We're five episodes into the new season and so far I've been enjoying the new story directions and small teases for bigger things to come. This week's episode was what I'd easily consider as "filler" in some regards with a couple of stand out moments worthy of checking out for the significance that they hold as character development reference points.
The Red Hood Gang Returns
I was a bit surprised to see the return of the Red Hood Gang which Season 1 followers will remember as being one of the possible Joker prototypes introduced in the series. Now, although we don't necessarily get a direct continuation of that theory in this episode, it is interesting to see that the writers took it upon themselves to remind the audience of their existence in Gotham. They're basically used here as an easily expendable gang of crooks for Butch to exploit for his own plans (which could've been any random gang of criminals), so I am curious to see if this re-introduction will have any significance down the line especially considering what happens to them in the end.
Gotham is no stranger to planting story seeds in several places, so we'll just have to wait and see if the title gang is simply a "villain of the week" label to re-use every now and then or an experimental base for something bigger. It's also worth pointing out the slight change in mask design here. I do wonder if we'll ever get to that iconic two sided red glass helmet in the near future. Fingers crossed.
The Dynamic Between Bruce & Gordon
Since Season 2, I've been itching to see more scenes with Jim and Bruce getting to understand each other and actually build some type of friendship as it would perfectly set the stage for their future dynamic as a vigilante-police captain duo. Although there have been moments sprinkled throughout the show involving the two having to work together, it was nice to finally see them diving into something more personal in their lives outside of "work". Yes, Bruce is hiring Gordon for a case to follow up on, but the episode actually takes the time to focus more on the two talking to each other about something surprisingly more mundane (and in a public environment as well).
Seeing the two speak about their own complicated relationship issues is exactly the type of stuff that I wish more live action comic book properties would not shy away from (or at least not having to resort to over dramatic soap opera-like presentations). Just having two guys chat about something normal for a change is a nice reminder that these are people at the end of the day despite all of the insanity and fantastical elements surrounding them. I'd love for Gotham to insert more of these type of scenes between Bruce and Jim as I feel they work perfectly as more than just filler scenes but genuine character development reference points.
There's a couple of key phrases from Gordon that takes place during their conversation such as "There's more to life than having a mission" and "You're becoming quite the detective" which Batman fans will immediately take note of. One of my favorite things about Season 2 were the scenes where Bruce would begin to show signs of his future life and mentality as a vigilante via particular dialogue exchanges or actions. It would appear that Season 3 is continuing this tradition which is great news for me. As I said before, I really do hope that we get to see more advice sharing scenes between the two. There's an interesting relationship building here that I'd love to see expand more in the near future.
Penguin's Triangle of Trust
Although I've been having fun seeing Ed outsmart his way through everything involving Butch, I've honestly been pulling this story to the back as one of the more minor plot points to focus on. There really isn't much here to talk about except for the building of Ed and Oswald's relationship. There are a couple of rumors flying around surrounding their chemistry together that could potentially be unique and bold for the writers to tackle, but until then, this is the portion of Season 3 that I consider to be "filler" more than anything.
Butch has always been the henchman character with a surprisingly great deal of spotlight at times and mostly used for entertainment purposes, so having a conspiracy story wrapped around him doesn't really pull me in as much. I'm almost 100% sure that we won't be seeing Penguin dying anytime soon, so having him make an attempt to shoot him didn't really push anything forward story-wise for me. Again, this is what I consider as being "entertaining filler" at best and it definitely works for what it is.
Overall Thoughts
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Penguin: "So there was this creepy guy in a bat suit and..."
Ed: "Sshhh they're not ready for that yet" |
Although this episode may not be one of the more memorable as far as major plot points go for the season, there are a few entertaining and character driven scenes worth checking out in the end. Gotham has done it again in delivering a solid episode overall as I eagerly look forward to next week's with an eye for something different or climatic. This episode strongly felt like the calm before the storm. Let's just hope that this storm continues to push the series forward into interesting and fulfilling directions.
Bonus Content
1. The Red Hood Gang Mask Change
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| The fact that they've updated the mask tells me that the next time we see this gang, we might just be looking at a red two way glass helmet for the leader" |
2. Ed's Green Suit (The Riddler's Iconic Color)
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| I'm curious to see whether or not Ed's green suit(s) will eventually come custom tailored with question marks littered around. He definitely has the financial backing for it now. |
3. Ivy
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| I've been wondering what the writers have in store for Ivy as I feel she's simply been wondering around each episode aimlessly ever since the transformation. I feel like it's about time that we're due an Ivy centric episode. |
4. Victor Zsasz
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| What more can I say about Zsasz that I haven't already said in Season 1 except "Thank you writers for not killing him off". He continues to be my favorite minor side villain in the series until further notice. |
5. Bruce & Selena's Complicated Relationship
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| I've already touched on this in the previous episode review, so I'll just that I'm curious to see how far this "relationship" goes. I'm gonna go on a limb and say somewhere dangerous more than likely. |
6. Classic Mad Hatter Antics
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| Although a bit darkly lit, during the ending of the episode, we do get to see what Jervis has been up to, and judging by the random forcefully dressed and terrified lady in the chair, the nicely set up tea party, and Tetch's creepy insisting that she is "his Alice", we're definitely getting classic Mad Hatter antics this season. |
Episode Rating: 8/10
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