Gotham S4 Ep. 5 Thoughts & Easter Eggs

"The Blade's Path"

Gotham hits it out of the park yet again this week with a fantastic episode showcasing just why this season has already entered the conversation of "Best current season of comic book TV series". Everything that makes an great episode of Gotham is offered up here from solid action sequences, a beautiful canvas of artistic direction through visuals and score, well written dialogue scattered around with powerful implications, and a few entertaining/fascinating villains worth analyzing like the geeks we are. So, let's talk about why Gotham continues to currently show its dominance in the comic book TV genre.

The Birth of Solomon Grundy

Before we get into the juicy parts of the episode involving Bruce and a certain immortal figure, we definitely have to talk about a character debut that I never thought I'd ever see executed on this show. That's right guys, Solomon Grundy has made his grand entrance on Gotham, and just when I thought the idea was ridiculous yet enticing, they managed to make it work in nearly every way possible. The idea of playing out the transformation of Grundy in the manner of a classic creature feature was perfect in setting the stage for the character. Seeing Butch's body being dumped into "Slaughter Swamp" (fitting name I suppose) with the reveal of a pry opened Indian Hill chemical barrel nearby felt like the introduction sequence to a monster movie.

When Cyrus finally emerges, although I did feel that they should've kept him submerged just a tad bit longer to build on suspense, I was relieved to see the producers sticking to his comic book appearance. The pale skin and white hair surprisingly worked considering how easily this character's aesthetics could have come across as downright goofy. What I loved was the concept of treating Grundy with the sensibilities of the Frankenstein monster down to the men that he eventually encounters having torches and being freaked out by his looks. Everything about the scene felt like I was witnessing the birth of a tragic monster figure which is exactly how Grundy should come across.

Major praises to Drew Powell who does a fantastic job at playing a now completely different role altogether.

The "Solomon Grundy" song playing on one of the guys' record player was a nice touch giving him his name and makeshift backstory. Also when Cyrus says "Solomon Grundy" for the first time, I honestly got chills by how closely his voice sounded to the character's several animated and video game iterations. It never felt as though I was simply watching Butch appearing in a Solomon Grundy costume, which I admittedly feared beforehand, but the actual creation of a new villain entirely. Also, kudos to the costume designer for giving Grundy his traditional black overcoat truly making the character pop right out of the comics and onto the small screen. I also have to give props to the audio department for giving Grundy a strong sense of weight by emphasizing on the heaviness of his steps.

In the past, I've admittedly ranted about Gotham consistently doing a poor job in adding comedic elements to some of their villains (emphasis on "some"). With this episode however, this is where I found myself somewhere smack down the middle of laughter and slight confusion. On one hand, I had a blast seeing Ed run into Grundy in a sort of funny and coincidental Batman villain-villain encounter. Seeing these two interact felt like something right out of the classic 90's animated series which definitely hit on all the right nostalgia strings for me.

Yet, for some reason, I wasn't entirely sure whether or not I was supposed to take this version of Grundy seriously or not once he dragged out a hot dog cart thinking that it would help Ed with his own identity problems. It's one of those moments where I have to sit back and take what I can with the character's presentation without asking much. His introduction spelled out "tragic Frankenstein monster figure" yet this scene felt like "comedy hour with a big dopey zombie". Wait a second, come to think of it, that actually does sound like Grundy after all. Well, so much for that argument ever going anywhere. Hopefully, I scratched that nitpick off of some of you guys' minds as well. Understand the character first before jumping to conclusions. Ah, a good lesson learned for a critic and a fan.

Following up on the Frankenstein direction, we see an angry mob pooping up out of nowhere ready to take down the "monster" only to get tossed around like rag dolls. There's even the classic "fire bad!" moment when one of the men's molotov cocktails explode on Grundy's arm causing him to freak out before Ed puts it out. Now, I will acknowledge the slightly off-kilter tonal shift taking place between the serious Ra's Al Ghul-Bruce story and the "Riddler Meets Grundy" plot point. However, I do have to admit that I was lots of fun seeing Ed given such a bizarre partner to adjust to with a similiar conflict of identity. It truly makes for a refreshing pairing of characters. Would it have been better fitted in a different episode? Sure. Am I still entertained watching? Definitely.

Fall of the White Knight

After analyzing Dr. Winthrop's research, Bruce comes to the conclusion that the sacred blade that Ra's is after can potentially kill him. As Bruce looks at the dagger with nothing but hatred, Alfred reminds him of his vow never to kill which plays a big role later in the episode. During Alex's funeral, Bruce gazes at the deceased boy's picture with the same look of rage shown earlier prior to eavesdropping on Jim's courtesy warning to Alfred about Ra's Al Ghul's prison transfer. Knowing that Ra's will most likely get away with murder, he decides to take matters into his own hands by suiting up and taking the knife for himself. This entire sequence made for one of the best episode openings on the show yet as it perfectly sets the stage for the current conflict, motivation, object of significance, and mission at hand.

"The boy is on the verge of doing something that there's no coming back from"
- Alfred

Now, as much as this is a Bruce Wayne arc at the end of the day, I do want to give mention to Alfred here as Sean Pertwee continues to do a phenomenal job in the father figure role. Every scene during this episode with Alfred talking to Gordon about Bruce embarking on a dangerous path truly felt as though I was watching a parental figure being deeply concerned for their child. It's a nice reminder, even for us die hard Batman fans, that Alfred is indeed the unsung hero when all is said and done. It also doesn't hurt that you have an amazing actor in the role to carry out those emotional scenes forward.

Later on in the episode, Bruce breaks into Blackgate with the intentions of assassinating Ra's only to have a change of heart at the last minute. This entire scene including the actual confrontation between the two may just be my favorite scene of the season so far. First off, It's awesome just seeing Bruce in his vigilante getup infiltrating a top level security setting utilizing a grappling hook (soak it in people). When Bruce managed to "steal" a security card to access Ra's Al Ghul's cell with the knife in hand, you already knew that something terrible was about to happen. Yet, the scene itself still felt tension driven at its peak. I loved that moment of struggle and hesitation that happens as Bruce stands over Ra's with the blade only to eventually turn around most likely keeping his sacred vow in mind.

Then, much like the previous episode showing him dissapear out of thin air, we get a simplistic but highly effective stylistic choice of having Ra's just appear to be standing behind Bruce without the camera ever showing him getting up. I cannot emphasize enough how clever Gotham has utilized its visual direction to push forward the presence of certain characters without ever having to do much technically. This leads to an amazingly intense scene with Ra's talking down to Bruce calling him weak and foolish (which is typical Ra's as Batman fans will recognize) right before choking him and smacking him down to the floor. We've seen Bruce get tangled up in tight spots before, but nothing as confrontational and heart racing as this.

If that wasn't spine tingling enough, security officers start showing up to which Bruce attempts to use the old "I'm just a kid caught up in something crazy" card only to find that the officers work for Ra's. Just when I thought that they couldn't possibly make him seem any more villainous with presence alone, this episode manages to show power in physicality and strategy making Ra's an antagonist more than worthy of the title "season villain".

"Still playing the white knight, Bruce?" - Ra's

As Bruce wakes up in what appears to be a similiar setting in aesthetics to the League's hideout, we learn that Ra's set up the entire Blackgate prison transfer just to lure in Bruce with the blade. There's also a brief statement implying that the League had already overtook the prison's staff prior to him getting there. What's great about this scene, and the entire episode really, is that we're starting to slowly see the grand scope of influence, dominance, and control that Ra's has by mere implications. Without showing a bunch of ninjas take over a prison or an immortal leader controlling people, we're given space for imagination via what we're being told. Some may find this to be a bit cheap, but if done right, this can be one of those "power with words" situations. This is where Gotham has highly excelled so far with the character.

We also get the most crucial of reveals as Ra's tells Bruce that, during his resurrection in the pit, he was given a vision of Bruce being his heir and the only one who could end his endless suffering. Again, adding another interesting layer to the character whether or not you're familiar with the source material, the show manages to twist things around presenting a villain who's actually in search of death. One of the highlights of this scene isn't just within the concept and the solid performances taking place, but the surprise reaction on Bruce's face. This is an enemy that he simply does not understand which is absolutely compelling to watch.

It's that classic Batman moment where Batman would encounter someone like the Joker for the first time and get legitimately mind blown by how complex the situation actually is. These are the types of villains that I enjoy seeing the most as they throw the heroes off forcing them to entirely think things over. It's great to see Gotham continuing to carefully cherry pick through the comic books' richest rogues gallery options.

Ra's explains that he has walked for centuries in wait of Bruce knowing that he was the only one who could kill him which, again, adds a whole new layer of complexity to what could have easily been a simple "psycho of the week" situation. Not only does this showcase a sense of humanity to our season villain as he conveys his immortality as a curse, but this also increases Bruce's significance as well. Remember, a lot of what happens in the Batman universe, as far as villains go, usually centers around the cape crusader himself whether intentionally or not. This is what makes this "destiny" concept work so well. It's the classic "you created me" line that rings through strongly here , and although the TV series predates the cape and cowl, you can definitely see the seeds for such an idea being carefully planted.

Now, here's where things go from intriguing to "Holy cow!" territory as Bruce rejects the idea of killing Ra's only to be forced into doing so. After showing him his true form showcasing centuries of suffering through a water's reflection (which looked incredible visually speaking), Ra's decides to further his motivation by threatening Bruce's future. Honestly, this may go down as the most intense threat that I've ever seen in a comic book TV series. I've never seen a villain literally explain that he'll intentionally dissapear long enough just to return and slaughter the hero's loved ones. The performance by Alexander Siddig is award worthy here as he menacingly tells Bruce that he'll essentially let him live out a happy and comforting life only to destroy it when he least expects it. Ouch!

This sets off Bruce leading him to stab Ra's furiously with the blade causing him to swiftly decompose to his death. The visual FX here are absolutely astounding as you see him quickly degrading from his chest, all the way up to his face, eventually leading to a deteriorated corpse. It goes without saying, but the phrase "jaw dropping" would be a major understatement here. Gotham successfully continues its shock and awe gallery of imagery during this week letting fans know that we haven't seen it all despite passing three seasons of pure insanity.

Following the "death" of Ra's Al Ghul, we get one of the best Gordon speeches on the show after Bruce asks him about possibly being arrested for murder. It's a conversation that I've been waiting to see for a while which basically surrounds Jim telling him that he still sees the little boy who saw his parents get murdered and would do anything to save the ones he love. The key part however is where he tells him that, just because he knows he's capable of doing something, doesn't mean that it has to happen again. This definitely plays into the "No kill" rule and sort of flashes back to the Matches Malone and Jerome moments where murder was at its most enticing. We've seen Bruce wrestle with the idea of killing before and after making his one rule which makes conversations like these powerful in context.

This leads to yet another geek out worthy moment for Gotham as we get the classic "I'm not the hero Gotham needs" line. Now, before I go jumping around like a little child, let's take a deep breath and breakdown why this scene works so well. First, the overall artistic direction here just drips with classic Batman atmosphere showing a darkly lit scenery aligned with a score beautifully setting the mood for something gothic-like in nature. The dialogue is impactful primarily focusing on Bruce not feeling worthy of the suit and mission after killing someone. Alfred then tells him that the path, although rocky, will be worth walking eventually reaching a point of rebirth. The performances are fantastic and the idea of Alfred holding onto the suit stating that he'll be waiting for him automatically placed a smile on my face.

Overall Thoughts

Gotham has proven this week that the show not only continues to get better as the seasons go on, but also that the quality storytelling doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. With such a massive season finale worthy twist regarding a significant villain's death, in addition to the debut of one of comic book's crazier antagonists, this season definitely offers up more than I ever could have imagined with character arcs. Where do we go from here? This is the big question left hanging over Ra's Al Ghul's exit and Grundy's current predicament now that Lee's new job is revealed to be in close quarters. With several plot threads being opened up (let's not forget about Scarecrow), I eagerly look forward to seeing what next week's episode will bring.

Bonus Thoughts

Easter Eggs

1. The Story With Barbara

Earlier in the episode during Barbara's attempt to break Ra's Al Ghul out of Blackgate, he rejects the offer then gives her a parting gift. We learn that Ra's resurrected her in order to have someone act as his eyes and ears while promising her that he'd give her a gift beyond imagining. Considering his evil smirk, I'm assuming that we won't be seeing the last of the Al Ghul name for Season 4.

2. Sofia Falcone's Power

Sofia proposes that Oswald and herself, in order to "help" him take 100% of the city's crime under his belt (or umbrella as she specifically words it), have a public lunch to exploit the power of the Falcone name. Even after seeing through her "buttering up" scheme, she still manages to appeal to his humanity getting one over him in the end. It's fascinating seeing this new character slither her way through Gotham's criminal underworld. 

3. Indian Hill

It's nice to see Indian Hill still having a presence on the show as essentially the factory to which Gotham's more supernatural villains are created. I'm still holding out the question of where Season 3's army of metas went scurrying off to. Perhaps this easter egg is a nice tease towards that answer.

4. Firefly Easter Egg

Firefly gets a name drop when Oswald requests for her to essentially be his tool of destruction in order to put the city in check. I'm still not fan of Mr. Freeze and Firefly essentially being errant metahumans, but I supposed it nice to see the writers at least keep them on the show for potentially interesting futures.

5. Grappling Hook!!

Not only was it awesome to see the grappling hook finally being implimented as a nice wink of fan service, but it also shows Bruce's organic ascension as an evolving vigilante. Remember, Bruce first laid eyes on a grappling hook, as far as his vigilante endeavors go, during a near death escape in the Season premiere.

6. Alfred Came Packing

One of the more humorous moments in the episode showed our badass butler having to remove all of his weapons revealing a larger arsenal than expected. Yep, if multiple guns weren't enough, there was even a pair of brass knuckles for good measure and what appeared to be a knife. Always remember where Bruce is learning his vigilante skills from.

7. Oswald's "To Do List

Another hilarious moment shows Oswald, after Sofia proposes that they do lunch together for his benefit, asks Mr. Pen what #4 on his "To Do List" was. Revealing that it was to kill Sofia, Oswald suggests that he puts a question mark next to it. These are the types of small comedic moments that I enjoy the most on the show.

7. The Unseen Dead Hot Dog Vendor

After Solomon essentially kidnaps Ed, he offers up hotdogs as a means to help him with his problems creating a friendship of sorts. Although never verbally stated, we do see bloody scratch marks on the vending cart implying that Grundy most likely slaughtered the merchant offscreen. Gotham continues to impress me with its visual storytelling.

Episode Rating: 9/10