On this episode of Gotham, titled “A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks,” Gordon heads to Miami to enlist Carmine Falcon’s help in overthrowing Penguin, Barbara’s mysterious benefactor is revealed and a special knife piques Bruce’s interest.
Bruce, clad in his brand new suit complete with a radio that allows him to communicate with Alfred, is keeping his eyes on Penguin. Bruce learns that Penguin is receiving a big shipment and heads to the docks. Bruce is more brazen now that he’s bulletproof and wants to get a closer look. Alfred reminds the young billionaire/superhero-in-training that while Mr. Fox’s suit may be bulletproof, the mask is not. In other words, don’t get shot in the head.
Bruce Foils Selina’s Plan
Bruce isn’t the only one interested in the shipment, he spots a thief — who looks suspiciously like Selina wearing a mask — making her way towards the cargo that’s been loaded onto a nearby truck. Bruce is spotted by one of Penguin’s thugs who points out what a bad idea it is to steal from the King of Gotham’s underworld. Bruce does battle with four men armed with machine guns, gets slashed with a knife and takes off. Selina takes cover, and Penguin’s men also flee the scene, taking with them whatever Selina was trying to steal.
Bruce sustained a knife injury during the fight, and as soon as Alfred sews him up, and Bruce promises to be more careful, he announces he’s heading back to the dock to look for the ship’s manifest. Whatever was in the crate must be important if a thief was willing to risk stealing it. This is Bruce’s chance to investigate a real crime before it becomes something bigger. Alfred doesn’t think it’s a great idea for Bruce to go charging around in his batsuit and suggests there are other masks that Bruce can wear.
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Gordon Asks Falcone for a Favor He Can Refuse
Gordon heads to Miami to see Carmine Falcone. Carmine doesn’t kill Gordon on the spot which is a good sign. Carmine is joined by a beautiful brunette who happens to be his daughter, Sofia (Crystal Reed.) Gordon explains that Penguin has taken over the city, and the GCPD has turned its back on Gotham. There are families that are still loyal to Falcone, and Gordon needs Carmine’s help to rally them to help knock Penguin off his perch. Carmine questions if this is about Jim losing his power in Gotham, but Gordon insists it’s bigger than him.
Carmine admires Gordon’s can-do spirit, but the former crime boss can’t do what Gordon asks. Carmine is dying. The doctors don’t know why. Carmine suspects it could be Karma. But the doctors do believe his life expectancy is longer if he stays in a sunny and warm locale. This means that Carmine can’t go back, so Sofia offers to go in his place. Carmine rejects this idea, stating Sofia isn’t ready. There was a time when Carmine would have done anything for Gotham, but those days are gone. Gordon is on his own.
No Honor Among Thieves
Barbara is open for business, and business is booming. Babs isn’t happy to hear that Selina failed to secure the crate. Barbara thinks she made a mistake giving Selina a cut when she’s clearly not ready.
Victor informs Penguin that someone tried to steal his shipment but wasn’t successful. Penguin is still upset by the news. The shipment consists of black market items that Penguin plans to auction off to Gotham’s elite. He demands to know what happened to his inventory, and Victor assures him it’s safely tucked away in a warehouse. Penguin demands that Victor take him, so he cam make sure everything is accounted for. Then they’ll bring them back to the Iceberg Lounge for safe keeping.
With Penguin otherwise occupied, a mysterious woman with a blow torch frees Edward. It seems Ed has a stalker, an old classmate named Myrtle Jenkins (Ilana Becker). She’s followed his rise to the Riddler and considers herself Ed’s number one fan. Ed wants to leave but being encased in ice has caused his muscles to atrophy, so he finds himself in a bit of a Misery like situation. Ed questions how long he was frozen and is upset to learn that it’s been five months. Myrtle fills him in on how Penguin opened a lounge using Ed as a centerpiece. Myrtle promises to nurse Ed back to health, so he can reclaim his spot as Gotham’s greatest villain. With one caveat — she gets to be his sidekick.
Bruce shows up at the docks, posing as a kid looking for his uncle. He makes it onboard and finds the manifest. But his little act didn’t fool anyone, and he finds himself cornered by several of the men from the previous night who suspect Bruce had something to do with it. They demand to know who he’s working for. Alfred shows up, playing the role of the uncle, but the goons still don’t buy it, so Alfred is forced to knock them out.
Barbara informs Penguin that she’s looking for a very special knife that is being sold at Penguin’s auction, and she wants him to sell it to her ahead of time. My best guess is this knife belongs to one Ra’s al Gul (Gul was resurrected in Arabia in 125 A.D. The man who brought him back ordered Gul to find his heir and handed him a knife.) Penguin wants to know why the knife is so important to Barbara, but she assures him it’s not for her, it’s for a client.
Peguin suspects Barbara is behind the attempted robbery, but she denies it. She offers to triple the opening price, telling Penguin the knife will probably go for less at the auction. Penguin knows this isn’t about the money but about Barbara’s mysterious benefactor/client. Penguin offers to take Barbara up on her deal if she’ll reveal the identity of this mystery person, but she refuses.
Back from the Dead
Before he got busted, Bruce was able to find some information about the crate carrying the knife. He and Alfred do some research and discover the knife was used to embalm King Balahsi who ruled ancient Mesopotamia for the first century. Alfred and Bruce wonder why a thief would want that knife when the shipment was full of precious jewels and art. Alfred believes the thief was a gun for hire and wonders who hired her. Bruce finds a drawing that depicts a man being healed by water, and Bruce sees the resemblance of Ra’s al Gul. The twosome don’t understand how it’s possible since the drawing is 2,000 years old. But there’s no doubt it’s the same man, and he wants the knife.
Killing a Relative Isn’t a Dealbreaker
Sofia finds Gordon before he leaves town. It turns out father and daughter weren’t very close until Falcone got sick. Carmine sent his daughter to live in Miami when she was 13, fearing for her safety in Gotham. Sofia admits it wasn’t bad place to live, and she had her brother, Mario. Gordon apologizes for what happened to Mario, but Sofia tells Jim her brother was infected with the virus, and he did what he had to do. (The big question is if Sofia really believes this, or if she’s plotting her revenge.)
The two take a walk on the beach, and Sofia questions if Gordon ever considers leaving Gotham. But saving Gotham is in his blood. His father didn’t take the easy way out, and neither can he. Sofia convinces Gordon to dip his toes in the ocean, and then they share a kiss. Things just got a lot more complicated for Detective Gordon.
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Let the Bidding Begin
Penguin is determined to find Ed. Victor believes it was an inside job. Penguin wants everyone interrogated; he won’t rest until he gets Ed back and until whoever took his prize trophy is punished.
Alfred and Bruce prepare to attend Penguin’s auction. Alfred urges Bruce that if he’s going to continue to go down the vigilante path, he has to learn to play other roles. To complete this particular task, he urges Bruce to act like a spoiled, rich boy; the opposite of what his parents raised him to be.
Bruce goes a bit overboard, squandering copious amounts of money and being loud and obnoxious. This behavior makes it less likely to raise Penguin’s suspicion when he bids on the knife.
Bidding on the knife begins, and when Barbara throws her hat in the ring, it arouses Bruce’s curiosity. (He’s already shocked to learn she’s alive.) The two go back and forth, and as the price reaches five hundred thousand, Barbara warns Bruce to back off. Bruce remarks that half a million is a lot of money for someone like Barbara and ups the ante to a cool two million. Penguin is only too happy to sell the knife to Bruce. Penguin warns Bruce that Barbara doesn’t give up easily, and she will be coming for the knife.
Do a Girl a Solid
Only Barbara sends Selina to fetch the knife. Bruce wants to know why the knife is so important to Barbara, but Selina isn’t sure. Barbara needs to procure it for a client who is supposedly a very dangerous guy, so Barbara sends the message that Bruce would just be wise to hand it over. Bruce doesn’t understand why Selina is working as Barbara’s errand girl, and she clarifies that they’re partners. But if Selina can’t get the knife, Barbara will never view her as an equal. Selina just want her pal Bruce to do her a solid, but he refuses.
One Smokin’ Gangster and a Broken Riddler
Gordon returns to Gotham, but he isn’t alone. Sofia decides to surprise him by showing up at the precinct. Sofia has come to help, and she doesn’t need Gordon’s or her father’s permission to do it — Gotham is her birthright. Jim questions if everything that happened between them was just her sizing him up, and Sofia insists says, “Not everything.” So, the sparks are real.
Gordon came looking for a gangster and that’s what he found. Sofia has been involved in daddy’s business for the past decade.
Ed regains his strength, and his first act is to knock Myrtle out and vanish. Penguin learns that Myrtle is the thief, and she informs them that Ed’s brain is broken. He’s unable to solve even the simplest riddles. The search for Ed continues, and Myrtle falls at the hands of Victor Zsasz.
All those months that Barbara was gone, she was actually training with Ra’s al Gul. And girlfriend has some moves. He isn’t happy to learn Barbara doesn’t have the knife, but all is forgiven when she reveals it’s in Bruce’s possession. Barbara doesn’t understand what’s so special about the knife, but Ra’s al Gul makes it clear that the knife is the key to everything.
Can Sofia Falcone be trusted? Is she just playing Jim, or will she prove to be a powerful ally? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Gotham airs Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX. Want more news? Visit our Gotham page on Facebook.
(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.
