Gotham - Recap: Snitches Get Riches

Of course, Oswald isn't the only person caught in the crossfire. Jim (Ben McKenzie) is intent on bringing down Falcone (John Doman) and Mayor James (Richard Kind), with the help of Harvey (Donal Logue), Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) and Montoya (Victoria Cartagena). But this is easier said than done when you have people whose safety can be easily compromised. And so we're left with a story in which two men, on opposing sides of the law, are left to navigate the proverbial minefield of criminal warfare, as both Jim and Oswald attempt to get a leg up over their enemies. But Gotham is a city of corruption, and only someone willing to be as corrupt as the criminals themselves can hope to win at their game of politics. Oswald knows how the game is played, and has no qualms about selling out if it keeps him alive and gives him a chance of rising in status. But Jim is a man of principles, a guy with a moralistic agenda that lacks enough good men willing to do the hard thing in the name of justice. However, just because he has loved ones who can be leveraged against him doesn't mean Jim can't still be a dangerous threat to Falcone and his entire operation. After all, as Maroni (David Zayas) says to Falcone, "There's nothing more dangerous than an honest man."

Credit: FOX

Naturally, what works about "Penguin's Umbrella" is that everything is connected. Jim is not only on the run from Falcone's men, including the nightmarish psycho Victor Zsasz (played with wonderful zeal by Anthony Carrigan), he's also desperate to bring down Falcone's operation. And he has to do this all while making certain Barbara (Erin Richards) remains safe. Meanwhile, Fish (Jada Pinkett Smith) is intent on getting Oswald back and torturing him for his betrayal. But this proves difficult since Oswald is able to organize a hit on Falcone's secret storehouse that results in the deaths of traitorous Falcone mobster Nikolai (Jeremy Davidson) and Maroni button man Frankie Carbone (Danny Mastrogiorgio). It's this hit that prompts a negotiation of terms between Maroni and Falcone, with Oswald solidifying his power within the Maroni family. And this result for Oswald is made all the more powerful when the final five minutes of the episode reveal a twist that completely recontextualizes the past several episodes: Oswald is a mole for Falcone. Of course he is! How else would he have been able to afford the pay raise necessary to turn Carbone's men against him but with Falcone's backing? It's a terrific twist that further paints Oswald as a formidable threat with a real aptitude for scheming. Penguin apparently negotiated these terms after he was caught snitching on Fish. With Falcone intent on having him executed for his betrayal, Oswald brilliantly comes up with a solution that distills the strengths of the character into one fantastic passage...

Oswald: "Give the job of killing me to James Gordon."
Falcone: "Why him?"
Oswald: "He's the only man under your sway who has a conscience. The only one who might be persuaded to spare my life."
Falcone: "Why would I agree to that? I want you dead, you're a snitch."
Oswald: "If you agree, and Gordon spares me, then I will become your snitch. For life. I will come back to Gotham under a different name and I will work my way into the Maroni family, and I will snitch for you. I'm excellent at this sort of work. I have a gift for it. I really do, sir."

Credit: FOX

Essentially, Oswald's strengths rest entirely on his ability to gain the trust of those around him, particularly since those in power don't really think all that much of him. He's such an under-the-radar player in this political game that he's able to find footholds within power structures. And it's an ability that comes from being overlooked, underrated, and generally viewed as scum. As always, Robin Lord Taylor plays this role with the ferocity of someone who isn't just satisfied to survive. He needs to be able to thrive, to attain a good position in this world. And he just might end up achieving that goal, because he's among the few characters in the criminal underworld who are willing to compromise their morals and loyalties to secure their own advancement. Fish and Nikolai waited too long to strike, and Oswald struck first on Falcone's behalf. Similarly, Jim didn't take Barbara's love for him into account when putting her on a bus away from Gotham. He didn't plan on her coming back to try and convince Falcone to spare him. And that oversight caused his plan to go up in smoke. Of course, the irony in all this is that Jim is only allowed to walk away from his attempted arrest on Falcone and the Mayor as a favor to Oswald. In essence, Oswald is the one who spares Jim this time, repaying Jim for sparing him and setting his entire rise into motion. It's a wonderful story, and it makes for a genuinely compelling arc around which to anchor the episode.

In fact, I'd argue this was as close to a perfect episode as Gotham has come, so far, in that every scene served a purpose. Even Jim visiting Bruce (David Mazouz) to tell him the circumstances of the investigation, and that he might not be able to keep his promise, is one of the more surprisingly poignant scenes this season. It's easy to see how Bruce might be inspired by a good man like Jim Gordon, and that inspiration will be integral to the Batman character, since The Dark Knight is as much about inspiring others and giving them hope as he is about affecting change through vigilante justice. If there was anything I didn't like about the episode, it was the all-too-convenient business with Barbara, who seems to exist less as her own character, and more as an obstacle to Jim actually getting anything done. Unless she's actually working with Falcone, I can't imagine Barbara being so stupid that she'd really think she'd be used as anything other than leverage against Jim by seeking out Falcone to plead for his life. I can understand not being able to stay put when someone you love is in danger, but Jim all but told her that the best way she could help was to stay the hell out of harm's way. I'm surprised he wasn't angrier at her once they were released by Falcone, considering how badly things could have gone. Hell, we learn that Falcone would have had Jim murdered right then and there if not for Oswald calling in a favor. Erin Richards is a perfectly fine actress, but Barbara isn't really a character right now, she's just someone who alternated between long-suffering girlfriend and damsel-in-distress. It's a minor complaint, but it just bugs me. That said, in an episode as good as this, I'll gladly stomach minor issues over major ones.

Credit: FOX

"Penguin's Umbrella" is the best episode of the season, telling a focused, gripping story that moves the overarching narrative of the first half of this season forward. The crime war is heating up, and both Oswald and Jim are central figures at the heart of the issue. This not only has the benefit of further linking their stories, but also linking every other story in orbit around them to this same issue. This crime war has a uniting effect on the entire Gotham universe, and I'd love if the show scaled back on the procedural "Bad Guy of the Week" stories in favor of more serialized tales like this one.