Gotham S01E15 Recap: The Scarecrow

A man returns home in the middle of a storm, but his light switch isn't working. He finds a lamp that does work. The shutters bang, and he goes to check on them. A figure appears in the hall, Jonathan, and he does not look right. Before he can run, he's cornered by a demonic looking Crane.

Fish awakens in an underground hell hole. There are a pair of men fighting in the distance. A man in a suit chats with Fish. She asks him if she's really in hell. He's not sure. A pair of burly men come up to her, and he warns her that there's usually a fight over new women. She stands up to the men, warning them that the first one that touches her is dead, as is the second. The two men walk away, and the suited guy marvels over the bravado.

Leigh and Gordon have a dinner date that doesn't involve case files. It's their third date, and he realizes that he still hasn't been to the apartment. She asks which room in her apartment he's interested in. Her kitchen is small, living room dank, and he'd like her bedroom, but not tonight. She needs to get a good night's sleep she starts a new job in the morning. She's the new ME, and although Gordon suggested it, he doesn't sound too enthusiastic about it.

Gordon shows up to the newest crime scene. Harvey fills him in on the murdered school teacher. It looks to be the same MO as the previous deaths, and likely that he's missing his adrenal glands too. Gordon wonders what he's doing with them.

He's making a paste of some sort with them. Crane grinds down and mixes up the adrenal gland paste with other things that he puts into a syringe. He walks out into the hall with his concoction and injects himself. His eyes grow big, and he's high off fear. He hallucinates a woman on the staircase, and fire overtaking it. She asks him why he refused to help her as he screams on the ground.

Alfred checks that Bruce has all that he needs. He offers to accompany Bruce, but Bruce refuses to let him, it wouldn't be right. Bruce assures him that he will be fine, and back before dark. Alfred straightens his clothes, telling him that his father would be proud. His father would have spent the night, but Alfred tells him that maybe next year.

Penguin tells Falcone what happened with Maroni. He's worried about retaliation, but Falcone is worried about the club getting a makeover. Penguin worries over his own hide but Falcone is more concerned about getting the club back up and running. Falcone is willing to take his association with Penguin public. He tells him that the club makes a lot of money, and money equals power. Penguin should worry about the club, and Falcone will worry about Maroni.

Harvey looks through the yearbook for anything. The girls are better looking now then when he was attending high school he remarks. Gordon tries to keep him on task. Leigh arrives for her first day and makes a beeline for Gordon. Harvey isn't enthusiastic. Essen moves to make introductions, but Leigh tells her that she already knows Gordon. She thinks its because of their time at Arkham, and Leigh doesn't correct her. Essen steals Leigh away to show her around, and Harvey warns Gordon of the follies of an office romance. He strikes gold when he spots Crane in the year book. Dr. Gerald Crane is a biology teacher.

The man in the suit introduces himself as Kelly, and offers her a drink. She refuses the drink, and fills her in on what he knows which isn't much. Some think where they are is a prison, some hell. Breakfast is delivered in a community bowl, but Kelly cautions her from being first. First honors go to the leader, Mace. Fish sizes him up as everyone scrambles for his left overs.

Bruce make his way through the woods. He grabs a stone as he passes, but has second thoughts and grabs another.

The principal tells Harvey and Gordon that Crane called in a few weeks ago and said he wasn't coming back. It was the same time that neighbors reported that he up and moved without a word. She doesn't have anything bad to say about Crane. He was a good teacher, focused on his son. He was somber at times though, but she thinks it was because of his wife's death. She died of a car accident. Harvey asks if he ever talked about fear or phobias. That makes her nervous. She shows them an academic paper that he wrote about fear and adrenal glands. He wasn't trying to prove he was right about fear, but trying to cure it.

Nygma looks over the paper. Crane was trying to inoculate himself against fear like it was a disease. To do so he needed a condense source. Gordon asks how much adrenal glands he'll need. It would depend how scared he needed to be. Nygma asks if they've seen the new ME, she smells nice. Harvey laughs over Gordon's competition. Gordon notices in the paper that he had two test subjects, himself and another.

Crane deals with the vision of his wife. Looks like she didn't die in a car accident, but a house fire. He watches, and begins to calm. His son comes in to find him staring at the staircase. Crane thinks that the treatment is working. He tells his son that it is almost his turn as well. He will be free of fear forever.

Falcone and Maroni meet together. Maroni offers some advice. They can be chummy take walks together, have lunch, but it won't stop him from killing Penguin. Falcone doesn't try to talk him out of it.

Penguin oversees the renovation of Fish's club, now his club. He doesn't like the way the drapes are being hung, yelling at the crew. Gabe brings in invitations to the newly branded Oswald's. Penguin tells him to deliver all of the invitations, all except for one, one that he plans to deliver himself.

Fish goes to meet Mace, but he orders her to keep a distance. She sweetly asks why he's the boss. There's one blade in the place, and he's holding it. Fish inches closer, she wants to make a deal with him. She has skills that she thinks could be useful. She drops down to his level. She wants protection and she'll show him her value.

Penguin walks into the GCPD and heads straight to Gordon's desk, but he's not there. Penguin spots Nygma, and vice versa. The two men circle each other. Penguin turns to ask if he can help him. Nygma answers with a riddle. Penguin doesn't like riddles, and has no answer for his question. Nygma wants nothing from him. He offers him quirky factoids, which Penguin doesn't appreciate. He tells him that he's standing too close, and shoos Nygma away.

Gordon is looking through phone records, anything for leads on Crane when he spots Penguin. He makes a beeline for him. Penguin greets him fondly, inviting him to a party he's hosting. Gordon turns him down. He offers his help on his case, but Gordon doesn't want his help or friendship. Penguin is sure that one day soon Gordon will need his help. He tells him to reconsider his invitation, but Gordon throws it in the trash when he leaves.

Crane asks his son if he trusts him before he injects him. Jonathan tells him to just get on with it. Crane injects him with a dose of adrenal glands, and Jonathan slips into fear. Crane tries to assure him to let go.

Bruce heads his rock laying spot he shared with his father. He lays one stone on his pile, and one of his father's pile. In quiet contemplation he takes his father's marker stone and tosses it. Falling into a fit, tossing all of his father's stones. With the stones dispersed, he turns to leaves, but takes a big tumble down the hill. Bruce is alone, and injured at the bottom of the hill. His leg looks broken.

Gordon checks on Leigh. She's had a busy first day. She kisses Gordon, and he reminds her that they're working together now, she can't do that. She reminds him that last time he kissed her in the middle of the bull pen, but that was before she was employed there. She fixes his tie, as Harvey comes to interrupt.

Maroni and Falcone continue their little budding bromance. Maroni asks why he's treating him so well just to keep Penguin alive. Penguin is a clever little man, and Falcone likes that. Moreso, he likes that Penguin understands that an odd little man like himself will never be don. Apparently he doesn't understand Penguin so well. Maroni tells him that Penguin isn't a money thing, its personal. He asks him if he knows a certain judge, he does. He's a bulldog, and he's put down many of Maroni's friends. Maroni is willing to accept his head with a cash bonus. Falcone is willing to give him more. He shows him the judge in a room with a dead boy and a dominatrix. The judge's misery will be there's to share. Maroni likes his way of thinking.

Gordon can't help but to think that they've missed something. Harvey wonders if Penguin can be of help. He's been helpful in the past. Gordon doesn't want to go down that route. Harvey thinks that they're going to have to wait for another body then. Gordon ponders another avenue. Crane is being motivated by fear, his wife's death looks to be a starting point. Harvey finds that Crane's wife didn't die as many reported, but in a house fire when he and his son were both downstairs. They take down the address of the Crane residence at the time.

Crane looks at the staircase without fear. Jonathan runs out the front door, and Crane chases after him. Jonathan hasn't finished his fear protocol, which could be disastrous. Jonathan insists that he isn't scared like his father, he doesn't need it, but Crane wants to cleanse his son, and eventually the whole human race of fear. He coaxes his son back to the house, promising that it will all be over soon.

Darkness falls and Bruce still hasn't returned him. Alfred watches the clock and the yard for his ward. Bruce hasn't moved since his fall, but he looks to change that. He makes a brace for his broken ankle and climbs back up the hill.

Mace summons Fish. She calls him Doc, and he corrects her. She likes to make up nick names for her friends. He likes that she's a firecracker. It's her turn to correct him. She's the fourth of July, not a one hit wonder. He pulls her close, calling her baby, but she's got some riders, and that's one of them. She stabs Mace in the throat with his own knife. He should have kept her at a distance. As Mace bleeds out on the ground, Fish Mooney proclaims herself the new boss.

Harvey and Gordon arrive at the Crane manor as Crane is about to inject his son. Jonathan wants to just make a run for it, but Crane wants to finish the protocol. He gathers up his serum and the pair make a run for it before Harvey and Gordon bust down the door. In the field before they can be caught, Crane draws up a super dose. Against his son's wishes, Crane injects his son with the enormous dose. Jonathan goes into fear overload, screaming as he sees the nearby scarecrow, and one of Batman's scariest foes is born. Gordon and Harvey catch up to Crane in the field, but he doesn't fear them or their guns. He opens fire on them, and the pair are forced to shoot Crane. Gordon runs to check on Jonathan who is having a heck of a seizure.

Bruce crawls his way up the hill. He finds Alfred at the top of the hill next to a roaring fire. He's watched him struggle up the hill for the last hour. Bruce is angry that he did nothing to help. He's cold, wet and has a horribly sprained ankle. Alfred lifts him to a seat next to him. They can go home, or they can stay and watch the sunrise, like he use to do with his father. Bruce warms, cheekily telling him they can stay if Alfred can handle it. Alfred has had a colored background, and sitting in the woods is downright homey compared to what he's seen.

Oswald's opens with a new look. Gone is the red, in are blues, along with an umbrella logo in neon lights. On stage is a more punk band, and there's only one person enjoying the show. Maroni makes an appearance, but Penguin can't get away. Maroni is all smiles, he's come a long way since he last saw him, mocking his turnout. Penguin takes it with good graces. He offers him a drink on the house. Maroni reveals that he's had a little chat with Falcone, and everything is good between them for now so long as he doesn't reveal anymore of his secrets. Maroni pours Penguin a drink. Penguin had better hope that Falcone has a long life, because once Falcone is gone, so is he.

Alfred awakens Bruce as the sun begins to rise.

Gordon pays Leigh a visit. She's settling in nicely. He tells her about the closing of his case, and she's interested to hear about Jonathan. She has circus tickets she tells him, and that he should come. Gordon thinks the circus sounds good, but that there will be no more kissing at work. Leigh points out that its good to show your feelings, but Gordon doesn't want to show them at work. Leigh pretends to pout, but she's okay with discretion.

Fish makes some announcements. With her reign things are going to change. There has been no order, and Fish plans for something more structured. A prisoner is brought back. She's freshly missing her eyes, she tells the others that “they” took her eyes.

Gordon goes to check on Jonathan. They found Cortisol, adrenaline and something they've been unable to identify in his system. They've run test to see if the seizures had any lasting effects. Although the drug has worn off, the doctor has found that Jonathan is still in fear, he's in a constant state of terror. Worst of all, they aren't sure it will ever go away. He tells him to imagine the thing he fears most, now imagine that is all that you can see every waking hour. Gordon watches Jonathan writhe on the bed trying to escape something. The scarecrow haunts him, forever.