Gotham - Viper - Review

In the future, a strength-enhancing drug branded Venom will fuel a villain named Bane in breaking the Batman's back. But on "Gotham" this week, an earlier version that gives "Viper" its episode title has the city's vagrants craving calcium...before their bones collapse.

It's a game of procedural connect the dots from there. Nygma explains that the drug could only have been made in a state-of-the-art lab, leading Gordon and Bullock to a company called WellZyn. Their legal council (whom, since she's played by "Hey, it's that gal!" Margaret Colin, I sorta expect to see again) fingers Stan Potolsky, a disgruntled former employee. They then track down Stan's philosophy professor accomplice, who (in a scene I'm not sure was meant to be intentionally hilarious) huffs some Viper and beats Bullock with his walker. And finally, Potolsky becomes the first in a long line of Gotham rogues to attack a charity event being attended by the city's wealthy.

Still, it was overall an improvement on last week's investigation. I liked the thawing rapport between Gordon and Bullock (Gordon takes Bullock's suggestion to get pickles on his cheeseburger, Bullock clumsily offers to lend an ear re: Gordon's problems with Barbara). I was also intrigued that, like the Balloonman before him, the bad guy was basically a good person that Gotham City broke. And Bullock's "What's altruism?!?!" bark was probably the show's first laugh out loud moment.

I've been curious for a while about Wayne Enterprises' position in the show's power struggles so I was excited this episode spent some time tackling it. It turned out that WellZyn is a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises and that the Viper/Venom program - shut down by Thomas and Martha Wayne - was reinstated after their deaths. One of their middle managers also spies on Gordon when Potolsky's final words lead him to fruitlessly search a warehouse. The company is clearly keeping secrets and I'm betting some faces familiar to Batman fans are on the shadowy executive board.

Conspiracy and corruption at Wayne Enterprises also provides Lil' Wayne (a nickname I've seen elsewhere and love) with a stronger narrative throughline. He may be too young to drive the Batmobile or train in martial arts, but he can start developing the deductive skills that will eventually brand him as the world's greatest detective. And I liked how David Mazouz played the moment when Alfred - who had been pestering him all episode about the pointlessness of his pursuit of the truth - sat down to help Bruce go through the Wayne Enterprises files.

This week, the Penguin (who amusingly bristles that his aquatic nickname has again caught on) tries a new tact - telling the truth. Still thinking the robbery Oswald orchestrated was the work of Falcone, Maroni wants to hit him back by cleaning out one of his casinos. It's a golden opportunity Oswald can't ignore so he fesses up about being a former employee of Falcone/Fish with inside information to offer. His gamble pays off, further impressing Maroni. But it creates another problem for Gordon as, forced to confirm Oswald's story, the secret puts him squarely under Maroni's thumb. Relatedly, I'm really digging David Zayas as Maroni; the boorish braying he brings to the part is a nice contrast to Falcone's quieter style.

Fish Mooney wasn't kidding when she told Bullock last week that she always has a plan B. We first see her grooming new secret weapon Liza. Interestingly, Fish scrubs all the sharp edges off of Liza, teaching her to act coquettishly and sing an Italian aria so she'll appeal to Falcone on an Oedipal level when she contrives a meet-cute in the park (although, wouldn't a major crime boss like Falcone be surrounded by bodyguards at all times, especially given the tensions with Maroni?). Then, we learn that Fish is both figuratively and literally in bed with Nikolai, another of Falcone's lieutenants. They fake a fight in front of Falcone, but while Nikolai thinks she has his back, it's clear Fish is just looking to step on his on her way to the top. I'm hoping the show dives into Fish's backstory soon; I'm curious how she first hooked up with Falcone's organization and how she knows so much about him on a personal level.

With another heavily recurring/potentially regular character cast this week (see you soon, Morena!), my concerns about the short shrift some of the show's crowded ensemble is getting continue to grow. Since they broke up, Gordon doesn't get his weekly pep talk from Barbara. The MCU detectives sit out for the second week in a row (and at least Montoya has a subplot, I think Crispus Allen has had maybe six lines total). And Selina Kyle bizarrely and briefly appears, seemingly just to remind us she exists, spotted by Gordon pickpocketing a man in broad daylight. As their comic book histories prove, there's plenty of potential with these characters and I don't want to see them get lost in the shuffle.

How high were you on "Viper?" Share your questions and speculations in the comments section.