This is a late review for Gotham Episode 8 The Mask, but if you're like me, you DVR it to watch when you have free time.
by Bob McQueen
The episode starts out what looks like Hunger Games meets the Office. Then we're treated to an interaction with the brilliant Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin and Fish Mooney. This first season is definitely all about the rise of the Penguin but whats the most interesting about it is that we're kept guessing as to the Penguin's actual motivation. Who's side is he on? His own obviously but why the need to play with the mob the way he does? Its a delight to watch him work his way through, what appear to be, pointless interactions with Mooney only to get back at her while she's too focused on going after Falcone, even if it means getting stabbed by Mooney. And then there's Penguin's mom. A bizarre circus-like attraction whom Penguin adores. She gives him advice and stories about the Old World, uncomfortable stories about her bosom even. But in the insane ramblings there is an coherence that she knows what her son is up to and feeds him the lines that he wants to hear. Without her approval, the Penguin doesn't act. Towards the end we get to see more of the controlled monster the Penguin needs to be. This is by far the best treatment and the best use of the villain Penguin. In the cartoons he's been a short fat foil easily beaten by Batman, in the movies: "You flush it, i flaunt it".
We also get to see Bruce attempt to reintegrate back into a sort of normalcy by going back to his private school. Only a certain Tommy Elliot (Hush for those keeping track) shows up to act like a macabre little asshole. I felt it was a little too macabre for a teen, especially a privileged teen, but it is Gotham after all and the only normal in Gotham is nothing is normal. We get to see Alfred forced into a father-ship role he wasn't expecting and how he may not be taking the proper course. While Bruce standing up to Tommy could easily be seen as and anti-bully message, its hard for me to agree with only violence stops violence. But, its Gotham and its Alfred showing Bruce a way to channel his anger. The small steps of becoming Batman.
The villain this week was the Black Mask. Seeing as how Gotham is basically Sopranos in the Batman universe, i was hoping for yet another mob enforcer with the Black Mask, as he's treated in the comics. But, Black Mask is basically a business dude who read to closely to The Art of War for business management. His mask is cool, a Japanese style that i thought was a good touch over the black skull in the comics. He's also the one heading up the Office Hunger Games because, he's a warrior and wants everyone who works for him to be warriors as well. Too much Art of War.
Black mask played into the great character development of Gordon/Bullock. This was the first episode after Victor Zzaazz showed up and told the police department to turn their backs on Gordon, which they did with no hesitation.It was Gordon who tracked down Black Mask and fought to prove that he's the warrior in the police department. All the while the ever brilliant Donal Logue as Bullock, not only is coming around as more of a "good cop" role, but he was also backing Gordon when no one else was. He even had the commissioner doubting her role in the department for her abandonment of Gordon to Zzaazz. Their partnership not only strengthens but Bullock is able to guilt trip the department into helping locate Gordon after he's abducted by Black Mask. When the police finally show up to help Gordon, they're late, showing once again the doubt they still have but when it comes to Gordon, they're too little, too late.
The weaker moments of this episode were very few but they were there. "Cat" felt shoehorned in, the brief scenes she was in, which is obviously meant to set up her role with Gordon even larger. And Gordon's girlfriend is still the weakest link. I was never a fan of the "love triangle" with Gordon, Barbara, Montoya, it seemed stretching it way too much and in this episode, she begs Gordon to tell her everything and then takes off while only leaving a note for why she left. Ed Nygma continues to be overly "weird" for my tastes. To the point where i feel its slightly unbalanced. We know that Ed is going to be the Riddler and is arguably smarter than Batman, but the mad genius feels a little forced when it comes to Nygma as if they're still trying to find his role in the show.
Gotham only continues to get better and better with each episode. Its a ratings giant and has made a mob show out of the Batman universe, a show which can appeal to most everyone whether you're a comic fan or not.
I rate this episode a solid 8.5 out of 10
