A Worthwhile Wait for Gotham’s Storylines
This week’s episode of Gotham was a delightful treat, exploring several long-teased storylines that proved to be worth the wait. The conflict between Gordon and Bullock reached its boiling point, Sofia Falcone’s boundaries were tested, and Penguin’s search for Ed led Tabitha to find Butch and Lee to a new leadership role. All of these stories intertwined seamlessly, creating a captivating narrative that left me wanting more.
Surprisingly, the episode didn’t feature Bruce Wayne, a strong young actor with intriguing stories to tell. However, his absence didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the episode.
Outlaw Ladies, Penguin’s Vendetta, and Solomon Grundy
The timely merging of Gotham’s lovely outlaw ladies with Penguin’s vendetta against Ed was a stroke of genius. Solomon Grundy had been around just long enough to need a twist or development in his story, so Tabitha’s arrival was perfectly timed. It may sound contrived, but it felt natural for Grundy to get hit over the head and for some of Butch’s memories to resurface. Tabitha’s arrival coincided with Butch/Grundy starting to remember bits and pieces of the love of his life, making for an emotional and heartbreaking viewing experience.
Adding Ed, Lee, and Barbara to the mix only intensified the emotional stakes. Tabitha and Ed have a history, and Tabitha is offended that Ed and Butch would be on the same team. The dynamic between former loves of Jim Gordon’s life, Barbara and Lee, added another layer of complexity. Erin Richards and Morena Baccarin delivered marvelous performances.
Penguin, Sofia Falcone, and the Art of Manipulation
In another storyline, Penguin helped a kid figure out how to get revenge on his enemies by using friendship to his advantage. Through this, he realized that Sofia Falcone was doing the same to him. Their relationship has been an exercise in manipulation, with Sofia mostly pulling the strings. Crystal Reed has proven to be an excellent counterpart to Robin Lord Taylor’s Penguin, and I’m even more excited to see how their story unfolds now that Penguin is aware of Ms. Falcone’s tactics.
Jim Gordon’s Promotion and the Heartbreak of Friendship
Perhaps the most emotional and heartbreaking story was Jim Gordon’s promotion to Captain at the expense of his good friend, Harvey Bullock. The relationship between Jim and Harvey has been one of my favorites throughout the show, so when it became tense this season, I was heartbroken. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between the two when Bullock is the Captain, but the comic book Bullock was never really the ambitious type. The conflict between the two men slowly escalated until Gordon felt he had no choice but to take the job. The scene between Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue revealing this was powerful and devastating, only trumped by Gordon’s realization of Sofia’s involvement and her motives. This has been one of Gotham’s best episodes to date, and this storyline played a significant role in its success.
Notable Moments and Future Excitement
Here are a few other thoughts:
- One of my favorite short scenes of 2017 is now Solomon Grundy ripping a dude’s arm off and beating him with it. In related news, one of my favorite new episode titles is “Stop Hitting Yourself”.
- An underrated exchange: Selina pretending to be a starstruck fan of Ed’s. Cory Michael Smith and Camren Bicondova were not the focal points of this episode, but each made a meaningful contribution.
- I’m really excited to see Lee as the leader of this new “Narrows” location, and even more excited that Barbara contributed to her rise.
Overall, this may have been my favorite episode of Gotham ever. If not ever, DEFINITELY this season.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
Gotham airs Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX
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