This week's explosive episode of Gotham was arguably the most entertaining and impactful entry yet as far as character spotlights go. Not only do we get to see Jerome essentially dominate an entire city Joker-style, but we also witness the rise of a new hero with Bruce Wayne being pitted against his most dangerous adversary yet. With several dramatic elements taking place altogether, let's dive into what makes this episode particularly special for both Gotham and Batman fans alike.
Before we get into the obvious main event surrounding the circus show of awesome fan service, let's talk about what was arguably the weaker component of this episode. Throughout the season, I've been pacing back and forth about how I felt about the Penguin-Nygma relationship as it never really felt necessary for the two characters story-wise. This is nothing against the idea of having Oswald romantically invested in Ed, but the actual conflict between the two constantly feeling like it stole valuable screen time away from something much more interesting. Penguin's arc of becoming the mayor of Gotham only to lose it to previously associated adversaries felt dramatically weighted to that character whereas Ed's connection to the whole debacle felt slightly forced in.
This was simply one of those situations where I had to ask myself "Should a character this full of potential be given such a minor story arc?". However, despite feeling mixed about the whole vengeance story, I did admire the writers for sealing the deal by having Ed actually "kill" Oswald at the docks. It's a nice callback to when Jim was placed into a similiar situation which resulted in the two profoundly evolving afterwards. Seeing Oswald being put through the grinder emotionally may not have hit me as hard as I'd liked, but it does open the doors for a future transformative story with the Penguin. This also paves the way for Ed to finally progress into becoming the question mark tailored maniac that we know him to be from the comics.
Speaking of characters transforming into their comic-book counterparts, this was by far one of the best Bruce Wayne episodes to date as it showcased just how much he has matured over the years. Seeing Bruce actually stand up to a psychotic and unpredictable criminal followed by finding a way to exploit his sensibilities was one of the best implications of the Cape Crusader yet. As some of you may know, the Bruce Wayne story arc has always been my favorite of the series as the writers have carefully paced themselves in organically inserting both subtle and direct nods of the Dark Knight within Bruce for fans to pick up on.
Following his attempt to buy himself more time by using Jerome's mentality of showmanship, I absolutely loved the idea of having Bruce be forced into a completely foreign, nightmarish, and dangerous environment. Just as Oswald was being thrown into an obstacle course of attacks at his emotions, Bruce is being placed into a more physical and mental test of fortitude. I also loved his brief moment with Alfred before getting separated where he promises to him that they'll reunite. It's a powerful moment between the two and one that would eventually be followed up later on in the episode. What's also great about this scene is Jerome Valeska who almost completely steals the scene with his rightfully over the top charisma.
Now, let's talk about the main event being Bruce Wayne's experience at Jerome's circus of anarchy. If the house invasion scene wasn't a strong enough indication of just how perfectly these two are beginning to reflect their comic book counterparts then the remaining half of this episode definitely is. I loved the idea of Bruce asking Jerome whether or not there was a plan behind his chaotic display in which Jerome simply implies that the people of Gotham basically needs an excuse to let loose. It's a great showcase of where both of their minds are at with Bruce trying to analyze Jerome and Jerome simply just having fun in the moment. Sounds familiar?
The entire section of the episode dedicated to the two navigating through the circus made for one of the greatest villain presentations on Gotham. There are several little morsels of fun Joker-like fan service to enjoy during this segment such as civilians being placed in life threatening circus games as well as Jerome stabbing one of his followers in order to use their blood as facial makeup for Bruce. One of the things that I really enjoyed about this scene, aside from the colorful and crazy imagery, was getting to see a highly anticipated villain arc reach its peak. It's amazing just how many subtle and amusing moments flew by showing Jerome in his prime. Cameron Monaghan definitely delivered here bringing this highly animated character to life.
There's a moment where Bruce distracts Jerome from killing someone by asking him the reasoning behind his temporary dominance over the city. What made this scene such a noteworthy character spotlight was the overall direction when Jerome stated that everyone shown criminalizing the city were the same people that we walk by everyday adding on to his earlier point. However, the icing on the cake is when he tells Bruce "Gotham has no heroes" followed by a superhero-like soundtrack playing as the camera zooms in on Bruce's face. This scene could've easily come across as forced foreshadowing, but due to the brilliant way in which the series has developed the character, this directly alluded Batman shout out felt completely natural. Gotham's amazing visual storytelling strikes again.
It was amazing seeing Bruce display to both Jerome and the audience that he has grown much more powerful from the last time that the two have met. For example, the stapler to the arm scene or the moment he eventually uses the inserted staples to escape exhibited Bruce's new physical fortitude regarding pain. It was a pretty intense scene showing him standing only seconds away from dying a horribly brutal death if it wasn't for his quick thinking. The action and thriller elements are also executed well here with Alfred and the GCPD fighting through waves of Jerome's lunatics to get to Bruce before it's took late. It makes you think...Bruce was his own hero during the course of this whole catastrophe.
Now, let's talk about considerably the best part of this episode where Bruce and Jerome faces off in one magnificently directed and climatic finale. The beautifully constructed hall of mirrors setting, the sinister presence of Jerome carefully stalking the isles for Bruce, and Bruce perfectly using the environment to his advantage made this scene one of the greatest hero-villain confrontations on Gotham. I found myself getting more and more excited once it was revealed that Bruce intended for Jerome to follow him in the funhouse in order to face him head on.
As someone who has been both eagerly and patiently waiting to see Bruce Wayne take on a big criminal on his own, this was an awesome and dramatically powerful scene as it took the Batman origins arc to a whole new level. Not only was it fantastic seeing Bruce be a complete badass fighting Jerome by utilizing his training from Alfred, but the moment where he stops himself from killing him spoke volumes of his character. This is someone who arguably has the perfect excuse for killing Jerome at that moment, yet realizes the fine line between vengeance and justice resulting in him leaving the situation behind him.
This lead to my favorite Bruce Wayne scene in the entire series towards the end. The discussion between him and Alfred was superbly performed and written as it sealed down a significant moment in the Batman mythos. This is the conversation that I've been dreaming of seeing ever since Season 2 started to interweave morale altering scenarios for the character. The utter rage on Bruce's face as he talked about the resilience and strength that it took for him not to cross the line with Jerome felt right out of the comics and films.
This is also a great Alfred moment as it showed his fatherly acceptance and proudness to Bruce while also ushering in the idea of making rules for their new direction in life. The moment where Bruce says "I will not kill" repeatedly to Alfred genuinely gave me chills to the core. It felt as if we were seconds away from seeing a cape and cowl being tailored on with an iconic sweeping shot of the city in the horizon. Seriously, for anyone who has impatiently complained about Batman not being on the show, they're truly missing out on something special here as this episode shows the benefits of slowly paving the way for a superhero origins story. Because of this, Gotham's iteration of Bruce Wayne has now officially become one of my favorite versions of the character.
With praiseworthy performances all around, a highly entertaining villain spotlight, and a powerful and beautifully executed character arc, this week's episode of Gotham was by far the strongest entry in the current season. I'm curious to see where the rest of the season takes these characters as there are still several plot points previously introduced to explore. With a Court of Owls centered cliffhanger to keep us busy with speculations, I have a feeling that the remaining half of this season will be quite the intriguing joyride to follow along with.
Bonus Content
1. Tribute To The Dark Knight Returns
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| There are several similarities and/or homages to previous iterations of Joker scenes. In this case, the hall of mirrors scene calls back to the animated film, "The Dark Knight Returns" |
2. Tribute To The Dark Knight
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| The Jerome character has constantly been compared to Heath Ledger's Joker as far as performance go. This scene definitely brings a bit of weight to that claim. |
3. Traits of the Riddler
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| Overly convoluted way of killing someone by utilizing some form of insanely crafted mechanism? Check. This is definitely signs of the Riddler coming through. |
4. Alfred Is A Badass
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| We've seen Alfred face off against criminals in the past, but this episode was a nice reminder of just how badass Bruce Wayne's butler and father figure truly is. |
5. Indian Hill/Clay Face Mention
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| Although very brief, it was nice to see Indian Hill and Basil Karlo get mentioned in this episode. It was a little nudge to the audience that the writers haven't forgotten about their roster of meta humans running around. |
6. Shattering of the Court of Owls Statue
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| With the Owl statue being shattered now, one has to wonder why we were given that glimpse of a holographic map inside previously. Perhaps the shattered remains will unlock something interesting down the line? Hmmm. |
7. Gordon's Connection To The Court of Owls
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| This one's pretty interesting considering the scene showing Jim's family ring being shown in the Court of Owls during a previous episode. Who is Frank? What does the Court want with Gordon? More importantly, does James Remar ever age? |
8. Jerome's Circus of Nightmares
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| There are several "blink and you'll miss it" moments during the circus scene. Some of them are pretty horrific considering the scenarios that innocent civilians are being forced into. |
Episode Rating: 9/10
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