Gotham 1.17 “Red Hood”

You know, I’m starting to sound repetitive here with my praising of Gotham, but believe me, this series deserves it!

And, boy, after watching this episode, which introduced another villainous Batman concept, with one visually impactful last scene — almost a nod to Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino — it is obvious that we are gearing towards the end of the season, and towards a really big season finale.

Avid Gotham viewers like me got an intense dose of craziness, both with the Red Hood’s plot, which was very cleverly crafted, as if the mask possessed unnatural qualities that transformed the one wearing it into someone filled with power and a hunger for more; and with the Mobsters of Gotham, who are fighting a more subtle fight now that the cards are on the table and all the past double-crossing and deceits are out in the open.

However, even after all of this goodness, it was one of the most personal parts of the episode that shined the most – the unexpected visit that Bruce (David Mazouz) and Alfred (Sean Pertwee) get at Wayne Manor in the middle of the night. And, though the real motives of this mysterious visit remained hidden until the final scenes, it served its purpose: to remind us who Alfred really was back in his days on the Secret Service, and the not-so-beautiful things he was forced to do. And even though Bruce knew already about some of his butler’s past, we watch as he becomes aware of things Alfred wanted to remain hidden.

Knowing who he was and the effort that he’s making to raise Bruce, and the tragedy that ensues — which shocks them to their core — leaves the duo more exposed, but also brings them closer than ever before.

As mentioned before, this episode focuses heavily on the origins of another Batman villain, the Red Hood, who will eventually become one of Gotham’s big players. So yes, Gotham introducing him was a big deal, and I felt it did the spirit of the character justice. Gotham is getting better and better at introducing villains, and I always wonder if at some point we will see the show jumping 10 years forward in time to see what kind of villainous Gotham an older, more seasoned Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) will have to face.

Speaking of the devil, I had been missing the camaraderie and interaction between Gordon and Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), and at last we get a reminder of the fun these two together can be, and how they really click on screen. And hey, you just got to love Bullock’s portrayal, getting himself a coke from a freezer where the first Red Hood was stashed. So disturbing, yet in him so simple and cool. It’s Gotham’s day to day, baby.

But if you want disturbing, if you really love disturbing, then your favorite part of the plot was the oh-so-unexpected move  by Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), who, after reclaiming her status in the worst of circumstances, confronts her captors, and, through her eyes, gives viewers some glimpses of the stuff that “Dr. DollMacker” (Obviously the Doll Maker, another one of Batman’s creepy and crazy villains) does to his “patients.” And, in refusing to be a pawn, a victim, of his, Mooney does the unspeakable, giving us that “Holly Sh&*^t!”  moment that a show like Gotham needs.

And while all of this happens, the world that Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has stolen from Mooney and Sal Maroni (David Zayas) seems to crumble, as his club isn’t working, mainly because the booze is not getting there, stopped by Maroni on a subtle move to honor his word to Falcone but also hit the Penguin where he knows it hurts the most. His pride and what now is his only safeguard from ending up where he began, on the streets of Gotham, with no one to back his play.

Next? We’ll see more of how right Bruce was in distrusting Wayne’s Board, and let’s hope some good news comes for our little guy. But, what the heck, the highlight will be seeing Fish with one fricking eye!