is she lying to Butch? Because, if it were me, I'd be concerned. Penguin pops up all "How ya doin'?", actually freaking SMELLS her, and then takes off. I gotta say, that would freak me out. I sincerely think Fish is lying to Butch. At least I hope so. Because there is something wrong with her if she isn't squicked out by that. When Butch states that money is the root of all evil in such a cool, understated voice, I realized again that Drew Powell is absolutely amazing. He became the show's MVP in season 2. I have to say that Bullock and Gordon are pretty much the worst cops ever for letting the Russians get away with the bomb-maker. This is just about as dumb as Gordon dropping his gun during a shoot-out and not even trying to retrieve it. They HAD the dude and they must suck at their jobs big-time if the Russians were able to separate them from him so easily. But this wasn't terrible and those kids are definitely the best part of the show. ***.
Lovecraft:
If you want to get technical, Gotham is the worst written current superhero show on the air. Heck, it's also the worst written show based upon a comic book. It makes Smallville look like King Lear. But the truth is that Gotham has a ton of assets that often make the bad writing either not a big deal, or not noticeable at ALL. This is one of those episodes. First off, I've stated these kids are amazing. What is truly astonishing is that Clare Foley as Ivy Pepper is as good as she is. There was absolutely no need to cast an actress this phenomenal in her five minute scene in the Pilot, especially since this is the first time they've gone back to her. But I think the writers knew this was coming and picked a kid who could handle it. She is so creepy, I understand why Cat is afraid of her and a little bit puzzled as to why Bruce isn't. She's all "How you doing? You all right?" And Bruce says "I'm fine, how are you?" And she says "I'm doing great. How do I look?" That was some quality television right there. The stuff with Bruce and Selina was all golden. First off, I agree with Cat that Bruce refusing the kiss at the beginning of the episode was dumb. He's trying to figure out a rational reason WHY she wants to do it, as he is obviously not good boyfriend material. But he's overthinking it. He's cute and she's a horny teenage girl who wonders if he's a good kisser. That's all it is. I think Young Bruce's biggest weakness is the tendency to try to see patterns and meaning in random events. Maybe Selina is right that he should just learn to let things go. He might be happier. I love that when Selina tells Bruce he has to do what she tells him to from now on his response is "Yes, ma'am." That is NOT Batman. At all. Which is why it's awesome. This was the first episode I liked Alfred, so that makes it very significant. I still don't USUALLY like him, but because of this episode, I knew I'd at least like him SOMETIMES. He's a great fighter, and a little too comically insistent on being referred to as the butler. Bruce thinks of him as actual family and I think that response actually moves Selina because she didn't think of it that way before and now she's kind of feeling like she's crazy that she didn't. I love the methods Alfred uses to get information, because they are all different depending on the person, and what they will respond best to. That tells me Alfred is VERY good at reading people. For the kid in holding, it's bribery (why don't the REA:L cops ever think of that?), for Butch it is violence and degradation (Butch has to be a pretty bad name to have if it's given to you ironically), and for Fish he uses flattery and reason. And he gets what he wants from all three of them. One thing I noticed about Fish's reaction to him is that she seems a bit taken with him. Whether Alfred is ultimately jiving or not is immaterial. He seems completely sincere and that fact is enough to move Fish. Interesting. I also like that in crises Alfred will lose his filter and simply yell "Bruce!" with the Master part of his name completely forgotten. I like that this Alfred isn't unflappable. And I loved his hug with Bruce at the end. Do you know who else had an interesting hug? Nygma! Him telling Jim he was going to write a letter of protest on his behalf and then giving him a big hug leaves me gobsmacked after seeing season two and all of the misery that little creep wound up doing to him. Did the writers know at this stage of the game how badly Nygma would screw over Gordon in season two? If so, bravo. Great misdirection. While I am complimenting actors, I don't think Richard Kind gets enough credit for how menacing and scary he makes Mayor James. The first couple of episodes made the mayor seem incompetent and a bit in over his head, but starting with this episode, he's not only culpable for all of the horribleness, he seems to be behind most of it too. I never pictured the goofball from Carol and Company could play scary so well. He tells Harvey that he knows how to walk the line and insightfully says that Harvey won't protest TOO much about Jim getting hosed. He can work with an idealist like Dent who is willing to pick their battles. The fact that Gordon's self-righteousness is turned up to eleven on every single subject makes me think it's a wonder this guy wasn't shipped off sooner. "Waiter! There's a dead guy in my soup!" I loved Falcone's dinner scene, but I didn't believe it for a second. I get that mobsters are in a horrible line of work, but I do not believe a mob boss would expect his underlings to enjoy a nice meal while one of their company lies dead, facedown in his soup. That is a crazy thing to expect, and since Don Falcone is not crazy, it just shows another way in which the show is badly written. But that was the ONLY real thing, I noticed. I swear. At for Penguin keeping Liza's secret, I think the fact that he didn't get bitten for doing so is amazing. It seems really ill-advised and the biggest surprise to me is that Penguin is actually right when discussing timing. Because considering his relationship to the Don, he really shouldn't be. Penguin is right about something: Falcone has been far too forgiving of Fish and for far too long. He'll regret it. Soon. I loved Alfred calling Gordon a plank. He totally is. I think it is very noticeable when Gordon asks Alfred for the assassin's description that he doesn't say that she was African American and beautiful. And you'd figure that if you WERE trying to give somebody a description, you'd totally point out the two most obvious things about her. Maybe Alfred was trying to be color-blind and politically correct, but when Bruce is in danger is not the time to be reproachful of pointing out the killer's race. I kind of love how mad Selina is at Bruce saying that she isn't nice. He thinks he's being honest and insightful, and stating a deep truth about her soul, but in reality? He's being rude. Screw you, Orphan. I loved Gordon being able to ultimately commiserate with Lovecraft near the end about them both being nobodies and rats unable to see over the maze. Very few people in Gotham, especially powerful people, ever acknowledge how ultimately powerless the entire situation in Gotham makes everybody. I liked Lovecraft's honesty about that. I cannot say enough good things about the acting in this episode, particularly from the kids. Game of Thrones has ONE amazing kid in Maisie Williams, this show has three. And one of them isn't even a series regular. Even though Gotham often otherwise sucks, I kind of think it's a worthwhile show if just for that. *****.
Rogues' Gallery:
Good AND bad, but the good was REALLY good and the bad was REALLY bad. We'll start with the bad first. The stuff at Arkham sucked. Arkham Asylum has always been the weak link of the Batman franchise, and it is easily the worst and more implausible thing about the concept. A good Batman continuity can kind of work around it without drawing too much attention to how unbelievable and appalling it is. But even good Batman franchises can suck at it, because the concept sucks. Batman: The Animated Series' version actually sucked! Bruce Timm made it suck! Can you believe it? Unfortunately, Gotham embraces the suck and every single cr*ppy thing about the concept. All of the inmates are slobbering goons. All of the staff are incompetent and corrupt. It's super easy to escape from. Batman lore takes all of the worst fears the public has about the mentally ill and stigmatizes the frak out of them with Arkham. And honestly? Gotham's is probably the worst take I've ever seen. And I'm a little astonished Allyce Beasley is still getting work. The show can often hire a good 80's mainstay (see Carol Kane, Paul Reubens, and Frank Whaley) but Beasley is best known for having an annoying voice on Moonlighting. She isn't terrible here, but she isn't good enough to justify her taking this particular role other than to "surprise" the audience. Waiting for Gotham to cast Judy Tenuta next. And there is no way a mental hospital would ever put on a play that disturbing, or let the performers wield sharp objects on-stage. This is another example of this show being extremely badly written. I loved Ivy's scene on the phone with Barbara. I have said that she's amazing, but it's not like the show doesn't give her great stuff to work with. I love that Ivy has no idea who is on the phone, has no idea who Jim is, but is just cruel and clever enough to destroy a complete stranger's life because it's funny. This right here might have been Barbara Keene's breaking point, and I love how little thought and effort Ivy puts into deliberately hurting someone she's never met, and has no relationship to whatsoever. I kind of want to think the reason Barb became a psycho killer is because Ivy Pepper was bored. And I love that despite the fact that Ivy is a dumpster diving, starving orphan, she's still a vegan. That is SO Poison Ivy. I loved the scene of her sick at the beginning because she is uncharacteristically sympathetic. When she moans she won't go back to the doctors again, I realize this character has a backstory I very much want to learn. As much as the Arkham stuff sucked, I will commend them for casting the dude they got to play Gruber. Dude has a Dr. Mengele vibe to him, and speaks in the low spooky voice. Phenomenal. But I think the highest praise for the episode (and perhaps the season) was the scene at the end of Butch deciding to kill his childhood friend. Gotham has never had the best writing, but as written, the actors made it perhaps the best scene of the season. And Drew Powell wasn't even upgraded to series regular until season two! They gave him and this other guy we're only seen once before this layered and amazing scene. I cannot think of too many shows that lean so heavily on the guest cast, especially by making it the last scene of the flipping episode. And I love Butch for it. Before he kills his friend, he confesses he stole the good meat when they were kids, and seems REALLY upset that he is forgiven. And the reason he's upset is that his friend being so supportive and understanding means it's going to be all the harder to kill him. If he had been all "Screw you, Butch!" I think it would have been MUCH easier. The scene is incredibly deep and layered because of that. There is a reason Drew Powell was made a series regular in season two. Because he's amazing. I love how they used the old song "In the Still of the Night" for that moment. Gotham is not set in the 1950's, but it had that sensibility for this one scene. I think the cool thing about Butch seeming offended by Fish's suggestion that he might have turned, is that for all the viewer knew at that point in the season, Fish could have been right. It wasn't until the tragic scene at the end, that the viewer is made completely aware that Butch is willing to do anything for Fish, including things that hurt himself. Powell played every scene before that in the episode quite ambiguously, and perhaps the fact that he didn't fill in Fish on the plan or update her about what was going on, made us more suspicious than we should have been. I loved the scene of Harvey and Jim sort of screwing with the Warden once Harvey starts flashing his badge around. I love Bullock's reaction to the inmate reciting Shakespeare: "I can dig that." Somehow I think Harvey would be a MUCH better guard there than Jim is. Harvey seems to be toying with Lang in every single scene they share. It's amazing to me that a psychiatrist seems so in over his head and unable to realize exactly what is going on with Bullock. But maybe part of the reason Arkham doesn't work is that all of the therapists are really bad at their jobs. Not only do I love Moroni teaching Penguin a lesson, but I love the reason he did it. Taxing fishermen is a no-no. They risk their lives to bring people fish, and this is another example of how much regard Moroni gives the men under his employ. He seems to be a working class union man, which is probably why he has been as successful as he has been. And frankly, I love him for it too. Penguin is a smart monkey, but he's just a monkey, and Moroni is the zookeeper. What a great phrase to use to set a limit. I laughed that Gabe didn't know what a banzai tree is. I kind of really like the idea of Gabe. It seems that no matter how low down the totem pole they are, every crime boss has a personal assistant who is loyal to them over Falcone or Moroni. We are never even really given a plausible reason as to why Gabe is loyal. But he obviously is or Oswald wouldn't be discussing his duplicitous plans with him. Gabe seems to work for Moroni but is loyal enough to Oswald to know he works for Falcone and still not say anything. It's not really credible to me, but I kind of like the politics of that idea. Lee is REALLY bad at taking a hint she's in danger. I question her intelligence for not getting that. Do you know what moment of hers was smart? He pointing out she could be the killer. And it really bothers me that Jim didn't think of that. Jim needed somebody else to bounce ideas off of for the audience's sake (Lee is the cabbage-head in the scenario) so we are just supposed to accept his explanation of "You're not the type" and drop it. But Lee points out Jim's biggest fault that goes for everyone he meets. He tells complete strangers highly delicate and dangerous information without vetting who he tells the secrets to. I'm surprised this doesn't blow up in his face more often than it does, but Jim Gordon isn't being the last honest man by blabbing crime scene details to people he doesn't know. He's being a bad police officer. Considering he is supposed to be the last "good" cop, it amazes me the show made him as bad at his job as he is. Duncan being a patient didn't make much sense. How did Lang not already know that, especially if he came to Arkham with her? And if he did, why is he letting her play nurse in the first place? I get they were doing a bit of a riff on The Dream Team, where the strict psychiatrist at the beginning turns out to be a mental patient, but at least everyone in that movie knew that and acted accordingly. There is no explanation as to why Lang would let Jim think Duncan was a staff member. The Arkham stuff was horrible, but the Butch stuff (and Pepper's scene with Barbara) was great. ***1/2.
What The Little Bird Told Him:
Love the Johnny Cash at the beginning. When Don Falcone told Fish he could forgive a lot, he was being honest. He is very forgiving and understanding for Mafia Don. And the fact that Fish sort of personalized her betrayal to make fun of his feelings for his mother meant that she deserves no mercy. What is truly horrible about the way he killed Liza is that Liza insisted he had been a perfect gentleman and never laid a hand on her. And she also stated she felt completely safe with him. And I hate to think what I now do about Falcone, because that used to be true. John Doman was absolutely amazing this episode. When he slaps Penguin, it's as if Oswald had uttered the vilest obscenity possible. And Penguin is upset too because he has no proof and no way to offer it if he did. And yet Falcone knows he's right. As Penguin says, when has he ever been wrong? I love how gently Penguin broke the news. I almost thought part of him hated having to tell it. The flashback of Falcone at the funeral is a hint that Falcone did NOT grow up on a farm after all. I love that Carmine's history is so ambiguous except for the fact that he loved his mother. Nice touch to have her played by Mackenzie Leigh. But frankly, that doesn't make too much sense in hindsight. Because Liza had a 50/50 chance of getting the gig by winning the fight earlier in the season. You think that considering what a dead ringer for Mrs. Falcone she actually is, she would have been Fish's first and ONLY choice. I was kind of feeling bad that for most of the episode that the only trusted confidant available for Falcone to bounce ideas off of is Victor Zsasz. Saying that sociopath is inadequate to give a pep talk is the understatement of the year. Loved Moroni getting suspicious of Penguin but keeping his suspicions close to his chest. Barbara's parents are the worst. I totally see why she killed them. I wouldn't have, but I like, you know, GET it. Barbara lamely stating that she and Jim were very, very happy while sipping the tea is yet another hint that she is the most pathetic character on the series in the first season. It's not even a contest based upon that, and how easily a pair of 12 year old girls repeatedly punk and look down upon her. She is this show's punchline and that fact probably makes the idea of her turning into a psychopathic killer laughable. We seen her in far too many humiliating situations to ever be scared of her. Peter Scolari is another 80's mainstay for the show, but unlike Allyce Beasley, he's not miscast. He isn't as sinister in his first appearance as he wound up being, but it really weird that he had that in him in the first place. He's still major league creepy. Gotham seems to delight in challenging 80's sitcom actors. Gordon pointed out something interesting: this is the first time we've seen the Commissioner on the series. Considering what a presence Commissioner Gordon has in the Batman mythos, I'm a little surprised me haven't seen him before now either. Kringle picked out two superlative adjectives to describe Ed's gross riddle: "weird" and "menacing." Well, and inedible, but that goes without saying. But I like that at this stage of the game Kringle recognizes menacing when she sees it. We'll learn later on she has sad reasons for that, but I like that even if she allows that into her personal life, that doesn't mean she'll tolerate it from a creep at work. That's cool. I am about as outraged as Harvey is at Jim jeopardizing Harvey's job when he didn't actually have a plan. The series is trying to play it as funny, but it's actually detestable. This show makes SO many unforced errors with the unlikable characters because it thinks the audience will forgive them being horrible if they play it as a "joke". The writers miscalculate a LOT where the audience is concerned, but I think that might be their biggest failing about that. I do not think of Jim Gordon as the "last honest cop" when he is able to so casually lie about something so selfishly and stupidly. He's just as big a liar as anybody. He holds the high ground to no-one. I love Harvey repeatedly asking Gordon at the end if he truly believed he had been careful. And it bothers me that Gordon doesn't dignify that with a response, especially after all he's put Harvey through this week. That kiss at the end between Gordon and Lee was so steamy I kind of immediately understood exactly why Ben McKenzie put a baby into Morena Baccarin so quickly. I'm still not certain the kiss wasn't the thing that impregnated her. I love the press being allowed to take photos with the Eletrocutioner. That is SO dumb. But funny dumb, so I forgive it. Electrocutioner was great in general, although I groaned at him being defeated by a glass of water. That's just as bad as Batman beating Mr. Freeze with chicken soup. This show's prop department sucks. That voodoo doll looks nothing like Moroni and it is not credible Gordon got that out of that lumpy shape and "Mr. M". I love how Gordon is able to reason Moroni into becoming bait. It takes care of a problem for him too. One of the coolest things about Moroni to me is that he is truly reasonable. And as his trust in the Penguin attests, often to his detriment. Penguin swearing upon his mother's life when he lied to Moroni shows something interesting about Penguin that I don't think is made explicit enough. As much as he loves her, and as much as he dotes upon her, he's truly a terrible son. I would NEVER say such a thing about my mother much less go to it with as little prodding as he did. He appears to be the one taking care of Gertrude's needs at first glance. But the truth is, Gertrude loves and respects him more than he does her. That moment proves it. I have to say, Fish tut-tutting Butch over showing Falcone some respect and that she was ultimately doing it for his own good was quite laughable. Because if she actually respected Falcone and WAS looking out for him, she wouldn't have made the betrayal as hurtful and humiliating as she ultimately did. Fish has no part of the high ground this episode either, and it annoys me that she's trying to pretend she does. Enjoyable, well-acted, but with the exception of the Falcone stuff, stupid. ***1/2.
Welcome Back, Jim Gordon:
Wow, that was some LOUSY acting I just saw. The only two good actors in this episode were Cat and Bruce. The look on David Mazouz's face as Selina broke his heart was gut-wrenching. But at the same time I understand why she did it. Completely. "A better place to stay"? Bruce is clueless and basically just told Selina she was inadequate and that he was better than her. And the most infuriating thing about that is he truly believes he's being nice when he says that. Maybe Selina went too far with her meanness. But something needs to wake that kid up. Do you know what, though? I don't approve of Alfred making fun of Bruce's tears. I especially resent that the lesson the show seems to be saying is that Bruce is weak for crying them, and Alfred is a good parent by shaming Bruce into hiding his feelings. I hate stuff like that with a passion, and this type of thinking tends to infect Gotham more often than it does any other show I watch. And it's freaking infuriating. Also infuriating is the fact that the show gives us a virtuous, honest, black character and kills them off as punishment. That isn't only why Gotham sucks, but also why all of television sucks. Let's get to the bad acting: I just want to run up to Jada Pinkett-Smith and tell her truth. I want to look her steadily in the eye and say "The producers of Gotham are not your friends." If they were truly looking out for Pinkett-Smith's best interests they wouldn't constantly force her to turn in such a humiliating performance. Jada is NOT a terrible actress. She being made to be by bad writers, cruel directors, and clueless producers. I see why she left after season 1. After this episode, I wouldn't be surprised if her agent was read the riot act. I also thought Ben McKenzie was absolutely terrible in the last scene of the episode. The last person I've seen overact that much was John Lithgow on 3rd Rock From The Sun. To be fair, Delaware's actor is just as embarrassingly bad, but if McKenzie were actually a decent actor he wouldn't need to be good. McKenzie should have been able to carry that scene on his own. I think Ben McKenzie is a special level of fail as casting for Jim Gordon. He plays the character broadly and colorfully and hammily overacts. That is not Jim Gordon, or at least any Jim Gordon I've ever seen before. Gordon is pretty much the only normal person in Gotham City. An actor playing him should not be drawing as much attention to the performance as McKenzie does. Gordon is ostensibly a thankless role. But he desperate wants those thanks. I think McKenzie thinks this is a role for his Emmy reel. I think the producers should probably tell McKenzie to try to further his shaky career on his own time. Do you know what bothers me about trying to play up the drama of how Delaware was mistreated by Penguin's thug? I almost could care less. Yeah, it sucks his wife and kids were tortured, but if he were truly looking out for their best interests he wouldn't associating and covering up for first degree murderers. I have sympathy for Delaware's family. Not Delaware himself, and the show is crazy to think I (or Jim) should. He's pleas about how much he loved his family would sound more convincing to me if he wasn't in a line of illegality that puts them in genuine danger. That's on him, not Jim Gordon. I love that Alfred says that Ivy looks like she has mange. Because she does. And she snarkily asks if he's Bruce's bodyguard and he's all "If need be, Miss." Alfred usually sucks. But he did not in that moment. I also loved him saying "There we go, miss" when handing Ivy the twenty. Alfred is a total pro, even when he's bribing homeless orphan girls. I'm amused to realized Miss Kringle's buttholish boyfriend is actually Flass from the comics. I would almost sympathize with Riddler here but season 2 shows me it is entirely misplaced. Do you know what I noticed about Chelsea's Spack's performance? Just based on the scene where Ed gives her the greeting card, she is actually afraid of him at this point. She should have trusted that instinct. All things being equal, rewatching this season and this episode in particular tells me something about Ed that his evil half convinced himself of in the next season, but was certainly not true. In season 2 Evil Ed convinces himself (and Gordon) that he was ALWAYS this, and he's just embracing it for the first time. And that simply isn't true. Seeing Ed smile as Flass is taken down (as well as when he gave Gordon a hug earlier in the season) tells me Ed's motives, at least in the earlier part of the series, were actually noble and he used to be a genuine good guy. The idea that he was always evil and the murder of Kringle's boyfriend got him to embrace it does not hold up to scrutiny. Butch went above and beyond for Fish this episode. I love that guy, and even if I hate Fish, I love her relationships to both him and Harvey, including her asking Harvey to help Butch if he was alive. I love that. Another embarrassing Fish moment was embarrassing on purpose: Her walking in on Oswald in the middle of his imaginary monologue to am empty house had to be humiliating for Penguin, even more-so than being forced to kiss her feet. I just about died on his behalf. I think the look that Penguin had when Victor Zsasz showed up said "How lucky am I that that particular guy is on my side?". Because he really was. He would have been screwed otherwise. Victor's scene with Butch was ominous too. The look on his face as he asks his girls if they should kill him or take him home to play will give me nightmares. Do you know how I know Butch is in for a rough hew? He killed one of Victor's girls. That simply isn't done. Interesting that Fish's real name is Marie Mercedes. I kind of get why somebody would want to trade up from Marie, but Mercedes is kind of an awesome name already. Better than Fish at any rate. I thought the torturer made an excellent threat, and I just want to state for the record how well-written it was. This is what he says (more or less): "I will be extracting a sincere apology from you this evening. This won't take long." He's reading a file when he says that and those are some of the most mundane words and line readings I've heard. But the implications of what his ultimate goal for the night is are terrifying. He's going to make Fish beg for mercy and then kill her. There is no other way to interpret those two sentences. And he says them as if he is reading a chart at a doctor's office. This show isn't well-written very often, but I think that was brilliant. I loved how much joy Butch was taking in Fish menacing Penguin. No love lost there. I like the conversation between Bullock and Jim about Flass being the culprit and Harvey sort of waiting to share his suspicions because he's not a forward planner like Jim. I think Harvey's reasoning is quite sound here to be honest. Frankly, I usually side with Harvey in ethical dilemma between him and Jim, because Harvey can be convinced to do the right thing. But Jim can never be convinced to do the NECESSARY thing. Which is why he sucks. I loved Jim telling Harvey he had a thing for Fish and Harvey saying he doesn't have a thing for anyone and that his thing is for himself. Because just based on the kiss at the end, that is a total lie. I think my favorite thing about the episode was Penguin's men indulging his mother. I love that Penguin isn't embarrassed by her at all, even if she is pretty much the most embarrassing woman on the planet. Moroni said something interesting in the last episode: every man has a mother. I think perhaps the reason Penguin isn't embarrassed, and his men don't lose respect for him, is that each of them have a mother EXACTLY like this at home, and know exactly what is going on. This strikes me as a shared experience of the mobsters of Gotham, and the only way to handle it is to be cool about it with each other. That idea really amuses me. But boy, the acting sucked this episode. *.
The Fearsome Dr. Crane:
Okay, I pretty much adore the sponsor telling Harvey that truly brave people admit their fears, and Harvey stating that she's been hanging around too many timid and whiny people. It's the fact that he doesn't mean it and is just messing with her as to why that line is so great. I am allowed to still like Harvey after saying something like that if he is only joking. And I love how he sort of is using questions that come up in an investigation to sort of gauge the woman's response as to whether or not she'd be receptive to a date. He even asks if she's Irish! I also like that she's the type of person who is willing to tell Harvey not to be an @$$ within 30 seconds of meeting him. That is probably quite necessary for any relationship with him. I liked Harvey telling Jim he was in with the woman unless she was the killer. I love that line because it says that Harvey isn't actually sure and will just let the chips fall where they may. He told Jim last episode that he wasn't a forward planner. That proved it. The Penguin and Moroni stuff made the episode. I have to say, Penguin made pretty much every wrong decision here. I truly believe if he had handed Moroni the gun and said he could trust him, Moroni would have. Moroni LIKES him! He didn't merely bring him out in the middle of nowhere to kill him, he did it to TEST him! One which Oswald failed every step of the way. He was giving Penguin every opportunity to find reasons to trust him. He WANTS to be wrong, and Penguin refuses to let him be. I think Cobblepot's cunning in the Gotham Game of Thrones is pretty overstated if he so openly squandered the gift of the fact that Moroni already wanted desperately to believe in him. Oswald was his own worst enemy this episode. The game of secrets was riveting especially when Moroni smiles at the gun and says "Now THAT'S a good secret." I love how dismissive he is of the Penguin's pleas for mercy later on. It boils down to "Can you believe I used to fall for this?" and it's the fact that he's amused at his own stupidity which is the reason I like Moroni so much. Listening to Penguin in the first place is how Moroni got into this fix. I love when Penguin starts blubbering in the car and calls him on his cell phone the Don is amused, incredulous, and frustrated: "Can you believe this guy? Take it like a man!" I love that about Moroni. I love the amused expression on his face as Penguin begs. I also love how after Penguin tries to logic him into sparing him because he's more valuable to him alive, Moroni points out it's not business, it's personal. And it is. He killed Frankie, who he grew up with. I liked the moment of Moroni saying the fact that Frankie was stabbed in a gunfight always bugged him. The look on David Zayas' face as he said it was quite interesting. And it really should have bugged him. He should have suspected Penguin MUCH sooner than he did. I love Moroni quickly grabbing Penguin and saying he was pretty fast for a big guy. And it's true! He takes Penguin out without a gun. Even though I DO believe Moroni would have believed Penguin, he still played the entire scene smart. He explains nothing about the trip and does random things to rattle Penguin to accidently force him to make a mistake. And the Penguin ridiculously fell into that. I think Moroni's test WAS a legit one, but he might not have failed it so utterly had Moroni not been so scary and cunning. I loved the reaction of the guy in the car crusher as Penguin called him while being crushed. Penguin could have been discussing the weather. Speaking of excellent reaction shots, I think the scene where Moroni has an entire conversation about Penguin's betrayal on the phone with Fish in front of Penguin with him being none the wiser was excellently written and acted. Moroni gets every single bit of information from Fish that he needs to get without ever letting her know Penguin is there, or letting Penguin know that he is the person being discussed. He reactions to Penguin to throw off suspicion was truly the works of a smart man. There is a reason Moroni has gotten as far as he did. The shot of Julian Sands in the fedora and trench-coat was a great visual transition to the opening title card. An unarmed Fish dressed in hookerwear running at a heavily armed pirate in the last shot was as ridiculous and stupid as the Sands teaser was cool. This show is idiotic. The gunplay at the end between Crane and Gordon was excellent. The gunplay on this show is usually good for television, but I really felt the bullets landing here. Well boarded moment. Ed stuffing body parts into the coroner's locker shows another way Ed is disgusting. Although I did laugh when he put his gloved hand on his head and a giant blood spot was left behind. Still, I refuse to feel TOO bad for the M.E. This was the same guy who ruled that poor man last episode getting stabbed in the back with an icepick a suicide. Ed definitely is a creep. But it's not like the M.E. isn't either. The pencil thing was funny too. I really liked Bruce releasing Gordon from his promise. Gordon has been nothing but suck when it comes to that and when Bruce says he'll take care of the matter himself, you actually believe him, as crazy of an idea as that sounds. And I love that Alfred has Bruce's back in that moment. Gordon's all "He's dealing with dangerous people!" and Alfred's "Good thing he's got me." I think Bruce has been far too forgiving of Gordon's incompetence than he ever should have been. I will admit this episode shares a flaw with ALL Scarecrow episodes, no matter the incarnation. Crane's research makes no sense. What is he trying to prove? And how could it possibly be for the betterment of humanity? We sort of let it slide because he's a crazy Batman villain, but I kind of think that if DC is going to actually say this guy is a professor or a scientist, that they actually make that idea credible. Crane's "social experiments" seem about as well planned out as an average batch of Joker toxic enveloping Gotham. The Joker is TRYING to mess with people. What's Crane's excuse? Query: Where did Harvey get the knife to cut loose the sponsor's bonds in the pool? Do cops in Gotham routinely carry around knives? I didn't like the Soul Church moment at the end of Penguin getting on the bus to choir music praising Jesus. I don't know why, but I kind of felt that scene was offensive. And I seriously don't understand why I think that. Maybe I'm overthinking things. But every time I hear the choir sing as Penguin staggers down the bus I can't help but feel the show is showing extreme disdain for black people and black culture. Or possibly Evangelicals. Or both. And I can't pinpoint exactly why I feel that way. Maybe the best way I can put it is that it seemed like a bunch of superstitious black women fawning over a white savior. That was probably it. I didn't like everything in the episode, but it gets a super high grade for Penguin and Moroni. ****1/2.
The Scarecrow:
Interesting first meeting between Penguin and Riddler. Each is sizing the other up and showing they clearly don't like each other. What I love about the moment is that the show plays it as HUGE! As if it's one of the defining things of the season. But the thing is, somebody who doesn't know Batman wouldn't understand WHY the show is making such a to-do. As far as this show is concerned up to this point, Ed is a scrawny little shrimp barely worthy of notice. And the fact about Emperor Penguins? That WAS neat! I loved Harvey calling Ed competition for Lee. In his dreams. I think Moroni telling Penguin that he better hope Falcone lives a long life, because when he's out of the picture, Penguin is finished, states exactly how important Falcone is to holding Gotham together. His biggest skill is building the amounts of alliances he has, and getting people who otherwise hate each other, to declare peace for the greater good. And as he showed with Moroni and the blackmailed judge, he more often uses carrots than sticks. Which is good leadership. I love how the episode framed the shot of Moroni pouring over the drink in Penguin's hand. They show it in a shot between his legs so it looks like he's pi$$ing his pants. I will not deny this show often has cinematic flair. I like the scene where Falcone is very enigmatic and unconcerned as Oswald is trying to impress upon him the danger Moroni poses to him. I like it because Falcone seems to be pretty clearly telling Penguin that from now on Falcone is calling the shots. He's not taking Penguin's advice anymore and he no longer has the power he once did. He was taking him down a few pegs by ignoring him. I liked how Moroni was still able to concede with Falcone that Penguin is a moneymaker. He may hate the kid now but he still recognizes him as an asset. Falcone saying Penguin is smart enough to know he'll never be in charge is another thing that shows Falcone is a lousy judge of character. Julian Sands really sold the line "I have no FE-AH!". That's the kind of line that's best hissed in a British accent. I like Bruce and Alfred sharing the sunrise even if I was a bit appalled that Alfred didn't help him up the hill. Maybe this is their new thing from now on. And Bruce IS a cheeky monkey. I like that Bruce is legitimately angry at Alfred smugly sitting there. I like that he fell asleep on Alfred's shoulder. But did Alfred just call Bruce "Master B"? Seriously? A Pre-Wayward Pines Charlie Tahan was a good casting choice for Jonathon Crane. He's lanky and gawkward and has an outright awful haircut. I don't know if he'll be able to pull off the sinister aspects of the character that come later, but he did what he needed to do in these two episodes at least. I think it would be an interesting motive for Crane if he ALWAYS saw the Scarecrow in the corner of his eye as an adult, and that's where his madness lies. That's a great idea which is why the show will probably ultimately abandon it. This show is often given rare uncommon gifts (like Clare Foley) only to squander them for something much less interesting. Do you know what Fish in the underground prison is? Teri Bauer with amnesia on the side of the road. Kim Bauer lost in the woods with a cougar. I think the producers had absolutely no place for Fish until the season finale, but since Pinkett-Smith is a series regular, they were contractually obligated to give her something to do. But Fish's whole thing with the Dollmaker in the second half of the season went exactly nowhere. And I couldn't help but notice several people in the hole (including the guy at the beginning Fish befriends named Kelly) are nearly clean-shaven. They are barely with five o'clock shadow, and they've supposedly been there for weeks. Apparently, there is only one knife, but several of the men have razor blades and grooming kits. I did like SOMETHING about Kelly. I like that he instantly seems taken with Fish upon her putting those two would-be rapists in their place. There is genuine adoration in his face at that moment. Penguin has a tendency to say poetic, true sounding things, that do not hold up to scrutiny. At all. When he declares that it is better to hold the hand of a friend in the dark than walk alone in the light my first thought is "That is not true at all." I would much prefer to walk by myself in the daytime than walk with one other person at night. I'd feel safer. And that's not a question. Penguin's jive would be a lot more convincing if it were true. Do you know what is interesting about Penguin always reaching out to Jim in friendship? As of the end of season 2, Gordon is pretty much the only major player in the cast of Gotham that Penguin has never betrayed. That seems significant to me and either the writers are building to REALLY big betrayal down the line or one is never coming. I'm a little curious to see which it is. Passable episode. **1/2.
The Blind Fortune Teller:
You know, if Gotham did more episodes like this, I don't think anyone would have any problems with it. It was quirky and weird and Batman by way of David Lynch. It doesn't matter that the idea of Gordon loosing the snake is dumb, it's COOL. It doesn't matter that the Blind Fortuneteller is cheesy, he's INTERESTING. I think the thing that I most regret about the episode is due to hindsight. Season 2 will reveal that Jerome is NOT the Joker after all, and that is a crying shame. The kid Cameron Monhagan was magnificent in season two, and I'd LOVE to see him be able to take a legit shot at the character. He'd probably be the best one since Mark Hamill. What's amazing to me is that he plays meek and mousy equally well, and when he tells Gordon that he doesn't mind his mother's love life because if it weren't for that he wouldn't exist, you realize exactly what a b.s. artist this kid is. He is quite an adept performer and liar. The look of terror and regret on the Blind Fortuneteller's face during his final laugh hints to me that this is what his life has been like and he's been living in fear for years. It's why he tipped off the cops in the first place. "A fantasia conjured by a muddled mind" is a great phrase. I also like how he said the line "I DO so hate needles." I love how excited Lee was over all of the weirdness. It was infectious. I think the boardroom at Wayne Enterprises did the one thing they should never do with child Bruce Wayne: they underestimated him. That will be their undoing. The look of unease on their faces told me they realize they were starting to bite off more than they could chew. This episode was also significant for being the first after Zsasz "conditions" Butch. It's once Butch becomes a blank slate and starts mirroring whoever he is talking to that Butch became such a great character, and Drew Powell this show's MVP. As of now, as goofy as his scene was, he's also electrifying in a way he wasn't before. You aren't sure of what he's thinking or what he's going to do, and that just makes him riveting. And I love Zsasz busting a gut at Penguin's terror. And the glee in which he revealed that Butch would do exactly what Penguin wanted told me that this is a guy who loves delivering presents and his joy is actually quite lovable. It's settled. I officially want Victor Zsasz as my Secret Santa. As much as Fish's plot sucks, I'm glad they at least had the sense to finally get her out of the stripperwear. That beggared belief last episode. But if I am being TRULY honest, this WAS the one episode this year where I actually liked Fish. Because she DID deliver on her promise to "get some of us out of here alive". Fish isn't right about much, but I like that she was able to keep her biggest and boldest promise of the season. And her math is correct. Their lives aren't worth much, but they are clearly worth SOMETHING. I actually liked her kissing the forehead of the dead guy. It was clearly just for show, to engender sympathy from her followers, but I thought it was cool anyways. And frankly I thought it was very interesting how "57A" (as he was known in the episode) just accepted his death. He doesn't fight back at all when he's beaten to death, which tells me Fish's speech about family and togetherness must have meant something. The weird thing is it wasn't a great speech. But I'm betting the people in that hole were so desperate that they didn't need much. Do you know what was NOT credible about that speech? That Fish delivers it standing on the raised back of a guy to give her height. Stuff like that is why nobody takes this show seriously. Do you know what I love about Barbara hanging out with Cat and Ivy? She's trying to relate to them as a peer, but that just puts into sharp focus how well put together these criminal orphans are, and what a hot mess Barbara actually is. Barbara thinks she is being cool, and Ivy and Cat are the only people in the relationship to know she actually sucks. When I see The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy relating to Bart and Milhouse as a peer, the last thing I think of him as is cool. He's a loser, as is Barbara. And it's funny that Barbara has no idea how pathetic she is to those two. These homeless prepubescent girls look down on her. As they should. I especially love the conviction with which Ivy nodded her head at Barbara asking "Sailing? Really?". That kid is amazing and the show is out of its mind to get rid of her in season three. I like how protective Penguin is of his mother's hurt feelings. It's insane, and violent, and super sweet at the same time. But how did Gertrude not see him bloodily beat that guy? The spatter was clearly within her line of sight. Either Gertrude is nearsighted or in MUCH bigger denial than is warranted. The only thing about the episode I didn't like was the romance between the Flying Graysons. That's TOO prequel. I am not so comic book anal that I need or appreciate to see Dick Grayson's parents deciding to start a family. The origin of Dick Grayson's genetic conception is irrelevant. Filling in random holes in a badly written obvious way is what Smallville used to do. Granted, this show is just as bad as Smallville usually is, but when it comes to the prequel stuff, it usually isn't, that so I noticed it this time. Still, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this was the best episode of the season. *****.
