Warning: Spoiler Alert
The Fox freshman series “Gotham,” broadcast their Fall Finale Monday night, in an episode, action-packed from the start, concluding with Detective Jim Gordon and a young Bruce Wayne, lots of lessons along the way. The detective and the boy-billionaire share the same philosophy, right can defeat might and that goodness always triumphs in the end. As the series takes the rest of the calendar year off, at least one of them may question that philosophy as the episode ended.
We also saw that underneath the genteel exterior of the Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth, lurks a man who seems to have gone through MI5 training with James Bond. Although the Batman Mythos, always hinted that Pennyworth came from a military background, but we’ve never witnessed a display such as this one in other versions of the tale. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Caine in the Christopher Nolan films, Sean Pertwee makes the screen crackle whenever he’s on camera.
Selina Kyle, who prefers the name Cat’s a guest at Wayne Mansion, as Jim Gordon asked Alfred and Bruce to keep her hidden until ADA Harvey Dent could build a strong enough case against Industrialist Dick Lovecraft, to try him for the murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne. Cat witnessed the killing and says she could identify the triggerman.
This episode opens with a woman whose appearance screams Assassin on the grounds of Wayne Manor, when a groundskeeper sees her and asks if he can help her. She asks if it’s the Wayne Estate and he confirms it, then offers to guide her back to the main road, she smiles at him and tells him she’s where she’s supposed to be, then swiftly snaps the man’s neck. Two male accomplices, both wearing leather outfits arrive and she barks out open him, they slit his torso and she smears some of his blood on her forehead.
Bruce’s trying to conquer his fear of heights by walking the third floor bannister, Cat gives him some tips that help, then he climbs off. She says he should join her climbing the midtown bridge, then she asks if he wants to kiss her and he responds no thank you. She knows he’s fibbing so she says no, sarcastically and he explains that he’d like to, but feels she’s got ulterior motives. She tells him he thinks too much, she was just trying to act nice and he tells her she’s not a nice person. He says she’s a good person, but she really doesn’t want to help others, she responds by saying screw you orphan, climb the bridge yourself.
Front door rings, Alfred opens it and it’s the female assassin, with a blanket wrapped around her and saying she got in a car accident. Alfred invites her in and kids come down stairway, as soon as woman sees Cat, her eyes give her away and Alfred tells Bruce and Cat to run, then slugs the woman in the jaw. The two men enter and one goes with the woman to find Cat, while Alfred battles the other, with the criminal holding a pistol and Pennyworth staving him off with a wooden stick, knocks the gun out of his hand and the guy runs. Gunfire ensues, Alfred gets winged but he kills one of the men, but the kids and the other two assassins are gone.
Gordon arrives in the next scene and Alfred blames everything on him and bringing Kyle to the house, but Jim says that’s not certain. Seconds later proves Alfred correct as Harvey Bullock walks in and says Kyle’s mug-shot was the only thing found on him. Then Jim has to tell Harvey everything about his arrangement with Dent, trying to keep Selina safe so she can testify and of course Bullock blows up and for good measure Alfred calls Jim a plank, the two detectives split up to expand the search and Pennyworth joins Harvey.
Cat and Bruce out maneuver the pair after them and they’re right outside of Gotham City, Kyle tells Bruce that the assassins were after her not him, how could they know she’s hiding there. Bruce now panic-stricken says he needs to call Alfred, Cat tells him as soon as she gets him safely hidden she’ll find him a phone.
We travel to the estate of Carmine Falcone, as two of his goons bring in a guy with a black hood over his head and it’s Oswald Cobblepot, as the henchmen leave we can see that Falcone’s legitimately angry. He asks Penguin how did Maroni know where Falcone kept his money and Cobblepot swears that Maroni didn’t hit the armory, that it may have been someone in his own employ. The Crime-Boss says that Cobblepot’s hatred of Fish Mooney may cloud Penguin’s judgment and right then Mooney’s mole Liza walks in with a tray of tea, Carmine asks her to return later. Penguin says he’ll find the mole in Falcone’s organization, even though he’s well aware that Liza’s the guilty party.
Gordon heads to Harvey Dent’s office saying Lovecraft’s disappeared, Dent says he’s struck out trying to find him as well. Gordon didn’t tell Dent where he was hiding Kyle or her name, he asks the ADA if he mentioned Gordon’s name. Dent responds that he never said his name out loud, but he whispered it to some trustworthy sources. Gordon then tells Dent, if either kid gets a scratch it’s all on Dent and storms out of the office.
Bullock and Pennyworth have a teenaged guy in the interrogation room and the kid’s playing games so Alfred peels off a c-note and gives it to the kid. The guy says he knows Cat’s got a new fence but he doesn’t know where he hangs out, but he’s got the name of someone who would. Another hundred later, the guy tells them to talk to Fish, all the fences go through her.
We see Fish in the next scene as all Falcone’s gang leaders seated for dinner, waiting for the Don to arrive. We hear a gunshot, then see one man at the table’s now face down in his pasta. Carmine excuses them all for shocking them, but he wants to explain the context. He said that he loved Ben, (the man he shot) they grew up together, but Ben’s job was to guard the Armory and he didn’t, he also might have looked the other way. He then says if anyone at the table’s involved, they’ll wish they died like Ben did. Falcone then tells the gang leaders he’s raising their tariffs 25% and two of the leaders say that’s a big increase. Carmine asks Fish what her thoughts are and she says we’re a family, whatever helps the family. Falcone compliments her but we can see the tension between the two of them.
Bruce and Cat find a payphone, but Wayne doesn’t carry change and asks Cat if she’s got any, but she shakes her head then asks why Alfred’s so important, he’s just a butler, Bruce responds he’s my family and Cat gives him a coin. As he starts to make the call she tells him she’s leaving, that he’s safe and to head home. She only told him the bad guys were after him, so he’d hang around longer. Bruce tells her she has to come home with him so she can testify at the trial, she looks at him with pity and tells him that wouldn’t happen, then climbs a fire escape. He follows her up to the roof and she leaps from one rooftop to the next, he attempts to follow her but stops at the edge when he looks below. He gathers his courage and heads backwards to make a running leap, Cat tells him he’ll never make it, but he lands on the ledge, she grabs his hand and pulls him onto the roof. She says if they’re hanging it’s going to be by her rules.
She takes him to this subterranean culture known as “The Factory,” she explains it’s a mall for street kids, without the lousy music. She gets Wayne some street clothes and he looks like a normal 12-year-old heading to ride his skateboard. All of a sudden a little voice says hello to Cat and she turns around to find Ivy Pepper standing behind her, Kyle gives her a big hug and asks what’s she doing there. The daughter of the man who Gotham City officials pinned the Wayne’s murder on, says she got adopted by a nice couple upstate, but they wanted her to cut her hair and dress nice, so she ran back to Gotham.
Bruce suddenly looks at her and says he knows her, she’s Mario Pepper’s daughter and Ivy asks him his name and he tells her, which gets Cat quite edgy. Cat tells Ivy to stay cool and we see a little psychotic interlude by the pre-teen asking Cat why she’s trying to give her orders. She says she’s fine, that Bruce didn’t kill her dad or force her mother to slit her wrists, did he? Bruce says of course not, she says good, then asks him how he’s doing, he responds he’s fine and asks how she’s doing. She says she’s doing great, how do I look? Bruce tells her she looks good and Cat makes an excuse to get away. She’s clearly terrified of the girl and when Bruce asks her why she says she’s scary.
At Mooney’s nightclub, Butch tells Fish that he’s nervous about Falcone figuring out they knocked off the armory, Fish tells him to have conversations with the two gang leaders who squawked about their tariffs being raised and she leaves the main bar and heads upstairs. Just then Bullock and Alfred show up and Harvey says they need to speak to Fish, Butch tells them she’s busy. Bullock pulls out the mug-shot of Kyle and asks if he knows her, asks if Fish might know her and Butch says Mooney knows everybody. Bullock once again asks to speak with Fish and Butch replies the same way.
Alfred interjects that he knew a fella named Butch, who was anything but, in fact his mates called him Butchie, as he wasn’t the least bit tough. Mooney’s right-hand man looks to Bullock and asks if this guy’s threatening him, but seconds later he’s on sprawled on his back on the floor, with Pennyworth crouched over him, holding a blade to his Adam’s Apple. Fish comes downstairs and asks what’s all the drama about.
Harvey show’s Mooney’s Kyle’s mug-shot and she says she looks familiar, then reveals she knows all about Selena witnessing the Wayne’s murder and the hit squad that’s after her. But she asks Bullock why she should care and Alfred says because Bruce Wayne’s with her, and Fish sounds intrigued when she says really. Alfred then tells her he’s Wayne’s legal guardian and properly introduces himself. She’s somewhat charmed but she asks why she should do something that could damage her own interests. Pennyworth responds that anyone can clearly see she has grace and class and surely she’s filled with compassion and empathy, Mooney’s swept off her feet and says she’ll make some calls.
Gordon locates Dick Lovecraft at his mistresses’ condo and Lovecraft says that he and Dent think he’s running things, but the same assassination team’s after him. He pulls a briefcase out from under the bed, then starts telling Jim that a few weeks before the Wayne’s murder he saw the stock price dropping so he bought a bunch of shares expecting it to bounce back, that’s how he got involved with the true ringleaders. Just then the assassins break into the condo, Gordon knocks down the guy, but the woman gets him in a sleeper-hold and knocks him out.
Gordon’s woken by the ringing of his cellphone, Bullock’s on the other end and Fish found out they’re at “The Factory,” they’re heading over there. Jim tells Harvey what happened, says he’ll get there as soon as he can. He walks into the bathroom and sees Lovecraft’s body in the tub with a bullet between the eyes, he then realizes the assassins used his service revolver to kill Lovecraft.
Cat and Bruce head to her fence a guy named Clyde, who seems happy to see her. She pulls out her booty and it’s stuff she stole from the mansion and Bruce gets outraged, but she told him to keep quiet. Clyde says this is far better than her usual junk and she asks for a grand, the fence laughs at her and says he’ll give her 50 bucks. Bruce gets ticked-off and says the pen’s solid-gold and costs $2000 and Clyde asks who the well-spoken dude is? Cat says it doesn’t matter $500 is her lowest offer and Clyde laughs again. She picks up the stuff but two of Clyde’s guys grab them and the fence says someone’s coming to visit her. They lock the pair up in an upstairs loft, with windows 20-feet off the floor.
The female assassin pays off Clyde, then her partner heads into the room see’s the open window above, but Kyle’s hiding right behind him and knocks him out with a blunt instrument, they climb towards the window but the female assassin spots them and she starts her chase. Staying behind, Wayne throws about a dozen metal pipes trying to hit the woman but misses each time, however it bought Cat the time to reach the window and start to climb out. The woman climbs the structure Bruce’s on, grabs his ankle and points her pistol at him. She asks where Selena is and Bruce says he doesn’t know. The woman says he’s not on the contract but she’ll hurt him if he refuses to cooperate. He tells her she’s gone, the woman puts down the pistol and says to Bruce that she’s got advice for him, don’t mistake bravery for good sense. Alfred and Bruce meet on the stairwell and tightly hug each other, Gordon sees the boy and says thank God.
The next scene takes place in Mayor Aubrey James’ office and he’s chewing out Dent and Gordon for digging too deep. James tells Gordon that they’re going to rule it a suicide, Lovecraft got distraught and overpowered Jim, grabbing his weapon and shooting himself in the head. He then tells the two of them they’re on thin ice and one of them will pay for this incident, Dent says that’s rather unfair and James tells him it’s not going to be him, because he walks the line without falling over, Gordon keeps falling. Jim tells the Mayor to kiss him where the sun doesn’t shine and James blames Gordon for being overzealous in questioning Lovecraft. Gordon’s been reassigned as a guard at the Arkham Asylum.
Bruce’s in the library when we hear Cat’s voice telling him they’ve got a lousy security system. Bruce smiles and says he didn’t think, he’d see her again. She says they never said goodbye and she hands him all the stuff she stole back, but Bruce says she should keep it. She says she’s just being nice and shows him the one thing she’s keeping, as he looks at it she kisses him then leaves through the open window.
