Gotham - The Scarecrow - Review

The second of two “Gotham” episodes focused on the titular Batman foe, “The Scarecrow” was definitely the stronger of the set.

Another body with a missing adrenal gland puts Gordon and Bullock back on the trail of Gerald Crane. But the doctor, desperate to complete his experiment, has gotten sloppy and targeted someone he once worked with. This allows the detectives to get their hands on an academic paper of his, which theorizes that fear is an evolutionary flaw in humans, is at the core of the world’s problems. It’s soon clear that Crane doesn’t just want to prove his theory; he wants to cure himself of fear.

As Gordon and Bullock put the pieces together, we see that Crane has successfully concocted some kind of serum from the glands, an early version of the fear toxin the Scarecrow will use on his victims. It allows him to have hallucinations about his greatest fear/regret – not being brave enough to save his wife from a house fire – and it eventually works in inoculating himself against it. Arrogant and flush with success, he turns his attention to curing son Jonathan of the fear affliction. But as the cops close in, his lack of fear leads him to his death, and to him giving Jonathan an overdose. In the episode’s chilling coda, Jonathan is left in a constant state of terror, repeatedly screaming at the sight of a menacing scarecrow. A lifetime obsession with fear is born.

It’s a big week for the Penguin as he prepares to take his public place within the Falcone organization by reopening Fish Mooney’s nightclub as his own. I am sad he ends up naming it Oswald’s and not the Iceberg Lounge, but there’s still time for that, I suppose. His party planning leads to two cool encounters. First, as teased in the previews, he and Edward Nygma come face-to-face. It doesn’t have much to do with the overall story, but it’s a delightful scene, with Edward annoying Oswald with penguin facts and Oswald finally finding someone he can intimidate in Ed. You can tell Robin Lord Taylor and Cory Michael Smith were having fun. And I liked that the show touched back on the tense relationship between Oswald and Gordon, as Oswald clumsily invites his “friend” Jim to the grand opening. A guilty Gordon wants nothing to do with him, Oswald insists he’ll come knocking on his door for help again, and it’s a thread I hope keeps being mined.

All the while, Oswald is fretting that Maroni will come after him, a matter Falcone insists he’ll take care of. The two dons (in scenes that were low-key, but in which I enjoyed the chemistry between John Doman and David Zayas) hash out an agreement over lunch, a stroll, and the gift of a kidnapped judge ripe for blackmail. But in a clever shot involving champagne, Maroni makes it clear to Oswald that all is not forgiven and that he’ll seize the opportunity to kill him if it ever presents itself. As an aside, I found it interesting that Falcone, of course unaware of Gotham’s freak-filled future, notes (and Maroni agrees) that the Penguin’s value comes not just from his cleverness, but from the fact that his oddness, his limp, his nickname prevent him from ever being a true challenger for the title of boss.

When we last saw Fish Mooney, she was about to throw down with one of the pirates who had overrun her getaway steamboat. It seemed to me that she knew her attacker, or was at least familiar with this band of marauders. But when we first see her this week (hilariously straightening her hair the second she’s conscious), that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like they were after Fish specifically. Instead, Fish finds herself one of many captives in some weird underground prison. Inexplicably, Fish’s usual weapon of choice – her brassy mouth – manages to keep hulking goons at bay and gets her close enough to the prisoners’ leader to kill him and take his place. I’m guessing Fish will eventually seize full control of the situation and shape an army to use against Maroni and Penguin, but so far, this seems so disconnected from everything else.

Over at Wayne Manor, Bruce is prepping to go on a hike that he and his father used to take every year. The emotions of keeping up the tradition alone eventually get to Bruce, who chooses the worst place to angrily lash out and takes a bad tumble after losing his footing. I think many of us were expecting to see Bruce fall into the future Batcave, like in “Batman Begins,” but alas, the end result is a sprained ankle. But showing the grit and resourcefulness that will serve him well in his future crime fighting career, Bruce manages to splint his wound and make it back to a worried Alfred. As story goes, it’s filler, but David Mazouz gives another good performance.

In relationship news, Leslie Thompkins is officially the GCPD’s new medical examiner. But despite being the one who suggested she apply for the job (which he admits) and despite their extremely public smooch session last week (which she mentions), Gordon seems less than thrilled that they’ll be working together. It might have made more sense if Gordon’s efforts to downplay their relationship at the station stemmed from a fear that she might become a target for his various enemies both in and outside the department, but the show doesn’t really take that angle. In any case, I do think it was a smart move to position Leslie to be involved in the weekly cases, in a way Barbara never could be, but I do wish they'd dial her schoolgirl flirting back a bit.

Thanks for reading my review of “The Scarecrow.” Don’t be afraid to share what you thought in the comments section.