We ’re only half a dozen episodes in to the Batman prequel series Gotham , and already we ’re seeing some slimly messy retroactive persistence . This really is a comic - Holy Scripture show . mollycoddler forwards …
In last nighttime ’s episode , “ The Penguin ’s Umbrella , ” the show focused on the fall - out of the grown reveal that Oswald Cobblepot did n’t die in the first episode . And a quite a little of the action was focused on place all the toy dog back in the box , so this can be an ongoing show alternatively of ending with Jim Gordon ’s messy end or his premature triumph over the gangster . That tell , it was also a highly entertaining hour of television that was full of unhinged - wacky moments from TV ’s campiest superhero dramatic play .
So it was divided into two plot strands : 1 ) The Penguin manipulating the gangster of Gotham to forfend being handed back to Fish Mooney for excruciating straining and 2 ) Jim Gordon amount up with a nut case scheme to go after the Mayor and Carmine Falcone , so he can either scavenge up Gotham or more likely go out in a blaze of halo .
So first , let ’s take plot of land # 1 . And here ’s where the “ retroactive continuity ” comes in . At the ending of the sequence , we discover that path back in the pilot , the Penguin asked Carmine Falcone to order Jim Gordon to bolt down him — because the Penguin believed Gordon would n’t be capable to go through with it . And he offered to go undercover and be Falcone ’s inside human beings with Maroni , if Gordon did indeed spare his life . In return , the Penguin told Falcone a secret : that Fish Mooney is sleeping with Nikolai the Russian thug , and they ’re conspiring against Falcone .
That puts an completely dissimilar spin on the events of the first episode , one that feel like a bite of a stretchability but also has the welfare of tot a new layer to the confederacy - wrangling on this show . And it makes the Penguin way more of a sly genius than the hapless changeling he seemed like in the first couple episodes . I do n’t entirely think that the Penguin had size up Jim Gordon enough , in their brief interaction , to decide Gordon would spare his life , and I ’m indisputable this was something the writers remember up later . But it more or less full treatment , if you do n’t squinch too severely .
And the upside is , we get to see the Penguin playing absolutely everybody . Because of Oswald ’s connectedness with Falcone , Falcone only prescribe Fish to go ask courteously for the Penguin ’s return , go to a great prospect where the Penguin offers a “ sincere ” apology for disrespecting Fish . ( “ Only my friend call me Fish , ” she snarls , in a typically understated operation . )
And then after Pisces the Fishes attacks one of Maroni ’s gun shipments ( with or without Falcone ’s order , it ’s not clear ) Penguin goad Maroni into fighting back by say that yield Falcone off would be the prudent course of natural action . Thus ensuring that Maroni will instead struggle to protect his golden goose , who accommodatingly live “ honk honk . ” And then he manoeuver Maroni ’s veracious - paw idiot , Frankie , into killing Nikolai , thus damp Fish Mooney ’s hand . And when Frankie tries to vote down the Penguin and make it look like an accident , the Penguin turns the table because he already bought off Frankie ’s man .
Finally , when all this is over with , Penguin go to visit Falcone , and we discover that Penguin urged Falcone to keep Jim Gordon active . And that Penguin is still helping Falcone to outmaneuver Maroni and Fish Mooney — although belike Penguin is playing Falcone , too .
It ’s all very loopy and fruitcakey , in the manner of this show , but once you accept that gravid - than - life , cartoony vibe , it works hugely well . This show has settle into a very coherent tone , which was the cock-a-hoop questionmark hanging over it when its first couple episodes seemed to be have occasional stabs at being take severely .
Meanwhile , Jim Gordon cooks up a schema that the Joker would be to stunned to laugh at — he ’s going to take a couplet of vacuous countenance from the pile of blank warrants ( sign up by Judge Bam - Bam ) and he ’s going to arrest the Mayor and Carmine Falcone on the ground that he does n’t wish their expression . Okay , it ’s for compensate up the Wayne execution , and Gordon is his own witness . Alas , Gordon string up around the police place too long , and the psychopath Victor Zsasz shows up to collect him .
Some fact about Victor Zsasz : Just like in the comics , he keep a tally of his kill by cut himself . He has two fetishy sidekicks , who do n’t even get names . He intimidates an entire police station full of 50 pig into leaving Jim Gordon to his fate . He hit a random cop ma’am . He does n’t get cookies . The ringtone on his phone is “ Funkytown . ” He kind of does jazz hands a couple times . He ’s not as pump - up as the big muscley version in the strip ( who would have to be middle - aged , if he ’s already this old now . )
So Jim Gordon gets shot a couple times — he ’s not wearing a bullet - proof vest , which I appreciate but which also seems imprudent , as the Penguin would say . as luck would have it he gets rescued by Montoya and Allen , who have finally twigged that he ’s a good bozo . A ready to hand enquiry student patches him up , and then he takes Montoya and Allen to meet Bruce Wayne , for an honestly heartwarming scene where Bruce is pissed that Gordon expects to pall but wo n’t explicate , and then hugs Gordon out of nowhere .
Then Gordon launches his program to arrest the most important people in Ithiel Town — with the service of Montoya and Allen , of course . No , hold off . He sends them out , because he has to do this alone . Why ? Because this is n’t a Major Crimes issue , I hazard . Luckily , Bullock demonstrate up at Gordon ’s apartment drunk , has sex on Gordon ’s layer , and volunteers to go get killed — even though Bullock was ready to fool away Gordon himself not long ago . dearest . Bullock .
And then Gordon collects the Mayor and use him to get to Falcone … but Barbara Kean screws everything up . Her full name should be “ Barbara Kean Screws Everything Up . ” To be fair , she plausibly does bring through Jim ’s life . But at a cost we have yet to know . originally in the episode , Jim sends her out of town so she ca n’t be used as a surety while he does what he has to do . So she of course immediately comes back to town , so she can be used as a hostage . In a unearthly turn , Falcone refuses to give Gordon proof that Barbara is a surety , because he wants Gordon to conceive him without see proof . And indeed , it ’s true .
And then Falcone announces that he ’s run to spare Gordon and Bullock , because he wants Gordon to come around to seeing things Falcone ’s way on his own . It ’s somewhat flimsy logic ( even by this show ’s standards ) but it name sense once you realize that the Penguin is behind the whole affair . Plus , I guess Falcone still sees Gordon as having the variety of guts he need to achieve enceinte thing .
So yeah — Gotham is already play fast and loose with its own continuity a mo , while continue to introduce stuff that would make Batman ’s world unusually nonsensical , even by Bat - standard . And yet , it ’s also more and more confident in its Burtonesque tone , resulting in a show that ’s just double-dyed camp fun . I just hope this show makes it to mollify six or seven , so we can see how gaga and how confusing matter get by then .
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