Gotham - S1E22 - All Happy Families Are Alike
Previously on Gotham, ‘The Anvil or the Hammer’
Rumor Has It
Bruce is obsessed with finding a secret he feels his father has been hiding from the world. Not sure why he would think his father has one. I know Bruce got a cryptic message from Mr. Fox last week, but that could have meant anything. But the show runners want us to follow Bruce down the rabbit hole, so I guess that is where we’re going.
Bruce and Alfred take all the books off the shelf. Yes, that was the entirety of the scene. Really?
Once all of the books are off the shelf they both look tired. Bruce finds a clue in something Alfred says and combines it with what Mr. Fox said about how Bruce’s dad was a stoic. In the spine of a book about a Roman general he finds a remote control. And when he pushes a button on it, music plays and the fireplace moves to reveal stairs which go down. And through the door comes the sound of bat wings.
Sister Wives?
Gordon finds Lee meeting with Barbara. So with a show of hands, how many people has slept with Detective Gordon? Now why Lee is seeing Barabra is anyone’s guess. Shouldn’t she be in a hospital and not in a medical examiners office? Questions all around. Oh, and medical doctors are now qualified to be counselors… anyone see a problem with this?
Back at Barbara’s apartment, Lee starts their therapy sessions. Barbara talks about how the Ogre could see right through her. Barbara admits he was scary, but says all the best guys are - and that includes Gordon. Then she asks Lee if Gordon ever hit her out of passion. Then she offers Lee something to eat. See? Totally professional.
Lee and Barbara bond over some tea and cake when Lee asks Barbara to tell her what really happened with the Ogre. Barbara tell her she does not want to go there. Then Barbara begins to interrogate Lee about her and Gordon.
Barbara recounts what happened during her ordeal with the Ogre. Then the conversation changes from what the Ogre did to her and shifts to what her parents did to her. Then Barbara gets creepy. She starts to sound like she was drinking the Ogre’s Kool-Aid. Oh, Yeah! And then she confesses to killing her parents. Yeah, that happened!
War!
Don Falcone, the farmer, is checking out some chickens for some reason or another and a motorcycle comes driving up with a rocket launcher in tow. I am sure he meant to fire that rocket into the car and not at the Don who was again looking at the chickens next to the car. Warning shot, right?
Gordon observes the product of war in the city as he watches police officers beat up a suspect and proceed to throw him into a cell. Once of the cops, Officer Griffin Katz (John Stewart…no joke!), salutes Gordon as he walks by. Gordon schools Katz, telling him he is not long for this world of crime fighting and he should change his ways.
As Gordon looks like someone just killed his puppy, Bullock pulls him aside and tells him city hall is now backing Maroni instead of Falcone.
Falcone wakes up in a hospital in restraints. Penguin comes to visit with Butch and a semi-automatic rifle in hand. He came to say goodbye and to confess he was the one who instigated the friction between him and Maroni. Penguin tells Falcone he is to take his place as king of Gotham. And just when Penguin was going for the jugular, Gordon shows up to put a stop to the bloodletting. Then Gordon proceeds to tell Penguin he is under arrest. What? Doesn’t Gordon owe Penguin, like, a bazillion favors now?
Gordon seems to be backing Falcone and Penguin is none too happy. In what seems to be a scene out of The Godfather, Gordon is the only guy in a long lonely hallway. He calls Bullock, who asks why is he there knowing the city is now backing Maroni. Gordon tell Bullock Falcone is a bad man, but he is the best bad man the city has. Gordon plans on getting Falcone out as Penguin also pleads for Gordon to help him get out. He also reminds him of the favor owed. And just so we all know the city is behind Maroni, Commissioner Loeb shows up with Tommy Bones to convince Gordon he is better off siding with the winning team. After Gordon decides not to play nice, Loeb washes his hands of him and a firefight ensues. Gordon kills a couple of bad guys as Bullock show up to get him out. Oh, and Penguin and Butch, too. The four of them escape in an ambulance that is apparently bulletproof.
The bulletproof ambulance pulls into an old warehouse guarded by Selina, who now has punk-style hair and is wearing a clean Mad Max outfit. An who just happens to stroll in with punk hair and firing a gun? Everyone’s favorite: Fish! So that is where she has been hiding! She needed time to get her J-Lo boobs and Pink hairdo right!
Fish talks to Butch as she is amazed he is still alive. Then talks to Don Maroni on a cell phone telling him she has something he wants.
Gordon tries to get Selina to help them out. She essentially tells him to pound sand, explaining she was not about to ruin one of the best jobs she has ever had for someone she kind-of-sort-of-knows.
Fish tells Falcone she was offered all of her old territory back if she gives Maroni Falcone’s head.
Maroni arrives and proceeds to dance around chastising Falcone. Penguin then speaks up and tells Fish not to trust Maroni. Then Maroni makes an error in judgement. As with Marty Mcfly in Back To The Future, Maroni calls Fish “Babes” and then tells her to relax. Not smart. Because all that will do is get you a bullet in the head. So, we say goodnight to Don Maroni. Everyone escape and run!
Gordon, Bullock, and Falcone escape. During a rest, Falcone says he is out. Unfortunately, Selina finds them and delivers them to Fish. Falcone says he was going to retire, but Fish does not believe him. Penguin puts a few of them down and then calls for Fish.
Gordon and Bullock escape in the chaos with Falcone. Now where to go that is safe?
Penguin goes after Fish. They fight to a stand-off. Then enters Butch “Theon” Gilzean. So who to chose, who to chose? Butch choses both of them. Does anyone else see this as a cop-out? Anyway, so Butch shoots both of them, but then realizes what he has done and goes to Fish to profess his love. She tells him it is alright and that she loves him. Penguin hits Butch in the head with a piece of wood and and then pushes Fish over the ledge of the building and into the river below. Penguin professes himself the King of North… wait Sorry, Gotham!
Gordon and Falcone discuss the future of Gotham. Falcone thinks it needs a strong lawman to set things right. He feels that person is Gordon.
Back to Barbara
So we have Barbara the killer chasing Lee around the house. I thought to myself, “Please tell me they are not going there. Not the whole ‘Here’s Johnny!’ bit during the fight. And how are they going to retcon Barbara into being Gordon’s wife after this? No way that can happen.”
And then as Lee is pounding Barbara’s head into the floor, Gordon arrives with Falcone and Bullock. Bullock says he warned that Barbara was trouble.
Wrapping Up
Ms. Kringle finally gets the clue Nygma sent to her on Officer Dougherty’s behalf. She says the first letters of every line spells out his last name. Nygma plays dumb, but when she leaves he goes a little loopy and talks to himself… and answers himself.
This episode was just crazy! Everything that you could think could happen, happens. It was like a train wrack and I just couldn’t look away.
So what do we have for next season? Well, Fish is dead. Not sure if it will take, but for now she is gone. Falcone is retired and Maroni is dead so that leaves Penguin king of the mountain. Bruce has a cave to go to and Nygma is crazy. Gordon is finally left to police a city full of crazy people, which includes his future wife. Still don’t know how that is going to work.
Overall a very mixed bag this initial season. It was entertaining at times, but I can say at no point was it good. Which is disappointing considering what I was wanting in this show. The stories were just okay and the dialogue was pretty bad most times. I did like the Penguin character and Gordon and Lee’s relationship. But those were some of the only high points. For the season, I would give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars with very little to bring me back for a sophomore season. Time will tell when September rolls around and I find myself longing for a grumpy awkward lawman and a crime boss with the worst nickname.
