Gotham - These Delicate and Dark Obsessions - Advance Preview

This week’s episode of “Gotham” – “These Delicate and Dark Obsessions” - marks the directorial debut of series star Ben McKenzie. And he does a good job imbuing it with mood and suspense as several characters find themselves at crossroads.

Unsure whether to believe Frank’s story about their family’s connection to the Court of Owls, Gordon decides to at least look into his father’s case and what he finds gives weight to his uncle’s words. That’s good news for Frank, as he’s desperate to get Gordon on-side to help him stop the Court from unleashing a mysterious weapon they claim will cleanse and level the city. But another revelation forces Gordon to once again weigh his own personal satisfaction against the greater good of Gotham. Also look for Gordon to confront one of the city’s power players, and ask another for a big favor.

Meanwhile, Bruce wakes up in captivity, in a maze of a temple that’s home to a mysterious shaman (Raymond J. Barry of “Justified”). After assuring a defiant Bruce that nobody will be noting his absence (we don’t get any fakery from “Five” this week, which I was kinda fine with), the shaman has a lot to say about the teaching Bruce requires and his destiny as the “symbol” Gotham needs. But first, he forces Bruce to face one of his worst nightmares.

Finally, the Penguin – with the help of the amusingly bratty Ivy Pepper – is determined to build an army so he can get revenge on Nygma and reclaim his throne as the king of the Gotham criminal underworld. But Oswald quickly finds that his old tactics aren’t going to work anymore. To my surprise, I liked this unlikely pairing. It’s fun seeing Robin Lord Taylor interact with someone new and Maggie Geha – finally getting something substantial to do in this story – continues to be great at portraying Ivy’s adolescent personality in an adult body.

You can explore “These Delicate and Dark Obsessions” this Monday on FOX. And as always, you can share any and all “Gotham” thoughts and theories in the comments section.