Gotham - Recap: The Bat and the Cat

This isn't to say that the show is without its problems though. For one, I still feel like the Case of the Week mostly exists to keep Jim (Ben McKenzie) and Harvey (Donal Logue) busy, since they wouldn't have very much to do without a weekly problem to solve. However, at least this week, the case ties directly to the ongoing war between Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Falcone (John Doman). In her attempt to slowly sap Falcone's power away, Fish hires Russians who'd formerly been part of Nikolai's crew. She pays them to abduct a man named Ian Hargrove (Leslie Odom Jr.), a bombmaker imprisoned in Blackgate Penitentiary after accidentally killing two janitors with one of his explosives -- bombs intended to make a statement by destroying munitions factories. Ian is depicted as a man with a sickness, a mental illness that compels him to make bad choices out of what he views to be the greater good. He honestly believes that his bombs can save lives by destroying these factories responsible for the manufacture of weapons and other dangerous implements. And so he comes across as a sympathetic character, not only because he genuinely shows remorse over the deaths of the two janitors, but because he's an unwilling accomplice to Fish's plans, forced into creating bombs that will allow the Russians to steal a truck full of money from Falcone. So Jim and Harvey have to rescue Ian while bringing down the men responsible for abducting him.

It's a case that probably sounds far more interesting than it is, considering that it centers on the mob war that's generated so much of this season's intrigue. But it's a strangely perfunctory storyline, lacking any real urgency. In fact, all the fun comes from Fish's interaction with Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor), who has discovered that Liza (Makenzie Leigh) is a mole. Oswald's confrontation with Fish is great, and it's almost as creepy as his equally memorable scene in which he lets Liza know that he knows all about her secret. Robin Lord Taylor is one of the best elements of this show, and even in small scenes, he manages to make the most out of his screentime. I feel the same way about Jada Pinkett Smith, whose vibrancy livens up every scene she's in. I get that it's a divisive performance, but I love what Smith is doing in the role. And their respective performances aren't the only fun parts of the hour, as the Russians are ultimately taken out by Butch, Fish's henchman.

Credit: FOX

In closing the loose end of the Russians' involvement, Butch rigs the Falcone truck to detonate using a timer that plays "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Between this and Zsasz's "Funky Town" ring tone a few episodes back, I'm loving how this show incorporates popular music. Of course, the big issue coming out of this resolution is that, ultimately, neither Jim nor Harvey played much of a role in it. It's Butch who takes out the Russians. Jim and the rest of the GCPD are only there to seize assets and take Ian back into custody. And what happens once they do? Mayor James (Richard Kind) has him placed in Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, failing to realize that mental illness comes in a wide variety, and it doesn't always adhere to extremes such as criminal insanity. It almost plays out like a tragedy, since Ian clearly doesn't belong here with the rest of these nutjobs. Is he a criminal? Absolutely. But Jim, and the show, seems to suggest that there really ought to be a better method of rehabilitation than painting every mentally ill criminal with the same brush. Yet, while that's a worthwhile message worth exploring, I actually think this episode of Gotham proves far more effective in different areas altogether...

Credit: FOX

Basically, this is two weeks in a row now where I've loved the story centered on Bruce (David Mazouz). Jim leaves Selina (Camren Bicondova) at Wayne Manor for safe keeping, and it results in some terrific scenes between the future Batman and Catwoman. Bruce and Selina are both kids who are trying to come across as far more mature than they are, and while this is something a lot of kids do at this age, the reasons behind Bruce and Selina's race towards maturity are far more tragic. For Bruce, he's still coming to terms with his powerlessness in the wake of his parents' murder, and part of the reason he agrees to let Selina stay is because she represents the best chance they have of catching the killer, since she witnessed the whole thing. For her part, Selina doesn't get why Bruce is beating himself up over having done nothing to stop the killer, since there was nothing he really could do. As she says, "A gun's a gun."

Credit: FOX

And so Selina takes a cynical attitude towards Bruce's attempts to better himself throughout the episode, whether it's by boxing with Alfred (Sean Pertwee) or timing how long he can hold his breath under water. She just plain feels he's naive to think any of these things will help him in the real world. Yet Selina is every bit as naive herself, in some ways. In attempting to hide her pain over having been abandoned by her mother, she makes up a story about her mother being a part-time performer/secret agent who, despite being off on a special mission, will one day come back for her. It's tragic to see how Selina clings to this fantasy, and it's strangely touching to see Bruce indulge it by not questioning her story. Ultimately, it leads to Bruce and Selina bonding while having a food fight, with Alfred seeing the two kids getting the chance to just be kids for once. He could reprimand them, but he won't. He simply smiles and allows it. And it's a beautiful way to wrap up this story, which Mazouz and Bicondova have conveyed so well.

Credit: FOX

I suppose I would be remiss if I didn't mention the episode's namesake, as Harvey Dent (Nicholas D'Agosto) arrives on the show. But he's in the episode so little that I have to wonder why it was named after him in the first place. In attempting to pin the Wayne murders on wealthy business tycoon Dick Lovecraft, we get to see some of the bipolarity that will inform Dent's later persona as Two-Face. D'Agosto plays it wide, but I loved the portrayal. Harvey is ambitious, yes, but that ambition is informed by his desire to do as much good as he possibly can, and affect as much change as he's able. Harvey might be a little off-kilter, but he's essentially still a good man, and among the few honest lawyers Gotham has. Hell, he's one of the few honest cops too, as we learn that Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) is sleeping with Barbara (Erin Richards) while Jim leaves voicemails pleading with her to come back. I've never been particularly gripped by the relationship drama, and I'm not sure adding a bisexual love triangle to the equation will pull me in much further, but I can at least appreciate that the show is trying to do something with Barbara that goes beyond her being a damsel in distress.

Ultimately, "Harvey Dent" is a busy episode, packed with more story than should be comfortably able to fit inside one hour. But I felt this was an episode that still worked, as Gotham has become really good at managing the sheer scale of its world and storylines. And its performers are more than up to the challenge those stories present. It helps that the writing suggests a bigger plan for the narrative. Basically, everything feels like it's building towards something big, and that overarching feeling of cohesion helps the narrative considerably. The farther the show gets into its first season, the more confident I am that this show is headed somewhere worthwhile.