If you would like to read a recap of last week’s episode, click here. Lee is back in Gordon’s life but has he gotten over her. How will the fact that the Hatter is still in Gordon’s head affect his judgment? Clone Bruce is still out there with Selina while Penguin is still running for mayor. These are just a few of the things lingering before this week’s episode. Will we see Fish Mooney and Hugo Strange (hopefully not) or Ivy? Read more below.
Gordon has captured Alice and she is now in an interview room being interviewed by Bullock. She tells him about how bad her brother is and we learn that he kept her hostage, leading to Strange taking her not long after she escaped. The Hatter has now taken possession of an amusement park which is perfect for him. He has a crazy conversation about his sister with a man who he has hypnotized. The man places his head on a high striker,only for the Hatter to strike with a hammer and seemingly killing him.
It is election day in Gotham and Ed appears at Penguin’s election headquarters. Butch is jealous of their relationship, making them not get along. Gordon and Bullock are in Barnes’ office where he is briefed on the Alice and Jervis Tetch situation. Barnes informs Gordon that the GCPD are taking over the investigation and that Gordon can no longer go near Jervis. Let’s see how long that lasts.
Lee and Alice have a conversation while Lee takes a few blood samples. Alice gives her some backstory about her relationship with her brother and how they are two different people. Gordon is walking down the street and the ticking seemingly still has an effect on him as it triggers something the Hatter left in his mind. He then walks in front of an oncoming garbage truck where he is then pulled back by another pedestrian.
Clone Bruce (CB) is still out there and Alfred and Bruce are trying to figure out where he is. Bruce immediately brings up Selena. CB and Selina are walking down the street and talking and Selina is starting to catch on to CB and becoming a little more suspicious of him. They stop at a betting parlour that Selina is going to rob. She goes in and causes a ruckus which she uses as a distraction to get to the back where the real money is. She is caught before she can get out the door. She tries to talk her way out but it doesn’t work.
Penguin is making a speech and Ed spots Butch giving bribes to election officials. Ed makes sure and then Butch gets someone to tail him. Gordon visits Barbara and asks for information on the Hatter’s whereabouts. She tells him that he came in earlier asking where he can find some muscle for his next performance.
Now we see a bunch of wrestlers wrestling in a ring. The Hatter comes in and asks them for help in breaking his sister out of the GCPD. They think he’s crazy but he just hypnotizes them into doing it anyway. The people who have Selina are attempting to torture her for information but she just delays them by trying to talk her way out of it. CB soon comes in and takes care of them somehow and frees Selina.
Gordon goes back to Barnes and asks to talk to Alice and ask her for help with what the Hatter has done to him. He tells Barnes that he’s having thoughts and Barnes tells him that he should come to terms with the decisions he’s made. Selina confronts CB about what he did to those people. She surprised he had it in him and CB was surprised too. She looks at his wounds and when she sees something odd, she’s convinced that Bruce she’s with is actually CB which he admits to.
Ed confronts Penguin about Butch’s bribing. Penguin wants some assurance but Ed tries to convince him that he can win it on his own. Ed teaches him a lesson by bribing a girl into thanking Penguin which he falls for. This causes friction between the two of them. Gordon talks to Alice who tells him that the Hatter is tapping into something deep within Gordon, triggered by ticking. He also put thoughts in Alice’s head to get her to stay with him. Their moment gets interrupted by the Hatter and the wrestlers from earlier who just destroy the place and take Alice. Gordon is triggered again by ticking but Barnes smacks him in the back of the head before he shoots himself.
CB explains to Selina why he did what he did. He saw the way Selina looked at Bruce before and wanted to know how it felt. Selina denies it and claims to not be worth it. She says it’s better for CB to be alone than with her. CB kisses her. Gordon wakes up handcuffed to a gurney with Lee and then begs her to uncuff him. She can’t because she’s worried for him. Gordon downplays it. She opens up to him and tells him why she moved on with someone else because he wasn’t there for her. He’s being cold with her. Barnes asked Lee to put him on a 48 hour suicide watch.
Butch makes a speech saying that when Penguin wins that they will run the city and is also informed that Ed lost the tail that he put on him. Bullock interviews one of the remaining wrestlers. He threatens to burn his mask if he doesn’t tell him where they are and then talks. Alice is back at the amusement park with the Hatter. He wants to teach her about consequences and also takes some samples of her blood. Gordon is seemingly heading somewhere while cuffed in a van. Bullock stops the van and frees him thanks to Lee. They head to the amusement park.
Bruce and Alfred find CB. He assures them that he will be out of their lives for good and then jumps off the building. Bullock and Gordon show up at the amusement park. The Hatter offers to help Gordon if he lets him and his sister leave. Gordon’s impulse is triggered again. He breaks it when he learns that is because of his feelings towards Lee. As they are trying to escape, Alice escapes the Hatter but then crashes through a railing and is then impaled on a pole.
Barnes arrives and grills Bullock about what happened and for foolishly picking friendship. Bullock concedes but until it causes his downfall, he will never turn his back on Gordon. Butch confronts Ed on taking the bribe money back. Penguin and Butch are upset and Penguin feels betrayed. Just as Butch is about to shoot Ed, we learn that Penguin has won the election. Ed wanted Penguin to see that the people love him which is what he wouldn’t have seen if he had bought the election. Penguin forgives him. Ed simply believed in him. Penguin confronts Butch for not believing in him. Penguin has plans for Ed.
Bruce and Alfred talk about CB. Bruce and Alfred talk about Selina which makes Alfred uncomfortable. Gordon apologizes to Lee about earlier and tells her that he’s happy for her, or at least he’s trying to be. The lady from the Court of Owls drives by CB and abducts him. Penguin makes his victory speech and announces that Ed is his chief of staff.
The episode ends with Barnes who is still at the amusement park crime scene, standing near a pipe dripping with Alice’s blood. One drop gets on him and he starts to transform.
Overall, this was a good episode, advancing the season by putting characters in new and interesting places with Penguin as mayor and CB as a pawn in a larger plan by the Court of Owls. Now with Gordon starting to get over Lee, it will be interesting to see how long his lone wolf thing will last. I just hope that they get rid of Fish Mooney as soon as possible.
Score: 8/10
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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.
