Gotham - Into the Woods - Advance Preview

Several recent story arcs come to a conclusion in “Into the Woods,” and while I’m a little concerned about how rapidly “Gotham” wrapped up these plots, this is a pretty solid installment of the show overall.

After the events of the last new episode (ably reviewed by Nirat Anop; thanks again, Nirat!), Gordon is back in Gotham, avoiding the authorities and attempting to clear his name. He and Bullock conclude that the person who framed him must have a connection to the police department (Gordon actually suspects ex-Commissioner Loeb, reasonable given what happened with the warden at Blackgate) and Gordon takes a risk in securing some hidden evidence that might help his cause. This brings him into contact with Edward Nygma – who us watching at home know is behind Gordon’s plight – and there’s some fun cat-and-mouse scenes that leave the audience guessing how much each man knows, who has the upper hand, etc. Gordon also gets an assist from a surprise ally that I really enjoyed.

Elsewhere in Gotham, Penguin is bidding adieu to his second parent of the season. And the “Cinderella” parallels from last week become even more prominent when he ends up being manipulated into serving as a manservant to his wicked stepmother Grace (with portrayer Melinda Clarke really ramping up her trademark, deliciously bitchy line readings) and her children. Grace’s greed, however, proves to be her undoing when Oswald stumbles upon something that makes him suspicious about the circumstances of his father’s death. It all leads to one of the most gruesome plot turns “Gotham” has ever cooked up.

The subplots are a mixed bag. On the minus side, Barbara. Out of her coma, she’s claiming in therapy that she’s, like, totally sane now. The ever-delightful Dr. Strange and Ms. Peabody debate whether she’s faking or not and Strange decides to conduct another of his “experiments” with her so Barbara ends the episode exactly where you would expect. But on the plus side, Bruce and Selina. He’s clearly taken to life on the streets with her (there’s a great sequence where they’re leaping across rooftops and Bruce has the biggest smile on his face). Sadly though, news from Alfred forces Bruce to make a difficult decision and pivots the show towards what I suspect will be the major story thread of the season’s final episodes.

“Gotham” goes “Into the Woods” Monday on FOX. Until then, trek on over to the comments section and share your thoughts and speculations.