If you would like to read a recap of last week’s episode, click here. Most network shows air roughly 20+ episodes a season. Now they can’t touch the main story every episode which creates the need for “filler” episodes, episodes with stories of minimal significance and are used to stretch certain plot points. Gotham has been one of the guiltiest shows when it come to filler as it always seems like 3/4 of a particular season is filler which is one of the reasons that this show is disappointing. This episode was no exception. Read below for more.
The episode starts off with Gordon who is with Vale in her hospital room. She wakes up and manages to crack some jokes. When she confronts Gordon about what happened, he explained that he tried to save both of them but she isn’t fooled. She knew that Hatter would have shot the opposite of whatever Gordon said. Gordon tries to explain himself but Vale will have none of it. She realizes that Gordon is nothing but trouble.
The Hatter is about to be in possession of a blood-based virus (obviously from Alice’s blood) that should manifest itself in weeks. A drug dealer offers him an accelerant for the virus. He stumbles upon a psychotropic drug called “The Red Queen” which is good at putting people in the loony bin. The Hatter wants it as he has pans to sideline someone (obviously Gordon) before an event later that night. He blows some of it into the dealer’s face.
Ed is spending some time with his new Kringle doppelganger girlfriend named Isabella (Chelsea Spack). They are very close despite the short time they have known each other. Ed is late. He invites Isabella to the Mayor’s mansion for dinner. Penguin is worried about Ed and is about to file a missing persons report once Ed finally shows up. Penguin is relieved. Ed tells him that he met someone and that he may be in love. Penguin looks upset about it.
The Hatter heads to the morgue and steals Alice’s body. Alfred walks in on Bruce cooking. He is preparing for his date with Selena later in the evening. Alfred tells Bruce to not get his hopes up and is skeptical of her even showing up.
The GCPD arrive at the morgue. Gordon also appears and offers to help. Since he is not a cop, Barnes asks him to leave. Gordon is determined to solve the case anyway. Bullock tries to stop him and doesn’t offer to help. He thinks Gordon doesn’t want to be a cop because he’s afraid.
Ed helps Penguin get ready for an important dinner. Ed tells him about his date. Penguin is skeptical of their relationship because of the short time they’ve known each other. Penguin pretends to be supportive of Ed.
Bullock looked into the missing tech at the morgue and he called in sick. Lucius walks in and gives Barnes more information about the study of Alice’s blood. They re-performed the test on more rats. By the second week, they became manic and violent. Finding the hatter has become even more urgent. The hatter is in the process of siphoning all of Alice’s blood.
Lee tells Mario what happened to hear earlier. Mario is confused that Gordon managed to save her. He warns her about Gordon since he was the reason they were in danger and wants him out of their lives. Suddenly Gordon shows up. Lee confronts Gordon on what happened. She doesn’t believe his motives either. She agrees with Bullock that he’s afraid.
Penguin visits Isabella at the library. He tries to sabotage them by subtly revealing that Ed was in Arkham. He also makes a comment about her neck and that Ed loves women’s necks. Gordon visits Vale again while she’s sleeping. He notices the hatter up in the distance and chases him. Once they are in a room, he does him with the Red Queen.
Penguin is at the dinner. The hatter runs into him. Gordon begins hallucinating. He’s with Barbara who appears to be an elevator conductor. Gordon tries to escape but he gets burned. Barbara tells him that he has to ride through it. She lets him off at a floor where he meets Bruce who tells him that he doesn’t have much time and walks away. He is then transported to a war scene with Penguin telling him to never leave his unit behind. He runs into Bruce again to show him a bunch of dead police officers. Bruce shoots him and then pulls a string of beads from the bullet hole.
Bullock interrogates the missing lab tech but when he becomes uncooperative, Barnes starts to go crazy on him. He reveals that he was payed for his key card by someone in a catering van. Barnes figures out that the hatter intends to attack the big dinner that evening. He tells Bullock to get ready and not to tell Gordon.
Gordon is back with Barbara in the elevator. She is giving him CPR. She brings him to another floor where he plays an old-timey father to two kids with Lee. They are about to have a family dinner. Gordon seems happy with it until the lights start to flicker. Between flickers, both kids and then Lee disappear. He is back with Barbara in the elevator. He begs Barbara to let him go back to them but she stops him. She confronts him on his life choices and urges him to play nice.
Selina didn’t show up for their date. As soon as Alfred offers to pack the food up, Selena appears. She claims that she had things to do but Bruce is upset at her for being stood up. He tells her that he needs honesty from her. She says that all of it is weird for her but Bruce says it’s weird for him too.
Penguin is having a conversation with the owl representative from before and we learn that her name is Catherine. He is intrigued by who she is and what she does. She tells him that they have had their eye on him and will contact him once the time is right. When they all sit at the table, the hatter arrives and starts shooting. He forces them to drink wine glasses dosed with Alice’s blood. As Penguin is about to drink, the GCPD arrive just in time. Barnes has the hatter cornered but he notices that he had been affected by Alice’s blood.
Barbara brings Gordon to the last floor. She tells him not to be scared and that it’s not easy to face who you really are. She hands him a key. Gordon walks out and he sees a man near a car looking for something. Once he approaches, he notices that the man is his father Peter (Michael Park). Gordon hands him the key.
Meanwhile, Mario finds Gordon on the floor and realizes that he is under the influence of Red Queen. Gordon goes along with his dad. He tells him that he’s glad to see him and that he misses him. Gordon talks about his younger life where his dad was his hero but he still took the time to be with him. He was amazed that he was able to keep the darker aspects of his job away from them. Gordon wanted to be just like him but tells him that he became the opposite. Peter tells him that the path he’s on is not the right one. He tells him that he should remember the Gordon code. Gordon can’t quite remember the code but his dad tells him that the answers are in his ring.
Gordon wakes up and Mario tells him that he’s lucky because if they had waited just a little longer, then he would have died. Ed tells Isabella the truth about him but she already knows. She’s already read all about him. Ed is surprised she came anyway but she claims that love is illogical. Penguin walks in but then excuses himself.
Gordon grabs an old box and finds his dad’s ring. It has an inscription saying “While we breathe, we shall defend”. Gordon meets Barnes in his office. Barnes tells him that he took care of the hatter. Gordon tells him that he wants to rejoin the GCPD. Barnes accepts him with open arms. Gordon tells him that he wanted to keep a promise he made to someone when he was younger.
Catherine is talking to a shadowy man who happens to be wearing a ring similar to Gordon’s dad.
Overall, this was a filler episode whose only purpose was to get Gordon to rejoin the GCPD. We didn’t really learn anything new but hopefully with Gordon back with the GCPD, the story can finally start heading towards something interesting.
Score: 6.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.