If there was an episode that was going to move things forward, it was this one as we see Jim Gordon making a stand against Falcone and the Underworld and paying the consequences of sparing Oswald Cobblepot’s life. It also affected his partnership with Harvey Bullock, who wasn’t in the majority of the episode. For once, the episode focuses on Gordon as it should be, but it also focused on Cobblepot as well.
We are seeing things that will foreshadow Jim Gordon being future commissioner of Gotham City police such as bringing the light to a corrupt city like Gotham City. No one is on his side, except eventually Bullock. He should have known that Barbara was not going to leave Gotham and we never saw her being captured. This episode saw a side of Gordon we never saw before.
Cobblepot is revealed to play everyone, including Fish Mooney, who really wants to torture him. I see Fish’s days being numbered because she doesn’t understand the realm she’s in and Penguin took out one of Sal Maroni’s men. Penguin is showing why he’s one of Batman’s top villains along with Joker. He is becoming ruthless and calculating. When he killed Maroni’s henchman, he was displaying echoes of the Joker from the Dark Knight movie.
What moved forward was seeing Renee Montoya and Crispis Allen now seeing the truth about Gordon and Cobblepot, along with a funny moment involving Alfred Pennyworth. The scene between Gordon and Bruce Wayne was very touching and I wonder if Bruce saw what Alfred did that he would want Alfred to train him down the line.
No Selina Kyle again and I wonder if the producers and writers have any direction for her in the series.
Victor Szasz is one of the best written antagonists and the way he came across was threatening, precise, and calculating. I can see him sticking around down the line as well.
One of the best episodes since the pilot.
Van's Inner Universe 