Welcome back, Bat fans! Another great episode of Gotham aired last night, but you no doubt are well aware of this fact. It is worth noting first and foremost that writer Ben (Supernatural, Angel) Edlund absolutely nailed the transition from procedural cop drama to full-fledged Batman murder mystery for this episode. The Spirit of the Goat was terrifying, bizarre, and utterly brutal. But though he and his crimes were the focus of the episode, the character-building continued between the scenes, just like it would in that of the frames of a comic book.
We get another cameo from Carol Kane as the Penguin’s mom, and the Penguin makes his plan to be someone of importance in Gotham City, and, by extension, always be remembered. And, of course, he’s just about as creepy as ever. The strange relationship between Robin Lord Taylor and his mother is complex and disturbing, to say the least, and it reeks of emotional, verbal, physical, and possibly… other kinds… of abuse.
It was nice to see Bullock in a little bit less worthless capacity this go-around, showing him in the opening flashback sequence as a young rookie detective (much like Gordon) with a Grumpy Gus of a partner (much like he himself has become). So when the killer seemingly returns from the dead, it reeks of supernatural shenanigans and therefore, Bullock regains a little bit of his spark for actual detective work. Teaming up with Jim and the gang, he finds a copycat killer, only to discover that he is in fact a victim himself, of a manipulative high society psychiatrist who is turning Gotham’s 99% against its elite upper class in order to “save” the city from itself.
Speaking of that one percent: Bruce Wayne is still having nightmares, still doing detective work of his own, and just got robbed by the girl who will become Catwoman. And Edward Nygma is creepy, awkward, and all sorts of lacking social graces, showing not so much a villainous side (yet), but more of a slightly autistic one. The show could definitely benefit from some more Cory Michael Smith as the man destined to pester the Bat with his constant riddles.
Oh. And that ending. Whoo-boy! Penguin just arriving in the middle of the Gotham City Police Department, right when shit’s about to hit the fan, causing an all-out brawl (presumably) and a much-needed “Huh?” moment for all of the people involved in the totally unnecessary arrest of Jim Gordon, quite possibly the one NOT corrupt man in the entire city.
My Rating: 5/5
What did you think? Leave your comments below, check out the Baturday column each and every Saturday to check out my reviews and spoilers for all of the week’s Batman source material, and see you next week for a brand new review of a brand new episode of Fox’s hit Bat/cop/crazy-person drama: Gotham!
