S02.E21: Wrath of the Villains: A Legion of Horribles

[formerlyfreedom]

Hugo Strange welcomes a familiar face to Gotham after he resurrects Fish Mooney in Indian Hill. Later, Bruce discovers a friend is in danger and teams up with Gordon, Alfred and Lucius, while uncovering more of Strange's experiments.

 

[Primetimer]

It's also a little late in the season to add new characters, but here they come anyway.

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[Lantern7]

Somebody call Butch. We're gonna need a lot more bazookas.

I'm disappointed that we have one more episode left, because I'm okay with the craziness. Hugo will probably get killed next week, and we'll be poorer for it. BD Wong can chew scenery like Jada, and he's having a whale of a time being evil. Now he's bringing back people with powers? Including Budget Clayface and Super Persuasion Fish? Sure . ..  why the hell not?

Could have used Oswald this week. He's gonna be thrilled Fish is back. At least we got Reluctant Temporary Captain Bullock. If Barnes steps out of his hospital room, Harvey will be there begging him to come back.

I'm not really a fan of the Scott Snyder era Batman, but I'm a little thrilled seeing Strange's backers revealed. I'm thinking the eye masks will be their "thing," because the comic version would be really hard to breathe through in real life.

ETA: Anybody else think of Plastic Man's origin seeing Basil tug on his face?

[HoodlumSheep]

So...Court of Owls?? Cool.

i wasn't quite into this episode as much as the past 5 eps or so. 

It was good to see Firefly again. Fish is back to her scene-chewery, but I don't mind. I wonder how long she's gonna be back for. 

I loved the senes with Strange and Bruce. Those were great.

Luscious is a smart cookie as always. He easily recognized Ed's voice.

Jim looks nice in a uniform. ?And now we have two Jims!!!! Aaahhh!!! Could Clayface do that in the comics?

Poor Harvey needs to work on his interview/report skills. I lol'd. Love ya you lovable Irish lad. 

Still waiting for an OST, but I don't know if it'll ever happen. It was sounding very Batman-y in that Bruce/Hugo Strange scene.

Edited May 17, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[Biggie B]

This was basically just a litany of "what can go wrong?" scenarios, none of which, or very few of which will likely be resolved next week - after all, they have to leave us hanging until the show comes back in the fall (or whenever it's slated to return). Other than Selena managing to stay alive, not much else went well. OK, Fish coming back to life could be counted as a positive, I guess! I liked that she didn't quite understand how she made that guard get her the grilled cheese, but she sure as hell will figure it out and make it work in the craziest way possible, and I look forward to that. Otherwise, I felt frustrated - one step forward, two steps back. I hope the finale isn't more of the same - everything going wrong for our 'heroes,' while the villains take control. We need at least a small bone thrown to us!

I never even thought about Barbara once and didn't miss her. Wonder if she'll appear in the finale in any way. 

[immortalfrieza]

Wow, what a half baked plan THAT was. Newsflash good guys, STRANGE ISN'T STUPID!!! (Just wait, next week Strange will do something really really stupid to keep the good guys from dying just because I said that) It was obvious from the start Strange knew that Bruce and Lucius were up to something, probably the moment they called.to inform him they were coming. It's times like this I wish they brought in some original characters for us to spend a couple seasons getting attached to for them to potentially kill off in episodes like this, because as it is we all know there's no chance ANY of Team Gordon will die. There's basically zero tension here anymore.

Edited May 17, 2016 by immortalfrieza

[Kromm]

Jada Pinkett Smith?

Sigh.

Honestly, making her part literal fish isn't an excuse to bring her back.

[thuganomics85]

I'm glad that it end up being that Strange knew all along what Bruce and Friends were doing, because their big "plan" lost me as soon as I saw it relied on Jim disguising himself as a prison guard, because really?  After all the Theo stuff and him even being at Arkham for a time, they really thought no one was going to recognize him?  He's not some no name cop here.  He's pretty well-know I have to think.  Just a dumb plan, all around.  And you were doing so well, Bruce!  I expected better of you!

At long last, Fish is finally back.  And just happens to be the one test subject who ends up getting her memories and personality back too.  Along with powers of persuasion, which I'm sure she'll use to her advantage.  I suspect she'll accidentally end up being one of the reasons the good guys managed not to get killed somehow.

Don't resist it, Bullock!  You'd be a great Captain!  Or at least an entertaining one!  You certainly have the best conferences ever!

The stuff with Selina and Bridget actually ended up being my favorite part.  I liked how once Selina realized she couldn't get through to her, she was just like "OK, fine!  You're a fire goddess!  I'll be your servant then!  Every goddess needs a servant!"  Well done, Selina!

Surprised there was no Oswald in this one.  I'm sure he'll be back for the finale, I guess.  I have to think we'll see his reaction to Fish being back among the living.

Not exactly finding the cliffhanger to be that suspenseful, since almost everyone in peril is important to the comics, so unless they completely throw lore out the window, I don't see anyone really dying.  Maybe Strange, but that's about it.

 

[missbonnie]

4 hours ago, Biggie B said:

This was basically just a litany of "what can go wrong?" scenarios, none of which, or very few of which will likely be resolved next week - after all, they have to leave us hanging until the show comes back in the fall (or whenever it's slated to return). Other than Selena managing to stay alive, not much else went well. OK, Fish coming back to life could be counted as a positive, I guess! I liked that she didn't quite understand how she made that guard get her the grilled cheese, but she sure as hell will figure it out and make it work in the craziest way possible, and I look forward to that. Otherwise, I felt frustrated - one step forward, two steps back. I hope the finale isn't more of the same - everything going wrong for our 'heroes,' while the villains take control. We need at least a small bone thrown to us!

I never even thought about Barbara once and didn't miss her. Wonder if she'll appear in the finale in any way. 

I'm in the same boat as you. While I have enjoyed this season very much, I'm getting tired of the bad guys winning all the time. It's time for the good guys to catch a break already. 

[MarkHB]

Selina made a brilliant move with the "servant" play... and it was interesting hearing her talk about how Bridget's family took her in .  I don't think she's mentioned her mom since the very beginning, when she claimed she was some rich heiress or something.

As for Bruce and Lucius, it dawned on me.....

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Holy gas chamber!  Bruce and Lucius trapped at the hands of the dastardly Riddler?

     The diabolical Hugo Strange preparing a bomb?

          The clock is ticking!

               How will they escape‽‽‽‽‽‽

Tune in next time....

     Same Bat-Time...

          Same Bat-Channel!

(For the record, as someone who first really came to love Batman as an 8-year-old watching Adam West and taking it very very seriously, I predict Bruce finds a way to smash the window into the control room.... can't release poison gas if you aren't protected from it!)

[Jediknight]

Well Bruce, that was a beyond stupid plan.  But it had to be, so there could be a hook for the season finale.

We got the Court of Owls, but where is Jerome?  We need Jerome back.  I guess they could be saving his return for the final shot of the finale.

[darkestboy]

Fish is back and it seems a little bit superpowered as well. If she's killed off next week by Oswald, then her return will amount to nothing, so y'know, show don't kill her off immediately. Just saying is all.

Who are Hugo's bosses? I'm intrigued by them.

Knew Hugo would be able to outsmart Bruce, Gordon and Lucius. Nygma working for Strange now is a bad idea but a fascinating one too.

The Gordon/Clayface thing at the end was a good twist too.

Loved Bullock/Alfred's banter and seeing Ivy again was nice. Selina was also pretty smart in how she dealt with Bridget/Firefly as well, 8/10

[Chaos Theory]

Bruce just took another giant step to becoming a batman.  They grow up so fast.  His scenes with Strange were so intense and well done.

Selina and Firefly's scenes were awesome too.  Who says a show can't hire great young tallent. This one has consistently done it. 

I think my favorite pairing may just be Bullok and Alfred.  Those two together are so much made of win.

Irronically I still say the only character that fails for me is Jim Gordon.  

Fish Mooney with superpowers.  That is not going to end badly.  No it is not.

[Enigma X]

I am really enjoying the show but must say the villains' personalities need to be toned down some. I won't be surprised if we start seeing a cartoon-type "Kaboom!" or "Splat!" during fight scenes.

[Traveller519]

This one didn't hit for me, and kind of summarized the problem of the whole "Wrath of the Villains" arc. For me, there's too much "let's drop some more Bat-Lore" into the fray, and it kind of undercuts the theme of Batman's enemies rising as a response to his own theatrics.

I've enjoyed Strange as a foil, an incredibly intelligent one, but to start pumping out "Monsters" has diluted the show with characters. Following Ed and Penguin's arcs have been fun, but the "Here's Freeze for two episodes; Here's a quick shot of Killer Croc; oh look now we have Clay Face!" stories have me beat.

I'm struggling, because once again the production value is top notch, and I've bought into the campy-ness of the series, but the story has lost me.

Remember back in Season 1 when Falcone mentioned that the Waynes murder was part of a larger plan. Was he in on whatever has gone on with Strange too? The whole organized crime thing has spent the second half of season 2 sitting in the living room, channel surfing.

[Lokiberry]

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it kind of undercuts the theme of Batman's enemies rising as a response to his own theatrics.

That's never been the theme. The first season showed that the murder of the Waynes upset the delicate balance of the city and that lead to the crime families going to war. Out of the ruins of that the madmen started rising up. The implication to me was that the madness was always there but Falcone and his like kept it in check. Now, Hugo Strange is free to unleash his monsters on the streets, and there's no one to stop him. (Well, maybe the Court of Owls, but I'm sure if they do, they'll have their own brand of crazy)

[janie jones]

11 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Bruce just took another giant step to becoming a batman.  They grow up so fast.  His scenes with Strange were so intense and well done.

I actually don't like Bruce very much, but I thought it was pretty Batmanly when Ed said he was going to pump in poison gas and Lucius ran to the door and started pounding, Bruce just stood there and considered his options.

[HoodlumSheep]

This episode might be my least favorite (and possibly the weakest) of the winter/spring back-half. 

Unless the finale somehow mucks it up. I'm hoping that it will be a stronger finale than season 1's (which I personally enjoyed, but will admit that it was pretty messy).

[Danielg342]

I think we can call this "Murphy's episode". I mean, anything that could have went wrong...

Seriously, it's getting a little annoying. Actually, more than annoying. I can see Bruce coming up with and agreeing to stupid plans- after all, he's still a teen and he's still "learning the ropes" so to speak. Jim? Alfred? Lucius? These guys are supposedly smart, they're the ones who are supposed to be telling Bruce, "no, that part of the plan doesn't work, you should do it this way."

I'm tired of stupidity driving plots, especially because these characters never learn. You would have thought that dealing with Theo Galavan- as the mayor- would have grown a brain cell or three but it seems like Jim Gordon et all just can't figure out how to not fall into someone else's traps.

Man, you're a detective. Shouldn't you know how to read people? Seriously, Jim, you should be able to outsmart a lot of people, and anticipate their plan.

Eh, I guess it's par for the course considering that the only solution Jim had to his Galavan problem was to shoot him.

It's still ridiculous, though. I get this show isn't meant to be very "cerebral" but it would be nice if, at least once, Jim was actually outfoxing people and gets into trouble because he was, well, outfoxed himself. It just looks like the writers don't even try.

"We need a hook for the season finale."

"Oh I know! Let's have Jim unwittingly get into trouble again!"

*groan*

I did like seeing that Fish Mooney recovered her memory and seems to have mind powers over people. Man, I wish I could get people to make me grilled cheese sandwiches on command.

Firefly? A bit of a bore. Good on Selina for figuring out how to stop Bridgit from killing her, but it was tedious having Firefly mindlessly try to kill Selina, especially knowing that Selina makes it.

Oh, and Clayface? That'll be fun. As long as it doesn't lead to Bullock's death.

Speaking of which...

The Bullock Meter- 5.

Gotta love the "fish out of water" Harvey Bullock doing his best to sound articulate and professional at a press conference when he has no formal training. He does at least sound like he could know what he's doing if he had the proper training, because he had the ability to misdirect the press. He just needs to get more comfortable doing it.

Besides, he seems to be the only character on this show who has any clue about what is going on. Which, unfortunately, seems like it means he won't be long for this show. I hope not, because Bullock is a very fun character and has so many avenues this show could use to explore, but, sadly, the way he gets used- which was barely tonight- makes me think this show believes he'll become expendable. Everyone at the GCPD becomes expendable, especially their Captains.

I hope I'm wrong though.

For now, I leave you with this great Bullock-ism:

Clueless Reporter: "Can you confirm that the person known as Azrael was in fact disgraced Mayor Galavan"

Bullock: "Well, seeing as how the suspect is now meat dust, a positive identification would be very difficult."

Episode Grade: C-. Hugo Strange is definitely strange...but the show consistently fails to do more with their storylines.

[Snookums]

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I did like seeing that Fish Mooney recovered her memory and seems to have mind powers over people. Man, I wish I could get people to make me grilled cheese sandwiches on command.

 Oh man I would be so fat and greasy. Just, Hugo would have to turn me into a giant toasted cheese sandwich. Then I'd blob around ruining everyone's diets.

I did like that Fish is A) back and not pleased with the situation so far and B) that her powers apparently only last for so long, and/or for one command. When she said "hey wait a minute" the orderly didn't stop, just left and shut the door. That should lead to interesting things, although I was not aware our mighty master, the cuttlefish, had mind control powers. 

Oh, and also! How when Fish emerged from her watery grave, she had not only her mind and memories intact, but her lip gloss too!

Am very much looking forward to the moment Penguin sees Fish again. Man, he's just going to snap. Collapse to the floor and lie there rolling around on his back like a flipped turtle. Hee hee hee.

Selina finally realizing that you can't talk crazy back onto the sane path, only provide it with the kind of Choose Your Own Adventure Book that makes whatever kind of sense to it was good, especially since the whole "burn things with no effect" stuff was getting very tedious--I sighed heavily every time the scene cut back to them. I do hope Brigit says "Of course I didn't recognize you! What did you do to your hair?" at some point.

I don't quite get Ed handling Lucius (Luscious) Fox and Bruce, really. I thought the whole idea is that he knew how Jim Gordon reacts or something? Right? I mean, Hugo, man, if you want those two dead just do it already. Why are you giving Ed more of a superiority complex then he already has? Peabody really should be reaching the end of her rope here.

Jim Gordon, the dummy, has been spreading his idiocy around pretty thickly here. He's not only not rescued Selina, but gotten Bruce and Lucius trapped and has some weirdo copying his face now. I did like the incorporation of his old guard's uniform but also how it was clear that he and everyone else involved in this "plan" weren't fooling anybody for one second.

My husband has a theory: The woman behind the Not Really An Owl Mask But Whatever is? Julie Newmar! Dear God, please let him be right!

Edited May 18, 2016 by Snookums

[Snookums]

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THE SYMBOL: Lucius's charming 1970s car.

Ohhhh that CAR! It was love at first sight as my husband and I squealed like hamsters at a One Direction concert. Husband: "It's so fabulous and stupid at the same time!" Me: "It's this show turned into a car!"

[Kathemy]

<Doux Reviews> <Gotham> <A Legion Of Horribles>

[LilWharveyGal]

Tell me I heard correctly and that Ms. Peabody's first name is Ethel.  Because that is perfect.

[Kathemy]

Oh it's always been Ethel.

[HoodlumSheep]

Fish was probably one of my least favorite characters back in the first season (out of the main cast), but I very much appreciate how the writer's do well with continuity. At least compared to some of the other shows I watch. :P

one of the first things Fish asks about is whether or not she was on an island. Aka referencing her Dollmaker storyline in season 1.

I hated that storyline for the sole fact that it (and Fish) became totally isolated from the main plot of the show at that time. 

At least they haven't forgotten about it though, so I'm happy about that. 

Also, I really hope they follow up on the Fish/Bullock backstory they alluded to in season 1 as well.

Edited May 18, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[Dobian]

This show is still good wacky fun.  Not sure how I feel about Fish returning.  For me her time has come and gone, and room needs to be made for Penguin and Riddler.  Also not too thrilled about the Gordon doppelganger plot, that trope has been so overdone in every medium (they did it on Supergirl this season too).  It always follows the same predictable pattern.  Evil doppelganger dupes people who know the real person; evil doppelganger does a bunch of terrible things that the real person gets blamed for.  Real person finally gets free of their imprisonment or whatever to stop the doppelganger and clear their name.  I'm all on board for the rest of it.  And more Catgirl, please, she's fun to watch.  As well as Nygma.

[blackwing]

Jada Pinkett Smith is fantastic as Fish Mooney and I am very happy she's back.  She's so much better of a villain than Galavan or Hugo Strange.  I love how campy and over the top she is.  I am tired of Hugo Strange, and I hope he dies next week.  I hope Fish sticks around for the next season, and I want to see the Penguin/Fish reunion.

And since I've already forgotten... what happened to Tabitha?  I seem to remember her appearing to get killed.  She's not dead, is she?

[Nutjob]

15 hours ago, Snookums said:

Oh, and also! How when Fish emerged from her watery grave, she had not only her mind and memories intact, but her lip gloss too!

THIS. The lip gloss thing killed me... it was so obvious!

[jhlipton]

23 minutes ago, blackwing said:

And since I've already forgotten... what happened to Tabitha?  I seem to remember her appearing to get killed.  She's not dead, is she?

She was shown in the hospital, still alive.

[Traveller519]

Not to mention her wig was well situated. Y'know, the one she would tug at after a tussle in Season 1.

[gischeleman]

  Quote

THE SYMBOL: Lucius's charming 1970s car.

Ohhhh that CAR! It was love at first sight as my husband and I squealed like hamsters at a One Direction concert. Husband: "It's so fabulous and stupid at the same time!" Me: "It's this show turned into a car!"

If I saw correctly that was a Studebaker Avanti, and a quick Googly says it's from 1963

[Camera One]

Selena saying the Fire Goddess needs an assistant was great.  

Involving Lucius in that dumb plan was ridiculous.  He spent forever drawing that chalk mark on the floor... so subtle.  Ever heard of security cameras?  Sheesh...  Now they don't even have an inside guy at Wayne Enterprises.

I wasn't a fan of Fish, but that grilled cheese sandwich scene was interesting.  Not sure I want someone around with that power long-term, though.

It made no sense that Hugo Strange would get Ed to find out what Bruce and Lucius knew using that gas chamber.  Ed's whole angle was that he knew JIM better than Hugo did.

Shapeshifter Jim certainly looked menacing.  Good job on that.  I usually hate doppleganger subplots.  They better not drag out people being tricked by the fake Jim.  I'm hoping Harvey figures it out quickly.

Agreed with those who are sick of the "good guys" having such inane plans while the villains always have the upper hand.  It's tiresome.

[John Potts]

Gotta agree that the good guys acted completely idiotically. Surely Lucius could have rigged up a Geiger counter into his watch (or phone, but they seem to be avoiding making too many contemporary gadgets on Gotham) to make it less obvious what he was doing. And Gordon used his old ID card (if I'm reading it right) which is about as close to telling your enemy "I'm HERE" as it's possible to do (why not mug or bribe a guard to give you a CURRENT pass?). Though I loved the scene with Bruce in the gas chamber - it's like "Baby's First Deathtrap." The scene where Lucius was hammering on the door while Bruce just tried to think his way out was very true to the character, though. Also liked Selina's ability to think on her feet and convince the "Fire Goddess" that she needs a high Priestess.

Continuing to like the was Hugo Strange is played. He has the right blend of sinister and clever, with just enough charm to make him compelling. But man, are his bosses (The Court of Owls?) demanding. "I've succeeded in brainwashing my subjects and resurrecting people from the dead." "Yeah, well, we'd like their brains in better condition." Tough crowd!
 

Quote

 

Monty Ashley (Recap) -  I'll have to check my Deities & Demigods, but I think gods usually have more interesting names.

 

 

Not just a D&D nerd, a really old school one! Though not all deities had interesting names, though it would depend on what you consider interesting.