Gotham S01E01 Recap: Pilot

The highly anticipated Gotham premieres tonight, and it opens with a young Selina Kyle running on the rooftops. Clearly this future catwoman is already up to know good. She lices open a lady's grocery bag to snatches some milk, and picks a guy's pocket. He gives chase, but doesn't catch her. As she feeds a cat in the alley, she spots the Wayne's, and hides before anyone sees her. From above Selina witnesses the death of Bruce Wayne's parents.

Over at the Gotham police department things quickly get out of hand when a suspect gets out of hand. He wants his pills, and takes a cop hostage. Gordon manages to disarm him with a simple ruse, but his partner thinks he took too big of a risk. He just avoided a gun fight, risk averted. Gordon and Harvey get called out to a scene.

They head to the Wayne murder, and Gordon dives right in, talking to the young Bruce. Harvey recognizes the Waynes and want nothing to do with the investigation, but it's his case with his partner already questioning Bruce. Gordon opens up to the boy telling him of his own trauma, of his father's death, and assuring the child that there will be light. Bruce reveals what he saw, and feels guilt for not doing more. Gordon tells him that there was nothing he could have done, and to be strong. He promises to find the attacker. Alfred takes Bruce home.

Harvey and Gordon head to a diner. Gordon thinks that they should be doing more, but Harvey still has his tail feathers ruffled, berating his newbie partner for jumping right in. The Waynes' murders will be a high profile case, and they will get flack for not being able to close it quickly, one headache Harvey doesn't want. Members of the major crime unit arrive, and there's plenty of tension in the air. They ask if Harvey wants to be taken off the case, something Gordon certainly doesn't want, but their self-righteous attitudes change Harvey's mind, and he's not stepping down.

The Captain offers Harvey and Gordon all the resources that they need to close the case. Harvey takes a moment alone to try to get Gordon off the case, but he has to keep his unwanted partner. Harvey tells Gordon to ask for a transfer, but he's not going anywhere. This is where the action is, and he plans on staying put.

Harvey and Gordon spring into action picking up and questioning muggers. Edward Nygma works in forensics and has news of the bullet pulled from the Waynes. It's unlike anything they have on record. As he speaks in riddles, he pauses when Gordon is actually able to solve one. Will we get to see Nygma crack and go full on Riddler? Gordon concludes that this is likely to be a contract killer. Harvey isn't so convinced, so its off to see Fish Mooney.

Fish is taking care of some business out back, she's busy working over a man in the alley over some money while Oswald Copperpot holds her umbrella. Harvey and Fish are very cozy, and Gordon is concerned over the beating taking place out back. Fish admits that they're beating an employee caught stealing to teach him a lesson. Harvey tells him to go see if anyone wants to press charges, while he and Fish chat. Gordon heads out back and the thieving employee doesn't raise any flags. Gordon comes back in to find that Fish and Harvey have finished their chat.

Gordon comes home to be blown away by Barbara, who is digging on his suited look. He's beat, so they skip out on their function. The Wayne case is at a standstill, and he made a promise to the boy. Barbara has confidence in him, and tells him to swim. He declines dinner, and Barbara vows when they're wed to put him on a proper diet. Harvey calls with a lead.

A hungover Harvey tells him about the lead that Fish Mooney gave, someone is trying to fence the jewelry that was stolen from Mrs. Wayne. The lead brings them to the Pepper residence. Ivy answers the door, but tells them that they don't want to speak to her father, he's mean. Mario sits down with the detectives, and when they ask to search the premises Mario makes a run for it with Gordon in pursuit. After a merry chase, Gordon almost loses Mario in an alleyway, but he's hiding waiting for the opportunity to strike. Gordon takes a beating, and Harvey calmly shoots Mario.

Back at the Pepper residence Gordon gets patched up, while the place is searched. one officer finds the stolen pearls. Gordon and Harvey are heroes, especially the former.

Oswald reads the newspaper while he waits. He's picked up by the major crime unit, and the Penguin begins to sing like a canary. He saw Fish Mooney with pearls. She framed Mario Pepper by putting the pearls in a bag of drugs after talking wtih Gordon and Harvey. They ask if Falcone, whom Fish works for had the Waynes killed. Oswald doesn't know that, but he's done his civic duty.

The Wayne funeral is a somber one. Selena watches from a distance. Gordon apologizes that his parents murderer never saw a trial, but Bruce tells him its okay.

The girl from the Major Crime Unit pays Barbara a visit at her home. The girls know each other, and shes there because her engagement. She tells Barbara that Pepper was framed and killed, that Gordon isn't who he seems. Barbara knows who Gordon is, and he's the most honest person she knows, but she may not be so honest. Barbara is hiding something.

That night, Barbara is uneasy. She asks Gordon if he framed Mario Pepper. He denies it, and asks who told her that. She tries to brush it off as nothing, but Gordon isn't letting it drop.

Gordon confront the girl from the Major Crime Unit, Montoya. He asks what was her evidence that Pepper was framed. She tells him that she'll save her evidence until they bring up the charges against him and his crooked friends,  but Gordon plans to take matters into his own hands, and warns Montoya and her partner to stay out of the way.

Gordon goes to the Pepper house, but Alice is less than welcoming. Gordon tells her that if her husband was framed he would get to the bottom of it. Her husband had many demons, but he wasn't a killer. Looking at his shoes, Gordon confirms he wasn't the killer.

He takes his findings to Harvey, and his suspicions that Fish Mooney was behind the set up. Harvey refuses to believe. Gordon thinks that Mooney did it, that her boss Falcone wanted the Waynes killed. The idea seems preposterous. But Pepper didn't own any shiny shoes, and Montoya obviously has no evidence, otherwise there would have been some action by now. If Pepper was wrongly killed, its on Harvey and he could be in a lot of trouble. He asks that Gordon listen to him for once, and forget about it for both their sakes even if the real killer is still at large.

Gordon isn't going to forget about it, he goes to Fish Mooney's. Oswald looks both surprised and elated to see him. He asks her what she and Harvey talked about when he was out back. She asks why he doesn't ask his partner, he's worried that she'll lie. She finds it funny that he thinks that she'd tell the truth, but as her goons close in on him he knows the answer. Her men try to get the drop on Gordon, but he's prepared for them, he's not so prepared for her though and she knocks him out.

Barbara goes to see Harvey, telling him that Gordon went for a walk, but never came home. Harvey lies that he's on a stakeout, that his phone probably just died.

Gordon wakes being dragged through a meat locker, and finds himself knocked out again. Gordon is strung up on a hook when Harvey arrives and wants to talk to Fish. Fish is busy auditioning comedians. She pauses to talk to Harvey, but she isn't happy. She did him a big favor, and that favor was about to blow up in her face. Harvey tells her that Gordon wasn't the problem. Someone else tipped off the Major Crime Unit, and he was just chasing a lead they threw at him about her. Fish asks how they got onto her, and Harvey assumes it was one of her people talking. He tells her that she has to let his partner go, or he has to come after her, for appearances sake. Fish agrees to let Gordon go, but tells her goon otherwise. She doesn't appreciate Harvey's threat, and tells him to string him up next to Gordon. Harvey gives Gordon the good news, never suspecting the betrayal.

Fish coos at Oswald, asking him to rub her feet. She tells the comedian to wait around, she likes him. Oswald rubs her feet. She's ready to take over the city, its time. She tells Oswald that she's always thought of him as her son, and can't understand why he'd betray her. He lies, blaming another, but Fish knows it was him. He claims loyalty, that he would open a vein for her, and she takes him up on his offer, but he recants. Fish beats him with her chair as the comedian watches in horror. He should be afraid, he wasn't that funny and he just witnessed a crime.

Harvey awakens,  and Butch can't be deterred. He calls in Frankie to do the slicing and dicing, but before he can get to work, Falcone arrives guns blazing. Mooney has acted hastily. If she wants to kill policemen, she needs to ask. There are rules after all. Nice to see the gangsters have morals. Falcone tells Gordon its good to finally met him, he knew his father. There was respect, and even friendship, between the two of them which was the only reason he kept Gordon alive. Gordon thought Falcone was behind the murders, but now he knows different. If he was behind it, Gordon wouldn't be allowed to live. He needed the crime solved quickly, to put the city at ease. The pearls were a replica, and Pepper was sacrificed to protect the city. Falcone loves his city. Gordon may have a hard head, be self righteous. He tells him that Gotham is on the pinnacle of destruction, and bringing down the police, and city hall even if he could wouldn't bring it back, it would make it worse. 

Harvey admits that he wasn't being honest, but because he wasn't ready. Gordon thinks its more because he was ashamed. They've stopped for a test from Falcone. He wants Gordon to kill Oswald, if he doesn't then Harvey is to kill them both otherwise they'll all die, and likely Barbara too. Its not something either of them want to do, but it has to be done. Gordon pulls Oswald from the car, walking him to the pier. He begs for his life, offers his servitude. War is coming, and Oswald wants to help. Gordon stops him, tells him to urn around, and warns him to never come back to Gotham as he fakes Oswald's death. Oswald falls into the harbor, and Harvey believes him to be dead.

Gordon returns home to Barbara, he's changed.

Gordon pays Bruce a visit, and finds the boy on the roof. Alfred shouts him down. Gordon asks him why he was on the roof and the boy tells him that he was trying to conquer a fear. That's not why Gordon was there though. He tells Bruce that Pepper wasn't the one that killed his parents, and Bruce is glad. He wants to see the man again. Gordon lays down his badge, he failed him, but he wants a second chance. He vows to Bruce that he will find the man who killed his parents, and clean up the police department, but he has to do it from the inside and Bruce has to keep quiet about what he's revealed. Bruce gives him back his badge, giving Gordon another chance. Gordon leaves, and Selina watches the Wayne estate from atop the walled gate.

Oswald emerges from the icy water and slays the first man he sees. That's one pissed off Penguin. Gordon should have killed him while he had the chance.