“Beware the Green-Eyed Monster” is a warning that several “Gotham” characters would have been wise to heed as the show closes out November with a semi-strong episode.
It’s the day of Leslie’s wedding to Mario and – despite Bullock’s objections as both friend and acting captain – Gordon is determined to distract himself with work. But the mangled corpse he’s called in to investigate ends up linking back to Mario, who, as we learned at the end of last week, has been infected with the Alice Tetch virus. The virus is fueling Mario’s jealousy of Gordon and so, planning to make Leslie hate him before killing him, he lays out a trap that Gordon is all too eager to step into. I personally find it pretty annoying that this same plot beat is being used again to remove an obstacle from Gordon’s path, to bring someone else down to his level, first professionally with Barnes and now personally with Mario. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting if Gordon had won Leslie back on his own merits?
In any case, there are good bits in here. There’s a fun interrogation scene between Gordon and the Mad Hatter that both Ben McKenzie and Benedict Samuel bring snap to. Morena Baccarin does a nice job with an emotional encounter Leslie has with Gordon later on. And the love triangle ends the episode in a cliffhanger-y place; curious to see what happens next.
Over in the B-story, Barbara takes all sorts of glee in pointing out to Nygma what’s been under his nose the whole time – that the Penguin is in love with him and had Isabella killed out of jealousy. Nygma’s dubious about her claims, but lets himself be goaded into finding out for himself. And suffice it to say, Ed and Oswald’s friendship is forever changed. Barbara also has another plan up her sleeve (right above the hand holding a martini) and what Babs is after has me intrigued.
Finally, Bruce and Alfred continue to align themselves with the Whisper Gang in hopes of securing a weapon to use against the Court of Owls. The resulting caper is a fun time, with proto-Batman and proto-Catwoman action from Bruce and Selina and a rip-roaring fight between Alfred and the Talon. And even more excitingly, a face familiar to Selina emerges from the shadows to lend a hand when she least expects it.
Don’t be jealous, you can see “Beware the Green-Eyed Monster” for yourself tonight on FOX. In the meantime, come talk “Gotham” in the comments section.
