This Ball of Mud and Meanness – After getting a gun from Selina, Bruce sets out with Alfred into the streets of Gotham to find his parents killer, Matches Mallone; but when he comes face-to-face with him, will he be able to pull the trigger? Meanwhile, Penguin’s therapy under Hugo Strange progresses and questions over Miss Kringle’s disappearance bring out something new in Edward Nigma.
It’s been a long time coming (and was drawn out way too much last season for little reward) but in this episode, we finally get some real payoff with a young Bruce Wayne confronting his parents' killer and a central dilemma over whether or not he’ll take his life in vengeance. It’s a conclusion pledged form the start yet still manages to twist and defy expectations when it arrives as the dynamic between killer and victim is very different than expected. The scene is crackling with tension and so well-written we’re hanging on every word, waiting for either character to make a move. The chemistry is so good between David Mazouz’s Bruce and Michael Bowen’s (Breaking Bad) Matches that have happily watched them go back-and-forth for the whole episode on notions of morality and criminality. Like last episodes, we see young Bruce’s character superbly straddling the line between child and man. He feels like both at different points in the episode, signifying his change into adolescence. Though what really impresses about Bruce’s whole arc this episode is the relevance it carries to his character development. The big climax sees him adopting a key Batman mantra, “You can’t kill murder, you can’t get revenge on evil; you can only begin to fight such things by not doing them”. Even the lighter earlier Bruce & Alfred scenes carry significance while still being plenty of fun. Sean Pertwee is an absolute riot as he even turns taking one hell of a beat down into a vital lesson for Bruce’s fight training, “Strength costs wind, now if you’re gonna beat a big man all you’ve got to do is out last him”. The fact that said big man goes by the name of Cupcake only makes that all the sweeter.
Despite plenty of great performances all around, this episode has a firm scene stealer in the guest staring Lori Petty’s (Tank Girl) Jeri. Initially, she comes with a red flashing warning light of being the show’s next “not The Joker” character, which she really is, but crucially there is no emphasis on such a tease and as such, no expectations from her. What get from her is more of a pseudo Joker character (a joker but not The Joker) that sustains the idea of the growing madness movement within Gotham inspired by Jerome’s televised demise. The Celestial Garden makes more a great set piece location as the collective social hive for these crazier Gothamites that’s a cross between Gotham’s CBGB and a festish club. The band is called The Maniax (the name of Jerome’s gang earlier in the season), and we even see Jerome’s face as one of the projector images. Then at the centre of all of this, we have Jeri (“some people call me that) with the calm tone of Glee’s Sue Sylvester and the chaos loving nature of Heath Ledger’s Joker. At almost no point does she feel threatening but at the same time, her confidence makes her feel imposing. She’s absolutely captivating as she casually wraps Bruce and Jim round her little finger. She’s the first character Gotham has ever produced that feels full on chaotic neutral, caring little for which way the wind blows so long as it holds her interest. It’s like she carries the anarchistic aspect of The Joker but has zero interest in being a criminal at this point at least. Both she and the Celestial Garden need a return visit before the end of the season.
Although only a minor feature in the episode, the Edward Nigma scenes really impress in the start of story that looks set to make him into a full blown Riddler persona (the trailer for next week has a lot of green question marks in it). The method feels organic as Jim’s investigations into Miss Kringle’s whereabouts leave Nigma in fear of exposure and therefore resorting to more drastic methods to keep his secrets. Cory Michael Smith gets a few really good psychotic moments as he declares game on with an as yet unknowing Jim. We know Jim is a man with plenty of secrets (most of all Theo Galavan’s murder), which gives Nigma/Riddler a lot of material to work with.
The Penguin & Hugo Strange scenes are also an enjoyable subplot. Robin Lord Taylor gives us just enough to question whether Penguin is reforming or just playing Hugo Strange. The whole idea of the ice cream test is brilliant but the best part by far is it that includes with Penguin leaving Arkham. While it’s been fun to use our favourite waddling King of Gotham to introduce Hugo Strange’s character in many ways, it’s a waste of his talent to keep him as such a smaller part of the overall story. So ending it now rather than drawing it out further was the right decision.
Despite giving some real degree of closure over the Wayne’s murder the conspiracy behind it is still teased (who hired Matches?). It’s something that can sit dormantly for a while because Bruce shows no immediate signs of needing to know and Jim has more pressing problems. This episode managed to deliver the dark humour style and spectacle that Gotham can do so well while still producing an outstanding story and dialogue based conclusion. There used to be a joke about every episode of Gotham ending in a gun fight. This episode is a firm reminder that it doesn’t need a shoot out for a killer climax. It doesn’t foot a foot wrong and in fact makes for one of Gotham’s best ever episodes to date.