‘Gotham’ Recap: ‘Heroes Rise: Light The Wick’

It is a rainy night at Arkham Asylum as former GCPD Captain Barnes is being transferred when he goes into rage mode and attacks the orderlies. He then battles with our favorite assassin from The Court. He subdues Barnes and they take him to Kathryn where we see they also have Dr. Hugo Strange. Strange is working with The Court. They need a sample of Barnes’ blood. It looks like Gotham’s judgment has to do with the Alice Tetch virus. One of my favorite parts of this opening scene was the cameo of The Mad Hatter. When will he come back? Season 4 maybe?

The Court of Owls high ruling council is spending their activity to prepare for “Gotham’s judgment.” Jim does some clever detective work and sneaks back into The Court’s meeting room and is trying to get a fingerprint to find out more information about Kathryn. He just avoids being caught.

Ivy goes by the club looking for Selina when she runs into Tabitha. Tabitha tells her to check out Gotham General. Ivy finds Selina unconscious and she is hopeful that her friend will wake up. She uses her perfume to try and find out some answers. I hope that Ivy becomes a major antagonist next season. The alliance between her and Selina could be dangerous for Gotham.

Jim Gordon is a busy guy right now. He has just joined The Court and we find out that Leslie thinks Jim knows something about his uncle’s murder which he does. Jim is relieved when they find out Kathryn’s last name is Monroe and he has her address. He is going to her house to search for clues. He also finds out that Barnes is missing and he runs into his old buddy Penguin. Penguin wants the truth about The Court and he wants them to give up The Riddler. He gives Jim a phone to call him on when he has news for him. It is never a slow day in Gotham City for Jim Gordon.

The Shaman is continuing Bruce’s training. He tells Bruce that this rage is blinding him and it has controlled since the night his parents were murdered. The Shaman wants to release Bruce from these destructive emotions that control him. He tells Bruce that Gotham needs a protector and Bruce needs a purpose. Bruce decides to let go of the emotions that have controlled him since that night. This is exactly what The Shaman wants and he even says, “Gotham will pay.”

Jim goes to Kathryn’s house and is looking for clues. He finds a hidden compartment inside a desk drawer and finds a Wayne Enterprises lab keycard. He then confronts a surprised Kathryn and tells her Penguin is alive and knows The Court took Riddler. Jim wants to know the truth about the judgment that is coming. Kathryn replies by telling him that the only way to heal the city is to show the people of Gotham their darkest selves. Jim immediately knows she is referring to the Tetch virus. 

Ivy is decorating Selina’s hospital room with plants because … well it’s Ivy. She really wants Selina to wake up. Her prayers are answered as Selina’s fingers start twitching and she slowly opens her eyes. Selina starts getting ready to leave and Ivy asks where she is going. Selina tells her she has to go to Wayne Manor to kill someone. It looks like next week Alfred might be finding out he has not been living with Bruce the past few weeks.

Jim tells Bullock and Lucius about The Court’s plan to weaponize the Tetch virus. They also piece together that The Court has Barnes and can use a sample of his blood. Lucius guides Jim and Bullock to the lab where they are attacked by infected lab workers. Dr. Strange makes the save, much to the surprise of Jim and Bullock. Strange tells them he is being held captive by The Court and that Kathryn took some of the virus to “test it.” Jim knows they can’t arrest Dr. Strange because then The Court would know they are on to them. Jim is going to look for Kathryn when ironically she calls him and tells him to meet her so they can take the next step. 

Bruce is having another training session where he seems to be improving now that the destructive emotions are gone. Bruce tells The Shaman he feels nothing and The Shaman promises Bruce he can take away his pain. Bruce wants to become more powerful so he decides to stay and finish his training. The foreshadowing  during these training scenes is truly brilliant.

Jim meets with Kathryn and her sidekick assassin Talon. They are observing a party of Gotham socialites and she shows Jim the bomb that she intends to test the power of the Tetch virus. She sets the timer for 15 minutes and is truly testing Jim’s loyalty to The Court. Jim is very clever though. He calls Penguin on the phone he gave him and tries to discreetly talk to Talon so that Penguin can find out where they are. The bomb is ticking under three minutes when Jim decides to attack Talon. They fight and Talon is preparing to stab Jim when Firefly makes the save. Penguin shows up, demanding the truth. Jim tells him since they just killed her assassian, The Court will probably reach out to him. Jim is able to clear all of the innocent people out of the building. 

Penguin is screaming at Firefly about why The Court hasn’t called him yet. We notice an assassin standing behind him who quickly kidnaps him. Penguin wakes up in a holding cell next to Riddler. Riddler is shocked to see Penguin alive. Penguin just stares at him without saying a word. I admit that was pretty creepy and intense. The fact that Penguin just stared at him without saying a word.

Leslie is packing up her office when Jim comes in. She blames Jim for infecting this place and everyone involved with him. They finally have a big fight, all of the tension that has been building between them since Mario’s death. Everything is out on the table and Jim tells her he isn’t sorry for what he has done. Is this the last we have seen of Dr. Leslie Thompkins? It’s Gotham City … so probably not.

Kathryn gets a call from The Shaman who says that things with Bruce are progressing as planned and they will be returning to Gotham very soon. Kathryn quickly becomes angry when she notices her desk drawer has been opened. She talks with Barnes about how they both want the same thing for Gotham ... judgment. She knows that Jim betrayed her and The Court and she wants Barnes to kill Jim. Barnes screams, “Jim Gordon is guilty!” We have two more episodes before the two-part season finale. The final few episodes of this season should be a wild ride and all bets are off about who survives, who goes back to Arkham and maybe who doesn’t make it to next season.

Episode Grade: B

Gotham airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX.

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