[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Director: TJ Scott
Writer: Denise The
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue & David Mazouz
Summary
The Red Hood gang tries to ruin Penguin’s reputation while Bruce and Gordon deal with their respective feelings for Selina and Valerie.
Positives
The relationship between Nygma and Penguin is so genuinely heartwarming. Their chemistry is infectiousness. It’s over the top and goofy but every second they interact is pure gold. I really hope Nygma is not pretending as the episode hints because that would be the worst break up to ever happen on this show.
I adore the “Mayor Penguin” montage. The chef hat was such a nice touch; I lost it when I saw that scene. It’s so funny but also endearing. I legitmately get the feeling that Penguin wants to be a good mayor and keep Gotham safe. Which is so weird but it’s one of the things I love about this show. Weird is the name of the game. I also like how consistent the writers are with Penguin’s parents and how much they mean to him. I love that he has a statue of his mother; that is so sweet but also very in character.
Bruce is relevant! David Mazouz actually gets to interact with other members of the cast including Robin Lord Taylor. It is so nice to see him out of that mansion and playing with the other actors besides Sean Pertwee and Camren Bicondova. Mazous has a couple of really strong moments with Ben McKenzie. They have a really good dynamic that I’ve missed. The two don’t have enough scenes together as of late.
The episode does manage to make the main cast all work together in one episode. And every single cast member appears. That’s not an exaggeration; everyone is here. It doesn’t completely work, which I will get to, but this is probably the best it has ever been. Most of the characters felt relevant but not over-used and there is one main plot with small subplots continuing or being set up. In terms of narrative, this is much more traditional for Gotham as opposed to its usual insanity.
Negatives
While most of the cast is well integrated, Ivy is the sole exception. I have no idea why she is in this episode. She talks to Selina for two seconds and then spends most of the episode as a glorified extra. Why is she here? She adds nothing.
I still don’t care about Butch and Tabitha. The plot revolves heavily around them and I’m just not invested. I think they can be entertaining at times but I certainly have no patience for their romance or the love triangle with Barbara. Unless that love triangle leads to Barbara being even crazier. I will gladly accept that.
There is no point to the Red Hood gang. The writers do nothing to further the idea of the Red Hood as a symbol. It’s just a random gang that wears that mask for absolutely no reason.
Everyone seems to know that Lee is marrying a Falcone including Gordon. How? And why is everyone is so chill about it? Don’t get me wrong; I am glad that Gordon is being mature and there is no painful drama. But Falcone said it was a secret and yet, everyone knows. I am officially confused. And why is no one freaked out? She’s marrying the son of the biggest crime lord.
Verdict
This is an okay episode. It certainly is crazy enough for me. The episode is over the top with several wonderful moments mainly from Nygma and Penguin. But, there’s a lot of pointlessness especially with the Red Hood gang; that’s disappointing. And the episode focuses on two of my least favorite characters. It is worth the watch but not as much fun as I had hoped.
