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Gotham S01E03 Recap: The Balloonman

Cobblepot returns to his old stomping grounds of Gotham. It’s as crime-filled and corrupt as ever, just like he likes it. Danzer falls over a Ponzi scheme, angry he got caught. A man in a pig’s mask and rickety cart is selling balloons, but Danzer isn’t buying. The ballooman handcuffs Danzer to a string of balloons and off Danzer rises into the air on a giant weather balloon.

The cart was weighed down. Danzer cheated half the city out of their savings, and with no body Harvey hardly calls it a murder, rather justice. Gordon isn’t ready to let it drop yet. No fingerprints to trace, and the carts are too easily stolen. The unsolved “solved” cases keep stacking up to Havey’s dismay. Gordon can’t just let the simple explanation close a case, he needs to get to the root and find the real answer. Selina Kyle is delivered into his custody, and it doesn’t sound like she’s going upstate or anywhere far anytime soon, she has information on the Waynes’s case.

Gordon wants to find the real killer of the Waynes he’s not taking the Pepper set-up. He made a promise to Bruce that he plans to keep. Selina takes Gordon back to the scene of the crime. She claims that she was there, but that’s not concrete proof. Her pickpocket victim did report the crime around the time, so its possible. Selina reluctantly admits that she dumped the wallet in a nearby manhole. Right before she witnessed the Waynes die. Gordon isn’t sure he believes her, but he certainly doesn’t trust her. He hand cuffs her to a railing while he heads down the manhole. Crafty Selina picks the lock while Gordon finds the wallet. She was telling the truth, and now she’s running free.

Laslo doesn’t look too bad after the beating he took. Fish Mooney gives him a rest before she gets a visit from Detectives Montoya and Allen. They’re looking for Oswald Cobblepot. She hasn’t seen him, and she finds it funny that the Major Crime Unit is looking for Cobblepot. She didn’t kill him, but points the finger at Jim Gordon. Rumor has it that he pulled the trigger, but that Falcone gave the order. Allen mentions a rumor of his own that Falcone gave her boytoy a good beating, and she may be looking for revenge. Fish claims she’s only looking out for Oswald.

Oswald contemplates murder for a hotdog, when he’s recognized. Everyone thinks that he’s dead, and the man drags him to Fish. Fish will pay a pretty price for him. The man tells him that he should have stayed away, but Gotham is his home. Oswald guts the man, and the hotdog vendor sells him a hotdog with his newfound wealth.

Alfred tries to get Bruce to spar with him, but Bruce doesn’t want to stick fight. Alfred continues to poke at the boy. He snaps, and really gives his all until Alfred calls it quits. He picks up the Waynes file, and finds the gruesome crime scene photos inside. Money can buy anything, and Bruce didn’t have a hard time getting his hands on the pictures. Alfred worries that they’ll give him nightmares, but he already has those. He’s been looking for clues, but has yet to find anything. Alfred would prefer he leave it in the hands of Gordon to solve the crime.

Gordon is forced to report that Selina Kyle isn’t returning that he lost her. Montoya and Allen confront Gordon about Cobblepot’s death. They want to know if Falcone paid him to kill Cobblepot. They have no proof, only Fish’s rumor. Gordon tells them to come back when they have some proof.

Cobblepot looks for honest work. He tries to get a job at a restaurant, but not only does he not have experience, he doesn’t have the right shoes. Looking at a dishwasher that’s about to change, and the poor man doesn’t even know it yet.

Harvey has found a lead about the weather balloon, and Gordon mentions to him his Major Crime Unit visit. Someone talked, and Gordon isn’t pleased. Harvey knows they have nothing, which is why they came rattling his cage. Gordon did what he had to do, and in the end no one really cares about Cobblepot’s death. This isn’t over for Gordon, he’s not letting anything go until he gets to the bottom, until he finds the Waynes murderer.

Cobblepot stops the dishwasher, asking him his shoe size. Unluckily they wear the same size.

The former owner of the weather balloon sits down with Gordon and Harvey. Once he saw the news he came forward for fear that he would be accused of murder. Harvey didn’t find the lead at all, it was dropped in his lap. The balloon was stolen some time back by a former employee. He stole 4 of them at that time.

Lieutenant Cranston kicks around a drug dealer. He’s just one more heavy handed crooked cop on the force. A man pushes a cart down the street. He stops Cranston, and gets a beating at Cranston’s hand. Cranston gets just deserts though as the downed man handcuffs his ankle to a balloon and away he goes.

Bruce reads about the Ballonman in the paper. Alfred complains about Bruce’s lack of eating lately. Bruce continues his perusing, and Alfred tried to get Bruce to keep his strength up, but he’s not hungry.

Gordon gets ready for another day. He didn’t sleep well. Barbara is worried about him, for his safety because of the Ballonman’s latest victim, a cop. When he targeted a conman, Danzer, few cared, but with a cop being added to the list, the case will get all the attention it needs. It shouldn’t be that way, the lack of faith in justice is what brings on vigilantes, which has Gordon worried. Barbara thinks that his work gives people hope. His first case he caught the Waynes killer, which she thinks bolstered their confidence. That doesn’t lessen the weight on Gordon’s shoulders only makes it worse.

The people have a long list of people that should be the Balloonman’s next target. Captain Essen isn’t happy that one of her men fell prey to the Balloonman. She wants the man caught now. There are two more balloons out there. The next target is likely public and corrupt, which is a lengthy list. Harvey tells her they’ll find him. That almost sounds like Harvey is ready to do actual work.

Harvey’s tactics may not be Gordon’s but at least he’s doing something, which may or may not be good as he takes a man’s burrito.

Cobblepot is hard at work. He’s got the job. The boss warns him to work hard, and to be deaf, dumb and blind to everything else. Don Maloney arrives, opportunity knocks.

Harvey and Gordon follow up on a lead. They found the location of their potential Balloonman, but the man’s girlfriend puts up a fight kicking Harvey around. Gordon gets him handcuffed while the girl beats the hell out of Harvey. Gordon pulls his gun and save Harvey before she can smash him beneath a television, and Harvey knocks her out.
Laslo worries about Fish’s safety. She put the Major Crimes Unit after Gordon, and if Falcone finds out he may go after her. Fish reminds him that Falcone beat him to hurt her, and she’ll be fine. Fish talks to her muscle about getting rid of a pretty girl, Falcone’s girl and tells him to get rid of Laslo as well. He’s killing her mood.

Montoya frightens Barbara. They were close enough that Montoya still has a key to her place. She gets the key back from her. She was worried about her, worried about Barbara’s drug use. Barbara isn’t using anything. Montoya tells her that Gordon murdered someone on Falcone’s orders. Barbara doesn’t believe her. She wonders if Montoya is working so hard to bring down Gordon because she loves him. Their past may have been full of lies, but Barbara always knew when she was lying. She’s not lying now, or atleast she doesn’t believe she is. Montoya kisses Barbara, and she doesn’t return the kiss, telling her to leave. Montoya tells her to ask Gordon where he was the night Cobblepot was murdered.

The balloon thief get interrogated. He’s not responsible for the murders, he has no motivation to do it. He sold the balloons, but he never saw the buyer’s face. Harvey thinks that it’s the perfect crime, with no bodies. The man explains how weather balloons work, eventually the bodies will come back down.

Cranston’s body falls back to earth. Inside of his pocket is Jim Gordon’s name. Gordon knows who the Balloonman is.

Falcone is only the boss of Gotham, because people believe he is, Maloney muses. Arkham is going to change everything. Maloney notices Cobblepot noticing him. He gives him some money, he was once like him. And Cobblepot is smart enough to not have “heard” any of his Falcone speech. News comes in on the next Balloonman victim, a corrupt priest. Maloney knows that the vigilante act isn’t good for the city. He tells Cobblepot to go home and take care of his mother.

Gordon presents who he believes is the Ballonman. Davis Lamont works for children services. There was a form that Gordon gave to him that Cranston had in his pocket. He guesses that Lamont and Cranston scuffled, and Cranston took the form from Lamont stuffing it into his pocket before he was hooked to the balloon. Captain Essen wonders what made him snap. He was described as sweet. With one balloon left, and a long list of potential victims, they have to work fast. Harvey’s leads come up short. They brainstorm where the balloon could be stored, and Gordon has an idea.

Both Lamont, and Selina Kyle mentioned that there was a new juvie building, so they head to the old one that is about to be demolished. Harvey and Gordon spot the last balloon, and they go in to investigate. Lamont grabs Harvey. They should be on the same side he tells Gordon, they want the same thing. The law is failing the city, but he knows Gordon is different. He risked his life to save the kids that everyone else was willing to throw away. His job isn’t done. The men that he killed wouldn’t have seen justice done any other way. Harvey gets tired of waiting, and makes a move. Gordon neutralizes Lamont, but Harvey straps him to his own balloon for a little taste of his own medicine. Gordon tries to grab him, but both are lifted away. Harvey tells him to let go, but Gordon refuses, telling him to shoot the balloon. Reluctantly Harvey shoots down the balloon.

Falcone pays Fish a visit, to make sure that there is no hard feelings. Fish claims that there are none. Falcone’s girl met an accident via mugging. He plans to deal with the culprit and anyone who had a hand in it. He asks her to keep her ear to the ground about Maloney and Arkham. Seems he doesn’t have it as firmly locked down as he had implied.

Lamont is taken away on a stretcher. He warns that there will be more vigilantes. Gordon will clean up the city he says, but Lamont tells him that he had his chance.

Bruce watches the news. Lamont may have had good intentions, but he killed people too, which made him a bad as the people he was trying to stop. Gotham needs a hero, but not a corrupt one.

Barbara rushes to Gordon’s side, glad to see he’s okay. He survived, but he’s not okay. The city is sick, sick in a way that Gordon never realized. When he asked the last target, Lamont had said that it doesn’t matter. The mayor, judges, they’re all corrupt. Barbara tells him that it isn’t true. It isn’t, but it feels that way. There are cops who do the same thing that the Balloonman did. Barbara asks if he does. He asks if she thinks that he could, she doesn’t. She knows he’s a good man. There’s a knock at the door, its Cobblepot and he’s looking particularly dapper and penguinish.


Gotham S01E02 Recap: Selina Kyle

There is a war coming, the Penguin had warned him, but will Jim Gordon be prepared?

Bruce Wayne tests his tolerance for pain as he holds him hand over a candle. He rushes to hide his acts from Alfred, but he’s a horrible liar. Alfred lashes out over his actions, before pulling him into an embrace.

Patty and Doug feed the homeless, as a part of the Mayor’s food program. They’re creepy and way too smiley. Selina doesn’t bite though, and it’s a good thing, as the pair certainly aren’t what they seem. They drug the children, and kill the older man, while Selina slides back into the shadows. One of the kids also runs for it, and Doug gives chase. And the kid is thrown through the window of a restaurant.

Jim is sent to investigate the death. Selina stalks near, but hides when Harvey arrives. Harvey sees nothing more than a dead bum, but Gordon notes that he’s a military vet. The first cop sent to the scene finally arrives, he was checking out Che Vous, the restaurant that the kid went through the window of, and the one that is paying the cop for protection.

The kid’s story sound unlikely as he talks about a nice lady with a pen that drugged the other street kids. Harvey grills the kid thinking that he killed the kid, but the kid remains adamant that he’s telling the truth and that Cat could confirm his story. Harvey threatens to beat up the kid, and Gordon takes him aside, telling him that his threat is illegal. Harvey doesn’t like Gordon’s squeaky clean ways, and its making him increasingly ill tempered.

Oswald is picked up on the side of the road by some college kids, after they mess with him a bit. They mock him and spray him with air freshener before handing him a beer. It’s all fun and jokes until one of them asks him if anyone has ever told him that he walks like a penguin. Oswald goes all Coco, smashing his beer bottle, and ramming it into the kid’s carotid. So, Penguin isn’t a pet name that Oswald is embracing at the moment.

Harvey and Gordon are sitting before the Captain again. She’s not telling him to break the law, but be flexible. They dive into the runaway case, which Harvey still doesn’t believe. Ed Nygma lurks outside of the office. He’s found that the boy had high levels of ATP in his system, it’s a fast acting knock out drug. Hard to get and no recreational use, previously used at Arkham Asylum, which closed down years ago. The boy’s story just may have some credibility afterall. The Captain orders that the press needs to stay out of it to keep panic down. Harvey notes that the crime was committed on Fish Mooney’s turf, and asks if she’s still mad at them.

Speaking of Fish Mooney, she’s enjoying some music in her club when Falcone pays a visit. He wishes to have a chat, but doesn’t want the place cleared. He toasts about men about to die being honest. Falcone spoke to Cobblepot before his death. The Waynes’ Empire is now in flux due to her actions. Every criminal in the city is looking to make a move. He’s not worried about his enemies, but his friends. Fish assures him that she’s firmly in his corner, and he lets the matter drop, turning his attention to her love life. She claims to not have a lover, snapping his fingers at the waiter Laslo, warning him against breaking her heart. He has Laslo taken out back and beaten as Fish has no choice but to try to keep all emotion from her face. After Falcone leaves, Fish clears out her club, forcing everyone out.

Cobblepot’s mother speaks with Montoya and Allen from the Major Crimes Unit about her son’s disappearance. Is it me, or is that the Poodle Lady from Batman Returns? She tells them that her son would never leave his clothes. They put on a smiling face, but they suspect that the cops killed their snitch. Montoya seems more angered by the fact that they lost a good snitch than him being dead. Cobblepot’s Mother thinks that a lady has him in her clutches.

Butch tells Fish that she started her move too soon. She sees that now, she needs more money, more territory before she makes a move, but she when the time is right she will go after Falcone and kill him. Butch volunteers to hold her shoes when that happens. Fish’s only regret is that Oswald is dead, he didn’t suffer nearly enough, and lucky for her he isn’t.

Oswald pulls up to a house with a trailer for rent. He rents out the trailer without even bothering to look at it.

The runaways awaken, but none of them know where they are. It’s dark, dank and probably underground. The amenities could use some work. One thinks they’re dead. They aren’t but they may wish they were.

Gordon and Harvey pay Fish a visit. She’s no longer angry with them. She’s fond of Harvey, and Gordon intrigues her. Gordon jumps in, no foreplay, asking about the kids being grabbed on the streets. Fish is almost sad to hear that Gordon is a sinner like the rest of them, having killed Oswald, but she opens up that there is a market for healthy kids no matter how they look. Some mysterious over seas buyer that no one seems to care to know.

Barbara and Gordon sit down and eat Chinese food. He tells her about his case, and how no one seems to know anything, and he can’t even go to the press about it. The whole system is utterly corrupt, she has no clue. Barbara asks him if something is wrong, he’s been different lately, but he doesn’t reveal his demons. Since his hands are tied at work, she suggests that someone leave an anonymous tip to a newspaper, Gordon doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but Barbara is on her feet, placing the call before he can stop her. Gordon tells her that when he talks to her it has to remain between them, even though it was the right thing to do, and Barbara understands.

The story hits the front page, and Captain Essen is not pleased. The Mayor is quick to blame the police department for their sluggish reaction. Harvey and Gordon both claim that they didn’t call it in, and Gordon delivers his lead. Three companies stock the ATP, one has to be the supplier. Harvey tests out Gordon to see if he gave the newspaper the headline, but he’s technically telling the truth about not calling them. Gordon makes a call to a judge to enter the companies.

The drug supplier is not pleased about being involved with a high profile case, he wants some extra cash to assuage his conscience. Patty and Doug don’t have that kind of money, and don’t feel he’s being fair, threatening to renege on them. The Dollmaker doesn’t tolerate failure, they need the children. Patty stabs one of the drug supplier’s men with her pen and down he goes.

Harvey won’t let the newspaper tipoff go. He asks Gordon if Barbara made the call, and Gordon admits that she did. Harvey tells him to get control over his lady, but he likes her how she is. They enter Quillen’s and Patty mans his front. They have a warrant to search the place, and the drug supplier, Quillen is twitchy. The Waynes had been planning to reopen Arkham Asylum by his admission, but their death proves no one is safe. Patty and Doug start shooting and its gunfire all around, but the pair get away. Harvey gives chase. Quillen orders the kids be killed, the room hosed down but Gordon doublebacked and stops him at gunpoint. He’s forced to shoot the lackey, but the kids are safe.

The Mayor makes a big speech about the bravery of Gordon and Harvey, and how the kids will be taken care of, but culprits behind the kidnappings are still at large. He made a call to get the kids off the streets and into juvenile services. The kids are being rounded up, but not in the nice, sweet, humane way he claims. They’re being rounded up, pulled by officers, scared by their dogs and shoved into squad cars, all runaways including Selina.

The Mayor and Captain Essen celebrate with a drink. Gordon asks where the children are being sent, and the Mayor tells him to Foster homes for the undamaged ones, upstate to a correction center for the rest. A prison he notes. The Captain tries to excuse her upstanding detective, but the mayor pulls out his soapbox. He blames most of the petty crime on these children, and Gordon notes that he’s using the child snatchers as a pretense to lock up children without a trial.

Alfred pays Gordon a visit. He asks Gordon to pay them a visit. Neither has ever had a child, but Alfred notes that the boy respects him, and asks him over for tea.

Bruce draws little disturbing pictures while listening to rock music.

Selina is set to go upstate, but she’s refusing. She asks to speak with Jim Gordon, but the woman checking the kids in on the bus refuses to listen, marking her down as Jane Doe. Selina takes a seat next to a crying kid, giving him sound advice for when they get to juvie. Don’t befriend the friendly, and to go for the eyes. Patty boards the bus, and Selina isn’t comforted by her smiling demeanor, she knows the crazy. Selina makes a run for it, and Patty pulls a gun on her, forcing her to sit down. She warns the bus that the next naughty child will get a black mark (bullet) to the forehead.

The Mayor enters Captain Essen’s office in a tizzy. One or two missing children could be explained, but a whole bus load is far more noticeable. He begs her to tell him that it wasn’t he snatchers, but she can’t do that. All she can tell him is that they’re working on it.

Harvey questions Quillen while Gordon sits back and watches. Harvey tells him that Gordon is against him beating on people, but Gordon is making an exception for him. The lives of 30 children mean far more than the lives of one scumbag. Quillen admits that there was a logo on the side of the truck. A blue plate and silver fork. He isn’t sure what they do with the children though. Gordon orders him to draw the logo.

Patty and Doug arrive with their precious cargo, but as the children debus they notice that they’re one short. Patty goes to see if they missed one. Selina is hiding on the bus, but she’s too good, and manages to slip by Patty as she searches. Patty chalks it up to an error, and she and Doug celebrate their good haul for the Dollmaker.

Gordon and Harvey come up with nothing on the logo. Captain Essen reports that everyone is looking for the truck, but they have a huge headstart. Looking at the logo Gordon realizes that it isn’t a plate and fork, but a circle and trident.

The children are loaded into a shipping container. Patty gives clear instructions for their transport, when one of the men comes in screaming about his eyes. The cat has struck. The rest go off in search of the scratcher, while Patty stays to see the damage. She scratched his eyes all right, right out of his head. Patty tells him that he’ll be right as rain in no time, and then shoots him in the head. She goes in search of Selina by herself. Selina hides behind some shipping crates, trying to stay one step ahead of Patty, and she does until her locket falls out of her pocket. Patty catches Selina, holding her at gunpoint. Gordon knocks her out from behind, but Selina doesn’t thank her rescuer.

Alfred tells Gordon about his ward. He hasn’t been sleeping and when he does, its fitful, and now he’s hurting himself. Gordon asks if he’s spoken with a psychiatrist, but he hasn’t. It’s against the rules. Mr. Wayne was very adamant should he and his wife die how their son should be raised, to be free to choose his own course. Gordon thinks it’s a recipe for disaster, and asks what he should do. Bruce tells him that Alfred wants him to talk sense into him, and Alfred scolds him for sneaking up on him. Bruce thinks that Alfred is a worrywart and asks if talking has helped Gordon with his memories of war. Gordon tells him that it has, but Bruce doesn’t believe him, calling him a horrible liar. Bruce thinks he’s testing himself, but the petulance in his voice makes me hope that Alfred takes him over his knee. Bruce sits. He’s been following the events of the newspaper, and offers to give him money for the kids. Gordon explains that money won’t solve the problem, the kids need good guardians, like he has. He offers clothes, the kids looked ragged. He wants to help somehow, and they need to figure out a way for him to make a difference.

After everything that has happened, the kids are still headed upstate. Selina or Cat as she prefers to be called wants to be let go. She doesn’t have a guardian, and her mother is deceased so they can’t release her even if she didn’t have warrants. She tells him that her mother isn’t deceased, but it doesn’t matter. Selina asks for Gordon, and the social worker tells her that the police are busy. Selina isn’t taking no for an answer, threatening to scream and say that he touched her if he doesn’t get Gordon. The girl is certainly ballsy, and the man does as she asks.

Cobblepot has made some sort of serial killer map with pictures on the ceiling of everyone from the Mayor to Falcone to the Waynes. He receives a call from the remaining boy’s mother. He tried to ransom the boy, but his mother didn’t believe him, thinking that it was just a joke. Well it certainly isn’t a joke, and Oswald looks like he’s about to go bananas on the poor kid.


Gordon goes to chat with Selina, noting that she didn’t want to talk to him before. He tells the social worker its okay to leave the girl with him. He asks her if she knows the first runaway they had in custody Macky, and notes that she must be a survivor the snatchers tried for her twice. She does, and is, but its down to business. She asks hypothetically what if she had something he really wanted. If she gave it to him, could he get her released? He’s interested. She’s been watching him, knows that he knows the boy. She knows that Pepper was a patsy. Now he’s really interested. He may be able to get her out. She tells him that she saw the Waynes’s murder, saw who killed them clear as day.

I can't believe that crime would be solved so quickly, which begs the questions will Selina tell the truth? Will Jim Gordon really solve the crime? 

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. 

Would You Rather Movie Review


What would you do if a millionaire offered you a chance to solve all your life’s problems? Would You Rather explores how far desperate people will go for a once in a lifetime prize.

After the tragic death of her parents, Iris (Brittany Snow) is desperate to make ends meet as she struggles to even find a job all while caring for her terminally ill younger brother when she gets a call from his doctor offering her what seems to be a chance of a lifetime. Enter in smooth talking uber rich guy Shepard Lambrick (Jeffery Combs) who invites her to an exclusive dinner party where she has the chance to win not only riches galore, but preferential treatment and every chance to save her brother. It all sounds too good to be true, but she takes a chance, and finds nothing is as it seems.

What starts out as some harmless fun quickly takes a dark turn as Lambrick pits his eight guests (Enver Gjokaj, Sasha Grey, John Heard, June Squibb, Eddie Steeples, Robin Taylor, and Robb Wells) in a deadly game of Would You Rather, where the participants must perform their outlandish choices at the expense of their fellow players.

While Would You Rather is most certainly twisted, it won’t please those looking for torture porn or gore. Instead it’s smart and reminiscent of Saw while not really exploiting the violence. Instead most of the brutality is taken off scene, which by no means takes away from the impact of the scene.

The high level of psychological twists are far scarier without the high amounts of gore found in the normal horror thriller of this kind. That paired with a fantastic, well rounded cast of diverse actors easily makes   Would You Rather a flick not to be missed. Not only is Would You Rather highly entertaining, its completely engrossing, and the twists of the script are fantastic.

Would You Rather is now playing in select theaters, SundanceNow, Cable VOD, and other digital outlets (iTunes, Amazon Streaming, PS3 Playstation Unlimited, XBOX Zune, Google PLAY and YouTube).
Check back soon for the Q and A with the director, David Guy Levy! 
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