Gotham Season 3 Episode 20 Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine Review

Keith NoakesMay 29, 2017n/a8 min

If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.

Synopsis: Gordon races against the clock to save the city from the Alice Tetch virus, when Lee Thompkins intercepts with a plan of her own. Also, Alfred sees a big change in Bruce Wayne after his work with The Shaman. Meanwhile, some of Gotham’s most deranged villains band together.  (IMDB)

Writers: Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt

Director: Danny Cannon

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 42mins

This episode started with Bruce and the Shaman to address the Court of Owls and administer their judgement by slicing all their throats. Bruce was hesitant to call the order but he reiterated his commitment to the cause. Meanwhile, Gordon, Bullock, and Alfred were investigating the hideouts from the map and found nothing. They stumbled onto the Court murders scene with Alfred learning the truth about Bruce.

Gordon then made a detour to visit Lee who had injected herself with the Tetch virus at the end of the last episode. She was definitely crazier than usual. Lee has been a pretty insufferable character this season and this episode was no different with this transformation making things even worse. This new side of her just didn’t work at all and every line of her dialogue was cringe-worthy.

She thought it was her fault for what happened. The virus had shown her how much she loved Gordon, how she was drawn to his dark side, and to give in to her deepest, darkest, desires. He was denying himself from who he really was and she wanted to help with that. She knocked him out and buried him alive somewhere in a park.

Despite killing the Court, the bomb was still in play. The Shaman worked for something higher up than him believed that Bruce had a great destiny and wanted the Shaman to help prepare him for it. Strange arrived with the bomb and the Shaman tasked Bruce to detonate it. Bullock and Alfred got there with Alfred having the Shaman at gunpoint and Bruce standing in the way, seemingly under his spell and shocking Alfred.

Back at the station, Lee showed up to toy with the GCPD and to show them all who Gordon really was. She left him a way out, however, and that was a sample of the virus to inject himself with to gain the strength to get out. She did want to tell them where he was and she didn’t want to leave since she wanted to see all their faces once Gordon used the virus.

With Gordon gone, there was still the bomb to deal with so Bullock and Alfred split up with Bullock looking for Gordon and Alfred muscling Strange for information on the whereabouts of Bruce and the bomb. Bruce was at Wayne Enterprises so they can watch the upcoming carnage.

Finding Gordon was looking insurmountable which made the idea of taking the virus more tempting but what didn’t help was when they learned that they were planning on detonating the bomb during rush hour at the subway station. This obviously added a lot more urgency to the situation so Gordon injected himself and dug himself out and went straight to the station.

With Ed and Penguin gone from their captivity, they began to plot against each other. Penguin, on the other hand, lost his army of freaks. After escaping Ed, Penguin’s last hideout was Ivy’s greenhouse but Ivy simply fell for their trap and giving them their location. Ed, Barbara, Butch, and Tabitha were there. It looked like he was done for but unfortunately, Fish Mooney showed up and saved him.

It was time to detonate the bomb but before that, Alfred showed up to try and convince Bruce not to do it. Bruce put himself in between them again but the Shaman got impatient and activated it himself, causing him to get shot by Alfred. Gordon was dealing with the bomb but unfortunately, Lee escaped from the GCPD and knocked him out.

Overall, this was another mediocre episode, continuing this season’s downward spiral. This story has been all messed up this season and now as it rushes with a 2-part episode left next week, it is just making things worse and forcing us to deal with the useless Fish Mooney and the horribly written Lee.

Score: 6/10

If you liked this, please read my other reviews here and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, follow me on Instagram, and also like me on Facebook.

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