Gotham S3 Ep. 10 Thoughts

"Time Bomb"

This week's episode of Gotham had all of the action packed elements of a mid-season finale alongside the character and mystery build up of a regular weekly episode. What makes this particular installment a new personal favorite of mine is the way in which it beautifully paces it out its storytelling elements by smoothly transitioning between different individual character moments taking place while blending it all together as one big interconnecting conspiracy thriller.

Love & War

First, we have the Riddler's revenge story which is its own isolated plot point involving his relationship with Oswald as well as bringing back characters like Butch, Tabitha, and Barbara to the spotlight. If you've been following my Gotham episode reviews recently, you'd know that I've been intentionally sidelining this story thread until something of significance presented itself. Fortunately, I can finally say that not only did this week's episode show off the twisted and villainous Nygma that we know and love from Season 2's Riddler arc, but the end result lead to a strong gang war related implication for future episodes. It was fun to see Ed finally getting to shine again as the rogues gallery worthy villain that was built up during the torturous interrogation scene with Butch and Tabitha.

With gruesome limb removing imagery, electric shock torture, and a grinning Ed at the center of everything, this was by far my favorite scene showing the insanity yet intellect of the character in the new season. What's important to note here is that after Ed's interrogation on Butch and Tabitha lead to him realizing that he was wrong about their involvement in Isabella's death, there was that brief moment of him showing regret even in the face of a pointing gun. Those couple of seconds just might be our first real tease of him putting pure rage aside and truly taking the time to piece together the puzzle that is Oswald's murderous doings. I'm actually really curious to see what happens now with Ed possibly discovering Penguin's betrayal and what that can potentially lead to in the future. Perhaps a solo acting, question mark tailored outfit wearing psycho?

Keep in mind that all of this is taking place while Barbara (after discovering Penguin's secret herself) is gearing up to get revenge for Tabitha's condition. This is the first episode in quite a long time where I actually enjoyed Barbara's character throughout the course of an entire episode. Seeing her fly solo and successfully figure out Ed's location while also finding out about Penguin's secret was surprisingly enjoyable to watch considering how much I've constantly disliked the character since Season 1. With this episode teasing the idea of her acting as a puppeteer to take down Oswald by starting a war, we just might witness the rise of this character moving to the top of the food chain as a high ranked crime boss.

Also, Barbara aside, it was nice to Butch being presented as a simple guy in love more than just a criminal henchman. It's always fun to see added layers of personality being given to villains so to see Butch actually willing to die for Tabitha due to finally having something genuinely happy in his life was surprisingly touching for a low ranked series antagonist. It also helps that the actor's performance was at its strongest during this entire episode. You can see shades of confusion, fear, and passion during the interrogation and ending scene after arriving at the hospital. Perhaps there's a brighter future in line for the character after all. Or maybe, going on a more cynical direction, this is actually the show's way of foreshadowing his demise by showing him at his most vulnerable and "lovable" here.

Alliance With The Whisper Gang

Despite my issues of Bruce's involvement with the Whisper Gang (the group of smugglers that was after Ivy's stolen jewel key) still feeling like a "just by chance encounter", it did open the doors for a thrilling expansion of the Court of Owls lore. Not only was this mysterious gang revealed to also be an enemy of the Court after getting betrayed in the past, but we learn that the key accidentally found by Ivy is linked to a potential secret weapon that can be used against the shadowy corporation. Again, I'm still not a fan of how outrageously convenient this plot device feels, but it did help open up the universe a bit more showing a new faction as well as the Court of Owl's massive influence and network.

I also enjoyed the unorthodox partnership that Bruce created with the Whisper Gang once everyone realized that they held a common enemy (a common theme of this episode). This moment for Bruce showed off yet another traditional Batman trope. Batman usually utilizes a resourceful tool when he sees one no matter what form that might take. In this case, Bruce decides to work with the same gang of dangerous criminals who would've killed him and his friends at any given opportunity. I simply cannot emphasize how much I enjoy seeing the writers of Gotham slip in a Batman element every now and then while developing Bruce Wayne's character.

The Court's Grasp On Gotham

For the past few Mad Hatter related episodes, I began contemplating on the absence of built up plot points such as the Indian Hill escapees introduced in the season premiere and the Court of Owl's activities in Gotham. I can now put some of those feelings of caution aside as we finally got to see a much more spotlight episode regarding the elusive organization. From the Falcone family being in danger via Mario being targeted by the Court as well as the Whisper Gang and Bruce attempting to attack them from behind the scenes, I was happy to see the season villain finally taking action. We've only been teased regarding how powerful this cult-like group can be when faced with an obstacle in their plans, but to actually see their associates (who are essentially assassins) constantly on the hunt for their targets was pretty engaging to watch. 

This made for some exciting action scenes with Gordon having to constantly save Mario from an incoming assassination attempt as well as an awesome fight scene showing the Talon in action as he takes down members of the Whisper Gang. As I mentioned before, these scenes alone made this episode feel worthy of being a mid-season finale (especially the Talon fight scene) as the fight choreography and direction felt like something you might find on Arrow (a comic book series that is widely praised for its action sequences). I look forward to seeing the Talon even more now considering that he was able to take down two supposedly highly trained mercenaries by himself. 

The Court of Owls is shaping up to be the most fascinating villain in the entire series as every scene centering around them introduces something new and intriguing. I only hope that the pay off is as fulfilling (if not more so) as the build up has been.

Gordon & The Falcones

As far as the Gordon/Falcone portion of the episode goes, I do see the potential for the series to unfortunately drag on the whole love triangle story, yet there hasn't been any strong signs of them doing so in the long span of episodes that we've had. I have to give credit to the writers for not turning Gotham into an unnecessary soap opera even with the key components perfectly laid across for them to do so. However, even with Lee and Gordon attempting to finally end things off with a touching "official goodbye" moment, there's unfortunately still room for failure down the line if a jealous infected Mario is on the loose. Yep, If that scene revealing Mario to be infected by the Tetch virus is of any indication, we just might end up heading down that rabbit hole of unneeded drama after all.

Always fun to see Gordon and Bullock on a case together.

Overall, this has been a pretty solid season with new and interesting story components popping up at every corner. As far as overall quality goes, if Gotham continues on this streak of intriguing storytelling, visual flare, and amazing character development, this might just end up being the best season that the series has offered so far. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our characters with an eager and hopeful mind. 

Bonus Content

1. The Whisper Gang

Gotham introduces a new faction of characters that is ripped right out of the comics called "The Whisper Gang". Their traditional metal mask is both shown and mentioned in this episode as well. These are the type of unpopular characters that I enjoy seeing on the show.

2. Falcone's Connection To The Court

Falcone's connection to the Court is revealed in this episode as he was the primary component in giving them Indian Hill when Moroni refused to sell it to them. The mysterious lore behind Gotham City continues to grow stronger with each season.

3. Mario Is Infected

In a turn of events that I honestly wasn't expecting, we learn that Mario was infected by the Tetch virus this entire time causing him to violently lash out during the episode. This reveal will definitely cause some serious ripples down the line for Gordon and the Falcones. Can't wait to see what happens.

4. The Deadly Skills of the Talon

When the Court of Owls was first revealed, my initial thought was whether or not we'd see the Talons in action. I can happily say that Gotham successfully delivered by showing just how badass these assassins can be during this week's spotlighted fight scene. I look forward to seeing more scenes with this character as Gotham might finally start presenting more spectacle in its entertainment.

5. Bruce & Selena's Complicated Relationship

As far as Bruce's ongoing relationship with Selena Kyle goes, let's just say that I'll intentionally sideline this plot point in my reviews until something of significance happens. Sounds familiar? 

6. Ivy's Special Herbal Mix

Just like I mentioned in my previous episode review regarding Ivy's role, I'm still not fully onboard with her character's evolution. We see her yet again using her herbal concoction to sway a man to do her dirty work, yet we still have no idea where this skill or fascination stemmed from. This character is a complete mix bag for me.

7. Cat Woman Easter Egg?

Although a bit of stretch, I did find it interesting that we see a leather black cat costume in the background during Barbara's scene. It's never mentioned or highlighted in the episode, but it did catch my attention right away being a Batman fan and all. Could be an easter egg or a simple background prop for the set. Who knows?  

8. The Court's Insignia 

The idea of having the Court of Owls' insignia show up in various forms made me think of Spectre (the latest 007 movie). In a similiar fashion, the shadowy organization of that film has an insignia that shows up in different forms to further the mysterious element of their presence. 

9. Gruesome Imagery  

Not only is this episode action packed, but there's also some pretty violent imagery sprinkled throughout. Limb removal and eye stabbing definitely takes the cake this season as far as the gore factor of the series go.

Episode Rating: 9/10