Gotham S2 Ep. 17 Thoughts

"Into The Woods"

With the risk of sounding like a broken record, this was by far one of my favorite episodes of the season so far as far as character moments go. It may not be filled to the brim with action and character drama as much as the other episodes on my top list, but it does contain arguably the greatest Nygma/Riddler scenes on the show so far. So, as always, let's dive into what worked and didn't work in this week's episode.

Before He Was Batman, He Was Robin...Hood

Well, before we get into the Riddler heavy moments in this episode, let's talk about the way Bruce Wayne is being presented as a young Robin Hood as he throws away possibly hundreds of dollars over a building after robbing someone alongside Selena. Not only is the scene visually amazing (that zooming shot of Bruce leaping from one building to the other is breathtaking), but it shows a little bit of cockiness with the character as he talks down to the guy after escaping him. 

It's also great to see that the writers didn't forget to insert the reasoning for him going on these dangerous escapades as he reiterates his criminal psychoanalyst mission which only gets on Selena's nerves. It's a fun opening to the episode watching Bruce actually having fun, but it's also a nice inside look at how he acts once he successfully gets the better of his enemy. This isn't just a driven and serious Bruce Wayne learning off of the streets to understand the criminal minds of Gotham, but one that actually celebrates in the moment whenever he feels that he has ultimately defeated "the bad guys" in the process. Something tells me this attitude will change before the season ends.

Penguin Is Back

It Takes A Dead Dog To Resurrect A Penguin

Ever since we saw the Penguin's release from Arkham and his eventual surprise meeting with his father, I've been wondering where this random and tonally strange Oswald family reunion would lead to. What gain would the Penguin have with these people who has done nothing but treat him like last week's trash (except for his father). It was only in this episode during the scenes where the siblings would physically and mentally torture him like a sad Cinderella story that I realize what the brilliance of introducing them were.

From the moment he discovers the poison that killed his father and actually tests it out on the dog (who honestly didn't deserve that by the way), and reacted with nothing but maniacal laughter, I already knew that something terrible was about to happen. From the second he entered the scene with a complete wardrobe change and hairstyle adjustment, I remembered thinking "Yep, they're about to die". Not only does the Penguin return with his psychotic grin, but he gets his revenge on the Van Dahl family in the most gloriously twisted way that I have ever seen on the show thus far. 

The Fancy & Deadly Oswald Cobblepot

This was by far one of the most entertaining and equally brutal Penguin scenes that I have ever seen on the show. This is the Penguin that grew on me eventually this season and I'm happy to see him return as monstrous as ever. However, despite how gruesomely entertaining it was to see him maniacally inform to his stepmother that he essentially made her eat her own children as if they were mediocre beef roasts, the most fascinating part of this scene is what comes after.

Penguin in his prime from the animated series, "The Batman"

The fact that Penguin is fully back to his old crazy ways, we do have to acknowledge the fact that he is now the owner of a huge luxurious building and fortune thanks to his father. Could this be a tease towards the rich, fancy, and deadly Penguin that we're familiar with from the comics and several animated series? I do believe that we'll begin to see Penguin's development as a wealthy crime boss for the rest of the season, but let's keep in mind that a certain detective might be in danger now that he's out of Arkham.

The Hunt For The Riddler

Much like my thoughts on Episode 15, I really enjoyed the way they handled Nygma's character as an insane yet genius criminal mind constantly being one step ahead of Gordon and the police (as he should be). Watching Gordon and Harvey struggle while pulling from every piece of resource that they have just to find the Riddler was exactly the suspenseful and pressure building drama that I was hoping to get. Gotham has done several different villains so far, but I can confidently say that the show's version of The Riddler is by far the greatest character that they've pulled out of the Batman rogues gallery. 

Not only is the character entertaining to watch, but the execution of seeing how much carnage he can cause behind the scenes while still smirking in a building full of police officers day by day is an amazing accomplishment. The pacing in which they've spent time developing his character while sprinkling in a few crimes and question marks along the way has been nothing short of perfection. Watching Jim desperately pull for strings just to catch the same guy that has worked beside him as well as someone that he has considered to be a friend is pretty intriguing adding more layers to the character of Nygma in the end.

The Confrontation

Ah yes, the moment we've all been waiting for. Let me start by saying that aside from Bruce Wayne's encounter with his parents' killer, this may just be my favorite hero-villain confrontation scene on the show. The fact that Gordon desperately goes to Nygma to help him find the man that framed him was already dramatic enough. However, what truly makes this scene such a wonderfully tension driven delight is the verbal exchange that takes place between the two as they discuss the killer while Nygma pretends to help Gordon clean up the audio from the mystery killer's recorded voice. There's something simply fascinating about watching the hero speak directly to his nemesis without fully realizing it while the villain relishes in the situation yet stumbles around a few times in his disguise. 

There's a moment where Gordon calls the killer a psychopath which immediately pushes Nygma slightly over the edge causing him to slowly show his true nature whilst talking about the killer in third person. On the surface (if one wasn't aware of Ed being the Riddler), the scene plays out beautifully as two friends having a conflict of ideas regarding people killing in cold blood and killing in the line of duty, but at its core, it profoundly brings out Ed's justification for what he's done in the past. What's also great about this moment is the fact that during Ed's dialogue, you can hear the sound of the kettle whistling in the background which metaphorically presents the pressure building in the room between the two characters and inside of Ed.

"Without fingers I point, without arms I strike, without feet I run, what am I?"
-Nygma to Gordon

Cory Michael Smith has always down wonders with the Nygma character since the first season, but it's in this episode where we really get to see the character explode onto the screen as the beginnings of one of Batman's formidable foes. The moment he grins when Gordon starts to allude to him being the killer while still managing to deliver a riddle was classic Riddler if anyone has seen the character in previous works. The moment he reverses the situation by telling Gordon that he was already onto him from the beginning before electrocuting his chair was the moment I cheered a little for the character. 

Of course, I'd hate to see Gordon get killed off, but let's be honest, we already know that the show would never throw such a massive curveball like that this early in the series, so at this point, I was simply enjoying "The Riddler Show" in all of its glory. Watching Nygma chase Gordon around in an attempt to eliminate him for good was such a fun, thrilling, and pretty intense chase scene considering the several episodes of character development that lead to it. We've seen more than an entire season and a half of these two working together at times and now we're watching them forced into a predator-prey conflict with each other. This is Gotham's writing staff at their finest reiterating why anyone who decided not to stick around after Season 1 made a huge mistake. 

The Final Riddle

"How did this happen to you? How did you become this?"
-Gordon to Ed

If the first confrontation scene wasn't great enough, the episode manages to squeeze in one final scene between the two as Gordon uses Selina as a decoy to isolate Ed. Just like the previous scene, there are so many gems to dig out in this moment such as the beautiful snow covered forest setting, the dialogue between the two with Ed realizing that Jim actually managed to fool him, the fact that the show perfectly reminds the audience of the Kristen Kringle case, and the idea of Ed giving Jim one more riddle with the answer being "death" before he attempts to kill him. 

The second Captain Barnes voice is heard telling Ed to put the gun down, I was actually shocked even though Jim basically stated that he planned on exposing Ed to the police somehow. This is how completely invested into the scene I was as I honestly had no clue how things were about to play out once the "Death" riddle was over. You can see the desperation on Nygma's face when the police surrounded the area with Barnes stating that he heard everything that he said. Also, let's not forget that there's a dead G.C.P.D. employee dug up right next to him which everyone saw. This was a rare case on a comic book TV series where the villain origin story, hero-villain confrontation, and villain defeat moment were all done in exceptional ways delivering on all fronts.

Overall, this was a fantastic episode putting a seal on major story arcs while reopening a few others in a new light. Gotham season 2 has continued to surprise me in one of the most profoundly positive ways that I have ever experienced in a comic book television series. 

Bonus Content

1. The Reopening of the Wayne Files

It was cool to know that Jim has officially return to solving the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents by attempting to find the killer's employer now. I do wonder how deep this rabbit hole goes.

2. Harvey's Connections?

This episode surprisingly had a couple of funny moments and Harvey looking up one of his connections to help Jim's case was definitely one of them. Re-watch this scene and look at Jim's priceless facial expression.

3. Is Bruce Looking At A Certain Winged Animal?

This one is a bit of a stretch, but the fact that Bruce was reading a magazine with an animal featured on one page and the other page unseen, I couldn't help but imagine him reading up on bats.

4. The Return of Mirror Ed

Interesting to see that Ed returns to his reflection persona speeches when he's freaking out about getting defeated. Perhaps this is a similar motivational drive like what Kylo Ren uses with Darth Vader's burnt helmet.

5. Thomas Wayne's Secret

So, what do you guys think Thomas Wayne's big secret is? An arsenal of military grade spy equipment that will eventually have bat symbols engraved on it? Or perhaps a gallery of clips showing Metahumans with their own characte logos already inserted on the files.

6. The Return of Barbara 

There isn't really much to say here except for the fact that we've only seen Hugo release patients that are directly linked to Gordon. Hmmm

Episode Rating: 9/10