Wednesday, January 30, 2019

'Gotham' Recap: "Ruin" (5x04)

Welcome back to another recap of Gotham—or, as I like to call it, "Everything hurts, and I'm dying."

Overdramatic? Maybe, but considering the thrills and chills in this week's episode, it feels pretty accurate. The episode, "Ruin," focuses on two plots: the GCPD's quest to figure out who bombed Haven, and Selina's ongoing quest to kill Jeremiah.

While you're probably used to my spoiler warnings by now, I feel the need to reiterate: THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD. BIG, MIND-BLOWING, WORLD-BREAKING SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS EPISODE, STOP READING. (You'll thank me later, I promise.) The episode also contains a fair amount of violence, so be advised on that front.

Plot A: Unusual Suspects

Picking up where the last episode left off, Haven is burning. We see toys in the fire and ashes in the air while refugees run from the flames. Penguin stands up and looks visibly shocked by the destruction.

Behind him, Barbara coughs in the smoke. She cocks her gun, but her hand's shaking, and she's clearly just as shell-shocked as he is. She sees the people crying around her and puts her gun down, deciding it's not the right time to kill Penguin.

At the same time, Gordon snaps into action, telling the GCPD to search for survivors and set up triage for the wounded. Gordon then turns to Penguin and blames him for the destruction, since he's the one who brought the gangs to Haven. Penguin protests, saying he's pretty sure none of the gangs had bombs with them.

Gordon then orders Bullock to have the officers get hoses to put out the flames. As the fire begins to die out, Bullock comes back to Jim and tells him what an officer found while searching for survivors: the badge that he'd given Will.

Later on, Gordon radios a female voice (credited in the captions as "Walker") and tells her that 311 people died in the bombing, 49 were injured, and 24 are missing. Walker says she's sorry about the tragedy and asks if he has any idea who the culprit is. Gordon replies that while a couple of gangs came to Haven recently, they can't be sure who did it.

Walker tells Gordon she's working on getting him help, but Gordon replies that he's been waiting for weeks and that people have died. Walker insists that she's doing all she can, but he turns the radio off and leaves his office.

Elsewhere in the GCPD precinct, people are demanding answers from the cops. Gordon replies that he knows their anger and grief and is feeling the same thing, but he adds that whoever bombed Haven can't destroy the hope its residents have built unless they let them destroy it. He ends by saying that he'll find out who did and justice will be done, but the crowd doesn't seem entirely convinced.

Bullock says the speech was a good effort on Gordon's part, but Gordon says they'll need more than words to turn things around. He tells Lucius to look through whatever evidence he can find and learn as much as he can about the bombing and the culprit. Bullock then remarks that it's interesting that the buildings blew just when he and Barbara arrived but adds that she doesn't have a motive for bombing Haven. Gordon decides to see her anyway and decides to leave Harvey in charge while he's gone.

When Gordon arrives at the Sirens' Bar, Barbara surmises that he's either here for information or because he thinks she bombed Haven. Gordon points out that she could've done it to kill Penguin, but Barbara points out that she had a clear shot on him after the bombs blew and chose not to take it—because she knows that whoever bombed Haven needs to be stopped.

Gordon deduces that Barbara's worried about Sirens being targeted next. She tells him that she's been "putting out feelers" and heard about a "shady guy" who was hanging around Haven before it blew and is holed up in a building in the northeast corner of Harlow Park. Gordon asks what Barbara's price for the information is, but she tells him to do just do his job and catch the guy. She then asks him a quiet question: does he really think she could've killed so many people? Gordon admits that he doesn't know.

The conversation is abruptly ended by Bullock calling Gordon on his walkie-talkie to say that there's a problem in Haven. Gordon leaves Barbara to go check it out.

The problem, as you might not be surprised to find out, is Penguin, who's standing in the police precinct with several of his armed men. Gordon warily asks what he's doing at the GCPD. Penguin replies that it's clear that the GCPD is "outmanned, outgunned, and woefully out of options," so he's here to help.

He has his men bring in assault rifles and tells the GCPD to take what they can carry. Gordon asks if there are strings attached to Penguin's offer. Penguin replies that he's just interested in making sure the bomber is brought to justice and killed, since he also lost people in the explosion. He extends his hand, and Gordon shakes it.

Elsewhere, the Riddler wakes up in an apartment and sees a suitcase nearby. He opens it up and finds that it's empty. He then pulls out his recorder and remarks that he either just came back from a trip or had plans to go on one. He also spots a confusing message written in smudged green ink on his hand. It reads "IN A-T number 1512 knows." He decides that it must mean "Inmate number 1512 knows," and decides to check Gotham's prison records to figure out what this means.

Meanwhile, Gordon and Penguin roll out into Harlow Park with their combined forces. Bullock tells Gordon that what happened to Haven wasn't his fault, but Gordon replies that he told the people it was safe and unwittingly turned the place into a target. Bullock insists that Gordon's giving people hope, but Gordon doesn't want to hear it.

Gordon then turns to his men and orders them to go building-to-building and door-to-door until they find the bomber. Penguin, however, blows the element of surprise by grabbing a bullhorn and announcing that they're coming for the bomber, wherever he/she is. In response, an unknown person shoots directly at Penguin's bullhorn. The GCPD get down. As Gordon figures out which building the shot must've come from, the shooter fires again.

Gordon yells that they have the building surrounded and that whoever's up there should just come out. The shooter replies (in a familiar voice) that he'd rather not, since it's "pretty cozy up here." Penguin notes that he knows that voice, and his suspicions are confirmed when Victor Zsasz pops up in front of that far window with a gun and fires a shot at them from across the street.

While this is going on, Riddler walks into the GCPD with a blanket over his head (because apparently that's all it takes to pass for a refugee in this city). He then sneaks into the filing room and begins searching through the files for Inmate #1512. Suddenly, Lucius Fox appears behind him and snatches the folder out of his hand. Lucius notes that he heard Riddler was dead and asks what he's looking for.

"I am given, and I am taken," Riddler says. "I am there from your first breath, and I will follow you until your death." Lucius replies that the answer is a name and asks what he wants with the file of a Blackgate prisoner. Riddler replies that it's a "personal matter." Lucius decides to make him a deal: if Riddler helps him figure out how the bomber attacked haven and who he is, he'll give him the folder.

The Riddler agrees to the deal.

Over in Harlow Park, Zsasz tells Gordon that he's not the one who blew up Haven and adds that he wouldn't take credit for someone else's work. Penguin retorts that Zsasz has no honor and asks why they should believe him. Zsasz asks if Penguin's referring to what happened with Sofia Falcone and tells him he needs to let it go.

Gordon tells Penguin to keep Zsasz occupied by firing at him nonstop while Gordon sneaks into the building and then ceasing fire after about two minutes. Penguin agrees to the plan, and it works. Gordon catches Zsasz unaware, tackles him to the ground, and cuffs him.

When they exit the building, Penguin tells Gordon to let him deal with Zsasz, but Gordon says that finding out if Zsasz is the bomber (and, if so, what his plan is) is more important than Penguin's vendetta against the assassin. Gordon then drives away with Zsasz. Zsasz, seemingly unbothered by the situation, waves at Penguin from the backseat of Gordon's cop car.

Back in Haven, Riddler and Lucius look at the destruction. Riddler says that since the building's superstructure is intact, they can rule out a few things. He theorizes that whatever the bomb was made of it, it was slow-burning (such as gunpowder or nitroglycerin), but adds that based on the scope of the destruction, a bomb made of such materials would be too big to sneak into a guarded building. When Riddler compares the situation to a locked-room mystery, Lucius says the bomb must've already been inside the building.

Riddler corrects him by saying that the bomb was the building. He then points out that there are 250 gallons of highly pressurized heating oil running through the building's pipes, which would combust when the bomb went off. Lucius agrees, but says it doesn't explain the shards of broken glass from a nearby window, which have fallen inward, meaning that the blast couldn't have come from inside the room. The two of them then realize that whoever blew up Haven must have thrown the bomb through the window and into that room.

Back at the GCPD, Gordon and Bullock tell Zsasz that there are a dozen witnesses who saw him walk out of the building before it blew. Zsasz replies that he heard about the gangs taking over and decided to go in and look for supplies during the chaos.

Gordon asks why Zsasz would shoot at the GCPD if he was innocent, and Zsasz replies that A) they were cops, and B) they were shooting at him. He then reminds them that he cuts a tally mark into his skin for every person he kills (though we haven't seen him do this onscreen since season one). Therefore, if he had bombed Haven, he would have a lot of fresh scars. He adds that they're welcome to search him.

Alvarez then enters and tells Gordon that Lucius is on the walkie-talkie and needs to speak with him. Gordon leaves the interrogation room and Lucius tells him that Haven was blown up by an RPG (much like the one that took down the chopper in episode 1) and that he's found pieces of it. Lucius adds that, based on the angle of entry, the RPG had to have been fired from a rooftop.

The conversation is interrupted by Penguin barging into the precinct. Gordon tells him that the evidence shows that Zsasz is innocent. Penguin replies that he knew Gordon would go soft, so he didn't come alone. His armed men storm the precinct and go to collect Zsasz. Gordon says that torturing Zsasz won't bring justice, and Penguin replies that he's not going torture Zsasz; he's going to put him on trial and the people of Gotham will decide whether he's guilty or innocent.

Elsewhere in Haven, Lucius and Riddler examine the rooftop from which the RPG was fired. Lucius spots the weapon's case still lying around and decides to take it back to examine, though Riddler notes that whoever used it was likely smart enough to wear gloves. Still, he wishes Lucius luck, and in a surprisingly heartwarming moment, Lucius thanks the Riddler for his help.

Lucius hands over the folder and leaves. After he's gone, Riddler examines it, but finds that inmate #152, Frank McCann, is deceased. He throws the folder on the ground, frustrated that it's another dead end. He then spots something: in a nearby building, a lady in a wheelchair is watching him from her window. He decides to go to her apartment and see if she saw the bomber.

Over in city hall, Bullock asks Gordon if they're really going to let Penguin try Zsasz. Gordon says that if they try to stop the trial, the people will turn their anger on the GCPD. He adds that maybe this trial is what the citizens need.

Of course, Penguin's version of a trial is anything but fair. Zsasz has no lawyer and his mouth is taped shut to preserve his "right to remain silent." Penguin then asks for witnesses who saw Zsasz leave the building before it blew, and several people raise their hands. Penguin then turns the floor over to Gordon—right after implying that Gordon doesn't believe the witnesses' testimony.

Gordon tells the people that the explosion wasn't caused by a bomb but an RPG shot by a rooftop, meaning that Zsasz couldn't have been the culprit. He tells the people that he knows they want justice and that they feel angry and scared. He also admits that, despite his reassurances that help is on the way, Gotham may be on its own.

"If that's true," he says, "what we do now is more important than ever. This is not justice. This is not who we are."

Penguin then asks the jury for their verdict. They reply, in true Gotham fashion, in the most insane manner: by declaring Zsasz guilty and sentencing him to death BY GUILLOTINE.

However, when Zsasz is brought to the guillotine, Gordon interrupts by shooting his gun in the air. He manages to get Zsasz out in time, just before the blade drops. Gordon says he's trying to keep the people of Gotham from making a mistake, but Penguin replies that all he's doing is showing those people that he cares more about protecting a murderer than protecting them. He tells Gordon that he's lost the people of Gotham, and now those people are on Penguin's side. Gordon pushes Penguin aside and leaves with Bullock and Zsasz.

He and Bullock drive Zsasz to a random spot in Gotham. Bullock says that Zsasz won't be safe from Penguin at the GCPD but adds that they can't just let him go either. Gordon says that if they don't let Zsasz go, he'll be killed for a crime he didn't commit. He uncuffs Zsasz, who says that Gotham City will never be what Gordon is trying to make it into: instead, it'll always belong to criminals.

Gordon responds by telling Bullock to hand Zsasz his gun. Bullock is hesitant, but Gordon repeats the order. Zsasz asks if they have a death wish. Gordon, who still has his own gun, replies that maybe he does, or maybe he's just tired of listening to Zsasz. Bullock reaches his gun out for Zsasz to grab. Zsasz considers it, but holds back.

"You seem tired," Zsasz says. "Maybe another day, yeah?"

Gordon tells Zsasz that criminals like him will always try to own this city, but they never will. Once Zsasz leaves, Bullock asks Gordon if he was seriously considering a shootout. Gordon says he could've taken Zsasz, but Bullock doesn't seem to buy it. He yells at Gordon not to make him do something like that again and tells him to pull himself together.

Back in Haven, Riddler reaches the apartment he saw from the rooftop and notices that it's number 1215 (the same number as the note on his hand). When he opens the door, the old lady seems terrified and tells him to go away. Riddler says he just wants to know what she saw earlier.

The lady replies that she saw the Riddler on the roof with a rocket. He says that's not possible, but she insists that he shot it at the building. She then knocks him over the head with a vase, and he begins to have flashbacks of blowing up the building and leaving a message for himself to find the old lady's apartment after she saw him do it. The old lady says she won't tell anybody, but rather than take her at her word, Riddler pushes her (wheelchair and all) out of the window.

Back at the GCPD, Gordon drinks alone in his office. Barbara enters and notes that he didn't turn on the spotlight like usual. Gordon, tired and dejected, asks what she wants. Barbara replies that she wants to protect her people, just like he's trying to protect his. She gives him a new tip on a guy who sells RPGs, but Gordon doesn't seem excited about it.

Barbara says she heard about how some of Gordon's people went over to Penguin's side and adds that Gordon "can't win 'em all."

"Poor Jim, all alone again," she says. He tells her to leave, but she walks up to him and keeps talking. She says that no one knows what it's like to be Gordon and "carry the weight." He tells her to leave again. Instead of doing so, she leans in close, but stops just short of kissing Gordon. She then turns to leave, but he sets down his drink, pulls her in close, and kisses her.

Plot B: Joke's On You

Like Plot A, Plot B picks up where the last episode left off—with Bruce Wayne having one of his hands handcuffed to a gate. Two of Jeremiah's masked followers approach him, but he manages to take them down single-handedly.

A third follower rushes towards Bruce, but Alfred takes him out before he can do anything. Bruce is relieved and notes that he wasn't sure if his distress signal worked (as Lucius said its range was only a few miles).

Alfred helps Bruce get loose and asks him what happened. Bruce says he let his guard down, but Alfred points out that if Jeremiah's followers had handcuffed him to the wall, they would've taken his transmitter and his weapons. Bruce admits that Selina cuffed him and then ran off to find Jeremiah. Alfred surmises that Bruce wants to go after her. Bruce agrees, saying that she's likely to get herself killed.

Alfred tells Bruce that sooner or later he'll have to realize something: he can't save Selina from herself. He still agrees that they should find her, however, and the two of them begin their search.

Elsewhere (and presumably in the same building or the same area of the Dark Zone), Ecco leads her new recruits around a dark, smoky underground lair. Selina follows them, taking care to stay in the shadows.

In one part of the lair, several people are at work digging some sort of tunnel while Jeremiah, now wearing a slick new outfit, oversees the process.

One of workers, the former leader of the Soothsayers (from 5x02), says that Jeremiah's working them too hard and that there's no way they'll make it on schedule.

Jeremiah responds by slitting the man's throat and replying "Not with that attitude." He then tells the rest of the workers to keep digging deeper and says it's the only way they'll "make it out of here" (though it's not clear whether "here" means the Dark Zone or Gotham itself.)

A little bit later, Jeremiah continues to oversee the digging. He seems to be unsure about his plan and mutters, to himself, "It's a nice gift for him. He'll like it. No, he won't. Yes, he will. Come on, he's gonna love it." (I think it's reasonable to assume that "he" refers to Bruce, though it's not clear what the gift is and if it has something to do with the tunnel.)

Ecco approaches Jeremiah with the new followers. He notes that she's only brought a few recruits, and she says he thought he'd want quality over quantity. When she adds that not everyone passed, he grabs her by the neck, before relenting and admitting that Ecco does "set a high bar for devotion." He then puts his hand on her waist and they began to waltz around while she fills him in on what happened with Selina and Bruce showing up in the dark zone. She finishes by saying that if she sees Selina, she'll be sure to give him a shout before killing her.

Having finished her dance, Ecco tells the recruits to move out.

However, unbeknownst to Ecco, Selina (now wearing a hard hat and disguised to look like one of the workers) continues to follow her from the shadows.

Some time later, Bruce and Alfred appear in the underground lair and take out several of Jeremiah's followers.

While this is going on, Jeremiah tells the workers to keep digging deeper. Suddenly, a masked Ecco walks up and stabs him in the chest.

 She then slips the mask off to reveal her true face: Selina Kyle. Selina continues to stab Jeremiah until Bruce pulls her back and tells her it's over and that they need to leave. He and Alfred fight off the followers before setting off a smoke bomb and fleeing the lair.

As all of this happens, Jeremiah lies on the ground . . . seemingly dead.

The Verdict:

Plot A: 

This episode was a spectacular reminder of why Jim Gordon is the main character of Gotham. It's not because he's the most important character in the Batman franchise, or because he's a perfect hero. It's because Gordon's failures show why the city needs Batman.

Gordon's always relied on hope to inspire and motivate the people of Gotham, but this episode is a grim reminder that, in a place as twisted and immoral as Gotham, hope isn't enough to make people do the right thing.

This version of Gotham City needs Batman more than ever, because Batman doesn't use hope to influence people; he uses fear. In a city overrun by criminals and more removed from law and order than it has ever been, fear is more effective than hope. People who have hope in Gordon will ultimately be let down because, for all of his good qualities, he's human. He's not invincible or infallible.

Batman is another story. People listen to Batman because he invokes fear—fear of punishment and even death. When they look at him, they don't see a man or a hero; they see a demon. And that is what causes them to beware his wrath.

What I'm saying is, I'm enjoying Gordon's arc this season because I believe it's leading to a point where Bruce will have to step in and embrace the darker, more fearsome aspects of himself in order to do what Gordon can't: save the city. And that's something I'm ready to see.

I also enjoyed Plot A immensely because of the chemistry between the Riddler and Lucius. Those two characters play off of each other extremely well. It's an interesting dynamic, because Riddler thinks of Lucius as possibly the only person who's on his intellectual level. Because of that, he had a begrudging respect for Lucius despite their differences.

Lucius, on the other hand, doesn't exactly think of Riddler as a friend but doesn't antagonize him or treat him like a criminal. Instead, he treats him with an incredible amount of empathy given the things that he's done. (This is best seen in the season 3 episode, "How the Riddler Got His Name."

As for the reveal that the Riddler destroyed Haven, I honestly didn't see it coming until I saw the old lady react so badly to seeing him. I've got to applaud Gotham's writers for doing a great job of misdirecting my suspicions.

The only problem is that I'm not sure why the Riddler's new alter ego was so hellbent on destroying Haven and (presumably) shooting down the chopper in episode 1. Perhaps he meant to target Penguin or sow more conflict between Penguin and other players in Gotham (such as Gordon and Zsasz). I suppose I'll just have to wait and see how the Riddler's storyline unfolds.

Before getting to Plot B, I suppose I should address that ending scene. To me, it felt right. Barbara and Gordon are both in extremely vulnerable positions right now. They've both lost people, and I think they both felt a need, of sorts, to be with someone. To not be alone. To find some sort of intimacy and companionship.

That being said, I don't know how far this relationship will go. I don't know if it was just a spur of the moment kiss brought on by emotional turmoil and sexual tension. I don't know if Barbara's attempting to manipulate Gordon in some way. I don't know if either of them wants a relationship with the other.

But I know one thing: wherever that kiss goes, I'm interested. I've never been opposed, per se, to Gordon and Lee's romance, but I always wondered if there was any scenario where Barbara would ever redeem herself enough for Gordon to put the past aside and love her again. They were so close in season 1 that seeing them go their separate ways over five seasons has been heartbreaking.

They're not the same people that they used to be, but I think they can still find happiness with each other.

(Gotham 3x07: "The Red Queen.")

Whether the show allows them to be happy, however, is another question entirely.

On an unrelated note, I'd like to give a quick shoutout to Anthony Carrigan, the actor who plays Victor Zsasz. He always bring a fun, chaotic, and entertaining energy as Zsasz and it was a pleasure to see him return. (And, according to a tweet by another Gotham actor, Carrigan actually improvised one of the funniest lines in this episode.) I hope we'll see more of him this season.

Plot B: I'm going to preface this part of my recap with my opinion/theory on Jeremiah. So if you don't want to read POTENTIAL SPOILERS, please skip ahead to where it says "POTENTIAL SPOILERS OVER."

Do I think Jeremiah's dead? No, I do not. And I'll give a few good reasons for why I'm so sure about it:

1. There are clips of Cameron Monaghan from this season's trailers that we haven't seen yet in the show. While it's possible that he could be playing yet another character, there are signs that it's still Jeremiah in these trailers, as he talks about he connection between him and Bruce (a connection that a new character probably wouldn't have).

2. Jerome and Jeremiah are two of the most popular characters on this show. Killing Jerome off was a big risk both times, and I don't think the writers would be so quick to make the same risk with Jeremiah, especially because of the next reason on this list.

3. Very little time is spent on Jeremiah's apparent death. Both times Jerome died, his last words were poignant, and the camera spent a fair amount of time focusing on his dead body. Not only that, but he was examined by the GCPD in both instances and they verified his death. In this episode, however, we only see a brief shot of Jeremiah's dead body, and he gets very little screen time beforehand. Gotham may be a show that kills off major characters, but it almost always builds up to doing so.

(One good example is the slow burn build-up to Penguin's murder of Butch in season 4, where his reasons for doing so are very clear. On the other hand, there are some deaths that don't have a build-up. Take Fish's death at the end of season 3, where she's abruptly killed by Gordon in the midst of his Tetch-Virus-induced rage after only being in about four or five episodes of that season. But even then, she got to chew the scenery some in her final episode, and her last words were important to Penguin.)

And with a character as big as the Joker, you can't kill him off without ceremony. To do so would be a waste.

4. Jeremiah's a smart guy. I don't think he would ignore Ecco's warning that Selina wanted to kill him. Instead, he probably set up some sort of contingency to fake his death and cheat her out of her revenge.

5. Killing off Jeremiah, in my opinion, would just be a sloppy move. The last one-third of season 4 was all about building him up, establishing his motivations, and showing his transformation into the latest incarnation of the Joker. To kill him off this early on would, as I said before, be a waste.

All that to say, I don't think he's really dead. I'm not sure how he survived, though. Maybe he had someone (such as Clayface, last seen in season 3) pose as him, or maybe he was just playing possum and had on some sort of protective material under his suit. But one thing's for sure: even if we've seen the last of Jeremiah, we haven't seen the last of Cameron Monaghan. And I'm glad, 'cause he's one talented actor.


Apart from my theories about Jeremiah, I don't have too much to say about Plot B (especially since it was pretty short in comparison to Plot A). It felt mostly like a build-up to more conflict between Bruce and Selina that we'll see next week (as well as a build-up to whatever Jeremiah was planning). It wasn't super interesting to watch, but I'll be happy if it sets up an interesting storyline.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It was a jolt of electricity, and it raised the stakes for this season yet again. I'd probably rate it a 9 on a scale of 1-10, honestly. It managed to be the right mix of funny, thrilling, and heart-wrenching. I can't wait to see what follows.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions, theories, and thoughts about the episode.

I'll be back soon with a recap of the next episode: "Pena Dura." Until then, have a good week and remember: jury duty doesn't count if the summons was sent out by a mob boss.


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