Gotham: “A Bitter Pill to Swallow” — Nov. 16, 2015
Photo courtesy of Fox
Supporting characters in Gotham are beginning to take matters into their own hands, though not always with the results they were hoping for, says Special Contributor Ralph S. in this week’s recap. – David F.
If the events in this week’s episode are any indication, it looks as though things will become more difficult for Jim Gordon and especially young Bruce Wayne. However, it also seems that our heroes may be able to get assistance from unexpected sources. So without any further delay, shall we?
Now that her brother is cooling his heels in the clink, Tabitha/Tigress is taking matters into her own hands. We find her strolling into what appears to be an after-hours joint to meet with someone known only as “The Lady.” Seems Tabby wants to see Jim Gordon take a dirt nap’ and she needs a hitman. I guess those shotgun pellets that Gordon put in her shoulder last week are playing havoc with Tabby’s aim. The Lady is adept at procuring the services of such folk, and she and Tabitha reach an agreement. The fact that killing cops cost extra makes no never mind to Tabby, all she wants is assurances that the job will get done ASAP. The Lady guarantees her solid work. “I accept a job, the job gets done period. You see I believe in the beauty of extreme measures,” she tells Tabs.
After checking on the condition of his ex, Barbara Kean, who fell several stories last week and did a reasonable job at messing herself up, Gordon stops by the precinct on his way to Theo Galavan’s apartment to collect evidence. Before he can head back out the door, his current better half, Lee Thompkins, stops him to discuss Babs and the effect she has on what Lee terms as Jimbo’s”dark side” She thinks that this is an ever-increasing problem. Promising to discuss it later, Gordon makes a quick exit, stage left.
Events at stately Wayne Manor are unfolding as young Bruce is having a fireside chat with Silver St. Cloud. Bruce is trying to work his adolescent charms on Miss St. Cloud to get her to help him find out the 411 that her Uncle Theo has pertaining to his parents’ murder. Before Bruce can make his intentions clear, however, Alfred busts in and upon finding Silver there quickly tells her to remove herself from the premises. Bruce objects but Alfred will not be denied, and Silver beats a hasty retreat but not before slipping Bruce a key to her hotel room. In the ensuing argument, Alfred tells Bruce that he doesn’t have the skills at deception it requires to get the info out of that girl. Alfred puts his foot down; Bruce ain’t happy about that.
In the elevator going up to Theo’s apartment Gordon encounters a piano tuner who claims to be visiting another apartment in the building to ply his trade. After a short bit of small talk, Gordon turns his back on the man who promptly tries to strangle the detective with a garrote. During the ensuing struggle in that confined space, the piano tuner comes out on the losing end (as if you expected a different outcome). Exhibiting quite an impressive bit of rage Gordon beats the man down and then answers the guy’s phone. It’s The Lady, and she realizes that her man hasn’t done his job. Okay on to phase two. She goes out to a room full of killers and declares open season on Jimbo’s head. It’s gonna be raining psychopaths on the detective soon.
Gordon goes about trying to get info out of his would-be killer in the usual manner, hanging the guy out of the penthouse window. Barnes walks in just in time to see this and, of course, puts a stop to it—damn killjoy. This results in Gordon getting another one of those “things will be done by the book” speeches that he will eventually ignore.
While all that goes on, the one police officer who’s with them notices that the gang of crazies The Lady sent are showing up on security videos. Holy O.K. Corral, Batman! It’s gonna be another gunfight. The piano tuner tells them that his employer won’t stop until the target is dead. Time to call for backup and gear up. The killers waste no time in attacking and, as usual, the bullets fly. Again the killers do not take the day. Gordon refuses to leave ’cause he thinks there is evidence in the apartment that will help to convict Theo. While he and Barnes discuss the matter, we find that one of the killers ain’t quite dead yet, and he has a knife that he uses to stab Barnes in the leg hitting a major artery. Barnes shoots the guy, but now he can’t be moved without medical assistance. They got no choice but to wait for backup now.
Aware that the last batch of thugs she sent after Gordon has now failed, The Lady calls up her ace in the hole, one Eduardo Flamingo. Eduardo has the interesting habit of preferring to eat his victims’ faces before they expire. Well, everyone has their quirks. While Eduardo makes his way over to Gordon’s location Gordon and Barnes have a heart-to-heart about Gordon’s dark side. Barnes tells Jimbo a war story and caps it off by saying that every man has a dark side and at any time a man might do anything. “There is no line,” Barnes says.
Bruce, appearing to be off to bed bids Alfred a good night, but Alfred, as always, is one step ahead of the lad. He lets it be known that he is on to Bruce’s plan to sneak out to see Silver. Bruce throws another fit and tells Alfred that he will never stop trying to find out who killed his parents. Alfred agrees with the boy and says that he won’t stop either. The next day as Bruce prepares to sneak out of the house Selina shows up. She also knows what he’s up to and again tells him that Silver is bad news. She tells him that she has proof, but it appears that we’ll have to wait a bit to find out what that is.
Eduardo shows up at the same time as Gordon’s backup and conveniently takes them out. Gordon goes down to meet him. While on the elevator ride down I guess Gordon pulled his dark side outta his pocket along with a supersize can a WhupAss. Once outside Eduardo gets the jump on him, but he can’t hold the advantage to Jimbo’s rage. Gordon metes out an ass-beating (not an ass-whipping but an ass-beating, a bit more severe actually) that you really have to see to appreciate. As violence goes this thing was a work of art. It ends with Jimbo’s gun in Ed’s piehole, but Gordon doesn’t follow through. He should have. Back at the precinct the young policewoman, Parks, who survived the shootout at Galavan’s is taking Eduardo in for booking. Ed attacks her and, despite a load of cops beating on his ass, manages to finish her off by biting her neck and tearing out her jugular.
After all this, it seems that Theo didn’t sanction the hit on Gordon. When Tabitha visits him in the slam, he severely berates her for taking matters into her own hands and putting the hit out. It seems that this was all because Tabby has been deprived of her favorite squeeze toy, Barbara. “He hurt her,” Tabs tells big brother dear. Theo expresses disappointment in his little sister telling her that his plans are still in place. Then, in a most endearing big brotherly fashion he says, “Everything that we have worked for so long will be ours. Endanger that prize again and, though it breaks my heart, I will cut your throat.” I think she got the picture.
Ed Nygma has taken it upon himself to nurse Penguin back to health. Ed confesses his previous misdeeds to Penguin, who in turn, laments the death of his mother. Ed then brings Penguin up to date telling him that Galavan is in jail. Ed uses this opportunity to make Penguin see the light of his situation and show him something that they have in common. Now that they both have lost someone dear to them, Ed tells Oswald they have nothing to lose. “A man with nothing that he loves… is a man that answers to no one but himself,” Ed says. “And that is the man that I see before me. A free man!” It appears the two have reached a silent agreement.
Finally, on a foggy Gotham dock the monk that Theo spoke to in his apartment several weeks back, the same one who wants to see young Bruce shuffle off the mortal coil, shows up. And this time he’s brought a bunch of minions.
Even after all that’s taken place so far this season I really think that things are just getting started. There’s a lot more to come, and it has the potential to be really ugly for the major players.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8/9c on Fox.
