S03.E03: Mad City: Look Into My Eyes

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Hypnotist Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter arrives in Gotham to search for his sister, Alice, and hires Gordon to help find her. Meanwhile, Penguin decides to run for mayor and Bruce's doppelganger begins to channel him, causing some confusion around town.

 

[Primetimer]

And more questions sparked by the latest episode!

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[Chaos Theory]

It probably says something about me but my favorite scene of the night was the one where the Mad Hatter hypnotized Barbara and made her fall in love with him and then told her he didn't love her back.  Her reaction was hilarious.

Also really liked Indian Hill Bruce.  He is nice, kind, respectful so of course he has to go!!!!

Penguin for Mayor.  Vote early and often.  

Edited October 4, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Danielg342]

"Oh you...always one step ahead...but never three."

Well, no one said Oswald can't make a scene. I'm assuming we're going to get a Mayoral campaign for at least the first half of the season, if not the entire year. Oswald is sure going to make it fun.

Also- not to rankle a few feathers, but I wonder if Mayor James calling Penguin a "psychopath" and saying Penguin has nothing while the Mayor has "everyone" is a subtle jab at the current U.S. Presidential election. Wouldn't surprise me.

Oh, and Oswald getting Nygma released in the end...Eddie was so confused...until he saw Ozzie's car. Aww.

Robin Lord Taylor can really shine when he's actually given something to do.

Of course, David Mazouz can shine while doing nothing at all...Mazouz nailed Fake!Bruce's look when he lorded over Real!Bruce sleeping...the kid is going places I tell you.

Bruce's storyline was okay, albeit a bit predictable...I mean, we all knew that at some point the Fake would try to pass himself off as the Real deal...all Fakes seem to do that in Hollywood. I still think it was great that Bruce got something substantive in this episode, and Mazouz really shined tonight. Only minor quibble was Bruce's insensitivity towards Ivy...it seemed a tiny bit out of character, but I could buy that a 15-year-old might worry about how much trouble he'd be in if he stole Alfred's car (or asked to use it) or that he would be a bit selfish. C'mon, Bruce...Fakey showed that if you really take charge and not worry so much about the risk you can achieve many things.

Great seeing Falcone again, especially seeing him push his weight around trying to protect his son. I don't know what it is, but John Doman can sound so menacing while sounding so reassuring, and it's great.

As for The Mad Hatter storyline- Benedict Samuel was a treat to watch, as it was clear he had fun with the role. I also thought Naian Gonzalez Norvind played the vulnerable sister very well. It was all lovingly kind of weird, until Jim Gordon showed up and it kind of turned into your pedestrian "gottacatchem" storyline, but The Mad Hatter was still cool to watch.

The Bullock Meter- 2. Sure, he had a scene and actually did something when he tried to lead Gordon out of the police department because he knew Lee was there and he was worried about how Gordon and Lee would react seeing each other, but it was his only effort tonight. I grant the storylines tonight didn't leave much room for appearances, but he was still very underused.

Episode Grade- B. A good, solid hour of entertainment that shows this show is back on track.

[UrbanShocker]

Here's what happened the last time Penguin ran for mayor (almost 50 years ago).  Are Paul Revere and the Raiders still touring?

 

And I love the parallels between Penguin and a certain Republican nominee.  Actually, I think Penguin might be less psychotic.

[Spartan Girl]

So Lee is trying to play the Falcone family? That's the only explanation for how quickly she moved on with her life and basically treating her former baby daddy like he never meant anything to her. Losing a baby is traumatic but less than a year?! Come on.

[HoodlumSheep]

• This episode reminded me much more of the season 2a and 2b openers (when the joker and mr. Freeze we're introduced). I think this could have served as a stronger opener (theoretically if you didn't have to worry about certain plot points not making any sense from where the show left off).
• I'm getting tired of Jim's lone wolf act mainly because Harvey's been basically tossed aside at this point. I miss the buddy cop dynamics. And at this point Harvey's too good for Jim, sadly. He deserves better.
• the Mad Hatter is a lovely addition. He was fun.
• alice is also quite disturbed so I hope she gets help
• vote for Oswald!
• nygma's free
• lol at Valerie dropping Jim like a hot potato
• PLOT TWIST! Lee's fiancé is Falcone's son!!!!!
• also...FALCONE!!!! I always love it when Falcone shows up. I scream his name every time he appears. The actor who plays him is great. Falcone just has so much presence when he shows up. It's amazing, really. I really miss having him around like he was in season 1. Hopefully Lee doesn't get choked like that other girl. :(
• not!Bruce is trying to copy Bruce. He learns fast.
• alfred gets beaten by a pre-teen/teeny bopper clone. Alfred:0, Everyone else:482929 (okay, Alfred has one maybe one or two fights, but he has the worst track record ever)
• next week looks like we're finally getting a little more harvey. Yay!

[paigow]

Evil Patrick Jane...in a fancy hat

Did Fake Bruce cover his scar?

Give Alfred a tie...he broke Fake Bruce's nose...the one that feels no pain and has genetically upgraded combat skills

[thuganomics85]

Hey, that asshole Wolf from The Walking Dead has gone and gotten himself to Gotham!  He was pretty fun as the Mad Hatter, and since the actor's name is in the main credits, I guess he'll be sticking around for the majority of the season.  Maybe.  Granted, this show is pretty loose on that front.  After all, its second billed star had like, what.... two minutes of screen time? (Oh, Bullock.  This must be the easiest paycheck Donal Logue has ever gotten.)

Lee is back, because she's got herself a new fiancee, who just happens to be Falcone's supposed legit son?  I actually did not see that coming. Have no idea where this is heading, but I'm all for John Doman showing back up here.

I know for a fact that Oswald's mayoral race is going to be one of my favorites, because it's so ridiculous, but so damn entertaining.  Especially since he just got Nygma declared sane, to help.  I can only wonder what in the hell kind of position Oswald attends Nygma to have.  Campaign Manager?  Financial Manager?!  And since James is always shifty (because he's Richard Kind), I can even see him winning.  Ha!

Oh, Bruce.  You really can be dense sometimes.  When a clone of yours suddenly shows up, it probably isn't the best idea to just let him wander around unsupervised.  I know he's suppose to have a good heart and everything, but considering everything he's been through, I would think he would have learned by now.

Selina is still looking for Ivy, but now is with Clone Bruce, who she thinks is the real Bruce.  Uh oh!

No appearance from Older, Sexy Ivy this time.

With everything going on, Gordon's almost become wallpaper on this show.

[Lantern7]

HI, Val! Bye, Val! I like the theme of this week being "Jim gets kicked in the balls." Meeting the fiancé by chance? That has to hurt.

I'm hoping there's a point to Single Bruce Wayne. You'd think Actual Bruce and Alfred would've has their guards up after the sparring match. And their security system is still not operable.

Does Penguin running for mayor have to be a thing? The original series, the movie, the comic based on the cartoon . . . I think that is an ill fit for this show, even if he opposition is Mayor Bing Bong. And nice for Ed to get sprung.

Note to Jervis: NEVER go into Barbara's head. That is a scary place. I'm used to Mad Hatter being a dweeby third-string Batman villain (though he did star in a Halloween special from Loeb and Sale), but this version is pretty good.

[Danielg342]

11 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm hoping there's a point to Single Bruce Wayne. You'd think Actual Bruce and Alfred would've has their guards up after the sparring match. And their security system is still not operable.

Methinks Alfred is channelling his inner Charles Barkley by holding up his fists and asserting "this is my security".

[immortalfrieza]

2 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

• alfred gets beaten by a pre-teen/teeny bopper clone. Alfred:0, Everyone else:482929 (okay, Alfred has one maybe one or two fights, but he has the worst track record ever)

Considering that the only fight Alfred "won" that I can recall is the "to beat a big man all you have to do is outlast him" I'm not surprised. I've never been in a fight in my life but even I know that just standing there while a big guy beats on you in the hopes that he'll get exhausted before you get unconscious is a TERRIBLE idea.

Was anyone surprised that FakeBruce is passing as RealBruce? Anyone? I'm hoping FakeBruce is going to turn out to be an asset rather than a problem, maybe passing as Bruce's body double, but then I don't expect the writers to be that nuanced about any character whatsoever anymore.

Lee is marrying Falcone's kid, while she couldn't be more obvious she is still pining for Jim and Jim for her. Yeah, this does not bode well to say the least.

So a random yet clearly loving and sane man wanted to not only kill his wife but kill himself too? Or did Jervis graduate from the Hollywood School of Hypnotism and thus can make people do whatever he wants them to do despite claims to the contrary?

That "infection" Alice has seems just like Ivy's classic Poison kiss turned up to eleven. I'm looking forward to seeing if Alice does or doesn't go the route I'd expect with this.

[Artsda]

Lee's fiance is Falcone's son? WTH was not expecting that. That isn't going to end well for anyone. She was so against Gordon's cop ways, but is ok marrying into a mob family?

Selina couldn't figure out that wasn't real Bruce? Really? lol

Penguin for Mayor!

[Delphi]

Well,there's no reason for Selina to assume that Bruce was cloned, started stalking her and the subject then ditched him to see her.   That being said, I think she definitely knows something is up.   She happens to be a good judge of character when she wants and seemed bothered by his dismissive attitude about Alfred, who she doesn't like but still trusts.   I think she has got this. 

[opus]

13 minutes ago, Artsda said:

 

Selina couldn't figure out that wasn't real Bruce? Really? lol

 

At least she had suspicions, and wasn't like " Hey Bruce, let's roll"

[mccartygirl]

Does it pain anyone else as much as it does me when Gordan smiles? I'm already tired of other Bruce. 

[Jediknight]

Other Bruce has to be a Talon.  He feels no pain, and can already fight.  He's a clone, but he's somebody that the Court of Owls told Hugo to make be a Bruce clone.

I love that we're going to be getting Oswald and Nygma as a team already.  Nygma's no longer locked up, so they can be fun together.

[Linny]

I was going to say that Penguin's bid for mayor was unrealistic, but then I remembered that Donald Trump is a presidential nominee, so clearly anything is possible.

Don Falcone! I missed him. That was a twist I didn't anticipate. Jim's threat to Mario seemed more like macho posturing than a sincere threat. I did love that Valerie seemed to view Jim as a casual fuck, and I hope it stays that way. If Jim must have a serious love interest, I much prefer Lee.

Of course Clone Bruce is after Selina. Maybe he'll treat her better than real Bruce.

[Writing Wrongs]

I keep thinking Lee must be up to something.

Every time Mad Hatter did his "Look into my eyes" schtick, I kept flashing on Little Britain's Kenny Craig.

[Enigma X]

The actor who is playing the Mad Hatter (yes, I remember him from the Walking Dead) looks the part but, other than that, is not working for me.

[Raachel2008]

Just a guess, but I thinks Lee is working infiltrated.

[Winter Rose]

I like the Mad Hatter so far (and think he's cute) and am interested to see what plays out with Jim still being under his control. Also it gives Jim an excuse for when he makes dumb decisions.

Okay, it seems one potential triangle I was worried about taking over the show might be replaced with another. While I couldn't care less about Jim's love life, I enjoyed the twist that Lee's fiance is Falcone's son. Hopefully that means more Falcone in episodes to come.

I don't think Selina will be fooled for that long but I'm curious enough about other Bruce's agenda. I also wonder how (and when) older Ivy will be revealed to her but maybe that's slightly further down the line.

Sadly I can't help thinking Penguin taking office isn't the worst election result there could be...

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, more Harvey!

[Traveller519]

The show continues to dial the crazy up to 11, and I continue crank my volume up there too. I really enjoy getting lost in the show for an hour every Monday. The Mad Hatter is going to be a fun add. The promo they did for the show during the commercials with the pop up book was fun too.

I hope we don't focus too much on fake Bruce and Selena though.

[Gulftastic]

I liked the little Cat/Bat scene before Bruce told her he couldn't help, but not as much as the bit where Penguin stuck his head out of h limo window to greet Nygma.

[Snookums]

Quote

Also- not to rankle a few feathers

BRB, starting a band called The Rankled Feathers.

Well, this one was pretty good! The various plots are moving along nicely and they aren't making the mistake of trying to tell every story every week. It's okay to let Fish and Strange back burner for a bit while he works on her monster army and they over enunciate at each other.

Clone!Bruce and Bruce 1.0 once again underline how hellaciously strong the casting is on this show, and how much the actors can shine when given something to do. The Evil Twin is as old as the hills and soap operas, but David Mazous's voice choices, to pick just one facet, were extraordinary. How he uses the deeper voice and consciously warps it to Bruce's timbre while listening to Bruce and Selena was great. His whole Lost Babe In The Woods routine with just a hint of Lost Bear In The Woods, Actually was a consistently strong choice.

Everything came together when he went to pick up Selena. He's acting kinda cool and sexy, to the point where Selena's radar is pinging, but the dork haircut blurs it enough so she'll trust him and get in the car. His smile when she passed him? I honestly wondered if he was going to kill and eat her. Creepy.

Babs and Tabs killing it again at the club, especially when Mad Hatter hypnotizes her and asks the audience if they should "explore her psyche." I don't think I was the only one yelling "NO THAT IS A BAD IDEA!" at the screen. And Barbara's instant, nanosecond reaction to rejection was hysterically predictable--I said "oh dear" at the same exact time Tabitha did. 

Jim was less of a dummy this time around and more a pawn in the fickle fingers of fate, starting with Valerie's you're fun in bed for a guy who never takes off his undershirt but I'm outta this hellhole and moving on to oh hey, ex baby mama, this was just exquisite timing, was it not? And then onto the usual "taken in by lunatic, life endangered, nearly murdered, saved by Indian Hill escapee" that is his standard Tuesday, apparently. I do agree with the poster who says Gordon's smile is deeply unsettling--it just screams "your hide will make a fine poncho!"  But now he's got TWO exes running around being shady so I guess I can't blame him much for being emotionally fragile.

And what the heck is up with Lee? She either had or lost a baby and got herself engaged to Falcone's kid in under a year??? Damn, woman, when you move on you really move on. (I think Falcone is on to her, with his "every tragedy starts with a face like yours" line. Damn, that actor is so good--he'd be amazing doing Shakespeare.) I hope Lee is playing them for some reason or other, not in the least because I don't think I can take more...let's say...flexible definitions of what specialization in medicine means. It's bad enough she magically became a pathologist before leaving Gotham--now her fiance's the head of trauma at Gotham Hospital but apparently doing rounds and procedures that are intern territory instead of paperwork and politics that come with an admin position.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Snookums

[darkestboy]

Good start to the Mad Hatter storyline. Jervis certainly was creepy in this episode and I did enjoy his scenes with everyone in this episode. Odd humourous when he hypnotised Babs though and she got a little violent again.

Gordon never really thinks anything through but at least Alice was there to help him this time. I liked Alice although her powers seemed somewhat Ivy-ish, right?

Selina ended up with Five/Clone Bruce at the end of the episode. It really did not take long for the clone's true intention to play out, did it?

Nice to have Leslie back into the mix. Interesting that she's marrying Falcone's son and I did like the scenes with the three of them at dinner.

Oswald running for Mayor is brilliant and I liked that he sprung Nygma from Arkham too, 8/10

[paigow]

On 05/10/2016 at 2:49 AM, Snookums said:

now her fiance's the head of trauma at Gotham Hospital but apparently doing rounds and procedures that are intern territory instead of paperwork and politics that come with an admin position.

All the interns are dead???

[SnarkyTart]

I enjoyed this episode more than the last few of S2 and the first two of this season.  For me, the show has been losing steam ever since they brought Fish Mooney back.  She's the weakest character, and the weakest actor, in the entire cast of crazy imo.  Any episode without her seems to elevate itself.  I'm looking forward to seeing what havoc the tagteam of Penguin and Nygma will wreak upon Gotham.  I'm also curious to know what Clone Bruce's endgame is. 

Edited October 7, 2016 by SnarkyTart

[Gobi]

I'm guessing that Clone Bruce's plan is to replace Real Bruce.

[SnarkyTart]

4 hours ago, Gobi said:

I'm guessing that Clone Bruce's plan is to replace Real Bruce.

I'd say that's a very good guess.   As to why he does it?  That should be interesting to see.

[Gobi]

On 10/7/2016 at 1:45 AM, SnarkyTart said:

I'd say that's a very good guess.   As to why he does it?  That should be interesting to see.

My guess is that CB was created for that very purpose by the Owls. Once he was ready, and with the Waynes dead, they would  use him to get complete control of Wayne Enterprises. His "power" may be the ability to completely mimic RB after observing him. The desire to replace Bruce may even be programmed in him without him being aware of it.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Gobi
Spelling

[blackwing]

This show is losing me... I hated the Mad Hatter actor on sight.  Didn't care for him and his dirty looking long hair on Walking Dead, and it's not working for me here either.

The Clone Bruce storyline is tired and predictable.

Couldn't care less about whether Jim and Lee get back together.

[VCRTracking]

Just got caught up. Lee is engaged to Falcone's son?!! Whaaaaaaaa?!

[Camera One]

I like Penguin and Riddler working together, so the Election could be fun.

Did not enjoy watching bystanders like the hypnotized husband/wife being murdered, so I wasn't a fan of the Mad Hatter plotline.  Seems way too easy to get people to do what he wants.

A lot of these plots are dependent on the characters acting stupid.  Lee is obviously going to be in over her head soon when her fiancé inevitably turns evil.  Jim is making one bozo decision after another, but what else is new.  Idiotic Bruce lets his doppleganger live with him.  Selina is fooled by the double... I really hope she doesn't let fake Bruce seduce her.