Gotham - Recap: Gotham's Golden Rule

I suppose one could argue that it's a bit early in the series to be getting "The Harvey Episode," in which we learn how Harvey went from a white knight who believed in Gotham's capacity for change, to a bitter middle-aged man with no faith in his city. But I think this was the perfect point to tell that story, since it not only gives us more of a background on why Harvey is the way he is, it also draws a parallel between him and Jim (Ben McKenzie). The story does this by bringing back a killer from Harvey's past, a seemingly disembodied entity known as "The Spirit of the Goat". The Goat inhabits the bodies of psychologically-impaired janitors, and compels them to kidnap and murder the children of Gotham's wealthy elite. Ten years earlier, Harvey killed the previous Goat, but indirectly leads to his partner, Detective Dix (Dan Hedaya), getting paralyzed from the waist down in the process. And all because Harvey decided to race headlong into a confrontation instead of waiting for backup -- a violation of what Dix called "Gotham's Golden Rule": No heroes. So Harvey's caustic persona is the result of that tragedy, and while he attempts to make amends by paying for Dix's housing and other amenities over the ten years since the incident, it's clear that the Spirit of the Goat is a weight that hangs heavy on Harvey's soul. And seeing that conflict come to light made me appreciate Donal Logue's performance so much more, in that you can see the cracks in his angsty facade. He wants to be a good man, to believe in the inherent goodness of Gotham, and in the possibility that change is possible. Deep down, part of him probably wants to be like Jim again. It'd be hard for him to go back to being that kind of person, since Harvey Bullock will never be a "boy scout" in the way he believes Jim to be, but there's a hint of a good cop underneath all that grizzled bravado.

Credit: FOX

And "Spirit of the Goat" brings that good cop to the surface, through his tireless dedication to solving the case even after it's seemingly already been solved. One of the more interesting things about Gotham, as a procedural, is that the solution to the case tends to be far more complicated than just "this guy/girl did it." Like last week, where a pharmaceutical company played a factor in causing an average biochemist to become a biological terrorist. The case is similarly layered here, as we learn that it's not really a spirit causing these men to murder rich kids, it's something far more plausible, but hardly any less absurd. In fact, this conclusion would actually be kind of silly if Logue and Susan Misner, who plays hypnotherapist Dr. Marks, hadn't sold the drama so effectively. Not many procedurals on TV could get away with revealing that a hypnotherapist induced two of her patients to murder the children of Gotham's wealthiest citizen to teach the one-percenters a lesson, but Gotham manages it by framing the doctor's motive as a public service. Yup, she's doing it all for Gotham, because this measure of justice is what the city demands, she argues. This language, which speaks of this city as if it's a sentient life form of its own, draws a further correlation between the show's heroes and its villains. Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor) wants respect, and he could probably get it far easier in some other place than Gotham. But he doesn't want to leave Gotham. This is his home, and it's where he wants to make a name for himself, because if he can conquer Gotham, it would serve as its own retribution against those who ridiculed him. Similarly, Jim refuses to flee Gotham when Barbara (Erin Richards) warns him that MCU has a warrant out for his arrest for Oswald's murder. Gotham is never more aptly named as a series than when its heroes and its villains are revealed to be doing what they do for the same reason: this city that they love, a city they can never let go.

Credit: FOX

"Spirit of the Goat" isn't a perfect hour of television. It still has Gotham's usual problem with clutter, which is kind of shocking considering that Carmine Falcone, Fish Mooney, and even Sal Maroni are all absent this week. But I still feel the episode deserves credit for a few things, such as not just lazily roping Bruce (David Mazouz) into the Goat's plot and making him a potential victim yet again so soon after "Venom". I'm also interested in Oswald's twisted relationship with his enabling mother (Carol Kane), as well as the presence of Selina (Camren Bicondova) on the outskirts of the narrative, like a bomb waiting for the right time to detonate. I've been wishy-washy on her in the past, but I think she can be effective if used sparingly, heightening the mystery of just what she's trying to accomplish beyond just surviving. I even enjoyed the flirtation Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) attempts with co-worker Kristen Kringle (...yup), despite the fact it didn't add much of anything to the actual plot this week. Maybe it wasn't vital to the episode, but it was at least enjoyable, thanks largely to Cory Michael Smith, who illustrates that Nygma is more than just a jocular nerd, that there's a certain outsider's pathos to him. It's an interesting story that could pay dividends down the line, in much the same way Jim's decision not to kill Oswald is paying off now: just as Jim and Harvey are being hauled away by MCU, Oswald appears at the GCPD precinct to reveal he's alive. But to what end? I'm genuinely curious to find out.

Credit: FOX

"Spirit of the Goat" is a typically cluttered episode of the show, but I've come to accept that this is just the way Gotham is going to be. With any luck, the clutter at least makes for an interesting sculpture once it's all piled up and glued together. After all, this episode illustrates just what the show is capable of when tackling elements of character study while retaining its over-the-top, crime drama identity.