Gotham - Strike Force - Advance Preview

With the Jerome story arc out of laughing gas, the forces of good and evil within the world of “Gotham” are looking to strike back and strike forward. But in “Strike Force,” a solid set-up episode, those actions only end up causing problems for others.

The big news this week is the debut of new series regular Michael Chiklis, who’s no stranger to TV crime (“The Shield”) or the superhero genre (“Fantastic Four”) or both (“No Ordinary Family”). Here, he plays Nathaniel Barnes, the new captain of Gordon and Bullock’s precinct. He gets a showy entrance, making clear that he won’t stand for corruption or misconduct from his officers. Gordon sees a kindred spirit in the fellow former soldier, though Bullock is more skeptical of his idealistic spirit. Barnes has a bold plan to combat crime in Gotham City and wants Gordon to lead the charge. But Gordon soon realizes that his past sins are likely to come back to haunt him.

Meanwhile, having succeeded in their mission to position Theo as a city hero, the Galavans are moving forward with their plans by (in quite the nod, I thought, to “Batman Returns”) scheming to get Theo elected mayor. To that end, they want to make a deal with the Penguin to dispose of the competition. Oswald isn’t really interested in kowtowing to anyone now that he’s the king of the Gotham criminal underworld, but the siblings produce compelling leverage that, for now, forces him to play ball. Theo and Tabitha are both getting rather smug so I’m looking forward to seeing how Penguin gets out from under them. Also, Drew Powell has some good bits as Butch in this episode.

Romance abounds in the subplots. Per his deal with Alfred, Bruce has returned to school and becomes taken with new student Silver St. Cloud (Natalie Alyn Lind, “The Goldbergs”), an Estella in “Great Expectations” type with a connection to the Galavans. Selina surely won’t be happy when she discovers that she has competition for Bruce’s affections, but this week, she runs afoul of Alfred. Finally (and I do mean finally), Edward Nygma asks a receptive Ms. Kringle out on a date, but worries that his split personality will spoil their good time.

“Gotham” continues its second season with “Strike Force,” tonight on FOX. Until then, strike back in the comments section with your thoughts and speculations.