In the season 3 premiere of Gotham, “Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell…,” Gordon hunts down escapees from Indian Hill, Penguin is obsessed with finding Fish Mooney, and Bruce Wayne tries to uncover the identities of the mystery group running the city.
When we last saw our favorite heroes and villains on Gotham (and those in between), Indian Hill had been shut down, but not before all of Professor Strange’s “experiments” had escaped, led by Fish Mooney. Bruce Wayne learned that there was a powerful, secret society running Gotham and was determined to learn their identity. Tabitha and Captain Barnes remained in comas, while Penguin was once again finding his stride with some help from Barbara Kean. (That is, until he came face-to-face with the presumed dead Fish.) Bullock was in charge of the GCPD, and James Gordon left to see about a girl, ex-girlfriend Lee Thompkins.
Gordon Goes Full-On Rogue
After showing up at Lee’s and discovering that she’s apparently moved on, Gordon returns to Gotham and begins working as a bounty hunter, tracking down the bad guys, free from the constraints that get in the way when he was a member of the GCPD.
It’s several months later and Barnes is back in charge, and after an especially brutal season 2, he’s now got a bum leg. He calls a press conference to announce that another escapee from Indian Hill has been apprehended. Reporter Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung) wants to know why they can’t see the escapee, and Barnes explains that it’s because they are still picking up the pieces.
Word is out that bounty hunters have been busy cleaning up the Indian Hill mess, and Vale questions if the GCPD is capable of handling the threat. Barnes states that only a handful of the escapees have been brought in by bounty hunters and that the GCPD has apprehended the rest.
Mayor James objects to the word “threat.” The escapees are victims of Hugo Strange, and if any citizen wants to get these poor souls off the street so they can get proper treatment, then they should be lauded and rewarded financially.
The Mayor’s attempt to spin the situation doesn’t fly with Vale, who reminds him that these so-called poor souls were at one time criminally insane inmates at Arkham Asylum. Mayor James skips the question and moves on.
Bullock is trying to convince Gordon to come back, but James is content with not having to answer to Barnes. He also no longer feels the weight of saving Gotham on his shoulders.
The most recent escapee robbed a pharmacy before being taken down by Gordon, and Lucius Fox reveals that the creature was in search of a powerful immune suppressant. Lucius is now working for the police as some sort of resident expert, having left his job at Wayne Enterprises.
The drug in question is only sold at three pharmacies in the city, and the other two were robbed the previous month. The big question is, why are the escapees after this drug? Bullock wants Gordon to partner up with him to solve the mystery, but Gordon isn’t interested.
Vale continues to throw questions at the Mayor. Why is Hugo Strange the only one who’s been arrested? Wasn’t Indian Hill a Wayne Enterprise facility and how many escapees are still at large? He tries to assure the press that the situation is under control but is interrupted by the arrival of Penguin, who sees things a bit differently.
Penguin Calls for Action
Penguin tells Vale that he was there the night those creatures escaped, and he knows who’s leading them. Penguin has told the police time and again who to look for, and they’ve done nothing. So he’s taking it upon himself to speak directly to the people of Gotham. The real enemy is Fish Mooney.
Barnes refutes Penguin’s claim. Fish hasn’t been spotted in six months, so she’s either dead or long gone. Penguin begs to differ. He implores every citizen of Gotham to find Fish Mooney because until she’s caught, nobody is safe.
In other news, Butch’s stint as the “King of Gotham” didn’t last long because he’s back to trailing around Penguin as his henchman. His deep love for Tabitha hasn’t abated. She survived the attack by her brother and is now running a club with Barbara. Penguin, who Barbara affectionately calls “Ozzy,” is eager to get into business with the ladies, but they feel they can handle it all by themselves. Tabitha also appears to have no lingering affection for Butch in spite of their past relationship.
Penguin offered to kill Butch to help ease his heartache, and he’s still aching to get payback for Tabitha killing his beloved mother. But Butch is still hoping that Tabitha will come back to him, so she’s safe for now.
While the ladies aren’t quite ready to join forces with Penguin, he’s got another reason for stopping by Gotham’s latest hot spot. He wants Tabitha and Barbara to spread the word that he’s offering a million dollars to whoever can bring him Fish Mooney either dead or alive.
A Bounty Hunter with a Reporter Problem
Valerie Vale tracks down Gordon, and she’s got lots of questions. She may be new to Gotham, but her dad and brothers are cops, and she wants to know why the police haven’t investigated Wayne Enterprises.
Gordon wants to be left alone, but since he has the inside track on Indian Hill, Vale is likely to be in his face for the foreseeable future. She wants to know if Gordon thinks there’s any truth to Penguin’s allegation that Fish is organizing the escapees. Gordon replies that Penguin isn’t exactly a credible source, being a murderer and a liar, but based on the escapees and knowing Fish, he hopes not. Vale reveals that Penguin is offering a cool million to whoever brings her in.
The Devil isn’t in the Details After All
Ed Nygma is still at Arkham, and he’s had a frequent visitor — Penguin. Nobody else will listen to Penguin, and in addition to being a captive audience, Nygma’s a bright guy. Penguin is trying to figure out why Fish didn’t kill him when she had the chance, and he wants to know her endgame.
Nygma advises Penguin not to get distracted by the details; sometimes a simple solution is best. Whatever Fish is planning, Oswald needs to remember that penguins eat fish.
One person who knows Fish’s whereabouts is Selina. She helps Fish break into Gray Pharma, the only company that makes the drug that all the escapees seem to have a hankering for. Fish is deadlier than ever. Her newfound powers allow her to control other people’s minds with the lightest touch. The trade-off is that her continued existence seems to hinge on the drug.
After conferring with Lucius, Gordon shows up at Gray Pharma’s warehouse. He encounters Fish, who tries to use her newfound gift on him, but Gordon has seen how the sausage is made and he’s not taking any chances. She’ll have to work harder to get her hands on him.
Fish reveals that all of Hugo Strange’s experiments are with her, but she only brought one along on this particular errand. I’m not sure what creepy powers this one possesses, but he’s strong. The two fight, but by the time the mystery man flees on foot, Fish is gone.
Calling Out the Court of Owls
Bruce and Alfred return to Gotham after an extended vacation. Bruce has some business to attend to regarding Wayne Enterprises. He addresses the board to discuss Indian Hill. While the company line is that Strange acted alone, Bruce knows better. He tells the board that while held captive at Indian Hill, he was led to believe an unknown group (the yet-to-be-named Court of Owls) had taken control of his company, and it was them who hired Hugo Strange.
Bruce left the city for his own safety and to discover hard evidence of their existence. Bruce declares that he has proof they exist and are in the room. He wants to talk face-to-face. They have 24 hours to come forward or Bruce will hand over whatever information he’s gathered to the media.
Someone in that room places a call to the mystery woman in the mask we first encountered at the end of season 2. She instructs a man to take care of Bruce Wayne and to do it quietly.
Will the Real Bruce Wayne Please Stand Up?
Bruce reunites with Selina, but she gives him a chilly reception. Taking off for months without saying goodbye tends to have that effect on a girl. He tries to explain about his research and how keeping her out of the loop is the only way he knows how to protect her. It does nothing to thaw the ice. It also turns out that they weren’t on Bridgit’s — aka Firefly’s — old rooftop hangout alone; lurking out of sight is the Bruce Wayne doppelganger revealed in the season 2 finale.
Gordon Sets a Trap
Valerie Vale gets a tip about Fish from Selina. She offers to share it with Gordon if he does her a favor. The police have something she wants — an address — and Vale wants Gordon to use his connection with Bullock to get it.
Bullock delivers the address, and even though he suspects it’s a lead on Fish’s whereabouts, he promises to let him take point so that he can collect that handsome reward. All he wants in return is for Gordon to not get killed or himself fired.
Gordon delivers the address to Vale but handcuffs her to her car so she can’t follow. He promises that if there’s a story, he’ll make sure she gets it. What he doesn’t count on is that Miss Vale is quite resourceful and can pick tiny little locks.
Selina/Vale’s tip leads to Ethel Peabody, Dr. Strange’s previous protege. She’s agreed to testify against Strange for her freedom.
Whatever Strange and Ms. Peabody did to their test subjects is making them sick, and even though they’re stealing drugs, they don’t seem to be working. Gordon figures that Fish will come after Peabody or her goons will, and when they do, they’ll lead Gordon to her.
Gordon figured out that Fish had Selina tip off Vale, knowing Vale would lead her either to Peabody directly or to someone she’d go to for help, like a certain bounty hunter.
Gordon’s not wrong about the goons showing up, but he underestimated just how many and how handily they’d take him down just long enough to grab Peabody. The man from earlier sticks around to pick up where they left off. This guy’s special alteration is a large set of bat wings. Gordon is still able to subdue the escapee but not before Vale snaps a picture of the aberration.
Gordon finds himself back in Barnes’ office, getting torn a new one right alongside Bullock for losing a star witness.
Gordon went too far this time, and Bullock decides that it might be better if James keeps his distance in the future.
An Army of Monsters
Ivy wants to know where Selina has been spending all her spare time and wants in, but Selina warns her that the work she’s doing is for some scary people. Selina warns Ivy to stay put.
Ivy gets approached by the duplicate Bruce Wayne. He wants to speak to Selina because he saw her speaking to “that boy.” Ivy mentions Bruce Wayne, and the doppelganger grabs her, wanting to know more. But all he manages to do is freak Ivy out and send her scurrying off.
Peabody sheds some light on Fish’s affliction. Every time she uses her abilities, her body rejects the changes Strange made to her DNA. All Fish wants to know is how to fix it. The only cure is to stop. If Fish does, she’ll recover. The only problem is Fish likes using her powers.
The only one who can help Fish is Strange, and Peabody doesn’t know where the police have hidden him. Fish swears to Peabody that not only does she want Strange to fix her, but she wants an army of freaks, and he’ll give it to her or die.
Once it’s obvious that Peabody isn’t going to be much help, one of Strange’s creatures sucks all the life right out of her until there’s nothing but a freeze-dried-looking version of the nastiest nurse since the wretched Ratched.
Peabody isn’t the only one to meet a grisly fate. Ivy tracks Selina down and doesn’t get a warm welcome from Fish. Ivy tells Selina that Bruce Wayne was looking for her, but he was acting really weird.
Fish wants to know who else Selina or Ivy may have told about them, and that’s when it clicks for Ivy that these are the monsters everyone is looking for. She warns Fish to leave her alone or she’ll tell. Despite Selina’s best attempts to protect her pal, Ivy winds up falling from a balcony into the sewers below. We all know she’s not dead, but when she’ll emerge and in what form have yet to be seen.
Be Careful What You Ask For, Master Bruce
The assassin from the Court of Owls infiltrates Wayne Manor, and once again, Alfred proves to be the most bad-ass butler ever. But even he can’t fight off this nefarious character. As Alfred lays unconscious, Bruce is kidnapped, forced to attend the meeting he called for with one very nasty lady.
Are you glad Fish Mooney is back? Share your thoughts on the season 3 premiere of Gotham in the comments section below.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.
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