When Last We Were in Gotham:
The child kidnappers used a drug that was previously only available at Arkham Asylum. Both Falcone and Maroni seem to have an interest in this condemned facility. Fish Mooney still wants to take over Falcone’s position, and regrets not being the one to kill Oswald. Cat left Det. Gordon behind while investigating the scene of the Wayne’s murder. Mayor James seemed content to send orphans to an upstate prison, proving he is as corrupt as everyone else. One man tried to fight that corruption by being a vigilante. The Balloonman was captured by Dets. Gordon and Bullock. Young Bruce Wayne saw his arrest on TV and decided the Balloonman was still a criminal because he murdered people. Barbara has some explaining to do to Gordon over her past relationship with Montoya, but first they have to deal with a visitor, Oswald Cobblepot.
Secret Agent Peter Humboldt
When Oswald comes knocking at your door, you should be worried. He tries to convince Gordon to let him work for him, since he’s already spying for free. My theory is that Oswald knows Gordon won’t double-cross him, like he’s already double-crossed Fish. Oswald also finally makes sense of all that “war” talk he’s been doing since the pilot episode. He just means that Maroni and Falcone will fight, using politics, money, or just regular old bullets.
Arkham District
The Waynes were backing a plan to take the last major undeveloped district in the city of Gotham and renovate it. They wanted to build affordable housing, tear down the old asylum and rebuild a state-of-the-art facility. Mayor James begins the episode endorsing this plan. Falcone has made sure that the plan is still in place since the Waynes’ death. Unfortunately, there is an opposing plan. Maroni would like to take the land for himself and turn it into a “waste disposal” center. I’m using quotation marks because I’m not sure what kind of waste he’ll be disposing of there. Other mobsters have swamps and marshes, but I think if Maroni stuffed one too many bodies in the sewers, somebody would notice. But just owning that land is power enough for Maroni to overtake Falcone. So now someone is killing councilmembers left and right, trying to skew the vote.
Gladwell to Meet You
The killer this week is Gladwell, a hired assassin who uses a fancy spike mechanism to kill his victims. He’s unnamed until Gordon and Bullock visit an associate of Bullock’s in Gotham State Penitentiary. This man is bearded and accepts cigarette cartons in exchange for his knowledge. He knows right away that the mercenary they’re after is Gladwell, and that he works in the Lansky Building. The detectives go there, and miss him. They do gather enough evidence to be convinced he did kill the two councilmen. Gordon also finds a paper with the letters C, L, and M on it. He knows it’s a clue but can’t figure it out. I was extremely disappointed that Edward Nygma didn’t get a chance at solving the letters. He instead is relegated to a scene where he doesn’t understand what a paradox is.
Liza vs The Singer
Fish Mooney inexplicable appears in this episode. I’d like to think she’ll be a purposeful character at some point. For now, she’s toying with people auditioning for her club. There are two scenes where we see a young woman singing for Mooney. Each time Mooney asks the girl to seduce her since it will be part of the job to seduce others. The first girl doesn’t do so well. The second, named Liza, is a better seductress than singer. At the end of the episode, Mooney has them literally fight for the position. The audition is actually to be the next Fish Mooney since she would like Falcone’s job. Surprise, surprise, Liza wins! Because she was the named character.
In or Out
Barbara comes clean to Gordon about her previous relationship with Montoya. It lasted a year and Barbara ended it. Montoya didn’t seem to move on though. Gordon seems perplexed at first, but is genuinely upset she didn’t disclose this information. It makes sense that Barbara would withhold this because Gordon works with Montoya. She wouldn’t want to make it awkward for anyone. But now Barabara wants to know more about Gordon’s work-life. She specifically asks about Oswald Cobblepot. When she answered the door for him, he gave a fake name. Gordon doesn’t clarify here that that was the case. He knows Falcone is ruthless and knowledge of Oswald’s survival is on a need-to-know basis. He’s trying to protect her, but she misunderstands. It seems like Gordon will have to find a new place to live.
He Left the Gun and Took the Cannoli
Bamonte’s is robbed and the manager is killed. Oswald manages to grab one of the bags of cash and hide with it in a freezer. This act of bravery and loyalty earns him a promotion by Maroni as the new manager of Bamonte’s. Oswald actually set up the whole robbery so he could advance in the ranks faster, and maybe fan the flames of the upcoming war he’s been raving about. He adds three more men to his body count by double-crossing the robbers with poisoned dessert. I swear, I’m going to tally up his kills in a future “Got Ham?”.
Side Lines
A wonderful moment occurs when Bamonte’s is robbed. Maroni’s men are surveying the damage and one goon says, “He got the money, Frankie.” Frankie replies, “I’ve got eyes don’t I?” Delightful mobster banter.
Next Time
Oswald will probably stretch his wings in his new position as manager. Maybe he’ll overstep his boundaries. Now that Fish has a protege in Liza, maybe her segments of the show will improve. Gordon and Barbara will reconcile, or Gordon will have it out with Montoya. Arkham is in play too, so who knows what future inmates and doctors will show up.
I rate this episode with Jason Todd’s Robin.
Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.