Gotham - S2E9 - A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Previously on Gotham, ‘Tonight’s the Night’

This week’s episode begins with Tabitha and her shot up wing in a sling walking into a bar and ordering a drink: a“High Smith Royal” with no ice. The bartender points to a hidden door that opens and she walks into what looks like an underground casino. She approaches “The Lady” (Michelle Gomez) and requests to have someone killed, and that person is Detective Jim Gordon.

Meanwhile, it looks like Barbara is no worse for wear after her fall. Dr. Thompkins tells Gordon that Barbara is the “devil” all Mama Boucher like and tells Gordon he is running toward the dark side, which is not a good thing. Elsewhere, Nygma is having fun playing with a broken Penguin.

Images: FOX

Alfred continues to behave badly when it comes to young girls and especially ones that Bruce has a thing for. No, seriously, what is up with Alfred and abusing young girls? Alfred tells Silver to leave the mansion after Bruce asked her to come to the house. He had attempted to ask her questions about the envelope her uncle threw in the fireplace when he got arrested. Before Silver leaves, she gives Bruce a key to her hotel room and whispers the room number in his ear. Alfred then tells him that he will not see her or pursue the information from the mysterious envelope. Bruce being Bruce does not listen…good thing Selina is there to help shed some light on Ms. St. Cloud.

When a lone assassin fails to kill Gordon, The Lady asks everyone in the casino to finish the job. And with that, Gordon looks to be screwed as assassins seem to be plentiful in Gotham. Captain Barnes is shot in the leg and he and Gordon have a heart-to-heart about the darkness inside. Barnes tells him his own story of succumbing to the dark side and explains to him that they are just men. And a man is capable of anything.

The Lady seems to have an endless supply of killers at her disposal. She contacts Eduardo Flamingo (Raul Castillo), who likes to eat on his victims, to finish Gordon. Gordon confronts Flamingo and finds himself in the same situation Barnes told him about, but he unlike Barnes he does not kill Flamingo. Unfortunately, Officer Parks (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) pays for Gordon’s self-control, all The Walking Dead-style. Hope that does not push him over the edge.

Nygma tells Penguin that Ms. Kringle and his mother were both nice memories, but they hindered them from reaching their true potential. That they are now men who cannot be bargained with, men who cannot be betrayed. They are now free men. Wonder what kind of damage free men can do in Gotham?

Tabitha goes to see her brother, who is not too happy with her sending assassins to kill Gordon. He tells her everything is ready for the “brother’s” arrival and she had better not get in the way. The scene shifts to the docks where several cloaked figures walk towards Father Creal, whom we met a couple episodes ago. He greets them while a dock police officer confronts them. They don’t take too kindly to the questioning as they walk over his body towards the Gotham skyline. 

Most Ridiculous Scene(s) 

That hair on Flamingo’s head! And every scene we see that white feathery stuff onscreen. For those of you who did not know, Flamingo is a real Batman villain who was created by Grant Morrison and first appeared in Batman #666 in 2007.

Honorable Mention: Nygma goes to Penguin for homicidal maniac advice. That is going to work out just fine, I think. To hear Nygma talk about the people he has killed and how it made him feel failed to be as creepy as they intended. Just did not work.

Best Scene

Assassin (Alex Ziwak) in the elevator. Seemed like something you would see in Fargo. Kind of like last season’s Lorne Malvo character. Anyway, the two men find themselves talking about enjoying their jobs and ending when the Assassin asked if Gordon wanted a caramel. I paused the show on my DVR while writing the review and the paused shot is of both the elevator Assassin and Gordon with these ridiculous grins on their faces. Almost as if they were part of a blooper reel. You would think it would have taken away from the scene, but it did the opposite. The best was the opening and closing of the elevator as they both duke it out.

Easter Egg

Looks like the “Joker” influence that Jerome loose into the world is alive and thriving as one of the first images we see is of some graffiti on a wall illustrating the Joker’s trademark eyes and “HAHAHAHAHA!” It almost looks as if he is taunting the viewers saying I see you, but can you see me?

Some Light Spoilers

First we get Mr. Freeze and now we get another Batman villain. It is being reported by ComicBook that Jurassic Park and Jurassic World actor BD Wong will be taking on the role of Professor Hugo Strange. He will clearly be playing a younger version of the brilliant, but insane psychologist and scientist. He is known in the Batman universe for creating super-powered foes for Batman and discovering Batman’s secret identity. Hugo Strange made his first appearance in Detective Comics #36 in 1940. He was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

The report says that the series will introduce Hugo Strange when he is hired to run Arkham Asylum. According to Fox, the character “appears altruistic, but he harbors a dark secret.” That dark secret eventually makes him “Gotham’s greatest threat.” They go on to say that “he’ll start innocently enough, seemingly working to rehabilitate the villains of Gotham City, before being revealed as the man behind Indian Hill.” Fox went on to explain that Indian Hill is a black-ops program run by Wayne Enterprises, which is “dedicated to creating the ultimate super human… or super villain.”