Gotham - S1E9 - Harvey Dent
Previously on Gotham, ‘The Mask’
A young Harvey Dent meets Gordon and team up to work on the Wayne case. Oswald makes contact with Mooney’s secret weapon. And love is in the air as Bruce meets Selina for the first time.
Making Bombs with Match Shavings and Apple Cider Vinegar:
- Ian Hargrove (Leslie Odom), a genius bomb maker, is broken out of jail while being transferred from Blackgate Penitentiary. Was it me, or was there a lot of black people at Blackgate Penitentiary? Just an observation.
- Gordon and Bullock bring in Hargrove’s brother, John (Luke Forbes), who relays that his brother is sick and not a killer. He does, however, enjoy blowing up buildings and businesses that make weapons. Does anyone else see any irony in that? He did kill a few people in his bombings… he felt bad about it though.
- Ian seems to be up to his old tricks as he builds a bomb—complete with shrapnel and a clue, to blow up an ammunitions factory. How do you get the bomb in the building? Put the bomb in a goody basket and give it to some underpaid security guards. But these guards deserve to be underpaid with all of them being in one place “guarding” and putting their ears down to the ticking basket wondering what could be making that sound? BOOM!
- Gordon and Bullock discover that the factory that was blown up was also robbed of some military grade explosives. Wonder what that will be used for?
- Nygma found the clue left by our so called killer bomb maker. Which leads Gordon and Bullock to an abandoned metal factory. They find Ian hard at work and chained to his chair. He tells them he has been held against his will and that the bad guys—some Russian guys, want him to make a bomb to use against Falcone. The Russians return before they get the chance to free Ian and re-kidnap him as Bullock and Gordon watch them get away.
- We find out that the Russians who kidnaped Ian are actually working for Mooney. Did not see that coming.
- Gordon and Bullock, with the help of Nygma, determine that the Gotham armory is the next target. What is at the armory? Mad stacks, yo! And as the Russians load up the money, the cops show up to take them down. But Mooney’s man Butch has other plans. He blows up the truck with the money as Gordon, Bullock, and Ian jump, action hero style, out of the way of the blast.
The Bat meets the Cat:
- Having nowhere else to take her, Gordon leaves Selina at Wayne Manor where she gets to see what it will be like in the future hanging with Bruce, who is, even now, brooding.
- Selina (aka…Cheeky Little Minx) gets to see Bruce start his journey towards our beloved crime fighter while he sparred with Alfred in the backyard. When she asks what he is doing, he explains he is learning how to fight. Inquisitive Selina asks why. Bruce says so he can be prepared if something bad happens. Selina looks around Bruce’s lavish home and questions how much trouble Bruce can get into with a “rough” neighborhood like his. Bruce comes back with a foreshadowing statement claiming he was referring to Gotham. Selina again keeps it real and makes the comment that “in Gotham people don’t fight with gloves on.”
- Bruce then strikes out with Selina as he attempts to make conversation with the poor, homeless, parentless girl by asking about her poor, homeless, and parentless life. Smooth. Did I mention that Bruce is a billionaire? But they did find something in common. They are both freakishly quite when they spy on other people. We then find out that Selina’s mother was Black Widow and she really is not poor but a millionaire! Not really… but you know kids, always embellishing on the truth. Then Alfred cock-blocks a brother, as Bruce was about to get a kiss and pee on himself (out of fear) at the same time from Selina.
- We now find Bruce training to hold his breath underwater as Selina looks on. Selina dumps some knowledge on young Master Bruce about how it is on them streets. She tells him he needs to be mean and ruthless. And Bruce is not that.
Harvey Dent:
- We meet a young coin flipping (really, guys?) assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Nicholas D’Agosto) helping a young man go on the straight and narrow. Gordon is skeptical at first as Harvey attempts to convince him to allow a new article to be published, stating that a witness in the Wayne case has come forward in an attempt to shake up the possible people involved in the murder.
- Harvey threatens the man he believes assisted in the Wayne murders, Dick Lovecraft (Al Sapienza), after his bluff was rebuffed and thrown in his face. Literally. I think Harvey may want to get some therapy around his anger issues. It is likely to be an issue in the future.
Don’t Be Creepy Penguin:
- Oswald is suspicious of Liza, who we know as Mooney’s “Weapon,” and decided to go “sniffing” (in every sense of the word) around her apartment. He decided to take a suspicious looking nightgown just in case it was important. (Penguin, what are you going to do with that nightgown? Dude, please don’t go all Bert Reynolds in Striptease!)
- Oswald goes and visits Mooney to sniff her too! Seems like he is trying to tell the viewer something. I wonder what? After sniffing her arm pit, he leaves her with some words of wisdom, “reaching out in friendship is never wrong.” Except when you are two homicidal maniacs who hate each other and are continuing to scheme as to the best way to torture each other.
Wrapping Up:
- Selina and Bruce play a game of what one becomes when you lose, or are abandoned by, your parents. They have flirty and violent fun time…”If you can hit me, I will let you kiss me.” In which Bruce is all to eager to play.
- Oswald continues his stalker ways and breaks into Liza’s apartment again and waits for her to get home. He apologizes for breaking in but says he must speak to her. He accuses her of spying on Falcone for Mooney. She suddenly loses her “weapon” moniker and turns into a scared fragile young woman who was forced into this life of crime. Didn’t she win a street fight to get this position? Just asking.
- Harvey goes to GCPD and meets with Gordon who tells him about his meeting with Lovecraft and tells him that he will be in touch. Bullock walks in and tells Gordon that Ian has been taken to Arkham for treatment. Bullock also tells Gordon that the bomb that blew up the money was not Ian’s.
- Back at Mooney’s place, Butch tells Mooney that all the Russians are dead after the bomb went off. And Mooney wanted to reiterate to Butch (and the viewer) that the point of blowing up the money was to hurt Falcone.
- Mayor James has a press conference to let the people of Gotham know that he has ordered all criminally insane individuals from Blackgate to Arkham where they can receive the treatment they deserve. Good luck with all that!
- Oh, and did I mention that Barbara left Gordon because she said she was not safe due to her being kidnaped by Falcone? So her idea of feeling safe was to find her way into Montoya’s bed. Ouch!
