Warning: this recap contains major spoilers from this week’s episode of Gotham, “Mad City: Blood Rush.” It is a recap, after all! Don’t say we didn’t warn you …
Welp, Captain Barnes’ blood poisoning has officially gotten out of hand on Gotham. As have the love lives of Oswald “Penguin” Cobblepot and Ed Nygma. We’re only a few episodes in to this season and things are already getting delightfully batty! Let’s recap the madness from “Mad City: Blood Rush,” shall we?
Unfortunately for Barnes and the rest of people in the city of Gotham, the GCPD Captain has upgraded to killing random criminals in his off-duty time, and out of desperation, he met with Jervis Tetch in prison to figure out if there was a cure for Alice’s blood. That’s when Tetch made him realize that Alice’s blood only brings out the darkest parts of a person, and for Barnes, that was his bloody, violent rage at criminals. Soon, he’ll start hearing voices and that’s when he’ll know the virus has taken over.
But first, a celebration: Jim Gordon is back at the GCPD! Harvey Bullock was overjoyed to have his partner/bestie back at his side, but their first case was none other than the criminal that Barnes murdered, violently and gruesomely. But what they don’t know is that Barnes wasn’t done just yet: he planned on using his blood poisoning rage to take out all the criminals of Gotham, and actually stumbled upon a criminal plastic surgery ring, where a famous plastic surgeon was selling new faces to those who needed a fresh start.
When Barnes had the plastic surgeon cornered at gunpoint, the criminal very calmly asked for his right to an attorney and didn’t resist arrest. But when Barnes started hearing voices shouting, “Guilty!” over and over again (uh oh, there’s those pesky voices Tetch warned him about!), he almost served his own kind of justice, but he brought him in to be booked and processed instead. That was a close one. He then told Gordon that he would get the other killer that was still out there, meaning himself. Is he going to turn himself in? Could his good side ultimately prevail over the voices?
Meanwhile, Lee finally told Mario that Gordon was returning to work at the GCPD, and he was understandably not enthused â he knew that Lee and Gordon still loved each other and he’s just the placeholder while they both figured their stuff out and got back together in the end. Oops, did I just say that? Sorry not sorry, I know we were all thinking it. #GordonandLee4ever
But Carmine Falcone still threw Mario and Lee an engagement party because they were all delusional thinking that this marriage was actually going to happen. Thankfully, Babs decided to crash the party to make it way more entertaining than it would have been, taunting Lee about how they were both once so close to Gordon, and so close to a man filled with so much darkness and light, always at war with himself. But Lee claimed she didn’t miss it, and Babs called her out on her denial. Babs sees what we all see!
Later at the party, Barnes showed up to congratulate Lee, and when Falcone tried to introduce himself, Barnes couldn’t stand talking to the man who used to run Gotham’s criminal underworld and got away scot free. He realized he had to turn himself in since no one was above the law, but when he saw the newly-released plastic surgeon show up to the party, that sent him over the edge.
After new evidence linked the plastic surgeon to a murder, Gordon and Bullock showed up to Lee and Mario’s party to arrest him, which did not please the couple of the hour. Mario confronted Gordon about his feelings for Lee, and Gordon told him to lose the jealousy as it’s a sign of weakness and would only push Lee further away. That pissed him off, and so he decked Gordon right in the face. Gordon took the high road and didn’t punch him back, but man, did he want to.
Someone who was way more OK with giving in to his more violent urges was Barnes, who cornered the plastic surgeon in the bathroom, claiming the whole city was guilty as he attacked the surgeon. He said he didn’t have to follow the law because he was the law, along with being the judge, jury and executioner. Barnes threw him right through a brick wall, and he fell many stories before crashing on a car down below. He later told Gordon that things were going to change around Gotham, and they were going to clean up the city. Guess he’s not turning himself in anymore! But while Barnes thought that the plastic surgeon had died upon impact, he was able to whisper one last word to Gordon who discovered his broken and bloody body outside the party: “Barnes.” The look of confusion and horror on Gordon’s face should tell you that this is about to get very interesting.
As for Edward Nygma, his crazy has increased to the point that now he’s seeing his dead ex, Kristen Kringle, in the mirror since his relationship with Kristen’s doppelgänger Isabella has been going so well. Seeing her put on a pair of glasses identical to the kind that Kristen used to wear set him off, and he realized he had to break up with her or else he’d hurt her like he did with Kristen. Penguin was extremely happy at this turn of events since he’s still in love with his BFF, and so when Nygma asked him to break up with Isabella for him, he gladly accepted the challenge.
Although Nygma asked Penguin to do it gently, he was as blunt and harsh about it as ever. But Isabella refused to just let Nygma go so easily. She told Penguin as much, and lured Nygma over to her apartment and dyed her hair to look exactly like Kristen did. She wanted to force Nygma to face his fears and realize that he won’t hurt her like he did with Kristen, even when she looks exactly like Kristen. She even put his hands around her neck! This girl is crazy.
Even after he started to choke her, they kissed and slept together, and Nygma later told Penguin all about it. Penguin was disappointed to hear that they were working things out and staying together, but he was impressed that Isabella fought for Nygma. However, he claimed that Isabella underestimated “her opponent,” and had one of his flunkies cut the break line on her car, and so later that night she got hit by a train. Poor Nygma just can’t catch a break!
What did you think of this week’s Gotham? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum!
Gotham airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Images: Fox