In this episode of Gotham, “Wrath of the Villains: Mad Grey Dawn,” Nygma executes an elaborate plan to get Gordon out of the way, Penguin makes a startling acquaintance and Bruce embraces Selina’s lifestyle.
Just when Gordon thought he was in the clear, Captain Barnes informs him that Internal Affairs is reopening the Galavan case. It seems they received an anonymous tip from someone who claims to have seen Gordon kill Galavan that night at the docks, not Penguin. Gordon blows it off as a crank, but Barnes says the person knew about the umbrella shoved down Galavan’s throat, a detail the GCPD didn’t put out to the public. Gordon insists that someone is trying to frame him from the inside, but Barnes isn’t so sure. Gordon is sticking to his story that he wasn’t even in the vicinity when Galavan was murdered.
FOX Renews Gotham for Season 3 >>>
May Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
Word has spread that Penguin is out of Arkham, and his first stop is to see his old pal Butch. Only Butch, who is also keeping company with Tabitha, doesn’t recall him and Penguin being friends. Tabitha points out that Penguin killed her brother as well as brainwashing Butch into being his slave, not to mention cutting off the guy’s hand.
Penguin swears he’s changed and that he’s a good person now. Tabitha puts Penguin to the test by bringing up his mother, but he doesn’t take the bait. Butch thinks the docs at Arkham must have really done a number on his old boss. Butch determines that Penguin is a pathetic loser who poses no threat, so he lets him go free. Tabitha isn’t quite as forgiving.
A Deadly Riddle
Bulllock and Gordon are assigned to an art heist, and little do they know that the whole thing was masterminded by Nygma. They talk to the director of the museum who tells them that the name of the painting that was stolen is “Mad Grey Dawn” which depicted a railway bombing. The robber also defaced two other valuable works, leaving a green question mark on the canvases. Gordon determines that whoever committed the crime isn’t interested in money; they’re trying to send a message.
Gordon figures out that the perpetrator left a clue that indicates a possible bombing of a train station. He and Bullock evacuate the station and see a locker with a question mark. There’s no time to wait for the bomb squad, so Gordon throws the bomb inside a big statue, shielding everyone from the worst of the blast.
Bruce Immerses Himself in the Criminal Underworld
Bruce is getting a crash course in the criminal underworld from Selina. She takes him to see Ivy, who is growing magic mushrooms. Selina wants to rob the gang running the business which is run by Gilzean’s nephew, Sonny. Bruce wants in on the action, but Selina considers this a one-woman job. Bruce has money and plenty of it. He says he wants to survive on his own and find out who he is without his money. Plus, he doesn’t mind stealing money from criminals.
Ivy slipped a mushroom called the Blue Devil in the gang’s lunch, so all they have to do is wait. The group will be in a state of relaxed bliss, like a dream. Selina and Bruce sneak into the gang’s hideout and, as they try to abscond with a hefty sum, are interrupted by Sonny.
Nygma Gets a Visit from an Old Friend
While Nygma is planning his next move, Penguin shows up covered in feathers. It looks as if Tabitha’s punishment was more about humiliation than pain. Penguin has come to spread the good word. He wants Nygma to know that violence and anger aren’t the answer. This relationship is odd because Nygma should fear that Penguin could divulge that Nygma killed Miss Kringle, but he doesn’t seem concerned, even before Penguin reveals his new kinder, gentler self.
Nygma is content with who he is, telling Penguin he’s just hitting his stride. He thanks Penguin for all his help and advice, including all the bad stuff he told him about Jim Gordon. It’s helping him deal with his Jim Gordon dilemma. Nygma says he would share more with Penguin, but his new attitude is freaking him out. Nygma sends Penguin on his way.
An Anonymous Tip
Bullock talks to a friend he has in IA who tells him the witness saw Penguin beating Galavan to death when Gordon stepped in and put a bullet in the man’s chest. Bullock thinks Penguin may have talked. He did do a stint in Arkham for a murder Gordon committed, but Gordon thinks that if Penguin was going to talk, he would have done it when he was arrested. Penguin did start screaming that Gordon killed Galavan while Gordon was at Arkham dealing with Freeze, but that was before his rehabilitation, and everyone seemed to think it was just chatter. Let’s not forget though that Professor Strange witnessed it on surveillance.
The witness has agreed to give a sworn statement, and Gordon is now the prime suspect in Theo Galavan’s murder.
Gotham Recap: Bruce Faces His Parents’ Killer >>>
Bruce Takes a Licking
Sonny’s holding Bruce and Selina hostage. Selina tries to work Sonny, warning him that his uncle isn’t going to be too happy to find out Selina just waltzed in and was able to grab all that cash. Sonny is determined to send a message. He grabs Selina and shoves her face into a table. Bruce sticks up for her, and Sonny turns on Bruce and gives him a good beating. He hears Alfred’s words of advice in his head, and he and Selina knock a few guys out long enough to grab a few bags of mushrooms and head out.
Penguin goes to visit his mother’s grave and meets a man named Elijah Van Dahl (Paul Reubens) who claims to have known Gertrude. When Penguin introduces himself as Oswald Cobblepot, the man realizes that Penguin is his son.
Welcome to the Family
Elijah gives Penguin a lift back to his palatial estate. He tells Penguin how he and Gertrude met. She was a cook for his family. They fell in love, but when his parents found out, they forbade their son from seeing her. Elijah threatened to give it all up for love, but Gertrude left. All his parents would say is they made an arrangement. Part of the deal was that Elijah would never try to find her. He never knew she was pregnant.
The Set-Up
Bullock calls Gordon and tells him that the bomb was detonated remotely from a pay phone a few blocks from the station. Unable to sleep, Gordon decides to go and check it out. The phone is located outside the apartment of a GCPD cop, Pinkney. Gordon notices the door ajar and finds Pinkney on the floor. Penguin beat him to death with a crowbar. Barnes enters with his gun drawn, questioning what Gordon is doing there.
Gordon tells Barnes he was following up on a lead in the bomber case and questions why Barnes is there. He says he got a message from Pinkney saying he wanted to talk outside of work about Gordon.
Barnes takes Gordon to the precinct. Gordon’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Gordon explains that he used the crowbar to open the locker to get the bomb out and someone must have stolen it. Nygma has been a busy boy.
Gordon questions what possible motive he could have for killing one of his own, and Barnes says it’s because Pinkney was the anonymous witness. The cops found an IA form at Pinkney’s apartment. Nygma got Pinkney to unknowingly sign the form earlier that day, saying it was some kind of requisition form.
Gordon insists he’s being set up, but Barnes thinks the least Gordon can do is man up and admit what he’s done. He tells Gordon he trusted him and he broke his heart. Barnes sends Gordon off to county jail. On his way out, he tells Bullock that everything that happened the day of the bombing was a set-up to trap him. Bullock needs to find the bomber.
He’s Batman
Bruce had some kind of spiritual epiphany during his beating. He tells Selina that while it was happening, the emptiness and confusion he’s been struggling with just vanished. For the first time, Bruce knew he was going to be okay. He knew that whatever Sonny did to him, he could take it. Sonny couldn’t break him; nobody can. Selina tells him that nobody is unbreakable.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
Time jumps forward, and Gordon is found guilty of murder. He’s to serve 40 years in prison. He tells Lee to move away and start a new life. The only way they can survive this is if she pretends he never existed.
If that’s not shocking enough, Barbara Kean is finally awake.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
