S02.E15: Wrath Of The Villains: Mad Grey Dawn

[formerlyfreedom]

Gordon and Bullock investigate a trail of clues left in a museum robbery, which, unbeknownst to them, were left by Nygma in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. Meanwhile, Gordon's past comes back to haunt him when an anonymous person threatens to expose his hand in Galavan's murder. Also, Penguin's visit to some old friends leads him to meet his father, Elijah Van Dalh, and Bruce practices his street smarts.

 

 

[Lantern7]

Damn. Helluva plot development.

 

Hard to believe it was so easy for Ed to frame Jim so effectively. I would've wanted the build to Riddler to last longer, but I guess the pace demanded things move faster. Also: I'm probably going to miss Barnes when he's brutally murdered at the end of the season. No spoilers . . . just total speculation on my part.

 

And damn, Bruce can take a beating. Nice audible with the drugged-out goon. I wonder if he's picked up any skills in the timeskip.

 

More speculation: Oswald's new family? Cannibals. Gotta be. And it's kinda weird that Pengy!Daddy acts like Oswald. Good acting from Paul Reubens.

 

ETA: I'll probably DVR next week's episode. The Supergirl/Flash team-up takes priority.

[Primetimer]

Jim Gordon's past comes back to haunt him, and Penguin comes back to Gotham to haunt his old friends.

Read the story

[HoodlumSheep]

I liked this episode.

Still not enough Harvey though.

Dang. Nygma. Or I guess it's The Riddler now.

Peewee Herman is great as Oswald's father.

AAARRRGGGHH! Babs is back! I wonder if she'll go through the same therapy. I wonder if that could be how they end up naming Jim's kid Babs if that's what happens. Turn Babs good, she doesn't revert like the Penguin will, ends up dying or something...I could see it happening.

I was actually interested in Jim's plot for once. The interrogation scene was good.

Butch has a nephew!!!

Edited March 22, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[Lantern7]

Nice recap. Did not occur to me that Oswald's new family may be imaginary. I imagine a scenario where Tabitha had to use airplane glue to stick the feathers onto Oswald, and he is tripping all sorts of balls. I'm still willing to bet that the fam is made up of cannibals. Or con artists.

[mjc570]

Props to the casting/make-up folks.  Sonny looked just like a younger version of Butch (who was totally adorable), and Paul Reubens really looks like Penguin.  I was glad to see that RLT had something to do, besides screaming, although I hope he gets back to his old self soon.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Oh Jim, you're gonna get dat ass beat in jail.

Guess Morena's maternity leave started around the time this was filmed.

Lee probably will leave town.

[Delphi]

Wow, a Selina/Bruce story and Melinda Clarke. I'm here for this.

[Chaos Theory]

I really enjoyed this episode. The downfall of Gordon has been coming for awhile now but to come at the hands of Nygma who is just starting his own spiral into madness is interesting.

Selina and Bruce are always entertaining. I like that the show is diving into Bruce's own darkness and where his limits lie. He has no issue with the concept of theft as long as he is thieving from thieves.

The Penguin storyline looks like it is going to be as twisted as all his storylines. A reformed Penguin is going to be interesting especially since I doubt it will last long.

Babs is awake!!!!

[HalcyonDays]

Awesome, awesome episode. Dammit, Jim's in jail for 40 years. That is so not right.

 

And Barbara woke up!! This will not end well!!

 

And can I say, I love how the future Poison Ivy is growing some psychedelic 'schrooms for profit. Love that.

 

Penguin finds his "family". Yeah, this will not end well. Paul Reubens though actually LOOKS like he could be the father of Robin Lord Taylor. And man, his voice is beautiful. But I don't trust his character. At all.

 

I totally can see how Ed/Riddler could frame Jim so easily. He's a forensics expect, plus he's the one doing the investigating and signing off of evidence. All he has to do is plant the proper evidence as per how forensics would perceive it, then sign off on it, as legit. Quite easy and very very evil. Dammit, Jim deserves better....

 

Bruce and Selena, and him getting beaten up and "liking" it because he forgets his pain. Holy shit. I love how in this series, you can totally see why Teen!Bruce can become Adult!Batman. The seeds are there, it just needs honing. David Mazouz kills it in this role. As does Camren Bicondova - awesome!

 

But I have to say, Gordon in prison, Bruce slumming it, Barbara just waking up, Leigh on her own, Oswald seduced by that family, Nygma messing with the GCPD - it's all beautiful and makes me so want more!!

 

Oh, and I had to bring up the so bloody bad continuity in this episode. Leigh is pregnant. Yet they show her having a stilted and cold emotionless dinner with Jim. Then she sips some wine. And there is an open bottle of wine. And Jim is having a whiskey. Yikes. Morena Baccarin already had the kid, but Dr. Lesley Thompkins did not. I hate to sound so judgemental, but in reality, I am surprised that no one caught that flaw. Not the director, or the actors (who recently had a kid in real life), or the so-called continuity people. I am fascinated with continuity, so - though I have no kids - the fact that I caught that, makes me go, "the hell?"

[Dobian]

So the turnaround for getting arrested and having your trial in Gotham is something like 24 hours?  Otherwise, that was one helluva time jump to Gordon getting carted off to prison (though Leigh didn't look all that much more pregnant during her prison visit, wasn't she showing before?).  And during that whole time Bruce has been hanging out with Cat.  I hope they aren't phasing Leigh out of the show, I like her.  But crazy Babs is back, wonder what they're going to do with her, break Jim out?  Bruce getting pummeled and taking it like a man was awesome.  Nygma was great in his first full outing as Riddler.  And I really look forward to Oswald's stay with Pee Wee's sordid family.

[Xenith22]

Oh, and I had to bring up the so bloody bad continuity in this episode. Leigh is pregnant. Yet they show her having a stilted and cold emotionless dinner with Jim. Then she sips some wine. And there is an open bottle of wine. And Jim is having a whiskey. Yikes. Morena Baccarin already had the kid, but Dr. Lesley Thompkins did not. I hate to sound so judgemental, but in reality, I am surprised that no one caught that flaw. Not the director, or the actors (who recently had a kid in real life), or the so-called continuity people. I am fascinated with continuity, so - though I have no kids - the fact that I caught that, makes me go, "the hell?"

There are a couple possibilities here.  The simplest being that she is drinking an non-alcoholic wine.  There are even some brands that are marketed especially towards pregnant women as actually being 100% alcohol free. (something not all non-alcoholic beverages actually are).

 

The other possibility is that she falls on the side of the growing debate where just a little bit of alcohol here and there is not harmful.  The exact effects of a little amount of alcohol has never been proven, and thus it's becoming more and more popular with some of the recent generations of mothers to practice moderation instead of total abstinence.  Not sure why any expectant mother would think it was worth the risk, but to each their own.  Hey maybe the show will have her give birth to James Jr first, and the alcohol can be explained as responsible for the brain damage that later turns him into a psychopath...

[Jediknight]

Everything with Bruce was fantastic.  Bruce getting the crap beat out of him by Sonny, and just standing up was just outstanding.  And then his reaction to Gordon being found guilty was good.  This episode was just a fantastic beginning for Batman.

 

Love Harvey's devotion to Jim.

 

This was a good episode, but the Bruce stuff was the highlight.

[darkestboy]

I don't think we've had an episode since the Pilot that was this busy.

 

Nygma framing Gordon, I kind of dug but drop the serial killer aspect with this variation of the Riddler. It's jarring to be honest.

 

Gordon will be out by next episode so him getting 40 years at Blackgate seemed a little laughable. Barnes was so quick to believe he was guilty though. Liked that Bullock didn't.

 

Oswald's scenes with Nygma were great, with Tabitha/Butch odd but amusing with his father and new family intriguing. Everything Oswald related in this episode worked basically.

 

Butch's nephew is annoying. I really don't want to see him again though good casting resemblance. I did like the Bruce, Selina and Ivy scenes in the episode though.

 

Barbara being awake, I wonder where they'll go with her now, 8/10

[Rockstar99435]

It's kind of hard to feel bad about Jim going to jail for murder when he really did murder someone.

[Chaos Theory]

Gordon will be out by next episode so him getting 40 years at Blackgate seemed a little laughable. Barnes was so quick to believe he was guilty though. Liked that Bullock didn't.

Well technically Gordon is guilty just not of both murders. He did kill Gallavant in cold blood. What was genious about Nygma's plan was he used Barnes suspicion against Gordon and fabricated evidence to make him look like someone Barnes already thought he was..

I am not sure if Gordon will be out by next episode. Keeping him in Blackgate for a couple of episodes holds some promise especially now that Barbara is awake and the show is moving forward with its Arkham plot. What people get put in Blackgate and which ones get moved to Arkham? Gordon needs to soak in Blackgate for awhile.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Artsda]

That was a great episode, so much happened.

[Biggie B]

It's kind of hard to feel bad about Jim going to jail for murder when he really did murder someone.

 

 

Alternatively, it's hard to feel bad that Galivan is dead (well, sort of dead; he's in the basement at Arkham, isn't he?). He was horrible and it was getting very tiresome seeing him constantly get away with everything he did.

 

But yes, Jim is literally guilty of murder. It will be interesting to see how he gets out of jail in due course. He is lucky to have a loyal friend and partner in Harvey.

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by Biggie B

[Kathemy]

Weak sauce Bruce and Selina, rest was good.

 

http://www.douxreviews.com/2016/03/gotham-mad-grey-dawn.html

[blackwing]

Good episode.  I like the rise of the Riddler and his puzzles.

 

Jim is a murderer, although they got him for a murder he didn't do.  I wonder how he is going to get out of this.

 

I'm tired of Michael Chiklis.  His character is one-note and I want him to leave.  I hope Strange uses his reanimation thing on Captain Essen!  Or maybe Essen's twin sister takes over!

[jay741982]

It's kind of hard to feel bad about Jim going to jail for murder when he really did murder someone.

Considering Galavan was/is a piece of shit I do feel bad for Jim a little

[Danielg342]

Well, Jim's brush with darkness was going to catch up to him, and boy did it catch up to him in a big way. Galavan got justice...in a roundabout kind of way.

 

Nicely played, show, even though everything worked out a bit too easily for the Riddler. What would Nygma have done if Bullock or Pinkney picked up the crowbar, or just another officer? What would have Nygma done if another cop visited Pinkney at his apartment? What if Barnes beat Jim to the apartment? What if Pinkney didn't sign that document?

 

Also, Jim has to have the dumbest lawyers imaginable if, at trial, no one bothered to verify that Pinkney was the tip that sent Internal Affairs after him, plus I also wonder how IA's testimony- and Bullock's, because he would have realized his notes were changed- wouldn't have uncovered that something was amiss, unless IA was helping Nygma in some way.

 

So many what-if's...but the execution was done well. Curious to see where this goes, although I'm betting pretty highly that Jim's not spending 40 years at Blackgate.

 

Kind of didn't like that Selina didn't get a beat down from Sonny but Bruce did...sorry, but in real life, Sonny likely would have laid a beating on Selina as well. At least she took some licks in the fight and got her head smashed into the table, despite that not leaving any visible marks on her face (you'd figure she'd at least get a bruise or something). Also...Bruce, you gotta work on your upper body strength. Can't outlast everyone.

 

Lastly, Paul Reubens, Melinda Clarke and Co. were excellent as Penguin's "family". It was all so delightfully weird.

 

The Bullock Meter

 

4- Sure, he was around. Had some good moments too, as Donal Logue really brought out the fighting spirit and brotherly vibe towards Gordon in Bullock. Still, it felt rather underwhelming, as Bullock was mostly "just there" while Jim did the heavy lifting. I also wonder why Nygma's game didn't target Bullock as well as Jim- given all the times Bullock has been mean to Nygma, you'd think Ed would want some payback.

 

Episode Grade: B. Lots going on in this one, but it was still a fun hour.

[Delphi]

My biggest problem the Jim goes to jail plot is the absurdity of the plot. Edward played a great game, based off facts, there's no doubt about that. But honestly, after an insane super villain in charge of the criminal element confesses to a murder, internal affairs isn't going to be rushing to reopen the case. The very well known criminal already confessed, with good reason to believe his confession what with his mother's murder. It's all kinds of loco.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Delphi

[Danielg342]

My biggest problem the Jim goes to jail plot is the absurdity of the plot. Edward pastured a great game, based off facts, there's no doubt about that. But honestly, after an insane super villain in charge of the criminal element confesses to a murder, internal affairs isn't going to be rushing to reopen the case. The very well known criminal already confessed, with good reason to believe his confession what with his mother's murder. It's all kinds of loco.

 

I think I would believe the plot more if Jim was simply charged, not convicted. My issue is that, at trial, Edward's ruse would surely unravel, as even a decent lawyer would notice all the inconsistencies (such as the fact that Jim's clothes didn't have any blood on them at Pinkney's apartment, something the PTV recap noted) and succeed in getting the case thrown out. Simply bringing charges doesn't require the evidence to go through as much scrutiny, making it more believable that Edward's ruse would work.

 

Furthermore, none of the plot would have to change- instead of Jim being in jail because he's convicted, he's being in jail because he's held on bail. We know that, likely, Bullock and co. are going to find evidence to exonerate him, so it would have made no difference if quashed charges or a conviction, since the effect is the same. Perhaps the only reason that the writers chose to convict Jim is the shock value and the "finality" that it brings- although I think simply charging him would do the same trick.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Some Days, You Just Can't Get Rid Of A Bomb

Thanks to the recapper for this shoutout.  Still one of the best things in the Batman 66 ouvre (the movie in this case):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsJA1C19AyE

[Perfect Xero]

Considering Galavan was/is a piece of shit I do feel bad for Jim a little

 

Not only that, Galavan was a comic book super ninja with seemingly limitless resources, and Jim had legitimate reason to believe that there was no way (either by legal maneuvering, or just plain killing a bunch of guards and escaping) that Galavan was going to stay in jail.

 

In a legal sense what he did is murder, in a moral sense? Well, personally, I think I'd classify it as self defense.

[Delphi]

Morally, I'd say it was also merciful. I'd rather be shot then brutally tortured by the Penguin. Though I suppose he could have had taken him into custody.

I find it odd that no one seems to broKen up about Theo kidnapping the most famous citizen of the city with plans to sacrifice him.

[Jediknight]

Kind of didn't like that Selina didn't get a beat down from Sonny but Bruce did...sorry, but in real life, Sonny likely would have laid a beating on Selina as well. At least she took some licks in the fight and got her head smashed into the table, despite that not leaving any visible marks on her face (you'd figure she'd at least get a bruise or something). Also...Bruce, you gotta work on your upper body strength. Can't outlast everyone.

For all Sonny knows, Selina can handle herself better than Bruce.  And once he starts in on Bruce, he thinks Bruce is no problem, and laughs about it.  He couldn't turn his back on Bruce and go to Selina, or else he appears weak.  He wanted to break Bruce, because this kid called him a coward, and wouldn't back down.  After awhile he was afraid of Bruce, there was that moment after Bruce had taken a beating, Sonny slams him against the arcade game, Bruce responds with "An ignorant, brutish, cowardly clown", and when Bruce starts saying that Sonny looks down and he's starting to get a look of fear.  This kid who he thought was weaker than Selina, wouldn't break, and would keep standing up to him.  Also, he knows that Butch is fond of Selina, so he doesn't want to incur any wrath from Butch.

[jhlipton]

What if Pinkney didn't sign that document?

 

I also wonder how IA's testimony- and Bullock's, because he would have realized his notes were changed- wouldn't have uncovered that something was amiss, unless IA was helping Nygma in some way.

 

Yeah, a cop who doesn't notice he's not signing the same sheet he's looking at!  And it didn't seem like he was in a hurry either.

 

Bullock testifies that he saw the report and that it was switched.  He would raise a royal stink and wouldn't back down over that.

[Danielg342]

For all Sonny knows, Selina can handle herself better than Bruce.  And once he starts in on Bruce, he thinks Bruce is no problem, and laughs about it.  He couldn't turn his back on Bruce and go to Selina, or else he appears weak.  He wanted to break Bruce, because this kid called him a coward, and wouldn't back down.  After awhile he was afraid of Bruce, there was that moment after Bruce had taken a beating, Sonny slams him against the arcade game, Bruce responds with "An ignorant, brutish, cowardly clown", and when Bruce starts saying that Sonny looks down and he's starting to get a look of fear.  This kid who he thought was weaker than Selina, wouldn't break, and would keep standing up to him.  Also, he knows that Butch is fond of Selina, so he doesn't want to incur any wrath from Butch.

 

Granted, although what bugged me more was that the scene reeked of the idea "we can't hit a girl for any reason"- even Bruce said that Sonny was a coward specifically because he "assaulted a girl". I get there are audience sensibilities and it was a pivotal moment in Bruce's development- but I don't like writers who think female characters cannot get hit. If the story would conceivably call for it (like if they are in a fight), go for it.

 

Yeah, a cop who doesn't notice he's not signing the same sheet he's looking at!  And it didn't seem like he was in a hurry either.

 

Bullock testifies that he saw the report and that it was switched.  He would raise a royal stink and wouldn't back down over that.

 

It's why I couldn't buy this passed trial. Perhaps Barnes could overlook that Pinkney couldn't have signed that document, but I can't believe that Bullock wouldn't notice a report missing or even that the writing of Pinkney's "statement" doesn't match his actual writing.

 

The only way this becomes believable is if Barnes was in on the whole thing but even that provides glaring inconsistencies.

 

I think it's safe to say the writer simply choked.

[rue721]

I'm fine with Sonny not fighting Selina, because honestly, he would have run a pretty high risk of losing his dignity if he had. I mean, he probably would have won the fight in the end, but Selina would have mocked him the whole time, and I don't think she would have gone down that easy (she's pretty tough and athletic). Sonny and Selina seem so outmatched that even if Selina just got Sonny to break a sweat and managed to get in a couple bon mots during the beating, Sonny still would have ended up looking pathetic in front of his guys. And Butch wouldn't have been happy about it afterward, either. I can see why he would have thought that Bruce was the softer target and just tried to avoid wrangling with Selina altogether.

 

Anyway, Penguin's story in this episode was fantastic. I loved when he showed off his ugly, crumpled certificate to Butch and Tabitha, and they just stared at him, completely nonplussed. And I also loved when Newbie Serial Killer Ed was like, honestly, the new you is creeping me out -- you need to go. And when his father was going on about how he'll always have a family and all that, and his eyes were shining and he was like, "tell me, is this a dream?!" my heart broke for him. Something just terrible is going to happen to that guy.

 

I wonder how Oswald, Ed, and Bruce's storylines in this episode all fit together. I guess they're now all *both* crazier and saner than any of them have ever been before? Oswald is certifiably sane but can't live in the real world anymore, and is off with his cannibal family that's maybe hallucinatory. Ed is more confident and brilliant than ever, but also a psycho killer. Bruce is living in the real world (with Selina) but it's apparently turning him into some kind of amoral masochist...

 

Also, w/r/t Barbara waking up:  if we're going to have people waking up and coming back to life and stuff, my vote is still for Jerome to reappear. I love that kid. Although I actually kind of like Barbara, so I'm happy that she's evidently coming back, too. I wonder what her new personality is going to be.

Edited March 24, 2016 by rue721

[Jodithgrace]

Re: Leigh drinking wine. I think this might have something to do with the indefinable time period of this show. Characters have (outdated) cell phones, but even with that,  it somehow feels like an earlier time. In a show that clearly takes place in the present, you would never show a pregnant woman drinking or smoking without some sort of explanation. But on a period show like Madmen, it wouldn't even be questioned. Gotham feels like a period show, only we can't put our finger on what period. Just like they don't put dates on Mama Cobblepot's gravestone.

 

Is Oswald's new found "family" creepy or what? The fact that we all know that Penguin will revert back to his criminal ways sooner or later, it doesn't bode well for a happy ending for Oswald. I kept thinking they were all about to turn into vampires, but that seems like a genre too many. This show has enough going on without that! Probably, they just don't want to share the family fortune with Pee Wee's little "adventure," and are going to sabotage him in all sorts of dire ways.

 

World's shortest trial and sentencing. I guess, if you don't want to bother with actually examining the evidence, you can really streamline the process and get done in record time. No Marcia Clark or Dream Team to muddy things up. And for all we know, DNA hasn't even been discovered yet.

[J----av]

So the turnaround for getting arrested and having your trial in Gotham is something like 24 hours?  Otherwise, that was one helluva time jump to Gordon getting carted off to prison (though Leigh didn't look all that much more pregnant during her prison visit, wasn't she showing before?).  And during that whole time Bruce has been hanging out with Cat.  I hope they aren't phasing Leigh out of the show, I like her.  But crazy Babs is back, wonder what they're going to do with her, break Jim out?  Bruce getting pummeled and taking it like a man was awesome.  Nygma was great in his first full outing as Riddler.  And I really look forward to Oswald's stay with Pee Wee's sordid family.

 

 They said it was a 4 week jump. Still quick

[Kathemy]

Actually they just said the trial took four weeks. The time jump could have been much longer - setting a trial date takes time (albeit I think we're supposed to believe it was only 4 weeks.)

[thuganomics85]

I can certainly buy that Nygma would be able to set-up Gordon easily enough to make him a suspect and even be arrested, because he is pretty crafty and intelligent, and if I'm being honest, Jim isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the room, and I can easily buy Nygma pretty much knowing how Jim was going to play this.  On the other hand, there is still enough holes in the plan that I'm not sure how Jim got convicted that easily.  I might have preferred if if instead of the time jump, we actually got to see the trial, and how it came together.  I mean, at the very least, I'm sure Bullock was on the stand and went to bat for Jim, so there had to be some way to discredit him.  I just feel Nygma had to do more to really make it work, and I wish I could see it.

 

Still, I do find it amusing that Jim goes down (temporarily, I suspect) for a murder he didn't commit, instead of the one he actually did.  And that all of this was because Nygma mistakenly thought he was onto him about killing Miss Kringle.  Ah, wacky misunderstandings!

 

Paul Reubens was unsurprisingly perfectly cast as Oswald's dad, but I totally didn't know Melinda Clarke was going to appearing in this too.  I'm assuming she's his wife.  I can't wait to see what craziness Oswald's new "family" will bring.  And Oswald being "cured" is still entertaining.  Loved how baffled Butch, Tabitha, and Nygma were when they met him.

 

Bruce took Alfred's advice on how to take a beating, I see.  Fun seeing him with Selina on the streets, and it was nice checking in on Ivy again.  I wonder if them seeing Jim's conviction on TV means they might try to find some way to help him out.

 

So, Barbara finally wakes up. She doesn't look as crazy as she use to be, but I'm sure that will change once Hugo Strange gets through with her.

 

I wonder what the odds are of Jim at least running into one former criminal he helped put away, in prison.

[Snookums]

Bullock testifies that he saw the report and that it was switched.  He would raise a royal stink and wouldn't back down over that.

 

 

A report that Ed switched in the middle of the gorram PD in the middle of a shift! Between that and his "I Skulk At The Doors Of The Train Station" routine he might as well have been wearing his green Riddler suit through this entire caper. Add in things like time of death for Pinkney, phone records, etc. and frankly Jim's lawyer must have been a moth eaten moose head somebody pulled off the wall at one of the six thousand random mansions around town. 

 

There was a lot to like in this episode, though; Penguin's new "I'm sane! Love me!" routine as his various associates stare in absolute disbelief is hilarious--Butch and Tabitha both "What? Wait, what?" bit as they list off his various murder/hand removal sins, and Tabitha's insistence on some kind of punishment as Butch is all "Cupcakes, okay, we're squaresies, piss off" was a riot. And Ed and Oswald's reunion was so fabulous that it seemed like another show running within Gotham. The Riddler/Penguin Hour! What Antics Will Our Goofy Roommates Stumble Into Next? Ed's "honestly, the new you? is kind of creeping me out" was great too. Because if there's anything creepier then pre-Strange Penguin it's post-Strange Penguin.

 

I'm in the camp that Pee Wee Daddy and everything else is in Penguin's mind--hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually still back at Arkham and all this was a dream. If for no other reason than this is Gotham and nobody in Gotham can have nice things ever.

Edited March 28, 2016 by Snookums

[Danielg342]

Regarding Jim's trial- I think what the writers were going for was Jim learning the lesson that his decision to shoot Galavan was going to come back to bite him in a big way- and, well, there's nothing bigger than getting thrown in jail.

 

However, it didn't have to be that way- Gordon could have simply been charged, which could have been reason enough for him to be fired by the GCPD (I know, he's been fired before...but this time the show could actually make it stick). Not much would need to be changed- Barnes would still lose his trust in Jim (reason enough for a firing) and not only would Jim have to contend with a trial but he'd also have to work to get his job back. They'd play it out over the new few episodes, perhaps not even resolving it until the end of the season, and Jim would have to go through several hoops to do it (Bullock may believe him, but would the rest of the cops?).

 

It's why I think- ultimately- the writer choked. Likely the bit about the trial was rushed, because even a rudimentary thought should have dismissed that course of events- but the writer never seemed to think of that.

[Snorfbat]

“Meet psilocybe arkrescens," Ivy says. "Also known as The Blue Devil.”

 

Oh, Gotham. Must you tease me so? We know Blue Devil is way too much fun for this show.

[VCRTracking]

Finally catching up on this one.

 

That was a brilliant frame job by Edward I have to admit.

Love to see Bruce and Selina fighting together.

 

Oswald's reunion with his father(Paul Reubens was brilliant casting) was oddly heartwarming. I love Melinda Clarke as his new step-mom. 

 

Uh oh, Barbara is awake.

[Chaos Theory]

I can buy Nygma setting Jim up for murder. He probably heard the rumors floating around that the Captain thought he killed Gallavan so framing him for an ajacent murder was rather easily considering how predictable Jim usually is. It's not like Jim can say j had no reason to kill that man because technically he did.

I think the trial was skipped over because what new info would we learn? We might get a few dramatic scenes from Barnes, Bullock and Leslie and maybe even Nygma acting creepy but I think the story lies in Jim proving he isn't a killer and going on the same kind of rude to do it as young Bruce is right now.

[John Potts]

Gee, who would've thought that committing murder might come back to haunt Jim Gordon - almost like it's considered a serious crime or something!? Of course, him actually going down for the crime was pretty implausible in the timescale shown (even allowing for the month of timeskip).

 

Quote

Biggie B   it's hard to feel bad that Galivan is dead

 

Maybe, but despite what popular culture would believe, the law on murder doesn't say "Killing people is illegal - unless they're really bad people." You may get mitigation by saying, "I did kill him, but only because he used to abuse me" - but that requires pleading guilty, coming clean to the court and not committing perjury to blame somebody else for the crime he committed. Gordon didn't do that, he denied he'd done anything (and let Penguin take the fall).

 

Quote

Lantern7  More speculation: Oswald's new family? Cannibals. Gotta be.

 I was assuming it was set up by Hugo Strange for some reason. Very suspicious that daddy just "happened" to be at Ma Kabelput's grave as soon as Penguin got out to visit her. Also seems odd that his family would be so understanding about one of dad's illegitimate kids - even if not outright hostile, you'd expect a certain level of reserve to their surprise (half) brother.

Baby Bats seems to have learned the wrong lesson from Alfred last week - a big man is beatable, but just soaking up damage isn't enough. Alfred spent his battle against "Cupcake" throttling the guy (rather reminiscent of Westley against Fezzik, in fact from The Princess Bride) he didn't just let the guy pound him. Obviously that IS something Batman learns (since he doesn't just stand there getting punched when confronting his enemies).

 

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Monty Ashley (Recap) Some Days, You Just Can't Get Rid Of A Bomb

 

Gotta love a 60s Batman reference!

Edited April 28, 2016 by John Potts

[jhlipton]

On 3/22/2016 at 6:26 PM, Lantern7 said:

 I'm still willing to bet that the fam is made up of cannibals.

I didn't remember this until now, but you have to love the irony of this comment!