"Reunion"
Appropriately titled "Reunion", this week's highly engaging episode of Gotham delivers in bringing back together character pairings that many fans have been eagerly anticipating. With the Ivy character currently being the spotlight villain while a certain supposedly deceased League of Assassins leader remains in the shadows amongst several other baddies (Scarecrow anyone?), fans get to see the rise and resurrection of various major players on the show. With both of our heroes and villains undergoing major transitions in their lives, how did this week's episode follow up on these noteworthy story arcs currently taking place? Well, let's dive into the countless of individually intriguing plot points taking place here.
A Boy Finds Himself, A Man Is Born
After venturing through Bruce Wayne's darker years as a young adult rich playboy drinking his problems away, it was nice to see the series kick things back into high gear with the cape crusader storyline. The opening sequence with Bruce burning away his vigilante mask being adjacent to Ivy's blossoming as a villain sending a murderous message to Bullock was one of my favorite openings on the show conceptually speaking. I always find it interesting whenever a story shows us our hero undergoing a major change in their life while the villain goes through a significant transition of their own at around the same exact time. It presents a sense of growth and time passing within the world of the story which, in the case of this series, plays a crucial element in the Gotham mythology.
After getting rid of the mask, Bruce meets up with Alfred convincing him to return to their old lives which Alfred immediately rejects. As hard as it is to see these two being in conflict with each other, I actually really enjoyed the fact that Alfred's joining back with Bruce wasn't a simple "Anything for you, Master Bruce" situation. His quick rejection shows us something that a lot of people are justified for forgetting about the character which is the fact that Alfred is his own person after all. Getting fired after a physical confrontation with the person that you've served for several years isn't something that can be easily forgiven and forgotten, so I'm happy to see the writers respect the character's humanity here. I also like that even after declining Bruce's offer, he still manages to squeeze in some hint to Bruce about finding a way to prove his newfound maturity which will later come into fruition.
Later on in the episode, we see Bruce making a speech at the Wayne Foundation which, strangely enough, made me realized just how much we don't really get to see the "public figure" side to his life. The young boy following into his family's legacy having massive city affecting events is something that I do hope gets shown off a little bit more as the character ages on. Just as putting on cape and cowl plays a significant part in Bruce's life, there's also the celebrity image that he uses as a mask but is also embedded in his family's name. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing this dynamic explored heavily in the later seasons, but it was nice getting to see a taste of it here.
During Bruce's heartfelt speech towards Alfred, I was seconds away from getting excited especially with Alfred's "finding your true self" speech to him in response. Unfortunately, good old stubborn Bruce decides to take Alfred's words as a waste of time leaving him behind. Now, this could have easily come across as an annoying character moment for viewers to stomach, but considering his situation of essentially being isolated all over again feeling as though he's lost everything, the stubbornness is completely understandable here. Besides, this separation perfectly leads into the highlight geek out moment of the episode. This is where Season 4 gets back into the fanboy geekfest elements that we've been positively crying out for ever since the beginning of the season showed us the prototype vigilante suit in action.
After Ivy takes over the foundation threatening to turn the entire room into a beautiful garden (which is arguably the most deliciously twisted line said on the show), the GCPD storms in resulting in one big climactic shootout. With Alfred still being inside of the room, Bruce decides to rescue him by utilizing one of Ivy's manipulated henchmen's ski masks. Just the scene of him looking down at the mask followed by the lights cutting out gave this Batman fan chills to no end. If that wasn't enough, we have the epic "this is what you were meant for" line from Alfred accompanied by a smile of proudness telling Bruce to help rescue everyone else instead of just him. This results in Bruce going full on proto-Batman mode on one of Ivy's men, which again, had me cheering like a happy little child on a roller coaster.
We're even given that awesome classic Gordon-Batman scene in the early years of their careers where Jim would chase after the vigilante after witnessing him beat down a criminal only to lose him on the rooftops. Again…chills. I found it cool and equally hilarious that Alfred actually asks Bruce why he didn't just reveal himself to Gordon to which Bruce simply responds "I don't know" after explaining his simple rooftop escape. There's something fun about seeing these characters slowly find their way towards their iconic futures while acknowledging some of the popular traits that they'll take on in the process. It's one of the many elements of the show that I absolutely love.
Speaking of Alfred and Bruce, I know I couldn't be the only one grinning with pure joy after Bruce states that he wants to help people moving forward followed by Alfred telling him that, aside from his parents, he himself is proud of this decision. After deciding that he'll stay with Bruce telling him "I'm home", the 90's kid in me who spent countless of afternoons after school watching the classic animated Batman series immediately rejoiced during this scene. Yes, we're not seeing Bruce telling Aflred that he saw bats in his vision quest after being poisoned leading to them creating the bat symbol, but emotionally speaking, these are the types of relationship building scenes that makes the "Batman moments" much more impactful. Seeing self destructive Bruce partying away his troubles may not have been the best story arc to visually witness on the show, but it does make this reunion scene all the more satisfying and well earned in the end.
Ivy's Poisonous Reign
After a pretty gruesome scene at a bar showing the aftermath of Ivy's new biological attack, this episode gave us a more than satisfying new chapter in the Poison Ivy arc. I cannot say that I'm 100% completely sold on the character in its entirety, but this is definitely a situation to where the pros significantly outweigh the cons for me. Before I get into what works and doesn't work with Ivy's evolution, I thought it was interesting having Harvey be her prime target in the episode considering that he shot her father in order to save Jim. Aside from the fact that I completely forgot about that ever being a thing, I was happy to see both Gordon and Bullock slowly getting back to their dynamic duo roles in this episode. Any reason to bring these two together is a major win for everyone.
After warning Harvey about Ivy's killing spree, we see a breaking news segment with the villainess herself threatening the lives of Gotham's residents. Now, I do have to say that I'm not a big fan of Gotham's villains always finding some means to get on TV in order to deliver their villainous demands or threats. For some characters (Jerome for example), it works perfectly considering their theatrical traits, but for someone like Ivy, I would have preferred her "message" to be delivered in a manner much more unique to the character. Perhaps you can have her use her vines to string up hostages with a giant flowered message at the center? Too much? I supposed after 4 seasons, I'd expect much more creative ways for each villain to uniquely get their points across. However, this is only but a tiny nitpick as the actual speech that she delivers almost makes up for a bigger issue that I've had with the character.
Fans of the PFYTT reviews will know that I've had problems fully buying into Ivy's emotional connection to plants being that the show has never really dove into that concept as deeply as they should have in the beginning. Fortunately, her speech about plants being abused despite their significance followed by her anger towards being betrayed and abused herself actually made her feel a lot more three dimensional. Does it completely solve the drawback with her development as an emotionally shattered plant obsessed villain? Not entirely. It does however shift things into the right direction where her motivations are concerned. It's one of those situations to where, as fans of other iterations, we know to an extent what the end game will be for several of these characters. With that in mind, it's up to the show to then make that journey not only entertaining but logical and impactful.
Now, sidelining the fact that I just used the word "logical" in regards to a show where criminals get resurrected with powers, I cannot emphasize enough just how much fun it's been actually seeing the evolution of Ivy design-wise. Following up from last week's episode, we're starting to see more of her iconic life threatening biological abilities via the Lazarus water and it's been one of the more visually interesting horror shows on Gotham. Flowers bursting out of corpses with vines scattered around the crime scene displays a sense of nature slowly reclaiming the city which is a perfect representation of Poison Ivy's intricate villainous trait. I'm happy to see that the producers aren't holding back in fully presenting her power while still keeping things grounded to a degree. Keeping in mind that she's only recently "blossomed" with her power, there is still much more elemental chaos to come on the horizon.
The Heated Beginnings of A New Relationship?
After the Wayne Foundation fiasco, Ivy returns to her hideout to ensure the safety of the Lazarus water only to be ambushed by Selena. The eventual confrontation that follows is by far my favorite scene shared between the two in the entire series. There are several geek out worthy elements here for fans of the characters' previous iterations. First, you have Selena Kyle effortlessly using her whip to separate Ivy from the Lazarus water implying her increasing comfortability with her future weapon of choice. You have Ivy, which was one of my favorite little tidbits of the episode, taking off her jacket getting ready to fight Selena claiming that all it takes is one scratch from her nails to poison her. The reason I absolutely loved this moment is because it shows Ivy to be a physical threat on her own beyond hiding behind mind controlling perfumes and mutated flowers.
Another thing that I enjoyed is the fact that Selina is able to get the upper edge in the fight once she threatens to destroy the Lazarus water. It shows that even at the height of power, once her plans are being placed in a questionable state, Ivy is immediately open to surrendering or negotiating. It reminds me of a couple of old Batman stories to where Poison Ivy would have tons of hostages in her claim yet Batman (or another character) would be able to easily distract her by threatening to damage one single flower in her presence.
Finally, the moment where I'm sure several comic book fans yelled out in excitement, we have the the intense face to face scene between the two almost killing each other. With Selena pulling a knife to Ivy while she's seconds away from poisoning her, the "this isn't what I want" line gave off several implications to a potential future partnership of sorts. A possible rearrangement of the Sirens as we see them now perhaps? There are several things that they can do with the Ivy character, but with her and Selena both coming to nearly life ending blows, it'll be interesting to see where they take her in the future.
In just two episodes, I feel that the writers have mostly redeem her in my eyes as a villain that you, the audience, should hold high up on the priority list. The fact that she was able to nearly kill both Bruce and Selena in the span of two episodes amongst the already established list of dead victims under her belt gives her a well deserved spot on the show's expanding rogues gallery. I look forward to seeing more Poison Ivy in the future considering that she's now officially a public threat. At the moment, it looks like someone's gonna need a new lair. Well, we do know of a swamp that, not too long ago, resurrected a man turning him into a super strong zombie that has Indian Hill radioactive waste pouring through it. Hmmm.
Sofia's Brutal Takeover
After last week's episode teased us with a Falcone family meeting between Sofia and Lee, fans knew that only terrible things could come from such a union. Following the untrustworthy jibber jabber about family meaning everything for the Falcone name, Sofia tells Lee that she wants to take over the Narrows by taxing everything both legally and illegally. Knowing the financial consequences that such a system would have on its residents, Lee devises a desperate deal with her devilish sister-in-law by offering over Jim's darkest secrets in exchange for keeping the Narrows off limits. Now, Gotham has delivered quite its fair share of gruesomely violent surprises in the past, but what Sofia does in response is by far one of the more eye opening entries.
It's not necessarily a question on how physically brutal the act is, but everything that comes with it. Sofia decides to reject Lee's offer telling her that she knows how to bring Gordon around by having her men slaughter Lee's bodyguards before proceeding to smash her hand in with a hammer. It's visually brutal to watch, but what makes it even more impactful is the immense power building that we've been seeing with Sofia gaining control over different factions of the city. Crystal Reed has been doing a more than fantastic job in the role as this femme fatale flowing through Gotham's underbelly like a virus patiently taking out all of her obstacles and playing the long game.
As I've stated in a previous episode discussion, we're witnessing the rise of an absolutely compelling villain who ironically isn't even a well known antagonist in the comics. This is one of the reasons why I praise this series so highly. Casual and even some hardcore comic book fans has never even heard of the name Sofia Falcone, yet Gotham has found a truly captivating way to present her as this all-powerful crime boss on the rise gaining influence and control over the city. I simply cannot wait to see how the season will end things off with the Falcone name altogether especially now considering Gordon's drive to take her down for good. With Lee being hospitalized, the Narrows is currently in a highly vulnerable state. This is where things can get really interesting for the city itself as a character maybe fighting back in Lee's name. We shall see.
The Riddler's Questionable Place On Gotham
Alright, here's where things might begin to sound super nitpicky for the episode, but it may not be as bad as it seems. Honestly, with everything taking place between Bruce finding his destiny, Gordon attempting to take out a now overly powerful crime boss, and Ivy finally beginning to grow into her own as a villain, there is only so much space that one can make for a Riddler side plot. Let's be clear here, I think the concept itself of Ed desperately attempting to fight off his split personality while "the other guy" is able to speak with Oswald directly is truly fascinating. Heck, I'd use the word "genius" to describe it in fact. The scene where Oswald walks into the Arkham office with that freaky smile on his face revealing that he was communicating with the Riddler the entire time instead of Ed through their messages was downright brilliant in my book. So, what's the problem here exactly?
The issue that I've been having isn't so much with the Riddler character, but the way he fits into the grand scheme of things. It seems as though the writers had this incredible story arc slowly transforming the quirky forensics guy at the GCPD into a egotistical puzzle obsessed serial killer which worked out perfectly during the majority of the first 3 seasons. However, after said transformation, and after being frozen, Ed's character has simply wandered around into other people's stories. First being Solomon Grundy's "friend" during his debut, then getting caught up in Lee's rise from being the Narrow's doctor to being its temporary ruler, and now getting thrown back into the Penguin's world. Sometimes it works out entertainment-wise and sometimes it feels as random as Mr. Freeze becoming everyone's lapdog.
Again, the idea is quite intriguing as proposed in this episode where Oswald is able to look past his conflicts with Ed knowing that he can use his Riddler persona to assist him. Just the idea of the Penguin, the Riddler, and now Jerome (the Joker) being in the same room is enough to make this Batman fan smile. Unfortunately, the journey to get to this point during this season in regards to the Riddler character hasn't been much of a gratifying one for me. So when Oswald calls out his name, and Ed goes from looking distressed to grinning, it didn't quite feel earned to me despite me enjoying the idea. I'm sure we're about to be in for a fun joyride with these characters pairing up in a setting like Arkham, but at the moment, I can't say that I'm completely ecstatic considering the 100s of much more interesting plot points taking place. This is a situation of Gotham maybe juggling too much at once.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, this week's episode gave us a healthy serving of highly awaited character pairings, a solid action scene showing us the pre-Batman crime fighting Bruce that we've been wanting more of, a highly entertaining villain spotlight with Poison Ivy, and a conceptually fascinating yet not greatly executed Riddler journey. Gotham is definitely beginning to switch things into high gear with its villains and heroes via Gordon's fight to take down Sofia and Bruce perhaps gearing back up to patrol the rooftops. Let's not forget Jerome's alluded "spectacular" scheme, Ra's Al Ghul's more than likely reappearance, and Scarecrow still being at large. In addition to the many villains that can show up at any given moment, there are several things to look forward to for the remainder of the season.
Bonus Thoughts
1. Poison Ivy's Carnage
Since the show's beginnings, Gotham has done an incredible job at showing the jaw dropping carnage left by its several criminals, but where the production gets to shine the most is through the city's more colorful characters. In this case, we see Ivy's botanical attacks on the city's residents resulting in vines and flowers literally tearing through and exploding out of bodies. Definitely some of the most imaginitive yet horrific imagery on the show.
2. The Riddler's Spies
Something that I find interesting is the fact that the Riddler has his own network of spies. Not only did I immediately flashback to Game of Thrones with the character of Lord Varys who holds his own network of children spies throughout the kingdoms, but I started wondering what this new story element could possibly be used for. The Riddler is a villain who triumphs through information, so are we watching the seeds be planted for how one of Batman's greatest foes ends up being one of the most knowledgable characters in the entire city?
Episode Rating: 9/10
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