Warning: Spoiler Alert
Once again the Fox series “Gotham’s” proved that it’s aptly capable of juggling several stories at once during an episode, some getting resolved by the end of the evening, other’s taking the form long-term story-arcs. We saw both in play in the latest episode “Red Hood,” as the characters depicted in the title, no longer pose a problem to Gotham City. However the episode ended with a beloved character, clinging to life, while Fish Mooney proved even as a captive she still calls the shots.
Our first image’s five men pull up in a van, exit the vehicle and head towards the Gotham Bank which they intend to rob. Four of the criminals hide their mouth and nose with a bandana or a turtleneck collar, but the older leader Destro, notices one of the guys clutching this red cloth and he asks what it is? The gang member says he made it, it’s a hood intended to spice things up a little. He puts the hood on and they walk into the bank waving their guns, Destro fires a shot at the ceiling and all the customers crouch down.
He starts to address the crowd, but the guy wearing the hood cuts him off and starts playing the showman. He jumps up on the bank tellers counter walking it like a catwalk, telling the customers they’re not interested in their money, just the bank’s money, that’s insured anyway. The elderly bank guard pulls a pistol from his sock and fires six shots at the Red Hood from 20 feet away and misses him with every shot. They knock him out. One of the members is counting down from two-minutes and when they reach zero they leave. But they see six cruisers headed straight towards them, however Red Hood provides a distraction, throwing hundreds of bucks in the air, causing a small riot and allowing them to escape.
GCPD Detective Jim Gordon goes to the bank to investigate the crime, even though he and his partner Harvey Bullock, work for Homicide and no deaths occur. Gordon notices the security camera and goes to the manager’s office to watch the surveillance footage. He’s joined by Bullock, who gripes about it being another creep in a mask. Jim says they did their homework, they just rifled the registers, left the vault alone and were in and out in less than two-minutes.
The manager’s secretary says she thought the man in the red hood was nice and Harvey’s incredulous, she explains he only took the bank’s money, left the customers alone and gave money to the people, like Robin Hood. Gordon tells her, Robin Hood robbed the rich and gave to the poor, these guys were just looking for a distraction to make their escape. Jim asks if the alarm went off recently and the secretary says a smoke bomb set it off about a week before. Gordon says they’ll need the surveillance footage from that day.
Yet another rainy night in Gotham City as we visit Wayne Manor, watching Alfred descending the stairs, holding a pistol as he goes to see whose knocking at the glass doors. He sees a man wrapped in a blanket standing with his head down, he opens the door and asks if he can help him. When the man raises his head Alfred realizes it’s his old mate Reggie, who he hasn’t seen in 20-years.
As he dries out in front of the fire we learn that Reggie Payne served with Alfred in Her Majesty’s Special Air Service and fallen on hard times. He lost his wife Vanessa, eleven years earlier and then he lost the house and then he got lost in a bottle. Bruce comes down and Alfred introduces Reggie as an old friend that had fallen on hard times. Wayne insists that Reggie stay with them for the next few days.
Fish Mooney’s now aware that the facility’s she’s imprisoned in is a facility to house people, who’ll get used for their body-parts, from limbs to hearts. She’s taken to see the Administrator of the facility and asks if he’s the owner, the man responds that he runs the business for Dr. Francis Dulmacher. She turns around to leave and the man asks where she’s going, she replies they have nothing to talk about. When the doctor returns she’ll speak to him, the man says they got off on the wrong foot, has her escorted to his bathroom, to take a shower and get some clean clothes.
The Red Hood Gang’s in the headline’s of the next day’s paper and the guy who wore the hood says whoever wears the hood should be the leader of the gang. The gang’s soon down to four as Destro kills the guy and takes the hood saying he’s right.
Oswald’s nearly empty, has a terrible standup comic on the stage who eventually gets stuff thrown at him by the five or six people in attendance. The bartender then tells the Penguin they’re out of booze, Butch tells Cobblepot that Maroni runs all the liquor and has cut the Penguin off because he despises him.
The Red Hood Gang strike their second bank, this time Destro wearing the hood and tries to pull off the speech by his now deceased associate. One of the customers on the floor asks the leader if he’s going to share some of their bounty with them as they can use the money. Destro finally says here you go and throws some money up in the air, then with giant laugh says Sayonara Gotham.
Harvey and Jim are studying the new surveillance, when another detective brings an Asian man in who saw the face of Destro, as the gang parked the van near his restaurant and he took out the trash when they came back from the robbery. Destro took the hood off to drive and he says he can identify him.
Reggie sees Bruce getting ready for his boxing lesson with Alfred and tells the boy to let him see his form. They then shadow box for a few minutes but Reggie knocks him down twice. The second time the boy’s upset and tries to attack Payne, but he loses his temper and Reggie pins the boy’s arms behind his head. He says you can’t lose your cool like that or you’re dead, then he tells Bruce to hit him in the face, which the boy does tentatively. Payne says somebody gives you a free shot you give it all you got, hit me again, again, again, again. The fourth time Bruce hits him hard enough to make his nose bleed.
Reggie says now hit me hard enough to make me land on my back and Bruce says he’s twice the boy’s size. Payne says use that to your advantage, go for the knee or the ankle, make yourself a weapon out of anything around, he grabs a cane and throws Wayne a pool cue. Alfred’s who’s watched all along, stops the proceedings and tells Bruce to take a shower. Reggie apologizes for over stepping his boundaries and Alfred asks if Reggie ever raised a child, Payne shakes his head no. Pennyworth says either had he and it’s the toughest thing he’s done in his life.
Penguin’s in a car with two hired hoods, who are going to kill Maroni’s men and steal his booze. However some cruisers show up, say they’re seizing the goods and tells the men to walk away, or get arrested. After the last of Maroni’s men leave, Butch Gilzean shows up and says the cops are his and the booze is now theirs.
The restaurant owner Mr. Chang, picked Destro out of the police files, so Bullock and Gordon form a lineup. Chang immediately picks out Destro as the Red Hood, but Harvey and Jim decide not to arrest him, but let him go and tail him hoping to find the rest of the gang.
Fish returns from her shower and the Administrator has two of his guys grab her. He says he wants her eyes so she has two choices, she and her fellow prisoners can all die immediately, or we can see how long you as a blind girl can survive the basement. Fish says he forgot about the third option, grabs a coffee spoon and gouges her eyeball out, then steps on it.
Destro returns to his apartment followed by Bullock and Gordon, when he enters, he’s nearly scared to death when he finds one of the gang’s inside. The guy wants the hood to impress his girlfriend, who thinks he’s a loser. Destro refuses to give it to him, so the guy shoots him in the gut, grabs the hood and bolts out the fire escape. Jim and Harvey hear the shot, run up to find Destro’s alive, but needs an ambulance, which Gordon calls for. He then sees rejected loan notices from three banks, the two the gang hit and the third the International Bank Of Gotham, the gangs next target.
Alfred and Reggie are talking when Bruce comes in with a bottle of wine from the family’s wine cellar and tells the two men to drink up. We see, them a bit later with two empty bottles on the table and the two men swapping war stories. Reggie explains to Bruce they were part of the Special Air Service, carrying out covert operations, he also reveals Alfred got caught by some enemies but escaped. Alfred says that’s enough and it’s time for bed. Bruce says goodnight and leaves the room, but stays hidden around the corner.
Alfred tells Reggie, his stay ends tomorrow, he’s found some fresh clothes and he’s made a sandwich for him to take with him. Reggie asks why Alfred hides who he is from Bruce, he’s a war-dog, a lethal weapon. Pennyworth ends the discussion saying he’ll see Reggie in the morning.
Later that night Alfred hears some clanking of metal and realizes Reggie’s robbing them. He tells Reggie to put down the bag with the purloined goods and leaves. Reggie says he wishes there was another way and stabs Alfred in the abdomen, then runs out. Bruce hears Alfred scream and comes down to find his guardian bleeding heavily. He calls for an ambulance and tells Alfred to stay with him.
The next morning the three remaining members of the Red Hood gang, arrive at the International Bank Of Gotham, but are soon joined by a score of police officers. They engage in a shootout and the police kill all three men. Gordon’s cell phone rings and we hear him ask, what hospital and then says he’ll be right there. It was of course Bruce who called him, from Alfred’s hospital room as Pennyworth’s on life support. Bruce says to Jim, I can’t lose him, he’s all I got and he hugs Gordon weeping inconsolably.
The final scene takes place in the boardroom of Wayne enterprises, we find out that Reggie worked for the board to try to ascertain if Bruce had any evidence against them. Payne tells them all the boy has are newspaper clippings and some notes he wrote. The he says he’s just a kid, a really good kid. Molly Mathis gives Payne an envelope stuffed with cash and says she doubts they’ll need his services again.
The Story Continues Next Monday Night, at 8:00 pm on FOX.
