Note: Since this is a recap, it contains major spoilers for Monday’s episode of Gotham. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya!
Goodbye preteen Ivy, and hello seductive Poison Ivy! Gotham wasted no time in introducing the iconic Batman villain in season three, after her run-in with one of Indian Hill’s escaped experiments. But that wasn’t all that happened in “Mad City: Burn the Witch.” Let’s get recapping.
The hour opened with Bruce realizing it was the Court of Owls who kidnapped him at the end of last week’s season three premiere (although the woman who met with him refused to tell him the group’s name). The woman (who said her name was Catherine) represented “the group” he asked to speak with at the Wayne Enterprises Board of Directors meeting. They wanted to know what evidence Bruce found out about them, but he confessed he had bluffed. Instead, he wanted to make a deal: the Court of Owls will leave him and those closest to him alone (aka no more hits taken out on him), and he’ll give them total control over Wayne Enterprises. But Catherine also wanted him to stop investigating them and his parents’ deaths, and he agreed. Alfred, however, isn’t so sure that the shadowy organization will keep their word. And for their second break in in as many days, Bruce’s Indian Hill doppelgänger showed up in the Wayne Manor library, much to Alfred and Bruce’s total shock. It’s just like looking in a grungy, alternate universe mirror!
Back in the city, Valerie Vale showed up at Gordon’s doorstep and wanted to work together once again to find Fish Mooney – the terms of their team-up were the same as last week where he would get the million-dollar reward Penguin offered, and Valerie would get to write the story of the century. And once again, he agreed, and their first stop was to Barbara’s new bar to get an address for Selina Kyle, aka Valerie’s Fish Mooney source. While pumping him for personal information first, Babs was delighted to hear that Gordon was no longer with Lee, and her price for information was a kiss from Gordon – of course he refused, but Babs still gave them a location of an old bank that Fish might be using as a hideout. Valerie then left Gordon to pursue it on her own with the GCPD as payback for him leaving without her the night before to find Peabody. Ouch, that’s cold … but let’s be honest, totally fair!
Bullock led the raid on the old bank, and while the information was good – Fish and her crew were definitely holed up there – they didn’t exactly come quietly. They all used their special skills to fight the cops, and Fish got away. Her henchmen kidnapped Bullock, though, and Fish used her powers of persuasion to convince Bullock to help her find Hugo Strange so he could fix her health problems. After that mess, Penguin held a press conference asking for all the citizens of Gotham to kill any monster they come across since they’re a danger to the city. Because that sounds like it won’t incite riots on the streets. Nope, not at all.
Back at the GCPD, Lucious Fox told Gordon all about Fish’s predicament, and they both realized they needed Strange to lure her out of hiding. They convinced Barnes to take them to where Strange was being held when they realized that Fish had kidnapped Bullock. But they needed to hurry since Fish had already arrived and began confronting the locked up doctor about how she’s dying. He told her he can’t fix her, and that’s when the GCPD arrived with press and Penguin’s mob not far behind.
Gordon took matters into his own hands and snuck inside the building while everyone was distracted outside, and Fish caught him at gunpoint. He then tried to make a deal with her: He’d get her out and away from the cops if she’d let Bullock go. But she wanted something else: Strange. He agreed and secretly made another deal, this time with Penguin, offering up Fish for the reward as long as Penguin made the mob attack out front and distract the GCPD even more.
It all worked out: Bullock was let go and Penguin got Fish at gunpoint out back, away from the madness. But when she confessed she didn’t kill him all those months ago because she was proud of what she created in him, he got choked up with emotion and let her run away with Strange. Out front, Penguin’s mob managed to kill Fish’s monsters and burnt their bodies on a giant bonfire. It was quite the disturbing sight.
Back at Gordon’s home, Valerie showed up again and correctly guessed what Gordon had done with Fish and Penguin. But instead of exposing him, she flirted with him, and after telling her to “shut up for once,” he kissed her. Terrible timing though – Lee arrived back in Gotham that same night. Something tells me this love story just became even more complicated.
While all this was happening in Gotham, something major was happening just outside the city. After little Ivy took a tumble after dealing with the Indian Hill escapee that can age a person just by touching them, she woke up on the side of the river in a completely new body – aged about 15 years. (A little creepy, no?) A good Samaritan found her wet and thirsty and confused, so he took her to his house to help her get cleaned up and try to help her get home. But when she saw dead and dying plants littering his place, she grew angry when he said he’d throw out the plants (pro-tip: never insult plant life in front of this girl). She cleaned up in his bathroom and put on his ex-wife’s tight, green cocktail dress … after killing the man and leaving him laying on the floor. Poison Ivy is officially born!
What did you think of tonight’s action-packed episode of Gotham? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum.
Images: Fox
