Gotham: “Worse Than a Crime” — Nov. 30, 2015
Photo courtesy of FOX
Special Contributor Ralph S. looks at how Gotham wraps up it’s fall-season finale. He says Fox promised it would be action packed and they delivered. Find out why in his new recap. – David F.
This week’s episode is jammed with harbingers of the events that will occur in the season’s second half. Well, time’s a wastin’ so, shall we.
We start out this week in the Gotham landfill where everybody has be to very, very quiet. Tabitha is out hunting Alfreds, or actually just the one Alfred who survived, somewhat the worse for wear, after tussling with Tabby last episode. He manages to avoid her by hiding in an old refrigerator that gets covered over with more trash. Meanwhile Alfred’s charge, young Bruce Wayne is finally in the clutches of the vile gangster Theo Galavan. Theo’s got big plans for Bruce too. They involve monks, a knife and human sacrifice. Theo finally fesses up about his real name, Dumas, and the sordid history surrounding the Wayne and Dumas families. By killing Bruce the Dumas family will get its revenge and everything in Gotham will be put right — according to Theo, and the monk, of course.
Having been saved by the Penguin from rather brutal demise at the hands of Theo’s corrupt cops, Jim Gordon awakes to find himself a hunted man. He’s the latest guest in Ed Nygma’s crib and he’s got his own most wanted poster courtesy of the Capt. Barnes and the Gotham PD. Penguin doesn’t require much in the way of gratitude from Jimbo, just some help in wiping Galavan off the face of the earth. They get right down to scheming. After a hint or two from Nygma, Gordon’s girl Lee Thompkins shows up to throw some cold water on the plans to kick Theo’s ass, or at least Jimbo’s part in it. She tries to persuade him to leave with her by using the old ‘I’m pregnant’ line on him. That does seem to give Jimbo a pause for the cause.
Meanwhile Theo does have some time to kill while waiting for the midnight deadline when it’ll be sacrifice Bruce time. He spends a bit of it ranting at sister Tabitha for not having taken care of Alfred. At first she just blows him off but things get heated when little Silver walks in to let Uncle Theo know that she plans to skip the night’s events. Theo accuses her of punching out and when she denies that he proposes that she trick Bruce into falling for her again before he dies. If she can’t do that he’ll either throw her out on the street or kill her. That seems to upset Tabby and she lets her feelings be known. However Silver gets all dolled up and goes right to work on Bruce. In his cell she puts out her heart to him, again, but he ain’t having it. But he allows her to stay. Ya gotta give it to Silver, the little trollop is nothing if not persistent. She attempts to arrange an ‘escape’ for Bruce but only ends up getting them both caught and tossed back in the hole.
While trying to commandeer a car, after making his way out of the landfill, Alfred manages to get himself tasered and arrested. Who says those Brits don’t have some damn fine luck. This brings him face to face with Barnes and Bullock. It seems that Alfred is not the only one worrying Barnes’ bald bean about the whereabouts of young Bruce. Lucius Fox, who seems to have spent most of the season down in the bat cave fixing a computer, arrives to voice his concern over the boy’s absence as well. Damn, it’s gettin to be just like old home week up in here. Barnes concedes and put out a bulletin on the boy. Both Fox and Alfred point to Galavan as the culprit and Bullock agrees but Barnes wants hard proof. Once again it’s Nygma to the rescue. Alfred, Fox and Bullock agree that they need Gordon in on this but they can’t find him. Nygma gives them a nudge in the right direction. “A diamond plate, a glowing grate, a place you never leave,” he riddles them. When asked if Gordon’s lounging at the Nygma residence Ed nervously confirms it. They show up just as Gordon and Thompkins are about to drive off into the moonrise. News of Bruce’s abduction puts the kibosh on the escape plan and Gordon sends his old lady packing by herself.
Back in the hole, Bruce and Silver comfort each other and Silver expresses her love for Bruce. When asked for a response, Bruce tells her that he knows she’s pulling his leg. “Silver I don’t love you,” he tells her. “I pity you.” She tells him about Theo’s challenge to her and does win some sympathy from Bruce. When Theo shows up to take him away Bruce gives Silver a kiss and tells her he loves her in front of Theo. It works.
Gordon, Penguin and company tool up and argue about what to do about Galavan once they catch him. Gordon wants him behind bars but Penguin wants him pushing’ up daisies. Fox points out that they’re both jumping the gun because nobody knows how to get into the fortress that is Theo’s apartment building. Enter Selina. Who was it that said something about how a little child shall lead them? Well, she ain’t so little but she does know how to get into fortress Galavan. So it’s off to the races.
As Bruce is brought into the execution chamber Selina gets into the building; lays a quick ass whipping’ on the guard and lets the posse in. Now all they have to do is climb a billion flights of stairs to the penthouse while listening to Bullock whine about it. As the monk attempts to deliver the killing stroke Silver escalates the drama by screaming at him to stop. Gordon and crew then bust in and the gunplay begins. When the ammo runs out the ass-whippins commence and even Selina gets in on the action. Girlfriend’s got some moves. The monk makes a last-ditch attempt to gut young Bruce but an out of breath Bullock puts a bullet in him. Crisis averted.
Galavan, Tabby and Silver attempt a hasty escape by parachuting out of the penthouse but there’s a small problem. Three people and only two parachutes, Theo throws a chute to Tabby and then goes to choke Silver because she disappointed him. Tabitha clocks Theo, puts the chute on Silver and then they go out the window leaving Theo at Gordon and Penguin’s mercy. Gordon reaches Theo first and contemplates capping him until Barnes shows up and places both men under arrest. Next Penguin brains Barnes with a vase leaving him out cold. Oswald talks some sense into Gordon concerning Theo’s fate. “Think of the greater good. Think of Gotham,” he tells Gordon. The next we see of Theo, Gordon and Penguin are pulling him out of a car trunk. Oswald then commences to work Theo over expertly with a bat until Jimbo puts a bullet into him.
The next day Gordon reunites with Lee and tells her it’s over. He then asks her to marry him. We’re left hanging on that one as the scene switches to the secret Indian Hill research lab. A body bag is wheeled into the facility and unzipped to reveal the late Theo Galavan with an umbrella shoved down his throat. In of the show’s reveals of what’s to come the attendant mentions that Professor Strange has high hopes for Theo’s corpse. This means that another character from the original mythology will be showing up on the screen, Hugo Strange. As the episode ends we witness some poor bastard being chased down an alleyway. When his pursuer catches up with him the man is put on ice — literally. So it appears that Mr. Freeze will be making an appearance with things resume in about three months.
How interesting. Can’t wait till the season resumes. How about you?
