Yes. This is what the expression of back on track must refer to. Or the more common: “Yes, sir!”
Gotham doesn’t get shy and surpasses the speed limit, delivering a really good episode, with solid dialogue and character developing that helps advance the plot in a meaningful and serious way.
The way it managed to do so was even more enjoyable because it mixed both old-school comic book villain stuff with the more noir, crime side of the series. There have been episodes where the plot required one approach or the other, but in this one the balance was really well-managed, with some powerful developments on the mobster side of things. Developments that, though not really surprising, as they had been slowly building almost from day one, I thought happened really fast with so many episodes left to end this first season.
Which, then again, leads us to believe that there will still be plenty of twists on the big gang war plot before the whole thing is over.
It’s great to finally see Falcone (John Doman) getting his act together, and remembering who he really is and the role he must play in Gotham in the days to come. It was funny seeing how close Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) came to her big win after so much careful planning, just to have everything taken from her in the last minute, thanks again to the meddling of the insidious Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), who is playing a game with so many players in it he runs the risk of getting caught by one of them.
We were offered a fun tease at that, when the aftershock of the attack of the Electrocutioner (Cristopher Heyerdahl) left him wounded and in such a shock that he spilled he had to meet his real boss, Falcone, while his current employer, Sal Maroni (David Zayas) was sitting next to him, hearing the whole thing. Great scene and a fun way to open the door to Maroni having suspicions and second thoughts about Penguin’s true loyalties. I bet the “sick mom” card is not going to be something poor Oswald is going to play very soon.
Something that’s been nagging at me after watching each of the two episodes that have come after the mid-season finale, is how both Alfred and young Bruce have completely disappeared, with not even a minute of screen time. Before the break both these characters on their own and their particular relationship had been explored in each episode with more craftsmanship, to the point where Alfred had become one of this reviewers’ Gotham favorites.
I hope them not appearing is just a question of presenting new characters and advancing the mob war plot, and we are going to get them back soon.
Don’t get me wrong, Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) getting cocky and rebelling to work with the GCPD on getting the Electrocutioner, while confronting Commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari) on the character’s official introduction on the show, was great, and the way Gordon’s attitude towards Gotham’s inner workings still drives Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) crazy is too much fun; never getting old.
As I said on my previous review, this cop couple has been a great casting choice, and their synergy gets better and better with each episode. And though sometimes it might feel like a bit too much, the kamikaze way in which Gordon conducts himself towards everyone — a surprised Commissioner Loeb who gets blackmailed by Jim into getting his badge back, a wounded Sal Maroni who gets accused of past crimes without hard evidence — is making the character one of the favorites. However, the show has to be careful, and not exploit the dynamic too much, or it might get old, and therefore, ineffective.
It was a refreshing touch to see how the sparks of the previous episode with Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) became something more, with that passionate scene right before the end. Let’s give poor Jim some love and fun! He has to have a reason to smile once in a while! And while his Barbara (Erin Richards) is gone finding herself, there’s room for the doctor…
Next episode promises to be another bang, as we continue the gang war plot, and each day the net gives us news about new characters appearing on the show…It’s a great time to be a Gotham fan.