After “Son of Gotham,” last week’s surprisingly solid episode of Gotham, I found myself in a weird position of being cautiously optimistic about this week’s midseason finale. Unfortunately, “Worse Than a Crime” was disappointing in that way unique to Gotham. This show has a couple of different speeds: there are good episodes (“Red Hood”), bad episodes (“Scarification”), and then there are episodes like “Worse Than a Crime,” which, yes, is a mostly bad episode because this is, at its core, a bad show. But it frustratingly shows glimpses of a better show lurking somewhere deep beneath Gotham‘s surface. There are some tantalizing elements to this finale that unfortunately are overshadowed by the episode’s more problematic elements.
First of all, let’s talk about how goddamn stupid these monks are. They look like they just raided a Halloween store, and a shitty one at that, and the midnight deadline for killing Bruce is a laughably obvious bit of narrative convenience. It’s clearly in place to allow Gordon, Penguin, Alfred, and several other interested parties to converge on whatever dumbass monastery these League of Assassins rejects operate out of.
Theo tells Silver that if she wants back into his good graces, she has to get Bruce to fall back in love with her (side note: Silver St. Cloud is the stupidest fucking name I’ve ever heard, even in a comic property). This subplot is emblematic of one of Gotham‘s worst tendencies, that of insisting relationships are important when they have barely been developed at all. David Mazouz is solid as ever, and Natalie Ayn Lind is…well, okay, I guess, but their scenes fall flat because the audience doesn’t buy the backstory, of which there really isn’t any to buy. Also, Silver is adamant that dolphins can read minds, and do, all the time.
It’s far more interesting watching Gordon team up with Penguin, because not only has Penguin become a vastly more interesting character this season, but it’s a good way to show that Gordon’s moral compass doesn’t always point to true north. Of course, this makes him a fugitive, because any show with a cop as its main character has to have them become a fugitive at some point. Anyway, this plot is somewhat marred because it allows for the unwelcome return of Selina Kyle, who shows up on Nygma’s windowsill, somehow knowing A, where he lives, and B, everyone is congregating there. But the silver lining is we get to hear some more amazing Gotham dialogue, courtesy of Bruno Heller:
GORDON: You know a way in?
SELINA: Yeah, I know a way in, Gordon.
Like, I don’t even know where to start making fun of that.
When Gordon and everyone finally storm the building, it’s right as the monks are all chanting “Death to the son of Gotham,” which is exactly the kind of thing that Gotham thinks is cool. These stupid monks literally brings knives to a gunfight, and predictably get their asses handed to them, which gives Theo time to escape.
First of all, Theo has EMERGENCY PARACHUTES in his office, which is just classic Gotham. At least “Worse Than a Crime” has the good sense to end strongly, as Gordon lets Penguin beat the shit out of Theo before shooting Theo himself. That’s pretty much the only time in two seasons that Gotham has shown us Gordon’s dark side, and it’s actually pretty effective. And at the end, when Theo’s body is being carted into Indian Hills, we get a nice tease of Hugo Strange, Mr. Freeze, and, um, Fish Mooney? Jesus, Gotham, try to stick the landing for once.
A Few Thoughts
- Speaking of underdeveloped relationships: Barnes says “Jim is like a son to me.” The fuck?
- Alfred’s plot was way too slapstick
- One good line, aided by Robin Lord Taylor’s solid delivery: “Think of Gotham – but think fast!”
- Penguin and Nygma actually make a decent team. They’re fun to watch
- For all this show’s faults, everyone’s jacket game is on point
- Nygma’s riddles are fucking TERRIBLE
“Worse Than a Crime” score: 2.5/5
Gotham season 2A score: 2.5/5
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