“Ghosts” is a fitting title for an episode of “Gotham” – the first of the new year – that finds its characters haunted by faces from their pasts.
Despite his prominence in the promos and the previouslies, this episode only starts setting up the return of Jerome, the show’s proto-Joker, via a case of the week. Lucius Fox calls in Gordon and Bullock (and sidebar – why is Bullock, the acting captain, working a case like a regular cop?) to see a dead body, a woman who was found wandering the train tracks suffering from a massive electrical burn and later died of coronary failure. The twist is that this woman was already declared dead three days prior, from a stab wound. Amusingly, Lucius admits that “these days, I no longer say impossible...unlikely” when the startled detectives ask if reports of her death could have been exaggerated.
Visiting the morgue, Gordon and Bullock zero in on Dwight (David Dastmalchian, who interestingly enough appeared in “The Dark Knight” as a Joker goon), a jittery employee who they later learn last worked at Indian Hill. “Where else in Gotham do the dead get brought back to life?” Gordon snarks in non-surprise, with a bone-dry delivery from Ben McKenzie I really liked. They tail Dwight to a warehouse and discover that he’s part of a group of Jerome fanatics. And it’s actually quite creepy as we watch these dressed-up followers screen the infamous video of Jerome from the assault on the police precinct last season, echoing his manic rant with fanboyish glee. The cops lose Dwight in some commotion and, at the end of the episode, we see that he indeed has Jerome’s corpse and is planning to bring him back to life. To be continued...
But mostly, “Ghosts” deals with the fallout from the last episode before the break. First, there’s the aftermath of Gordon killing Mario. Suffice it to say, Falcone isn’t happy about Gordon going back on his word and fatally shooting his son. Gordon gets that confirmed when, seemingly (and amusingly) out of professional courtesy, Victor Zsasz pops by his apartment and warns that it’s only a matter of time before Falcone pulls the trigger, as it were, on a hit on Gordon. And pull it he does, as Zsasz comes after him while he and Bullock are in the middle of their investigation. Gordon manages to elude the assassin at first, but just when it looks like his goose is cooked, Falcone arrives and announces he’s called off the hit.
Why? Well, because of Leslie. At first, Leslie is just as furious as Falcone, and Morena Baccarin plays that dark widow turn to perfection when she storms into the precinct and demands that Gordon be arrested. “You’re the real virus, Jim,” she snarls at her ex-fiancé, “You seep into people’s lives until you destroy them.” And while she’s grieving and lashing out...girlfriend’s not exactly wrong. Still, Leslie has a change of heart after visiting Captain Barnes in Arkham (and wow does Michael Chiklis give a super campy performance during his brief appearance) and seeing the virus in full effect. And so she begs Falcone to call off Zsasz. Is there still hope for Gordon and Leslie? I’m not sure; he did still kill her husband right in front of her, not to mention Morena Baccarin’s development deal.
Elsewhere, the reunion between Selina and her mother Maria is off to a frosty start, as Selina isn’t interested in Maria’s (admittedly lame) apologies re: abandoning her 11 (!) years ago. But after some prodding from Bruce and a sentimental offering from Maria, Selina warms up to the idea of getting to know her mom again. It soon becomes clear, though, that Maria isn’t in town just to make amends and is either trouble herself or will bring some kind of trouble down on her daughter and her friends, it’s hard to tell at this point.
A couple of scattered thoughts about this storyline. I really like the physical casting of Ivana Miličević; she and Camren Bicondova really look like they could be related. The light flirting between Maria and a flustered Alfred was amusing. Also of note – Selina doesn’t know who her dad is, and Maria brushes off the question when it’s asked. That reminded me of my theory that Falcone will turn out to be her father in this continuity. And finally, the audience sees, but Bruce and Alfred don’t, that the owl statue they stole contains a hidden map that’s only visible when it’s exposed to sunlight.
The subplot I found the least interesting was Penguin’s. He should be on top of the world given his approval rating as mayor, but he’s dealing with a nosy reporter and a smarmy assistant standing in for Ed. But those annoyances seem trivial when he starts seeing a ghostly vision of his father (whose grave is also found empty), warning that “he’s not to be trusted.” This makes Oswald unravel (rather too quickly, I thought) and leads him to first murder said assistant and then humiliate himself during his live interview. The show then seems to treat the reveal that Nygma was behind these misfortunes as a surprise, but...it’s not, at all. Basil/Clayface from last season being part of the scheme was a nice touch, though.
That’s enough of me giving up the “Ghosts.” Share your thoughts on this week’s “Gotham” return, no matter how spooky, in the comments section.
