Gotham S01E22 Recap: All Happy Families Are Alike

Barbara gets an eyeful of Jim and his new girl Leslie, Nygma embraces his darkside, Barbara falls for a killer, Falcone shows his hand a little to Jim, and Gotham goes to war.

Selena warms her hands on the banks and watches Fish returning home. She's ready to bring on a brand new day, which has Selena curious.

Two weeks later. Bruce paces his study, he smashes a photo of his father. Illusions shattered are painful. Alfred worries about Bruce. There's war in the streets and he's inside worried about his father. There's war in the streets and Bruce is inside worried about what his father may have done. Bruce remembers when his father would be working away in his office, and he tried to sneak in to see him, but the door was locked. He asks Alfred if the door was always locked. It may have been. Bruce is sure that his father's secret is in the office somewhere.

Falcone goes to visit some chickens. He chooses one of his liking when a pair come riding in on a motorcycle. They fire a rocket towards Falcone.

The precinct atmosphere is turning ugly as well. Gordon gives a rookie some advice, not to salute him. Once the war is over he'll likely lose his job, and he doesn't want to take the kid down with him. Jim heads into Leslie's exam room. Barbara is in there. Physically, she's healed, but Leslie thinks she needs some trauma counseling. Barbara doesn't want or need it. She's happy to be alive. She thanks Jim for his help, for saving her. He was happy to help. Leslie pushes the counseling, and Barbara will accept on one condition, Leslie is her doctor. Leslie tries to get her to agree to go somewhere else, but Barbara refuses.

Harvey tells Jim that Falcone just got hit. He's alive but may not be so for long, the city has turned on him. Maroni side is gaining steam, even though he's a hothead. The war is bad for business.

Falcone wakes strapped down to a bed. He's bloodied, and not looking all that well. Penguin heads to the hospital with flowers in hand. Butch accompanies him with a very large gun. Penguin has come to say goodbye to Falcone. He's been playing him from the start, and now its the end game. He started the war, and he plan to take up Falcone's crown and be the King of Gotham. Falcone scoffs, that will never happen. Penguin is going to burn in hell. Penguin is comforted in the knowledge that Falcone will go first, and the scalpel in his hand is surely going to help him along. Jim arrives, and puts Butch under gun point. Penguin tells him to walk away, but Jim Gordon isn't going anywhere. He places both of them under arrest for attempted murder. Gordon has Penguin and Butch handcuffed. Penguin pleads, tells Jim to let him finish the job and get onto the winning side. Jim sees that Maroni in charge will be bad for everyone. Falcone knows that he can turn the tide if he had a couple of days and set things to right, otherwise, it'll be an all out war with everyone clamoring for the top spot. Gordon releases Falcone. He notices that the hospital is empty, completely empty. He calls Harvey, who warns him to get out of there. Maroni is coming to finish him off, but Jim plans to get him out. Harvey thinks that he's nuts. Jim points out that Falcone is a bad man, but he's the best that he has. Gordon is all twisted up over what happened to Barbara, but he's done with Gotham. He has nothing else to lose. Maroni's man is surprised to see Gordon there.

Jim goes back in. Falcone can walk, but not well. Jim makes sure that he's aware that its not love or loyalty that is making to make this decision, but rather the best option for the city. Penguin pleas with him again, to let them go, to not make this decision. Jim is called out into the hallway by the Commissioner. He tells Falcone not to kill Butch or Penguin while he's gone. The Commissioner orders Gordon to go. He hopes to see him behind bars or dead before long. The Commisioner tells him that hope is for losers. The Commissioner offers up Jim, calling it open season on him. Maroni's men open fire, and chase after the Gordon. He has a few guns and tricks up his sleeves. He takes out the pair after him, and nearly shoots Harvey. Harvey has a getaway plan but they have to move fast. Gordon tells him that they have to take Penguin and Butch too. There's no time to argue.

They use an ambulance as a getaway vehicle, and Maroni is not happy to see his prey escape him.

Bruce tears through the study, not really sure what he's looking for, but sure that he'll know when he finds it.

Falcone makes it to his sage house. He thinks that anyone who knew about it is now dead. Selena comes out, asking what's up. The men look a little confused. And they look worse when Fish and her people come out.

Barbara feels like a lot of everything that is happening is a dream. Leslie tells her that its part of the trauma, with her parents being murdered. That part Barbara doesn't feel like a dream. The part where he's dead does. She feels like he's going to come after her.

Fish looks over Butch, she feared he was dead. He looks at her two colored eyes, and isn't sure that she's really there. He sounds like a broken child. Fish asks what they did to him, and he tells her nothing good. Fish calls to Maroni, and tells him that she has something that he wants.

Falcone tells Gordon that they didn't find his knife, and suggests that Gordon take it, and take out a few of the people before they're killed. Selena pokes at the tied up Penguin. She makes small talk with Gordon. He asks what she's doing there, and she plays cool. She's hanging out. He doesn't right out ask for her help, but she doesn't seem to want to be very helpful either. Its a cushy gig, and they only kind of know each other. Fish comes and greets her captives. Maroni gave her a sweet deal. She could have all of her territories, in return for Falcone's head. Butch heads off to lie down. Fish blames Penguin for Butch's current condition, and she plans to take it out on him. Falcone, she'll kill. Jim too, but Harvey, she's okay with him. Selena asks how she's going to kill Jim. Fish likes Selena a whole lot.

Barbara tells Leslie how Jason saw right through her. It was scary and thrilling. She was more scared of Jim than she was of Jason. The first date with Jim he was butch, stern. He never laid a finger on her though. She asks if Jim ever laid a finger on her. Leslie asks her why should ask that. Barbara had heard that Leslie and Jim were dating. Leslie admits that they are, and Barbara tells her that Jim is one of the good guys before offering to get her something to eat. Don't eat anything that crazy offers you!

Maroni arrives, heaping compliments on Fish. He has some love for Fish, but she doesn't look t feel the same. Maroni is happy to see Falcone, he notes that the old man is hard to kill. Falcone is sure that isn't the case, his men are just second rate. Penguin goes back to scheming. He still loves Fish he claims, and he points out that once Falcone is dead there is nothing to keep her alive. Maroni calls her an underboss, but Fish doesn't take orders. Maroni calls her “Babes,” and it rubs Fish the wrong way. Maroni is will to be partners, as long as she makes sure that she understands that she's #2. Maroni goes on to make his big speech. When Falcone is dead they can build their dynasty. He calls Fish “Babes” again, and jokes about it. Fish has had enough, and she shoots Maroni in the head. She's relaxed. All hell is about to break loose. The fighting starts immediately. Harvey frees Gordon and Falcone as the fighting starts, and Penguin frees himself.

Leslie tries to get to the heart of Barbara's trauma. Apparently this is a one day work out all the kinks kinda thing. Barbara tells her that she's a nice person, but she's not sure she wants to go there with her. Leslie is ready. Barbara asks her if Jim has told her that he loves her yet. Leslie doesn't want to talk about this stuff, but Barbara pushes. Of course Jim loves her. She's smart and beautiful. Leslie changes the subject back to Barbara's trauma.

Jim, Harvey and Falcone have gotten away for the moment. If they can evade her a little longer, they may be home free. Jim reminds Falcone that he's the best option for the city. Falcone makes a confession. He's done with this line if he makes it out. He has a place down south. Jim is less than pleased. Harvey decides to go with plan B. They head to a shipping container. Harvey wonders if he has room for a pair of former cops. The sand and sea sound nice. Falcone definitely has use for them. Selena finds them with a bunch of backup and brings them back to Fish. Fish made a rash move, but it may have paid off. Falcone tells her of his retirement plans, and she's almost sad for a moment, but she still plans to kill him. Before she can Penguin returns with some serious fire power, and breaks up the happy killing party. He kills most of her people before going after Fish. Jim and Harvey decide to get out of dodge.

Barbara tells Leslie what happened with Jason. They went out on a road trip. They were half-way to her parent's house before she realized that was where they're heading. He told her to tell them about her childhood issue. Barbara tells Leslie about some of the things she talked about. Her mother called her a little piggy, threw away her posters, did everything they could to whittle away her self-esteem and her soul. Leslie points out that sort of thing isn't regular kid stuff. Barbara tells her that they never understood her, not even while she killed them. Leslie corrects her. She didn't kill them, Jason did. Barbara enlightens her though. She killed her own parents, she stabbed them and slit their throats. Leslie finally realizes the danger she's in, and Barbara grabs a knife. She should be scared.

Leslie runs and locks herself in the bathroom, and Barbara goes all Johnny on her.

Jim, Falcone, and Harvey head into an elevator, and it just happens to look like Barbara's elevator. Exactly why would Jim head to Barbara's with Falcone in tow?

Barbara makes it through the bathroom door. Leslie breaks a mirror to protect herself, wrapping a shard in a towel. She and Barbara fight across the floor, their weapons being knocked away in the tussle. Jim arrives to Leslie banging Barbara's unconscious head on the ground. Leslie rushes into Jim's arms telling him that Barbara just went crazy on her. Poor Barbara.

Penguin makes it to the roof, looking for Fish. She lies in wait for him. She takes a steel pipe to him, beating at him. He manages to get it away from her for a moment. The pair fight, it can go either way. Butch arrives with a gun. He's torn between which side to take. Penguin tells him to shoot her, to follow his training. Fish reminds Butch that she's his girl. Butch shoots them both. He falls to his knees, crying. He's so sorry that he shot her. She doesn't hold it against him. They messed with his head. Penguin bashes Butch in the head, and pushes Fish off the building into the water below. Jada Pinkett-Smith may not be returning as Fish next season, but they've certainly left the door open for her to return. Penguin proclaims himself as the King of Gotham.

Kristin Kringle comes to see Nygma. She noticed something weird about the note that her officer Beau left her saying goodbye. Each line of the letter spells out his name. He claims to know nothing about it, and Kristin doesn't press him. Nygma laughs. His head is a mess. He shouldn't have left a clue. He argues with himself. HE doesn't measure up. Kristin may like him better if she's a little scared of him. Nygma's good nature is slipping away.

Falcone prepares for goodbye. Jim asks if he's sure that he wants to leave, Gotham needs him. Falcone thinks that Gotham needs a good lawman now, and he thinks that Jim is that man. Falcone shows him a nice knife, and gives it to him. It was a gift from Jim's father. He told him to take it, that a knife is a good friend to have. They were close at one time. He was one of the most honest men that he had ever met, but he carried a knife. Falcone leaves him with the gift.

Alfred tells Bruce to call it a night. His father was a good man. A thought comes to Bruce, something that Lucius said to him. He finds the book that may have the key. Its a button of some sort, and Alfred tells him not to press it. Bruce does anyways. The stereo plays, and then the fireplace moves. A secret tunnel is exposed, which leads down to the bat cave. So his dad was setting him up to be batman? Seriously?

That concludes the first season of Gotham. I can't say that its lived to up to the hype, or that I've loved every minute of it. It's been an interesting with some stand out moments, and characters (Nygma anyone?). Gotham has already been renewed for Season 2.