Look Into My Eyes

Ahead of time I must apologize for the change in format. I have been down with a pretty bad flu of late and as a result had to hurry this on a bit. Gotham is off the hook for week 3 but I’ll be back in week 4 with all the honest praise and criticism the show deserves. Thanks for understanding.

At Sirens Nightclub, Jervis Tetch performs a hypnosis show to the audience. He selects a man of the audience to be his volunteer thanks to his guess regarding the man’s wealth. After performing the hypnosis on the man, he whispers something to him before freeing him. Barbara questions whether people can do anything he says to which Tetch explains, “Only things they secretly wish to do.” This was easily one of the best moments of the episode. The Mad Hatter is played excellently by Benedict Samuel. Thankfully we did not have to sit through an hour long “introduction/origin/explanation/justification” of his character. He’s introduced in the actual story by the events of the plot. That’s good storytelling, something many millennials have completely lost sight of. There’s a flawed call for “character development” which can be translated as “lazy explanations coupled with bad rehashing of exposition that ultimately wastes story time.” I don’t know what they taught you folks, but your sense of character development is insane. We don’t need prequels and solo films/series to develop one character. We just need a good writer.

On Wayne Manor, Bruce’s doppelganger reveals to Bruce and Alfred that he’s named “514A” but “5” to be short and that he awoke in Indian Hill over a year ago and they performed tests on him. So basically he’s the girl out of Stranger Things. Bruce decides to let him stay with them although Alfred is worried about him. Turns out Alfred is…drumroll…bum bum bum! Once again right! 5 learned to imitate Bruce, cut his hair and up and left! He completed the task he was created for! If it comes out of Indian Hill, let’s have a slumber party, cos that’s gonna end well. Having slept with Valerie (who THANK GOD goes away and actually does her job today) Gordon goes to the GCPD to collect his bounty. He runs into Lee (predictably) who was being offered by Barnes to return. She explains that she is moving permanently to Gotham with her fiancé, who is a doctor in head trauma in the Gotham General and she is seeing to join the GCPD again.

Tetch goes and kills the guy he hypnotized the night before with hypnosis. Already he’s more dangerous than his comic counterpart. Turns out his sister Alice (you smarties) has poisonous blood, which is why she hides from people and torches them if she accidentally infects them. The Mad Hatter wants Gordon to find her, so the price is hefty thanks to his new source of income.

Obviously the funniest part of the whole season, Mayor James announces to the press that he plans on continuing on his position as mayor. However, Cobblepot and his ubiquitous mob interrupts the press to criticize the “corrupt” system and Mayor James and announces that he will run for mayor in the new elections. Cobblepot’s campaign is pretty much something right off the Donald Trump show. It’s obvious but it’s also funny. Who said TV cannot reflect the hilarity of the times? MAKE GOTHAM SAFE AGAIN.

5 has Selina in a car by the way. Even though she notices how different “Bruce” appears. Just thought you should know.

Cobblepot displayed a moment worthy of Season 1. He met with the former mayor James in a café. And the mayor has 5 or so gunmen turn on Oswald the moment he gets snippy. Powerful, sure. Until the entire population of plain citizen eaters stand up and turn guns on the mayor and his paltry gunmen. What a fun moment to watch.

Tetch performs again in the Sirens but almost gets killed by Barbara when he hypnotizes her to believe he does not love her. “She has a problem with rejection.” Gordon confronts Tetch about Alice so he takes him to the rooftop to talk but Tetch hypnotizes Gordon and sends him to climb on the ledge to fall to his death. Alice arrives and stops him. Tetch tries to talk her down but she shoots him in the shoulder, causing Gordon to awake from the hypnosis. Alice saves him from falling from the roof, afterward, he handcuffs her. What a dirty rat. Turns out that guy Lee is fianceing is Mario Falcone. Mario honking Falcone. They have dinner with Carmine Friggin Falcone and he gives them his blessing. When you gotta leave Jim there’s always the HEIR APPARENT TO A STINKING GOTHAM MAFIA GROUP. Why’s Lee even back on this show anyway? She was supposed to be the doctor not Mario. We’ll see how this turns out. Usually not pretty.

The episode was better than the last one. Easily. Many of the problems they had through the first couple were either not there or played a very small part.

8.5/10