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“Gotham” recap (1.9): Keatoya!

Let me just start this recap by saying that I make fun of Gotham…a lot. Because there’s a lot to make fun of. I mean, this show is overstuffed with characters, tonally scattershot, and its lead is a sentient loaf of Wonderbread in a cheap suit.

I still enjoy this show, I just think it suffers from a classic case of FirstSeasonitis. There are too many cooks (and not the hilarious viral video kind) in the Gotham kitchen, and the results have been a show trying desperately to please everyone, nerds and noobs alike. But Gotham is finally finding its groove, and the results are pretty exciting. And by results, I mean this business: Whew, is it hot in here or is it just me?

But first, let’s talk about what happened in this episode.

Gordon brings Selina back to his apartment, where he finds Barbara’s goodbye note. Barbara writes that she is “nervous, needy, and screwed up” and needs some space to figure her shit out/get herself together. Instead of going after her, Gordon has Selina meet with a police sketch artist and then stashes her at Wayne Manor for safekeeping. Alfred is NOT on board with this plan, but Baby Bruce is psyched to have a pretty girl in the manor and demands that she stay.

Meanwhile, Ian Hargrove, a prisoner at Blackgate Penitentiary, is being transferred to another facility. And he gets there without any trouble. JK, Russian mobsters shoot up the convoy and kidnap him. Just another beautiful day in Gotham.

Montoya (hey girl) and Allen take Gordon to meet with the Gotham’s only trustworthy assistant district attorney, a young Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face). When we meet Harvey, he is counseling a juvenile delinquent, telling him that his fate rests in the hands of a coin toss. Of course, the coin is two-faced (GET IT?) and Harvey lets the kid go.

Harvey tells Gordon that he thinks Dick Lovecraft, local corrupt billionaire, ordered the hit on the Wayne family. Apparently, the Lovecrafts are a dark side version of the Waynes, and the families had long battled each other over Gotham’s future. Harvey wants to spread the story of a murder witness (sans names) to rattle Lovecraft’s cage and see if anyone starts getting nervous. Gordon is hesitant, as he doesn’t want Selina in jeopardy, but Harvey assures him he’ll keep it all anonymous.

Gordon rolls into GCPD and Bullock tells him they’ve been assigned to Hargrove’s case. They bring in Hargrove’s brother, who tells them that Hargrove is not a bad man. He’s been bombing munitions factories as a protest, and that he doesn’t need jail, he needs medical help. This brings up a very real issue, one that I thought a genre show wouldn’t necessarily dive into: the lack of care for mentally ill prisoners. While one of the major recurring themes of the Batverse is mental illness and our inability as a society to properly handle it, I did not expect a network show to dive into the issue head on. Well played, Gotham.

Meanwhile, Alfred teaches Bruce to box, but Bruce is distracted by Selina. Alfred sees that Bruce has a crush, and their banter is one of the best moments of the episode. Watching Alfred and Bruce bond is adorable. More of this please. Bruce tries to connect with Selina, but she is closed off and wary of his intentions. He offers her breakfast foods and new clothes, but she wants none of it. When Bruce asks her about her family, she gets defensive and scurries away. He even invites her to his private superhero lessons, but she’s not interested.

Meanwhile, Hargrove is forced to build a bomb and he and the Russians bomb a munitions factory and steal some high tech explosives. One of my favorite parts of each episode is Captain Esson’s complete bewilderment that she lives in a comic book world. Every week she’s like, “Masked men again? Doesn’t anybody commit any normal crimes in this goddamn town?” She would be so psyched if Bullock ever walked in with a jaywalker in custody.

Meanwhile, Penguin breaks into Liza’s apartment and skulks around, smelling her nightie and just generally being creepy. He then goes to visit Fish Mooney, where he smells her (HOW DARE HE) and again tries to offer his friendship.

Nigma’s analysis of the bomb leads Gordon and Bullock to an abandoned metal factory, where they find the imprisoned Hargrove. Before they can rescue him, the Russians roll in and a gunfight ensues. The Russians make off with Hargrove. The Mayor yells at the cops for fucking up, and Gordon calls him out on the lack of mental health treatment in Gotham.

Selina tries to sneak out of Wayne Manor, but Bruce stops her. She tells Bruce that her mother is a show business superstar turned secret agent, and she’ll be coming back for her any day now. Aww, Selina. None of that sounds remotely legit. She and Bruce almost kiss, but the moment is spoiled by Alfred. Bruce continues his superhero training by holding his breath underwater while wearing all his clothes. You know, like superheroes do. While Bruce is obsessed with self discipline and inner strength, Selina tells him that those skills are irrelevant when faced with a gun. She tells Bruce he’s too nice, and that to survive on the streets of Gotham you need to be ruthless.

Dent confronts Lovecraft and his lawyers with the witness story, but Lovecraft doesn’t seem fazed. He threatens Dent, who quickly shifts from slick golden boy to rageful fury. I guess you could say that Harvey Dent has TWO SIDES to his personality. DUN DUN DUN!

We find out that Fish Mooney is pulling the strings on the Russian bombings, because of course. She is using the Russians in her elaborate plan to siphon Falcone’s assets before she knocks him off. The Russians use their stolen bomb tech to break into the iron safes at the Gotham Armory, where Falcone stashes all his cash. Gordon and Bullock show up to foil the robbery, but before they can arrest them, Fish’s henchman Butch sets off a bomb that kills the Russians. Hargrove is safe, but is quickly sent to Gotham’s answer to the mental health crisis: the newly re-opened Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Best of luck, buddy.

The Penguin surprises Liza in her apartment and blackmails her into working for him. Despite being much shorter than Liza, he is quite menacing.

Selina and Bruce have an adorable food fight, and Alfred finally warms to Selina when he sees Bruce behaving like a kid again. Selina can stay in Wayne Manor for as long as she needs.

Gordon finally calls Barbara and leaves her a voicemail about how much he needs and loves her. But he’s too late, because Barbara has already found her safe space…in Renee Montoya’s bed. I was honestly not expecting this turn: I thought that Gotham would play this love triangle out with an endlessly pining Renee. I mean, that’s what network TV usually gives us. By bringing this relationship into the present, we get serious conflict and character development for Barbara, Montoya and Gordon, something these characters desperately need.

Now there may be some backlash over Barbara as the “cheating bisexual,” but I feel like that is a reductive take on the character’s choices. Gotham has laid the groundwork for the problems in Jim and Barbara’s relationship, and given the traumatic events of the previous episodes, it’s not at all surprising that Barbara would seek comfort and safety with Renee that she so clearly doesn’t get with Jim. If we want a nuanced portrayal of queer characters on television, then we need them to have exactly that: nuance and shades of grey. In the meantime, I’m just psyched to see two gorgeous ladies make out on my TV. Finger snaps all around.

What do think of these Keatoya developments? Are Barbara and Jim technically broken up, since she left him that goodbye letter? Let me know @ChelseaProcrast

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