Like most premieres, the main goal of “Better to Reign in Hell...” is to set up the season ahead. That said, I thought the start of “Gotham’s” third year was pretty good, setting up a lot of new status quos without feeling sluggish.
Six months have passed since the season finale. After a quick flashback establishes that he had no luck reuniting with Leslie (Morena Baccarin), we’re back on the streets of Gotham with James Gordon (Ben McKenzie), who’s taking on a spikey-backed Indian Hill escapee (who I don’t believe was based on an actual Batman character). But Gordon’s no longer a cop – he’s working as a bounty hunter, and relishing in the freedom it allows his downward spiral. “I get to go home when I want, get drunk when I want,” he brags to Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) at one point. “And at the end of the day, I sleep. ‘Cause saving Gotham’s not my job anymore.” While I mostly find his attitude towards the GCPD irritating (in particular, his contempt for Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) – who did not frame him for murder, did not force him to break up with Leslie, and is walking around with a cane because he nearly died protecting him from Azrael – bugs big time), I do think being a bounty hunter is a better fit for this iteration of Gordon. He was perfectly fine ignoring the rules and taking the law into his own hands when he was a cop so better to just drop the pretense.
Therefore, it’s only when a nervous Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) puts a million dollar bounty on her head does Gordon set out to capture Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith). After an early, unsuccessful run-in with her and her Indian Hill friends, Gordon decides to cut Fish off at the pass. And who does he use as bait? My beloved Ms. Peabody (Tonya Pinkins)! She’s under police protection because she’s going to testify against Dr. Strange, but Gordon diverts her detail and makes her the cheese in his mousetrap. Unfortunately, the Indian Hill-ers get the best of him again and make off with Peabody. So he impersonated a police officer, probably torpedoed the city’s case against Strange, and, we later find out, got a woman killed, with nothing to show for it. Gordon’s response? To roll his eyes at Barnes and slope off to get drunk. All in a day’s work for our “hero,” I guess.
So what’s Fish after, anyway? Well, it turns out that there’s an unexpected side effect to the powers Strange gifted her and his other patients with – they’re basically shredding their DNA every time they use them. The robbery Gordon foiled was about securing a drug that counteracts the symptoms. But Fish desires a permanent cure because she has big plans. “I want an army,” she bellows promo-style. “An army like me!” Ms. Peabody tells her that Strange is the only one who can help so I guess we can look forward to seeing the “good” doctor soon. Her usefulness at an end, Fish then turns Peabody over to Marv, a “fountain of youth in reverse,” who drains the life out of her. Sob! R.I.P., Ms. Peabody!
One thing I did really enjoy about the Gordon/Fish A-plot was the introduction of “Once Upon a Time’s” Jamie Chung as Valerie Vale. A reporter for the Gotham Gazette, the episode mostly uses her to pivot plot pieces into place. But I liked Valerie’s moxy, both in the writing for the character and in Chung’s portrayal, whether she was refusing to let the mayor steamroll over her at a press conference or – after Gordon reneges on their deal and cuffs her to a car – picking a lock with ease.
I’m also curious to see what the show does with Bullock going forward, as he gruffly tells Gordon to “stay away” when he realizes his friend used him to get Peabody’s location. It’s an interesting reversal, as Bullock was the one who quit the force last year with Gordon trying to bring him back into the fold. I’m also looking forward to seeing more of the slovenly Harvey with the starched Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk), who somewhat implausibly now works at the GCPD, seemingly filling Edward Nygma’s shoes. It’s not really believable that that’s where Lucius would end up – or that Bruce wouldn’t have wanted him to keep an eye on things at Wayne Enterprises – but I think there’s some fun to be had with this shakeup.
Speaking of Lucius’ old boss, Bruce (David Mazouz) and Alfred (Sean Pertwee) arrive back in town after some time abroad, making vague allusions to a master plan from which “there’s no turning back.” Later, at a Wayne Enterprises board meeting, we see Bruce calling out the secret society we know (but maybe he doesn’t) as the Court of Owls. Claiming he now has proof of their existence, he gives them the day to show themselves or he’ll leak it to the press. Instead, one of the Court’s assassins breaks into the manor that night and gets into a vicious brawl with Alfred. It’s an awesome fight sequence; Pertwee’s always so good in these action scenes. But alas, Alfred is eventually felled and Bruce is abducted.
Another danger Bruce doesn’t know anything about is his emo-haired doppelganger (also David Mazouz). We see him roaming the streets of Gotham, getting money off-handedly tossed to him by Selina (Camren Bicondova) and then encountering Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley). The lookalike doesn’t seem to know who he or Bruce are so these scenes are mostly a signpost for later. Unfortunately, what he does do is scare Ivy into following Selina to Fish’s hideout. Convinced she’s a spy, and over Selina’s pleas for mercy, Fish sends Marv after her. He gets his hands on Ivy for only a few seconds before she yanks away and seemingly plummets to her death. But I think we all know that this Ivy is going to regrow.
Finally, there’s Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), still on this show for some damn reason. She and Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) have opened up a lavish nightclub. The women are looking to go it on their own, refusing Penguin’s offer of protection and beating up a mobster that tries to muscle in. I just...I don’t care. It’s not a knock on either actress, or their chemistry together. But the cast of characters is bulging, particularly on the villains’ side, and these two are expendable as far as I’m concerned. The only thing I enjoyed about this subplot was how hilariously, hang-doggedly heartbroken Butch (Drew Powell) is about Tabitha dumping him.
Do you want to worship “Better to Reign in Hell...” or would you rather see it dethroned? Share with your fellow “Gotham” fans in the comments section.
