Gotham - S1E15 - The Scarecrow
Previously on Gotham, ‘The Fearsome Dr. Crane’
Synopsis:
Gordon and Bullock set out to stop Gerald Crane, a biology teacher who has been harvesting the glands of his murdered victims. Meanwhile, after finding herself in an unusual setting, Mooney continues plotting to gain power, and Falcone attempts to change Maroni’s plan for Oswald.
Recap:
A Fish Out of Water:
- Mooney wakes up after her escape (boat attack) and finds herself in what looks like an abandoned building when a man comes up to her for no other reason than to be her guide through this little slice of heaven. Before I go any further though can I say I am a little disappointed with how Fish’s story begins here? I wanted to see what happened at the end of the previous episode with Fish growling at one of the attackers and running towards him. It could have been me, but it seemed like that was going somewhere. I don’t know the greeting she gives her long lost brother or something? It just seemed more than it was. Oh well…back to our story. As Fish and her guide get acquainted, two other rather large men come up to her obviously to set their claim on the new woman in town. Fish is having none of that and promises them that the first to come at her would die fast with the other left to die slowly. They both think better of the situation and move on. As her guide looks on in amazement and awe.
- Fish’s guide introduces himself as Kelly (Kamron Leal) and tells her that she is in a prison, or it could be Hell, either way he just thinks it is plain cold. When breakfast is served she is introduced to the boss of the prison, Mace (Babs Olusanmokun). Now she has a target.
- Fish questions Mace who explains he is the boss because he has the only blade in the prison. Fish tells him she has skills worth protecting and he seems intrigued.
- Well, Mace makes the mistake of treating Fish like a commoner, and foolishly calls her baby. Not smart. So for the remark he got a knife to the throat. I think we just witnessed a coup. Fish is in charge now.
- Fish attempts to organize the prison when one of the prisoners that was taken away is returned by whomever is running the place. The returned prisoner looks up and says…they took my eyes! Not good!
Chasing After a Nightmare:
- Bullock meets Gordon at a crime scene in which the victim had his adrenal gland removed, the same as the other victims in the previous episode. So the question is: What is the culprit doing with them?
- Well, we did not have to wait long to find out what’s with the glands because in the next scene we find Gerald taking one out of a bag, putting it through a very scientific looking process until he gets a liquid. And what does he do with said liquid? Why, inject it into his arm, of course. And that is when the nightmare begins. Gerald sees a vision of a woman asking him why he did not save her. He takes the fetal position on the floor looking terrified.
- Crane continues to inject himself with the fear toxin seeing his dead wife when his son, Jonathan comes to check on him. He tells Jonathan that his injections are working and that he is going to be next. To be free of fear forever.
- Bullock finds a clue, which leads them to a local high school where Crane teaches Biology. At the school, Principal Barthel (Elsa Davis), tells Bullock and Gordon that Crane no longer works there. He just picked up and left about three weeks ago. She tells them he was a good teacher and a good father. She also tells them that Crane’s wife died in an auto accident approximately seven years ago. Then the conversation gets interesting as Bullock asks her about Crane’s curiosity about fears and phobias. She tells them that he had a theory about how fear was an evolutionary flaw and he was trying to cure himself of it. But it was not just him he wanted to cure of fear.
- Crane injects his son with the fear toxin and his nightmare begins.
- Gordon and Bullock find out that Crane’s wife did not die in a car accident but in a house fire. They deduce that Crane is ashamed that he could not save his wife from the fire and that is why he was harvesting the glands.
- Jonathan does not want to continue with his father’s treatment and runs out of the house. Crane follows him and as he explains that he has to continue for it to work and how they are helping mankind, a scarecrow is standing in the background. Foreshadow much?
- As Gordon and Bullock track Crane to his old house where his wife died, Crane and Jonathan escape out the back and to make sure Jonathan has no fear, Crane completes the treatment protocol on his son right underneath the hanging scarecrow. And for good measure, because he has no fear, Crain attempts to gun down Gordon and Bullock, which ends with him dead.
- Jonathan is in the hospital with doctors not sure if he will ever recover from what his father did to him. He could be in constant fear for the rest of his life. Wonder what that does to a person?
A Penguin Hangs in the Balance:
- Oswald talks to Falcone about his ordeal with Maroni. Don Falcone does not seem impressed. He seems more fascinated with the décor of Fish’s old club. As Oswald continues to plead his case, Don Falcone tells him he is now publicly acknowledging that he is his man and he needs to look and act the part, which means that he needs to get the club up and running. Oh, and to leave Maroni to him.
- Don Falcone and Don Maroni meet as friends. They talk about Penguin. Maroni claims he will kill Penguin. Falcone does not put up much of a fight. I am sure that’s not exactly what Oswald wants to hear coming from his boss.
- Oswald goes to deliver an invite to Gordon for his new club opening but he is not at his desk. Nygma sees him and they both catch each others eye. So we have the first meeting of the Penguin and the Riddler! Oswald does not like him. Just then Gordon show up. Gordon tells him no thanks and lets him know he does not want him coming to his office again. Oswald tells him he should not treat him this way and that “walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
- Don Falcone was just kidding about killing Oswald and still wants him around. He has an offer for Marconi that he cannot refuse. He offers him a piece of a judge he has locked up and being handled by a dominatrix. Yikes!
- Penguin’s opening day is not going so well. And gets worse when Maroni comes strolling in with congratulations and threats of the future.
Love is in the Air at the GCPD:
- Gordon and Dr. Thompkins are walking home from their third date as Gordon asks the typical guy question about not ever being to her apartment. Guess he is not too high on his high horse to ask about the bedroom. But then again she is not all that shy about showing him either, but not tonight. Then she drops the news that she will be coming to work as the GCPD ME job that was recently vacated. The job, if I remember correctly, he told her about. Then way too good Mr. Gordon acts as if he doesn’t want her there? Is this a hiccup by the writers or are there other reasons he does not want her there? I think I know what the show writers were going for but it felt strange. Curious?
- Thompkins, I mean Lee, comes in for her first day. Gordon jumps up out of his chair and makes the situation awkward. Bullock does not help matters. Captain Essen comes in and greets her and escorts her to her office. Bullock tells him that office romances always ends in tears. Gordon dismisses it but Bullock says trust him.
- Gordon and Lee talk as they pass each other. Lee kisses Gordon but he tells her that now that she is working here it is not professional. She comes back with “I hope not,” with a smile.
- Gordon tries to put his foot down with the no kissing. It does not go that well. But Lee did say she would be discreet.
Wrapping Up:
- Bruce is getting ready for a trip without Alfred. But he will be back later tonight. It is some sort of trip through the woods that he and his father used to go on. It looks like they would find stones they liked and take them to a place in the woods together. Father and son bonding. Bruce has to deal with the emotions of not having his father there. He then falls and breaks his ankle as a storm begins to roll in. Bruce finds the strength, he is Batman, to make a splint and climb up the hill. Alfred meets him at the top of the hill to help him at the end. Thus building on his lessons to become the hero the city deserves.
I thought this was a good episode. Not great but good. It continues to stay consistent since the winter break as we continue to see the Gotham City without Batman. The high point was still Gordon and Dr. Thompkins. The chemistry is there and they are funny together. I know the show wanted the first meeting between Penguin and the Riddler to be cool but it kind of fell flat for what it should have been. The end scene with Jonathan being terrorized by the visions of the scarecrow was scary movie worthy and worth mentioning. Again all in all it was a good episode and I will continue to watch because if for nothing else it is entertaining.
