Gotham is back with episode 3 of season 3!  What does this episode have in store for viewers?  Will Gordon meet with Lee?  Are Fish and Strange actually out of the picture for awhile?  How will Benedict Samuel’s portrayal of Mad Hatter go over with fans?  Check out my review below to find out!

 

****SPOILERS for Gotham: Season 3 Episode 3****

 

 

 

Episode 3 opens with Jervs Tetch opening as a hypnotist at Barbara and Tabitha’s bar.  Barbara is intrigued by Jervis’ ability to hypnotize, and make people do whatever they internally desire.  My first thought is that she wants Tetch to help her hypnotize Gordon into being under her control.  This could present an interesting parallel between Gordon, Barbara and Tetch.  The Hatter later breaks into a house and it is truly eerie.  I enjoyed Benedict Samuel’s portrayal of Mad Hatter.  This is the first live action version of the character since the 60’s, so I like seeing a darker, realistic take on the character.  Interestingly, Tetch seeks out Gordon for his services.  We find that his sister, Alice, was part of the Indian Hill experiments, and she made the escape.  The interesting part is that she wants nothing to do with Tetch.  Could his control over the mind be more dangerous than Alice with her powers?  He then states that he loves Alice as she tries to shoot him and calls him crazy.  I wanted to see more of Hatter, but he will be involved in next week’s episode.  I hope that he will be an ongoing character, rather than a story-arch over a couple episodes.  What was your take on Mad Hatter?  Did you like the character, or were you expecting something more along the lines of the portrayal from BTAS?

Bruce’s doppelganger is staying with Bruce and Alfred.  All he remembers is that he was a number at Indian Hill.  Alfred wants to get rid of him as he feels Strange wanted to use the doppelganger to bring down the last of the Wayne family.  The interesting part is that Bruce’s clone was burnt by a candle, but could not feel the pain.  Alfred later is teaching Bruce how to fight and tries to teach the doppelganger as well.  Alfred trades blows with the clone and realizes that he has had training from somewhere, adding more questions than answers.  He also begins to mimic the way Bruce speaks, which makes me again think that he has a hidden agenda, even if he doesn’t act like it.  My thought is that the Court of Owls control him, and want him to replace the actual Bruce Wayne.  This part was also great because Selina called Bruce a, “selfish son-of-a-bitch”.  Typical feisty Selina.  The doppelganger end up cutting his hair, and eventually goes to get Selina, even though she is not aware that it is not Bruce.  The clone is alright, but he reminds me of the “dark” Toby McGuire from Spiderman 3.  He has bangs so I guess that makes him tough…This is still the weak part of the show for me.

 Valerie Vale returns as she is seen waking up with Gordon.  He asks her if she wants breakfast, but she seems to somewhat blow him off.  I get the feeling that she is more concerned with a story, or what Gordon knows, rather than Gordon himself.  This leads to Lee’s return to GCPD, and has an awkward meeting with Gordon.  She lets him know that she is engaged.  Not only is she engaged, but it is to Mario Falcone.  In the comics, Mario tried to distance himself from the mob mentality of the Falcone name, but still did not seem trustworthy.  I think this would be a great way to possibly bring the Falcone family back to Gotham and fight for control.  If you have ever read the Jeph Loeb Long Halloween, the mob vs. freaks story line was always a favorite of mine.  It was the old school vs. new school of Gotham fighting for control, which could beinteresting, especially as it may cause Penguin to partner with more of his friends from Batman’s rouges gallery.  We get to meet Mario as he is patching up Gordon after needing stitches from getting jumped at the bar Alice, Tetch’s sister, burnt down.  The encounter with Mario and Gordon is the typical, “The girl and I are old news, but hurt her and I’ll hurt you” interaction, but I am hoping Mario is more than what he seems.  The surprise element was when Carmine Falcone came to have dinner with Mario and Lee!  He does state that Mario is different from the rest of the family, but there were subtle hints that Carmine isn’t happy with the fact that Lee was as close to Gordon as she was.  The incorporation of Carmine makes the the triangle between Lee, Mario, and Gordon even more interesting as we know of their past relationship in Seasons 1 and 2.  Did you enjoy the of Carmine Falcone?  What do you think this has in store for the series?

Cobblepot makes an ambitious move for control of Gotham in a much different form than Gotham viewers are used to.  Mayor James tries to return to his former post when Cobblepot confronts him and declares that he will be running for Mayor.  This is something that has previously occurred in the Batman Universe and although I feel it is sometimes oveprlayed (Batman Returns) I’d like to see how it works in this version.  Robin Lord Taylor does such a great job in his role, I think he could pull off the role of Mayor of Gotham while running his underground trade, which should make for a stronger adaption from the source material.  One of the best parts of the episode for me was when Penguin meets with the Mayor James in a public restaurant to discuss the election.  James thinks he has Penguin beat when he has a team pull guns on Penguin.  Next, as brilliantly as ever, Penguin tells James that even though the former mayor thinks he outsmarted him, Penguin is always three ahead, and all the people in the restaurant stand up with guns and point them at James and his men.  Truly brilliant!  He then goes on to make another strategic move as he manipulates the warden of Arkham into releasing Nygma.  The Season 2 interaction between the two was great and I think they could work together again this season pulling the strings in Gotham.  Both these characters are so manipulative that its difficult to know what they will do.  Once you think it is figured out, they usually turn heel.  This is going to be the story line to watch.

Overall, the episode was decent.  It started some new story lines and continued to advance some others.  I am hoping for some more action / twists in the upcoming episodes.  What did you think of Gotham: Season 3 Episode 3?  Did you enjoy, or do you think the series is off to a slow start?  Leave your comments in the usual spot, and thanks for reading!