S04.E16: A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Arkham's finest give Gordon and Bullock a run for their money as they hatch a plan to escape the asylum. Meanwhile, Bruce devises his own strategy to thwart their plans. Barbara gets an offer she can't refuse.

Promo:

[Chaos Theory]

Let me get this out of the way.  I have always been a fan of Barbara Kean. She is one of my favorite characters on the show.  I have always felt the show did her a disservice relegating her to a secondary character.  So I  am absolutely loving the idea of Barbara being the new Demon Head.  I think it is a perfect story for her.  Rah Agul was right about her. She has a vibrant poisonous mind and people hate her for it.  Not me.

Bring on Demon Head Barbara!!!!!! 

Edited March 30, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Danielg342]

I missed the first fifteen minutes of this...not that I think it would have made a difference.

The show's gone off the rails, and not in a good way. After the first half of the season gave us a good, coherent narrative to go along with the crazy- a "method to the madness", if you will- this half is just "crazy for the sake of crazy". It's a common complaint I have about this show, in that they care more about making YouTube clips than making a coherent story.

"You think that was weird? Wait until you see this!"

Yawn.

I'll say this- it wasn't a total loss. Bruce and Selina were fun on the investigation, even if Bruce was a bit, well, brattish. They should get their own show.

Oh, and what about another spinoff featuring Barbara leading the League of Shadows? All kinds of yes!

Also, Harper had more than three lines...I still don't know her first name, though.

Donal Logue and Ben McKenzie have great chemistry, and they really nailed it when they let their hearts out with each other.

That's about it for the Bullock highlights.

Really, that final scene with Gordon and Bullock felt really out of place...a soapy bit in an episode that really wasn't supposed to be hearty at all. The lighting and setting were all kinds of weird there too.

Oh, and the writing?

"You know, when I was flipping through those stations, I knew that Jim Gordon would save me."

Blech.

Was that a script Disney refused to use?

Bullock also appeared really stupid in this episode...it used to be that Bullock knew things like turning off the radio quickly because he knew Jervis would hypnotize him if he didn't.

Now...he just waits for Jim to save him.

Yawn.

Hey, I'm yawning a lot...thank goodness it's a long weekend. Sounds like I'll need it.

Edited April 1, 2018 by Danielg342

[Miss Dee]

"Save each other."

I got more teary-eyed than I do at This is Us. Bravo, Gotham. When you wear your heart on your sleeve, you're extra.

I loved that we got another appearance by Bratman, insisting on his rich boy rights and then crocodile tears to distract Harper from seeing Selina.

When Ben McKenzie directs, you know you're gonna get: 1) amazing cinematography and lighting and directing choices, and 2) excellent treatment for both Bruce and Jim. I thought, far from staying estranged, that the ice thawed a lot between Jim and Harvey tonight.

I've never really gotten the vibe between Selina and Bruce, although I never opposed them either - but hot damn, their scenes tonight were electric. Compare them to the overwrought mess that is relationships on Riverdale (for one) - BatCat are miles ahead in terms of tension, depth and breadth.

[Lantern7]

It's almost as if though Fox knew this episode would air at the same time as "Scoobynatural," so things had to be extra bugfuck. Jervis Tetch taking his leave of Arkham by whammying a guar to kill her colleague? That's just the appetizer. Subliminal radio forcing Gohamites to the brink of suicide, Jerome getting pwned by his uncle because Bruce saves him, Harvey forcing himself into a dire situation, Bruce playing spoiler brat to buy time for a theft by Selina at the precinct . . . .and Jim saving the day by working around Tetch's mindfuck. But, of course, he gets freed to help Jerome and Scarecrow terrorize the city some more.

And let's check in on Barbara, Whatcha got for us, Babs?

"BY THE HONOR OF THE DEMON'S HEAD!!!! IIIIIIIII HAAAAAAAAAAVVVVEEE THE POOOOOOWWWWWEEEEEEERRR!!!!" The other takeaway is that she was regenerating. Given the number of looks the character has had in four season, that might be more apt a comparison than She-Ra. And now, she's the new Ra's, with the League of Shadows (Assassins? Arrow trips me up) ladies forming the head of the spear, which . . . *snerk*

Great episode, and I didn't miss Oswald and Ed. That's an accomplishment in of itself.

ETA for @Miss Dee . . . I did not think of that, and now I feel like a dope. That's a "like" for you!

Edited March 30, 2018 by Lantern7

[Miss Dee]

@Lantern7: She-Ra's?

[RandomWatcher]

Arkham inmates escape? Everyone should be used to that by now.

[Kostgard]

This episode was okay - didn’t like it as much as last week’s. But I suspect that’s because it was pretty Tetch-heavy and he’s just not a character I care that much about. He basically has the same power as Kilgrave on Jessica Jones and Jessica Jones pulls it off better. Tetch was also having trouble CONTROLLING THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE. Like Austin Powers when he got unthawed.

BatCat stuff was good, other than I don’t really get why Bruce feels so responsible for Jerome other than “Batman and Joker have a connection” and...I don’t know. Because he didn’t kill him when he had a chance last season?

Harvey and Jim were good (mostly Harvey). I wish people would stop letting Jim Gordon off the hook. I’m glad he’s finally acknowledging what a hypocritical turd he’s been, but Harvey keeps telling him to sweep it away.

”If you were in jail sucking on your own...” “Misery” is not where I thought Harvey was taking that sentence.

Not sure how I feel about Babs and her lady army. I think I need to see more. And if she will do anything about Bruce (otherwise why was Ra’s messing with Bruce at all this season?)

I must have missed Oswald and Ed because when I saw them in the preview for next week I was all, “Ooh, what have they been up to? Oswald looks dressed to impress, what’s going on there? Trying to convince someone to work for him? Is he trying to broker a deal with Babs, not realizing she’s the Demon’s Head now? I see candles - Date Night? Hey, Ed gets fear-gassed! What will he see? Himself?” Obviously I’m far more invested in them than Tetch or Jerome.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Kostgard

[thuganomics85]

Whelp, as predicted, when Jerome, Tetch, and Crane ban together, things get crazy!  Wish we saw more of the trio when they first met in good old Arkham, but I'm already getting a kick out of this group.  Not surprised that Tetch was actually surviving as a distraction, while Jerome and Crane get everything ready for the real goal.  And, of course, Tetch is freed at the end, because it wouldn't be Gotham if the criminal didn't automatically get rescued, right after he or she just got arrested.  Never change, GCPD.  Never change.

So, it certainly looks like Barbara has now acquired Ra's powers, and has become the new Demon Head.  And is planning on forming a League of just female assassins since the the men didn't want to follow a woman.  Can't say I'm too surprised that LOA has some dated views when it comes to gender.  But I can only imagine what direction Babs is going to take this group in.

Bruce/Selina were fun.  Loved Bruce playing up the "scared kid" act to distract Harper.  We really see how Bruce will end up playing such a perfect fake persona in the future that no one will expect him to be Batman.

Definitely glad Bullock is back in the force now.

[darkestboy]

Great episode. Having Jerome, Tetch and Crane band together was a great idea and I'm looking forward to how this arc is going to play out.

Tetch got the most screen time and we got his best and worst excesses yet again but I did like his scenes with Gordon nonetheless.

Jerome's scenes with his uncle, Bruce and Selina were the best though. I loved seeing Bruce and Selina working together in this one.

Great scenes with Gordon/Bullock and even Harper got more lines.

The League of Shadows plot with Barbara has great potential so I hope the show doesn't squander it, 8/10

[UNOSEZ]

Tabitha and Maze from Lucifer should run off together and find some ppl who appreciate all their hardworking and actually listen to them... Or just play beach volleyball I'm good either way

[Enigma X]

I like Jerome but really am not a fan of Tetch and  so/so on Crane. Sorry, not a fan of the Barbara story line either.

I was there for Bruce/Selina and Harvey/Jim though.

[WritinMan]

The relationship between young Bruce and Selina is very well done. Probably one of the best parts of this show.

[paigow]

15 hours ago, RandomWatcher said:

Arkham inmates escape? Everyone should be used to that by now.

[Interior: Daily Planet newsroom]

Clark Kent: Perry, big jailbreak at Arkham..Let me go cover it...some of them might get to Metropolis!

Perry White: Sit down Kent...got a high school football game that needs you...

[Danielg342]

16 hours ago, RandomWatcher said:

Arkham inmates escape? Everyone should be used to that by now.

Well, I would say "why would anyone live in Gotham?" but I think we're well past that now.

[Proteus]

Finally Erin Richards gets substantial screen time. I hope it continues. She looked so hot. Really hoping this League Of Shadows story goes somewhere.

[SnarkyTart]

I really dislike Tetch, and have since he first appeared.  Besides being an uninteresting character, the show has overused the super power of "You will do whatever I tell you to do, and kill yourself or others if I say so", e.g.,  Fish Mooney, Ivy Pepper and Tetch.  As much as I likewise dislike Fish and Ivy, at least neither of them were obssessed with the rape/incest of a sibling.  It would make me happy to have him die...soon.

The Bruce/Selina scenes are nearly always a highlight for me, as they were in this episode.  I really enjoy the two actors together and agree that their relationship is well-written. 

[Kostgard]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

Well, I would say "why would anyone live in Gotham?" but I think we're well past that now.

And if they insist on staying, why would any of them accept an invitation to a fancy-pants charity dinner/ball/whatever? You KNOW some wacko in a crazy outfit is going to come in and wreck up the place. Just write a check and stay at home.

[Danielg342]

13 minutes ago, Kostgard said:

And if they insist on staying, why would any of them accept an invitation to a fancy-pants charity dinner/ball/whatever? You KNOW some wacko in a crazy outfit is going to come in and wreck up the place. Just write a check and stay at home.

Maybe there's a Facebook group (or some other kind of social media network) where the people of Gotham give themselves rewards for those who survive in Gotham the longest. Maybe this includes a running tally of those who survive those charity dinners, as well as the weirdest murder attempt they were subject to.

*shrug*

Edited March 30, 2018 by Danielg342

[Biggie B]

Not into Tesch at all and should've fast forwarded past his scenes. Even Jerome is failing to hold my attention. 

Bruce and Selena are great. I love that Bruce can drive now. But this is the second episode without Alfred, and I miss him!

I think this was also the first episode that I liked Barbara. Curious to see where this all goes.

I missed Lee, but there's only so much that can be jammed into one hour.

[paigow]

13 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

the show has overused the super power of "You will do whatever I tell you to do, and kill yourself or others if I say so"

Maybe the writers listen to John Tesh and his "Intelligence For Your Life" radio show....

[DR14]

18 hours ago, Biggie B said:

Not into Tesch at all and should've fast forwarded past his scenes. Even Jerome is failing to hold my attention. 

Bruce and Selena are great. I love that Bruce can drive now. But this is the second episode without Alfred, and I miss him!

I think this was also the first episode that I liked Barbara. Curious to see where this all goes.

I missed Lee, but there's only so much that can be jammed into one hour.

I think a lot of Jerome's appeal was based on the belief he would become the Joker.  With the actors teasing he won't be, it took that away.

I still don't know what exactly they're doing with that, but I think it would've been better if the show left that to fan interpretation.

I have no idea where this show is going.  Tetch and Scarecrow being involved seem random to me and I think Bruce's urgency to bring Jerome in would've made more sense if he was the one involved in the many people on rooftops thing rather than Tetch.

Barbara being the new head of the League of Shadows was...something.  Not really quite buying her as an equal to Ra's yet, but we'll see.  Tabitha actually looks more the part than she does IMO.  Would like to see more Ra's soon, he's been pretty underutilized this season, and I had thought he'd be the main bad dude before the season started.  The season 3 finale teased it big time.  Also, I'm now not quite sure why Ra's wanted Bruce to kill him now.  Was Barbara his backup plan or something?  I thought his plan was for Bruce to take his place.  I would think Talia would be mighty ticked that Barbara's taken her birthright (assuming she even exists in this universe).

The BatCat scenes were great as usual.  This show really f'ed up dropping this dynamic as long as they did.

Edited March 31, 2018 by DR14

[Chaos Theory]

19 hours ago, Proteus said:

Finally Erin Richards gets substantial screen time. I hope it continues. She looked so hot. Really hoping this League Of Shadows story goes somewhere.

She has been either. underused or misused from day one.  Every time she has the potential for a meaty storyline I am disappointed.  I am hoping this time they go all in with her.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Kathemy]

I'll just say when I am done with my review of this there will be a ton of tumblrinas really angry with me, but that can't be helped.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Kathemy

[DR14]

10 minutes ago, Kathemy said:

I'll just say when I am done with my review of this there will be a ton of tumblrinas really angry with me, but that can't be helped.

The show couldn't have been more on the nose with the "hate da men" narrative than they were this week for sure.

[superloislane]

This felt like a set-up episode but it was still good.

Batcat - I love them so much. I'm so mad they kept them apart for so long when they're just so good together. They have more sexual tension and chemistry in their bickering scenes than Jim has had with every single one of his love interests. When Bruce fell on top of Selina and they both just lay there silent was amazing. I also loved when Bruce made it seem like he was going in for a kiss and Selina looked totally open to it but he opened the door instead. And I especially loved when Bruce pretended to cry to get Selina out of Jim's office - he's become very good at acting which will really help him in the future. 

I don't really get the whole Barbara is the Demon's Head thing. Has she been taken over by Ra's al Ghul or did he give her a mark he had? If Ra's has been alive for thousands of years, has there ever been another Demon's Head and if there hasn't, then why is there a mark if it has always just been him? And I hate that yet again the League of Shadows on this show are totally useless and get taken down very easily. They're supposed to be the best of the best right? I remember 10 of them were taken out easily by infected Jim just last season and now they all get shot down!

Didn't Ra's say Bruce was his heir and isn't that usually what Ra's al Ghul wants in the comics too? Why was he messing with him if that meant nothing and will Barbara be interested in Bruce now or have they dropped that story entirely hoping we'd forget? I mean when we saw Barbara with Ra's, she definitely didn't appear to be his equal or partner in any way - she was a lackey so I can't really buy him thinking she's the perfect replacement for him.

I love Harvey and his and Jim's partnership.

This is the second episode where Bruce has gone to do something super dangerous and Alfred is still nowhere to be found. Did Bruce give him a vacation or something? I guess he deserves it.

Did they get a new actor for the Scarecrow? He sounded different and they never took the mask off.

I was kind of disappointed at Jerome being caught so easily by his uncle and the other guy. If he actually is the Joker then I feel like he should have checked and had a plan for something like this - or maybe I expect too much.

So there are now two teams of bad guys walking around after escaping from Arkham - Joker, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter and Penguin, Riddler. Will they come into contact because that would be fun?

On 30/3/2018 at 3:29 AM, Miss Dee said:

2) excellent treatment for both Bruce and Jim.

I have noticed this actually. The episodes Ben McKenzie directs tend to be good with both characters and their relationship with each other. 

Edited March 31, 2018 by superloislane

[ChristiKRN]

I liked this episode for the most part.  I haven't been intrigued by the Tetch and Scarecrow storylines in the past, so I could have done without those parts.  The only saving part of the Tetch scenes was that it led to more repair of the Jim-Harvey relationship. 

Cameron Monaghan is so good in his scenes; he just has a presence in every scene that he is in.  No matter what material he is given, he knows how to deliver a line.  

I always enjoy the relationships on the show.  Bruce and Selina have chemistry; I don't know if it is necessarily romantic in nature, but they work well off each other.   Of course, I love Harvey and Jim scenes.  Good to see Harvey having more to do now than he did earlier in the season. 

[Proteus]

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

She has been either. underused or misused from day one.  Every time she has the potential for a meaty storyline I am disappointed.  I am hoping this time they go all in with her.

Yeah, I won't let Gotham trick me again. I have low expectations.

[Snookums]

Quote

Arkham inmates escape? Everyone should be used to that by now.

Seriously. Arkham inmates running amok? Must be Tuesday.

I liked this one--felt like good ol' fashioned Gotham, and FINALLY, after four seasons, they've figured out how to do Jim Gordon properly; as somebody who knows he's overwhelmed, who's beaten before he starts, who isn't a hero, but just goes out and saves everybody for one more day. After three seasons of Hero/Dummy/Bad Relationships Jim, this is who Gotham needs. 

And while I'm glad he and Harvey are getting back into their old dynamic (they're really great as a team) can this please please please be the last of the Righteous Harvey Lectures? I've ragged Jim Gordon plenty and he richly deserves it, but God, Harvey, you've been no better than you should be since day one, okay? And the whole "get out there and be the leader they need! Oh, and YOU SUCK" thing is done. Either walk away, turn him in, or let it go.

Moving on to Babs, I love how the #MeToo movement looks in Gotham, especially with the male half of the League getting told that #TimesUp in that special way. Pandering? Sure. Enjoyable? You betcha. Although...

Quote

I don't really get the whole Barbara is the Demon's Head thing. Has she been taken over by Ra's al Ghul or did he give her a mark he had? If Ra's has been alive for thousands of years, has there ever been another Demon's Head and if there hasn't, then why is there a mark if it has always just been him? And I hate that yet again the League of Shadows on this show are totally useless and get taken down very easily. They're supposed to be the best of the best right? I remember 10 of them were taken out easily by infected Jim just last season and now they all get shot down!

This. All of this. Most especially the point that this "super group" of assassins are the worst and always have been--they've got aim like a bunch of Stormtroopers and clearly can get mowed down by anybody at any time. Whatever Ra's was up to when he dosed Babs with that Dorn Creme de Menth, I doubt it was female empowerment.

The Big Bad Three tonight were very good and the story was actually thought out--leave it to three whackjobs to present the most coherent plot line in ages! I am weary of Tetch, because A) I can't remember how he hypno-zaps people in the first place (I try to block Season 3 from my mind) B) the whole MY SISTEERRRRRR thing is basically Lee's MY DEAD HUSBAAAAANNNND thing, only infinitely grosser, and C) it is frankly time to cut this guy's vocal chords. The actor who plays him is doing a great job--he's so freaky and nuts that he can't become the danger he otherwise would be--but he's plenty bad enough. Bruce hit it on the nose when he said that since he didn't kill Jerome he's at least partly responsible for the pain he causes others now, and there's plenty of that blame to go around. If you can't keep these freakazoids under control you need to rethink your prison/mental health system.

Bruce! My little love, you are doing more and more splendidly every week, and the entire thing with Selina stealing the file while you tapdanced outside was fantastic. The show's been doing so well with these two; they really get each other, but only up to a certain point. Selina thinks Bruce's world-weight carrying is egotism, and he finds her self-preservation selfish, and they're both right, but not about all of it. The "I'm gonna kiss you OR NOPE, just opening the door" Cool Bruce had me squealing like a teenager.

[Kathemy]

Doux Reviews: One of my three soups

This one is massive.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Kathemy
Don't even ask...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Loved that Barbara told the first League guy who whined about how they couldn't have a leader with a vagina to fuck right and then killed him with minimal effort. It's 2018, dude, not 1818. Get over the need to have someone with a penis in charge.

[Ailianna]

On 3/29/2018 at 9:57 PM, Danielg342 said:

Jim McKenzie

Ben McKenzie

On 3/31/2018 at 1:15 PM, DR14 said:

I think a lot of Jerome's appeal was based on the belief he would become the Joker.  With the actors teasing he won't be, it took that away.

I still don't know what exactly they're doing with that, but I think it would've been better if the show left that to fan interpretation.

I think this is one of the biggest problems this show has. and there's nothing the writers or producers can really do to address it.  It's that between all the comics, movies, other TV shows, and so on, there are a lot of outside expectations for this series.  And then you have the PR side, with promos and actors told to tease things to keep people interested--the show just isn't let alone to tell its story.  There's always something outside the actual show affecting how people view the show and its characters and plotlines.  And there's nothing the writers can do to change how the outside things affect people's perception of what's going onto the screen.  I feel like being isolated from all of that allows me to enjoy the show a great deal more.

I enjoyed this episode, and it wasn't until the end that I realized Oswald and Ed weren't in it.  Alfred I missed partway through, and Lee I didn't realize wasn't there until the previews.  So it was full of things to keep me interested.  Oswald, Ed and Alfred are among my favorites--to not miss them is something.  I love when McKenzie directs and hope he continues to do so.  It always produces a better episode in my opinion.

[Chaos Theory]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Loved that Barbara told the first League guy who whined about how they couldn't have a leader with a vagina to fuck right and then killed him with minimal effort. It's 2018, dude, not 1818. Get over the need to have someone with a penis in charge.

And the big supposed after kill showdown with just her and Tabitha and I loved how quickly she was able to see how afraid they were of her.

[Danielg342]

32 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

Ben McKenzie

So with him and Mr. Siddig that's two cast members whose name I have screwed up. Eventually I could cast my own TV show, methinks.

Note to self- make sure you are sufficiently caffeinated and are not too distracted when writing your posts here...

[Kostgard]

16 hours ago, Snookums said:

I liked this one--felt like good ol' fashioned Gotham, and FINALLY, after four seasons, they've figured out how to do Jim Gordon properly; as somebody who knows he's overwhelmed, who's beaten before he starts, who isn't a hero, but just goes out and saves everybody for one more day. After three seasons of Hero/Dummy/Bad Relationships Jim, this is who Gotham needs. 

This is exactly it, and why I’ve found Jim far less annoying the past few episodes. It’s bothered me most of all that Jim was a giant hypocrite who was just as bad as the villains he fights (or pairs up with, depending on his personal needs), yet still walked around like he always had the moral high ground, and worse yet, the show treated him as such. Now he’s finally facing up to the fact that he sucks, and it’s actually made him better at his job. And it makes sense that deep down Jim Gordon is a man who is disappointed that he could never be the hero he wanted to be. He’s figured out that what he can do is just try his best, but deep down the failure gnaws at him. 

On 3/31/2018 at 3:40 PM, superloislane said:

 

I don't really get the whole Barbara is the Demon's Head thing. Has she been taken over by Ra's al Ghul or did he give her a mark he had? If Ra's has been alive for thousands of years, has there ever been another Demon's Head and if there hasn't, then why is there a mark if it has always just been him? And I hate that yet again the League of Shadows on this show are totally useless and get taken down very easily. They're supposed to be the best of the best right? I remember 10 of them were taken out easily by infected Jim just last season and now they all get shot down!

Didn't Ra's say Bruce was his heir and isn't that usually what Ra's al Ghul wants in the comics too? Why was he messing with him if that meant nothing and will Barbara be interested in Bruce now or have they dropped that story entirely hoping we'd forget? I mean when we saw Barbara with Ra's, she definitely didn't appear to be his equal or partner in any way - she was a lackey so I can't really buy him thinking she's the perfect replacement for him.

 

Did they get a new actor for the Scarecrow? He sounded different and they never took the mask off.

 

They did recast Scarecrow. The original actor had a scheduling conflict (I think he’s on “The Ozarks” on Netflix) and wasn’t able to return for the second half of the season. 

And I think there have been other Demon’s Heads - the flashback in early season four had this Ra’s dying on the battlefield centuries ago until someone came along and dunked him in the Lazarus pit. I assume others came before him.

As for Barbara, this is why I’m hesitant about her storyline. As Kathemy points out in the review, the “Girl Power” aspect of it is a bit problematic. Though I see it less of an “anti-man” problem, and more that it’s a problem of an extremely shallow idea of what “female empowerment” is (and tells me Gotham could use more ladies in the writers’ room), so much so that it almost circles back around and becomes anti-feminist. Deeming yourself “powerful” through the rejection/destruction/subjugation of another group is the opposite of empowerment. It is a sign of weakness. 

And if you look at the timeline, Ra’s told Babs she was The One in between seasons three and four, then he spend the early part of season four running after Bruce. He handed his power off to her because he planned to goad Bruce into killing him. Unless the show decides to ignore everything that happened in the first part of the season, Bruce is still Ra’s ultimate target/desired heir. And Barbara’s big power moment will end up being just another way she was a pawn in someone else’s game. Hardly empowering.

On a somewhat related note, this is kinda why I’m disappointed with the direction Lee is heading. I mean, anything is better than season three Lee, but I think she could have been more complex and interesting if she focused on her clinic. She still could have been someone who was not to be messed with, who defended her patients, was something of a grey hat because she helped criminals and heroes alike, and devoted to helping the people she harmed rather than seeking power. Now she’s just another female empowerment “badass” who went from telling the people of the Narrows to stop indulging in the violence of the fight club, be better and stop tearing each other apart, to...someone who hauls her enemies into the the fight ring and tears them apart to the delight of the crowd. Yeeeeaaaaaah. 

Edited April 1, 2018 by Kostgard

[Kathemy]

I see the flame war's begun in the comments section of my review. That didn't take long.

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, Kathemy said:

I see the flame war's begun in the comments section of my review. That didn't take long.

Tell me there's some kind of technical issue because all I get from the link is a blank page.

[DR14]

4 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Tell me there's some kind of technical issue because all I get from the link is a blank page.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if someone got so offended by it (regardless of the actual content raised in the review) they got the powers that be to remove it.

[Kathemy]

9 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Tell me there's some kind of technical issue because all I get from the link is a blank page.

If only...

Kathemy reviews One of my Three Soups

Let's go old-school.

[Chaos Theory]

While I am hardly flaming anyone I really liked the fact that Barbara is FINALLY getting a storyline and the fact that anyone is seeing anything political in it is the only thing about it that even remotely offends me.  Then again people are reading politics in a snow storm these days so it may be my issue so ignore me.  

If Barbaras storyline is actually some MeToo/Times Up bullshit then I guess I just missed it and I really don’t care and I will just continue to ignore it because Ivtealkt do enjoy the storyline.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Kathemy]

1 minute ago, doram said:

The link isn't working for me either. And the last review on Douxreviews is from the episode before.

If you want the "sanitized" version it's here. If you want the original it's above (the tumblr link.)

[tennisgurl]

The team up with Teach, Scarecrow and Jerome is going to be a blast, I hope they stick around for a few episodes. They really bring that good old fashioned Gotham crazy. I mean, even they cant beat Professor Pyg murdering people at a dinner table while threatening cannibalism on a bunch of rich people while sing/speaking They Had it Comin, but they can have fun trying!

Arkham inmates escaping in general, when the big ones dont get out, is probably the Gotham equivalent of a bad fog. Its annoying and sometimes dangerous, but if you keep your eyes peeled and avoid bad areas, its not even an excuse to get off work.  

[Kathemy]

9 hours ago, doram said:

The link isn't working for me either. And the last review on Douxreviews is from the episode before.

Is it me or has David Mazouz's acting got worse since midway season 2? I don't fully understand what changed --- maybe the reveal of who killed his parents was supposed to age him to the extent that his personality completely changed... but I think he did a better job in season 1 & early season 2. He seemed more natural. Now it's almost like he's trying too hard. I'm increasingly finding him cringe-worthy to watch.

Hmm...

No. If anything I think he's grown as an actor. The "Bratman" act was really well done.

... but. I'm not sure if David has really "found himself" in the young adult role like he inhabited his young teenager role, and I think that may go for him both on- and off-screen, and that's perfectly understandable for a guy in transition. He absolutely nailed the innocence/vulnerability/depression/resiliency/darkness tone of thirteen-year-old Bruce Wayne. 

[Danielg342]

19 hours ago, Kathemy said:

If you want the "sanitized" version it's here. If you want the original it's above (the tumblr link.)

I'll say this much- I don't disagree with you on your review. You saw an angle I didn't see, so credit for that.

What I will say is that it's obvious there has been a fair amount of executive meddling since S1 and S2 (where Falcone strangled Liza with his bare hands, the Ogre was a thing and Oswald killed Fish and later a dog), which I believe accounts for the shifts you see.

[HoodlumSheep]

Realized i never commented after the episode so I'll make it short. 

Decent episode. I like the arkham trio team-up so far. Harvey continues to be his lovely self. Found the "save each other"/cops all kinda cheering and happy kinda cheesy.

Happy that babs' storyline is finally taking shape, but I hate to say it, that 'heck yeah! girl power!!!' moment when half of the oh-so-amazing league of shadows bit the dust felt so...telegraphed? Forced? i hate it when it comes off as so...un-natural feeling? Like, just let the ladies be naturally awesome on their own? I guess i just wish that seen was framed a little differently. I don't know, hopefully i worded that well enough to make sense. @Kathemy sums it up better.

Still wondering where the heck alfred is??? Was he given a vacation or something after he and bruce made up? Paging Alfred: your boy is currently chasing a maniac!

Edited April 4, 2018 by HoodlumSheep

[jhlipton]

On 3/29/2018 at 9:22 PM, Kostgard said:

I don’t really get why Bruce feels so responsible for Jerome other than “Batman and Joker have a connection” and...I don’t know. Because he didn’t kill him when he had a chance last season?

On 4/1/2018 at 12:00 AM, Snookums said:

Bruce hit it on the nose when he said that since he didn't kill Jerome he's at least partly responsible for the pain he causes others now, and there's plenty of that blame to go around.

Bruce aided and abetted yet another murder in this episode.  By not killing Jerome when he had the chance (again!), or letting Selina kill him ("it will tarnish your soul!!!!!!!" "Meh, I can live with that.") he caused the death of the uncle and the strongman.  Stupid, stupid, stupid bat creature.

On 3/30/2018 at 9:30 AM, UNOSEZ said:

Tabitha and Maze from Lucifer should run off together and find some ppl who appreciate all their hardworking and actually listen to them... Or just play beach volleyball I'm good either way

I would watch that all day!

On 3/30/2018 at 3:52 PM, Danielg342 said:

Maybe there's a Facebook group (or some other kind of social media network) where the people of Gotham give themselves rewards for those who survive in Gotham the longest. Maybe this includes a running tally of those who survive those charity dinners.

 

The Gotham tantine!

On 3/31/2018 at 3:40 PM, superloislane said:

I was kind of disappointed at Jerome being caught so easily by his uncle and the other guy. If he actually is the Joker then I feel like he should have checked and had a plan for something like this - or maybe I expect too much.

I wonder if he was expecting Bruce to show up and literally let him get away with murder.

[superloislane]

48 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

Bruce aided and abetted yet another murder in this episode.  By not killing Jerome when he had the chance (again!), or letting Selina kill him ("it will tarnish your soul!!!!!!!" "Meh, I can live with that.") he caused the death of the uncle and the strongman.  Stupid, stupid, stupid bat creature.

I'm pretty sure the strongman was still alive at the end of the episode - Bruce is seen tying him up at the end.

I do get annoyed at Bruce/Batman's refusal to let psycho murderers die in every version he's in (it's fine if you don't want to kill them but why go to great lengths to stop them dying?) but at the same time, if he walked into the diner and just let them kill Jerome, isn't that aiding and abetting murder too?

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, superloislane said:

if he walked into the diner and just let them kill Jerome, isn't that aiding and abetting murder too?

Nope.  Jerome, as well as other psychopaths and sociopaths in Gotham, should be "shoot on sight". 

[jay741982]

On 3/29/2018 at 9:08 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Let me get this out of the way.  I have always been a fan of Barbara Kean. She is one of my favorite characters on the show.  I have always felt the show did her a disservice relegating her to a secondary character.  So I  am absolutely loving the idea of Barbara being the new Demon Head.  I think it is a perfect story for her.  Rah Agul was right about her. She has a vibrant poisonous mind and people hate her for it.  Not me.

Bring on Demon Head Barbara!!!!!! 

I'll second this ! I fucking love the idea of Barbara Al Ghul! Love that nutty Bitch lol and she looks Fab as always 

[Dobian]

How exactly does Jerome have boiling hot soup poured down his throat and all over his face and he can talk and function right after like nothing happened? Really show?