Warning: Spoiler Alert
The show-runners for the FOX series “Gotham,” have two episodes remaining in their freshman campaign and the show’s wrapping up its initial run strongly, as characters start to reveal their true selves, some setting and others crossing limits. The multiple subplots within the series, took some dramatic turns in the episode entitled “Under The Knife,” a title significant in many of the stories.
We start the evening seeing Bruce Wayne on the wrong side of Gotham City, getting harassed by some punk, who tells Wayne he’s too far from home. Selina Kyle, scares the guy off flashing her knife, she’s just returning from the shooting gallery, they found Reggie Payne in, during the previous episode and where Kyle pushed him out a fifth-floor window to his death on the concrete below.
Bruce asks her why she killed him and she said if she hadn’t Payne would have told his boss Sid Bunderslaw, a Wayne Enterprises executive. Selina says that he’s likely the guy behind the attempt on her life, the attack on Alfred and perhaps the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Bruce says that Bunderslaw’s likely has any confidential information in the safe in his office. Selina will get a chance to steal the key to the safe, as Bruce’s guest at the Wayne Enterprises Charity Ball.
Jim head’s to Lee’s apartment to check on her when she doesn’t answer her cell-phone, she’s in the middle of taking a bath, when she hears the sound of broken glass in her apartment. She wraps a towel around herself, then grabs a carving knife from the kitchen, nearly losing it when a stray cat comes out from under her bed. The cat came in via the fire-escape of her open window, she places the cat back on the fire-escape and starts making a call, when she feels someone behind her and whacks Jim in the head with her land-line receiver.
As he recovers from the knock on the noggin, he tells Lee about the Ogre, a serial killer that’s murdered at least 12 women over the last eight-years. The reason he’s evaded capture, is he killed the wife of the first detective on the case. Ever since then the GCPD have kept his killings the department’s “Dirty Little Secret.” He tells Lee she needs to leave Gotham City, she says you want to protect me, catch him.
Jason Lennon, the Ogre’s in a Gotham City bar and introduces himself, to the woman he believes is Gordon’s girlfriend Barbara Kean. She invites him back to her place and he sees an invitation for the Wayne Charity Ball. She says she’s part of high-society, she goes there every year to have her picture taken and hands Jason a drink. He asks if she’s not scared of him being alone with her in her apartment? She smiles and asks if he’s dangerous, he says what if her boyfriend walks in and she says she never said she had a boyfriend. He says well I assumed because you’re so beautiful, she interrupts him, saying that he thought she had a boyfriend and was the kind of girl who would cheat on that boyfriend. He’s got a knife out, but he puts it away when she says if a bus hit her the next day, nobody would notice.
She asks if that changes things and he says it does, she says he’s spared himself the chance to meet the real her, which would send him running away screaming, like everybody else. She then tells him to let himself out, Lennon’s actually intrigued by her, no longer perceiving her as a target.
We head over to the Umbrella, as Penguin’s trying to keep his mother patient, while he goes to meet a guy named Connor about taking out Sal Maroni and all his gang leaders. Connor asks if Falcone’s approved the move, Cobblepot says he will when it’s done. Connor starts to walk away, when Penguin says he guesses the hitman’s satisfied being in second place. He says Carmine Falcone always goes to Victor Zsasz, for any contract hits, but if Connor brings him Maroni’s body, the equation would change. Connor likes the way Oswald thinks and tells him to meet him the following afternoon at the bar.
Harvey brings in Detective Ben Mueller, who was the first detective on the Ogre’s case and his wife got killed by Lennon. Gordon asks about the notes he scratched out eight-years earlier, Mueller looks at Bullock saying he already lost his wife to this guy, he’s afraid of losing his daughter. But the pair convince him the Ogre needs to be stopped and he reveals the medical clinic, the first victim worked at. It’s a cosmetic surgery clinic located at 80th and Grant, as Jim and Harvey leave the station, Lennon’s sitting outside in his car, taking pictures of Gordon.
Ed Nygma catches Kristen Kringle kissing a uniform in her office. The cop Tom Dougherty, asks if she forgives him, he walks by Ed calling out hey riddle man. Kringle asks if she can help Ed and he says he’s got files Gordon wants looked up. He notices some bruising on her wrist and asks if Dougherty left the marks? She says it was her fault, she got him upset with something she said, but Ed responds he can’t do that to her. She tells Nygma it’s none of his affair and she has to get back to work, but as Ed leaves, we see something’s snapped.
The doctor in charge of the clinic tells the pair the first victim worked their briefly and was recommended by a patient. He refuses to give up the patient’s name, forcing the two detectives to get a warrant. As they leave the clinic, they see Lennon’s car in an alley, Jim says the same car was in front of the station. Lennon heads straight for the two cops as they dive out-of-the-way, they don’t see his face but they know it’s the Ogre.
They return to the station and tell their commander Captain Sarah Essen and a uniform comes over to Gordon telling him he’s got an urgent call. Gordon picks up and it’s Lennon on the other end and they both get into a spitting contest. Gordon tells his Captain they have to show the Ogre they’re not afraid.
After making sure Lee approves, Jim holds a press conference, telling the citizens of Gotham City they’ve got a serial killer in their city. He’s killed with impunity for eight-years, supported by a culture of fear and silence from the GCPD. He says that ends now, we’re releasing the names and pictures of all the victims and are asking for any information. He then says to the killer, I’m coming for you and I’m not going to stop, Jason watches it on the TV in his loft.
Alfred is feeling better and back to duties, surprising Bruce, but young Wayne tells his butler that he’s attending the Wayne Charity Ball that evening and he’s invited Selina as his guest. Alfred says he’ll be there as chauffeur only, staying with the car as the young couple dance. Bruce has the proper clothes sent to Kean’s apartment for Selina to wear to the ball.
Bullock gets a call at the station the client that recommended the first victim’s Constance Van Grut, a member of one of the city’s oldest families. Harvey thinks maybe she’s the mother of the Ogre so they head to the address.
Penguin gets back to the Umbrella, happy as a kid at Christmas as Connor’s agreed to take out Maroni and his men, Penguin’s partner Butch Gilzean, tells him to shutup as Maroni’s in the bar and having drinks with Cobblepot’s mother Gertrude. Maroni tells him to join them.
Bruce meets Barbara as he arrives to pick up Selina, whose not too pleased at getting dressed up and complains the shoes hurt. Barbara tells them to have fun and to look for her at the event.
Harvey and Jim arrive at the Van Grut mansion, just in time to cut the family’s butler from hanging himself to death. He’s Jason’s father and Van Grut’s decomposed body’s still in her bed hidden by the butler Jacob Skolimski. He says his son made just one mistake, the rest are all lies. We see pictures of Skolimski with his son Jason all over the house, but each picture has Jason’s face scratched out.
Bruce and Selina dance at the ball looking for Sid Bunderslaw, he says she crossed a line in killing Payne she can never cross again. He says he wanted to kill him as well, but that’s a line he’ll never cross. She says that’s where they differ, because she’d react the same way and feels no guilt at all. Bruce looks across the room and sees Bunderslaw, they start to head towards him.
Skolimski tells him that Van Grut formed a very strong bond with her son as a child and Jason believed she was actually his mother. She was senile and cruel and pretended that she was, but when he got older he wanted her to declare him her son and she told him it was all a prank. He snapped and killed her, that was the last he’d heard from his son, until earlier that day. But he said his son couldn’t seduce any women, he has two photographs of Jason, his face terribly disfigured. Jim thinks perhaps he had plastic surgery done at the clinic his first victim worked at. The doctor who runs the clinic confirms he performed surgery on Jason.
Barbara’s standing and drinking at the ball when someone asks her to dance, it’s Jason. She asks why he didn’t tell her he got invited, he says he wasn’t on the list until earlier that day, when he donated ten thousand dollars to the charity, hoping to see her there. He then tells her he thinks they’re very much alike, very different people inside than people perceive them to be. He says he created the person he is now and can do the same for her. He then whispers in her ear and she smiles.
A little bit further down the dance floor, Bruce introduces himself to Sid Bunderslaw, as Selina picks the executive pocket, getting the key for his safe. As he walks away, Selina sees Barbara starting to leave, escorted by Jason Lennon, Bruce asks her what’s wrong and she says all’s good.
Back at the Umbrella, Sal asks Gertrude if she’s putting on an act, does she realize that her son’s a psychopath, or is she really that stupid? He asks her when she first realized she gave birth to a monster, the old woman nearly faints from the shock. Oswald says Maroni will pay for his actions, Sal that may happen but now she knows the truth.
Nygma follows Kristen Kringle back to her apartment then sits in his car waiting for Tom Dougherty to show up. When he does, Ed gets out of his car and yells for Dougherty to stop, then tells the cop he thinks he better leave Kringle alone and he should leave the city. Dougherty laughs before punching Ed in the gut, he sinks to the ground and Tom picks him up to hit him again, but Ed stabs the cop in the gut with a knife, repeatedly until Dougherty falls to the ground dead. Nygma looks at the knife, covered in blood, and keeps repeating oh no, but then starts hysterically laughing. We’ve seen the birth of the Riddler.
Maroni sends roses to Gertrude, Penguin tells the delivery man to tell Maroni he’s a dead man and throws the vase on the hallway floor, then slams his apartment door. He opens it quickly, tells the deliveryman he’ll deliver the message himself and slices the man’s throat open with the shards of glass.
The final scene’s in Jason’s loft, she sees his S&M room and asks what’s in there, he tells her to check it out. She walks in and sees all the bondage stuff, he enters soon after and he’s met by a smile from Kean.
The Story Continues Next Monday Night at 8:00 pm on FOX.
