In the case of the nineteenth episode of the third season of “Gotham,” “All Will Be Judged,” I the jury find the A-plot guilty of being a waste of time, but I’ll let the subplots off with a warning.
Trying to track down the Alice Tetch virus bomb, Gordon and Bullock figure out where one of the Court of Owls’ safe houses is. But their search is interrupted by Barnes, who has been sent after Gordon by Kathryn. Wearing a ridiculous leather jumpsuit, and an axe on his arm kinda like the titular villain in “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,” Barnes has fully embraced his virus-fueled identity as the Executioner and is determined to punish Gordon for his perceived crimes. Honestly, I was biased against this story from the start. I have never liked the way the show has written the balance of blame in the disintegration of Gordon and Barnes’ relationship, or the attitude Gordon has consistently given him. And Michael Chiklis hasn’t been able to make the character’s over-the-top turn work the way actors like Cory Michael Smith and Erin Richards have. But watching the episode, it’s also clear that it’s just a stall in the overarching Court of Owls arc and that made it even more boring to me.
In the more interesting subplots, the reunion between the Penguin and the Riddler isn’t a bygones-y one, but the friends-turned-foes soon realize they’ll need to work together if they want to best the Court of Owls. The shaman continues to manipulate Bruce and, to that end, shares a secret about his connection to the Court. Alfred goes on the warpath after finding out about “Five.” And Leslie’s grief takes her down a self-destructive path. All four stories have their moments, but it’s the Bruce and Leslie ones that travel to particularly intriguing places.
You can judge “All Will Be Judged” for yourself this Monday on FOX. Until then, file any pre-trial thoughts and speculations about “Gotham” in the comments section.
