Sorry, I was busy again with Bad Santa 2 and you can read my review of that here. If you would like to read a recap of last week’s episode, click here. Last week was another filler episode that focused on the downfall of Barnes. It didn’t offer very much in terms of advancing the story as it was just another episode to fill in the regular 22 episode broadcast season. This week offers a little more promise as Bruce figures out the origin of the key and Gordon manages to get closer to Lee.
The episode starts off with Lee and Mario having a dinner at the same restaurant as their rehearsal dinner. Mario consoles Lee about Barnes but she doesn’t blame him for what happened as he was under the influence of the Tetch virus. As they leave the restaurant, a valet offers to retrieve their car but as soon as he gets in, it explodes.
Gordon arrives and Carmine Falcone, who was also present, wants to talk to him. Gordon asks him who could have done it but he has amassed plenty of enemies so it could have been anyone. They may have been using his son’s marriage to settle an old score but it wasn’t because he was coming out of retirement because he is still retired. He wasn’t willing to just let it go either so he gave Gordon one day to investigate until he’d take care of it himself.
Penguin holds a meeting with the five families. With Barnes gone, he decides to increase protection fees. Barbara comes in, wondering where her invitation is but Penguin tells her that it is a meeting for grownups. She’s looking for Butch and Tabitha since they’ve been missing. Barbara tells him that Tabitha has been helping Butch hide. She apologizes for interrupting.
Penguin calls Ed to check in. He is working his grief his way. Tabitha and Butch are bound and gagged in some warehouse. He says it was easy to find them. Ed confronts Butch about Isabella but he denies it any wrongdoing. Ed decides to torture him a little.
Bullock is now the captain. Lucius comes in and gives them evidence that the bomb is to sophisticated for a mob hit, leading Bullock to suspect someone he knows being a man named Fuse. Gordon and Bullock go to his apartment and they find him dead. They must have been tying up loose ends. Gordon finds a file that proves Carmine was not target but rather Mario. A group of thugs with guns on motorcycles attempt to attack Mario outside the hospital but Gordon arrives just in time and saves him.
Alfred is making breakfast for Bruce and Selina. Selina is weirded out by Alfred’s quiche and frittata creation. She wants to go but Alfred wants her to stay. She just can’t take it anymore. Bruce wants to do more research into the key. Alfred brings food to Ivy. She wants to be let out but he won’t allow it. She tricks him into showing her how to turn off the alarm.
Mario doesn’t know who’s after him and he’s against laying low and cancelling the wedding to Lee. Gordon tries to assure him that it isn’t an ego competition but Mario doesn’t trust him. Gordon thinks that something doesn’t fit.
Barbara talks to Penguin’s housekeeper. She offers her a nice ring for some gossip. She says that she doesn’t understand Ed. She also mentions he got a special delivery of stocks and bondage.
Butch still denies everything. Ed tortures him a little more and ungags Tabitha. She asks him what he wants and he says he wants to break Butch’s heart before he ends his life. Bruce upset that selina tried to clean key and that she told ivy that they were not couple. Selina doesn’t want to be a couple and she just wants things to stay the same. The key has an owl engraving. Alfred comes in and tells them that Ivy’s gone. The phone rings and it is the people looking for the necklace and they are willing to exchange her for it.
They go to exchange. They have to go down a manhole. Alfred offers to go but Bruce wants to talk to them personally to explain the mistake. Bruce concedes that Selina will come regardless of what he says. They meet each other and Bruce tells them that he wants to talk to Catherine first. Unfortunately or not, the bad guys don’t work for the Court of Owls but rather against them.
Gordon goes back to Carmine but he doesn’t offer any more information. He is suspicious that Gordon is trying to sabotage Mario’s wedding. Mario left the GCPD to take care of it himself. Gordon has an idea how. Barbara looks into Ed. She goes to where he got those supplies and tricks an employee into getting her information.
Ed shows them the guillotine he built. The blade will come down in 55 seconds but the only way to stop it is to press a button that would deliver a fatal shock to Butch. The bad guys are actually Whisper Gang who were betrayed by the Court of Owls. They tell them that the key is one of two that opens a safe in one of the buildings owned by the Owls. The Owls still have the other key. Bruce now wants to go after them.
Mario goes to pick up the wedding rings. Gordon is there for help. Mario denies any wrongdoing as a reason for being targeted. Some more thugs attack and Mario gets very aggressive with one of them. Butch pleads for Ed to stop and he offers that if Tabitha sacrifices her hand, he’ll let them go. Tabitha isn’t quite committed to Butch but he is at ease. He admits to killing Isabella by shooting her in the head. Tabitha sacrifices her hand. Butch pleads to Ed to help Tabitha. Butch goes back to denying killing Tabitha and Ed realizes he didn’t kill her. Barbara comes in just too late.
Mario and Carmine don’t recognize a thug they brought back from earlier. Gordon wants to work him over but Bullock got a call from the feds for a transfer. Gordon confronts Mario about his earlier aggression. He goes away with Lee. Carmine begins to work the thug over. Back in Bullock’s office, he tells Gordon that he feels like a captain and that Lee deserves to know how he feels.
They remember that they left Carmine. He rips out the thug’s tooth. He sees an owl on it and realizes who is responsible. He decides to go after them himself and tells Gordon to let it go. The Whispers decide to join forces with Bruce but as soon as that happens an assassin from the Owls comes in and kills them both.
Barbara and Butch take Tabitha to the hospital. She then figures out that Penguin killed Isabella. She decides to use this information to start a war. Carmine threatens Catherine but they are not scared of him. He might not win but he will do whatever it takes to stop them. She assures him that Mario will remain safe from them until he is called upon.
Lee visits Gordon at home. Mario told her everything about what happened. He tells her that he didn’t do it for him. He tells her what he feels. He lost chance to make her happy but he still wants it for her. She feel like he keeps saying goodbye. Gordon says that is all they have left. Lee tells him that they just haven’t done it properly. They kiss.
Mario sees her leaving outside and some thugs come. He starts fighting voices in his head telling him that she loves Gordon and then beats them up.
Overall, this was a better episode which started to move subplots with the Court of Owls and Penguin and Ed along to maybe a conclusion in the midseason finale. It seems pretty obvious as to what is about to happen which makes me question why they drag stuff for so long. There are just way to many characters on this show. I wonder where Fish Mooney is but I don’t want her to come at the wrong time and just ruin things more than what she already does.
Score: 7.5/10
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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.
