Gotham S3 Ep. 9 Thoughts

"The Executioner"

Despite feeling like your typical "Villain of the Week" episode on the surface, this week's episode of Gotham definitely had its highlights as far as thrills and its overall use of characters. After previously setting the stage for Barnes to become one of Gotham's new baddies last week, I was curious to see just how long this season would drag out this particular character direction. To my pleasant surprise, the "Barnes-Executioner" arc only lasted one full episode which is surprising considering how much was being set up for it. Seeing Gordon being forced into a situation where he must confront and take down Barnes made this episode one of the most thrilling as far as action and character moments go.

There's literally an entire section dedicated to a shoot out/chase sequence between the two which I honestly wasn't expecting to see. The last time we saw such an awesome hero-villain chase scene was back in Season 2 between Jim and Nygma so it's nice to see those type of action packed elements make a comeback here. I also enjoyed the scene where Barnes attempts to sway Gordon over to his side by speaking towards his dark past regarding Galavan. It's always a nice touch to see previous season events being referenced on shows as a means to show the weight and significance that the history of those stories hold.

Barnes is essentially the extreme version of what Gordon could've been in the past as a vigilante putting the law into his own hands. This makes Barnes another great example of a villain being utilized perfectly as a means to spotlight something about the hero in a profound manner. Gotham has been doing a great job with this concept recently having some of their villains be presented as mirrors for other characters and/or events taking place in its universe. Barnes, although not my favorite of the bunch, is no exception here and I'm actually curious to see where his character goes in the future now that he's locked up at Arkham. Given his mentality of wanting to kill off the criminal scum of the city, it would be fun to see him reacting to the other extreme inmates around him.

As far as Ivy's "big return" goes, I honestly haven't been as invested or compelled by the character as I thought I'd be. Yes, we are still pretty early into her arc as a potential rogues gallery villain, but there simply hasn't been any strong teases or reasons as to why the writers took it upon themselves to have her undergo a physical evolution this early on in the Batman mythos. She's been shown off briefly here and there as a petty thief using her looks to get what she wants before bashing her victims in the head with pottery. Honestly, there's really nothing there to mine from even as a big Batman and comic-book fan myself. The actress is doing a serviceable enough job in the role, but is hardly given much material to work with.

This is definitely one of those situations where I'll simply have to sit back, trust that the character is in good hands, and let the writers do their jobs in setting up something special down the line. Now, I will say that I did enjoy seeing Selena react to Ivy's new appearance (although not as shocking as I imagined) and it was interesting to have Bruce being there as a friend using his resources to help her out with her current dilemma. I enjoy seeing Bruce as a detective in his own right and I'm actually having fun with the whole "friend zone" element between him and Selena.

However, despite being curious with the conflict itself that the three has thrown themselves into regarding mercenaries and a stolen jewel key (that was conveniently discovered and acquired), I never bought for one second that Ivy needed to be the central figure behind it whatsoever. Again, we'll just have to sit back and let things organically work its way in. Overall, this was definitely not a bad episode by any means, but I am starting to feel a tiny hint of story juggling issues working its way in regarding several characters sharing the same spotlight. So many interesting ideas being introduced and set up, but I am starting to question whether or not this season will have enough time to deliver everything in a smoothly paced manner without letting anything feel left out or forced in.

Bonus Content

1. The Penguin & The Riddler: Tragic Love Story?

Apologies for not diving into the Penguin/Ed storyline in the past few reviews, but there hasn't been much to talk about except for the curiosity factor. What is all of this leading up to exactly? Ed is now on the hunt for Butch in a misdirected rage and Oswald is helping him out to save himself. I enjoy seeing Tabitha in action, so perhaps this is all leading to one big action scene with her and Butch with a big revelation in the end? Hmmm.

2. Mysterious Mercenaries

Design-wise, I definitely find these crossbow using mercenaries to be interesting, but I do wonder what their affiliation is. As I mentioned before, none of this feels organic in my opinion regarding Ivy as the whole stolen jewel key discovery felt a bit too convenient and forced in for my taste. Let's just hope that this new villain will at least offer up something that is worth the screen time as there are other major stories that have been casted into the background recently.

3. Ivy's Poisonous Love Potion

Although I do acknowledge the fact that Ivy apparently made her own "poisonous love potion", I'm still not buying into her becoming Poison Ivy until they start truly developing her a bit more. It's gonna take more than a scene or two of her mentioning how much she likes plants before I 'm sold (despite being a big fan of the Batman universe).

3. Favorite Shots

Gotham is a series that is known for some its stylistic flare and this episode definitely ended on a strong note via the beautifully executed shot from outside of Arkham leading in through the different vents until reaching Barnes' cell. Gotham surprises me yet again with its amazing visual direction overall. 

Episode Rating: 8/10