In the fall, they rose. But as the second season of “Gotham” resumes, it’s the “Wrath of the Villains” we should fear. And the spring premiere – “Mr. Freeze” – introduces two intriguing new wrongdoers into the mix.
Let’s start with the titular character. Gordon returns to the GCPD after a month-long suspension and is immediately drafted into investigating a “weird one” with Bullock. A police officer has been found frozen to death and they soon discover a link to a series of abductions. The culprit, of course, is Victor Fries (Nathan Darrow, “House of Cards”), a scientist with a convenient last name (there’s a funny bit of Bullock/Gordon banter about how to pronounce it) and a cryo gun. His motivations should be familiar to anyone who’s seen the acclaimed Mr. Freeze episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series,” or sat through Arnold Schwarzenegger punning it up in “Batman & Robin.”
The show has some macabre fun with the freezing and smartly seems to be taking the Firefly approach to this arc. I also thought Darrow and “Being Human” alum Kristen Hager (who portrays Fries’ terminally ill wife Nora) had nice chemistry and sell the deep, tragic love fueling his actions. But I do wish they hadn’t rushed through some of these story beats.
Meanwhile, after a month on the run, the Penguin is arrested and charged with the murder of Theo Galavan. The news naturally unnerves Gordon, given he was the one who actually murdered Galavan and he can’t be sure his frenemy won’t sell him out. But seemingly beaten down by losing his empire and his mother, Oswald takes all the blame and gets shipped to Arkham Asylum. It’s there he meets Dr. Hugo Strange (B.D. Wong, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), the hospital’s chief of psychiatry, and it quickly become clear to Penguin that Strange is no ordinary therapist.
Wong is an actor I’ve always liked and he exudes a great quiet menace as Strange. I’m really looking forward to him and Robin Lord Taylor sharing scenes in the weeks to come. And Strange’s presence looks to push forward one of the show’s longest-running threads in a more prominent way.
In subplot news, Harvey Dent and Captain Barnes are both skeptical and suspicious about Gordon’s role in Galavan’s death. And sparks fly when a surprising alliance is formed to take control of the Gotham criminal underworld.
“Mr. Freeze” will send a chill down your spine next Monday on FOX. Until then, share your speculations about “Gotham”’s spring premiere in the comments section.
