Gotham: “This Ball Of Mud And Meaness” — March 14, 2016
Penguin is taking flight from Arkham and young Bruce Wayne is taking matters into his own hands in this week’s episode of Gotham. Special Contributor Ralph S. shares where he thinks their paths may lead in this recap. – David F.
Photo: FOX
Penguin is busy undergoing another one of Hugo Strange’s ‘treatments’ as this week’s episode of Gotham begins. He’s hallucinating and sees his late mother, and he also witnesses a version of himself attacking her with a baseball bat. Strange and his assistant, Ethel Peabody (Tonya Pinkins), observe Oswald while all this occurs and Strange believes that Oswald may be close to being ‘cured’. In order to prove his theory Strange tells Ms. Peabody that Oswald should be given the ‘ice cream test’. Oswald is then sent into the Arkham cafeteria with a huge scoop of ice cream on his dinner tray. When a huge inmate discovers Oswald’s treat and attacks him for it Oswald doesn’t fight back but cowers and pleads with the man not to hurt him. Strange, who observes this event also, seems pleased. His hypothesis has been proven.
Young Bruce Wayne is strolling through a not-so-fashionable part of town to meet with Selina Kyle; it seems she has something that he wants. Last week he asked a favor of her and this week she’s granted it. She’s procured a gun for him. He takes a long look at it, when she hands it to him, as if he was expecting it to be something more than just a snub-nosed revolver. As Bruce takes it he asks if it’s loaded. “Ain’t no point in an unloaded gun,” Selina replies. “Guns aren’t for show, Bruce,” she tells him. “And they’re not for protection. They’re only for one thing.” Well, if that ain’t a ready made ad against the NRA, I don’t know what is.
Back at the precinct, Lee Thompkins is conversing with her intended, Jim Gordon, on the subject of some import to her, the whereabouts of Kristen Kringle. If you’ll remember Ms. Kringle met an untimely demise earlier this season at the hands of the somewhat overzealous Edward Nigma. So far though, Ed’s been able to keep this little item to himself. It seems Ms. Kringle never picked up her final paychecks and no one knows where she is. This has raised Lee’s concern and she wants Jimbo to look into it. He agrees and she walks off leaving him and us with the distinct feeling that things are still not right in their little corner of paradise.
Alfred and Bruce are now out on the hunt, after a short lecture in which Alfred advises the lad to follow his lead if they get into any sticky situations. Their first task is to find someone who supposedly knows the whereabouts of one ‘Matches’ Malone. In this case that someone is a six-foot-three, 250 pound brother named ‘Cupcake’. It’s not long before the two come upon Cupcake and his little band. After Alfred makes the introductions and announces their intent, Bruce jumps into the conversation and gives away the whole ball of wax as to what they want all at once.
Alfred barely gets a word in edgewise. Cupcake agrees to give up the info for $50 grand and one other small condition. He wants to fight Alfred. When Alfred tries to refuse Cupcake becomes somewhat annoyed. “You’re in my house. Fight is what we do here!” Cupcake responds. When Bruce tries to defuse the situation by doubling his offer if the violence can be avoided Cupcake will have none of it. “I’m not about money little boy. I’m about respect,” is Cupcake’s reply. It seems that young master Wayne is about to witness the strength of street knowledge. What follows is the first proper ass-whippin’ of this part of the season. Alfred gets the worst of it but does manage to come out victorious and then promptly ends up in the hospital for his efforts. Cupcake gives up the name of someone named Jeri who, he claims, will know where to find ‘Matches’. In return he gets respect and a check for the money, from Bruce, made out to cash.
Back at Arkham, Hugo Strange has just one more little test for Oswald to see if his ’therapy’ has taken effect. He puts Oswald into a room where he finds the goon who assaulted him over the ice cream strapped to chair. Also in the room is a tray holding a pair of pliers and a huge carving knife. Hmm, decisions, decision, what’s a boy to do? Oswald approaches the guy and then… frees him from the chair. Strange then declares his patient completely cured. He hands Oswald a certificate declaring him sane and tells Oswald that he’s a free man. As Oswald leaves the building Ms. Peabody questions Hugo Strange’s decision but he implies that he has deeper plans in mind for Penguin.
Gordon pays a visit to Ed to inquire about the whereabouts of Nigma’s ex-girlfriend. Ed says that all he knows is that she has moved south with her abusive former boyfriend. Gordon’s phone interrupts the conversation and he hurries off. This leaves Ed to begin to shift into full paranoia mode. He’s becoming convinced that Gordon’s on to him. He must now plan accordingly.
Gordon and Bullock visit Alfred in hospital to find out that while he was passed out in bed young Bruce took off in search of ‘Matches’ Malone. Alfred’s sure Bruce is off to end Malone’s existence. Meanwhile Bruce, who’s still packing heat, arrives at the nite club where a rock band is playing in search of Jeri. He encounters the band’s lead singer (Lori Petty), who’s dressed like a kind of combination of the Joker and his female sidekick Harley Quinn, who says she can take him to Jeri. Well that turns out to be not too difficult a task since the singer is Jeri. Duh! Bruce explains his reason for seeking her out. He also tells her of his intent to kill ‘Matches’. After some animated discussion Jeri gives ‘Matches’ up saying that she sees young Bruce as ‘the childish hand of fate’. Tell me that ain’t a classic phrase.
As Bruce leaves he runs into Gordon but Jeri appears and creates a diversion allowing Bruce to escape. Destiny, it seems, has taken a hand in things. Gordon arrests Jeri in an attempt to get ‘Matches’ location also. She toys with the cop before giving him the info he seeks.
When Bruce arrives at ‘Matches’ apartment he starts up a conversation with the crook under the guise of wanting to hire a hitman. A few more questions finds ‘Matches’ running down his resume for the boy. Bruce appears to be a bit on edge, after all he’s about to kill someone. They finally get around to the real reason Bruce is there. “You killed my parents,” Bruce says as he pulls the gun. ‘Matches’ has a faint recollection of the crime. “I was busy that year,” he tells the boy. At this point I really have to question if this is really the guy that pulled the trigger on Thomas and Martha Wayne. ‘Matches’ starts to remember a few more details of the crime but I’m still not convinced. See the producers of the show appear to be fucking with the actual mythology of the Batman again. The fellow who robbed and killed the Waynes was certainly not named ‘Matches’ Malone but, hey, this is TV so I’ll just go with it. After all they’re working on the premise that ‘Matches’ was hired to kill the Waynes. When ‘Matches’ won’t give up the info about who supposedly hired him to do the killing he shows that he’s ready to die but Bruce can’t bring himself to perform the deed. He lays the gun down and walks out. He runs into Gordon in the hallway just as they hear a gunshot coming from ‘Matches’ apartment. You can figure out the rest. But this still leaves the question of who ordered the Waynes’ death.
Having recovered, Alfred returns to Wayne manor to find a note from Bruce explaining his absence. It seems Bruce has taken off to spend time with Selina to learn the lessons of life on the street, the next step in his quest to become the Dark Knight.
