Gotham Recap with Spoilers: Worse Than a Crime

The episode starts up with the dumptruck – and at a dump – with a very injured Alfred there. Tabitha and a couple of goons are there hunting him down, as she saw him make his hurt escape.

At Wayne Manor, Lucius comes out of the Cave saying he fixed the harddrive, to find the room empty.

Bruce has been taken to Galavan’s tower – cleaned up it seems. There are several monks of the Order of St. Dumas around him. Theo tells Bruce the truth, that his family was “degraded by yours.” “Our patron saint spoke of a glorious day to come, when nine men of Gotham and the last son of our mortal enemy was slain by righteous hands.” Father Creel comes in and “anoints” Bruce. “Tonight, the Dumas shall be avenged, and the sins of the Wayne family shall wash away in your blood.

Back at the dump, Alred hides in an old, discarded freezer, and it seems to work as Tabby and her goons walk right by – unfortunately, a bunch of trash is tossed down onto him.

Jim’s having a bad dream, with Barbara falling and a butterfly flying out of her mouth – a Monarch, to be specific. When he wakes up, it’s like a nightmare unto its own, as he wakes in Nygma’s apartment, where Nygma and Penguin are singing that creepy “mother watches over me” song. Jim and Penguin have a chat. “That Galavan is a pistol, isn’t he?” Penguin says. He tells Jim he’s a fugitive from the law right now. “You and I share a bond for Theo Galavan, a passion. If there was ever a time to work together, now is the time.”

Back at the Tower, Tabby reports in to Theo, and he’s not happy that she didn’t find and kill “the manservant” Alfred. Her “lacksidasical attitude” is upsetting him. She taunts him about his past, and that angers him more. Silver comes in and asks if she can skip the ceremony. “I’m beginning to wonder if you’re cut out for the task ahead of us. Bruce Wayne bested you, yet you still feel for him. You’re soft, you have compassion.” Theo decides she needs to be tested, and instructs her to make Bruce fall for her again – “I want to see him kiss you before he dies.” Tabby speaks up against this, and Theo’s not happy about it. He confirmed that Silver is in fact a Dumas and insists on her task.

Bruce is locked away in a prison cell of some sort, and Silver shows up. saying sorry for what happened and for lying to him. “I think you’re a good person, and if I could help you, I would. But I can’t, and I’m sorry. I thought maybe you would like some company.” He tells her to go. “I have no feelings for you whatsoever,” he tells her coldly. But she says she still likes him, and he says she can stay. Oh, Bruce, you foolish, foolish boy.

At the dump, Alfred’s hand emerges from trash. He goes out into the road and tries to stop a car. When he starts to jack it, a cop stops him, and tazes him.

GCPD: Lee is not happy that Barnes has put out a warrant on Jim’s arrest. “He’s not working with Penguin, he’s not dirty, and I resent being questioned like this,” she says. Nygma comes up to her and says “Is your lover man alive? Go to Grundy, 805.” Huh.

At the prison cell, Bruce is still being stoic. Silver tries to get him to talk. “Top ten lists? What’s your favorite animal?” “Owls,” Bruce says. Oh, snap. “Okay, owls are cool.” She starts to win him over with a story about swimming with dolphins, and says they can read minds. Silly kid.

Lee goes to room 805, it’s Nygma’s apartment, and Jim is there with Penguin and his goons. “Are you out of your mind?” Lee says. He wants her to go out of town, and swears he’s not crazy. Lee’s laying down the law, she just shuts Penguin up, and it’s hilarious. She tells Jim she’s pregnant and begs him to go with her. Hmm.

Silver continues to tell Bruce about her past, a story about a birthday party the year before her mother died, her 9th. Bruce won’t tell her his favorite memory. He asks if her parents are really dead and she says, “yeah, I wasn’t lying about that.” Bruce tells a story about camping in a forest with his parents. He climbed a tree with his dad, and heard his mother singing while she built a fire. “Dammit, dammit, I can’t do this,” Silver said. “I can’t let you die. If we can get out of the cell and past the guard, I know a back stairway that isn’t watched. I am a Dumas, I have some pull around here.” She orders the guard in and to give her his gun, and he does – and she promptly shoots him in the leg. The kids walk out together.

They start running down the hall, and straight into Theo and four monks. “Oh, you silly girl, what were you thinking?” is all he says. They get thrown into the cell together – but is this all just part of her plan?

GCPD: Lucius Fox tries to report Bruce and Alfred as abductees, but Barnes is resistant. He runs a notice anyway. Lucius says Theo is the obvious suspect. They find out that Alfred’s actually been run in.

They wake up Alfred and he tells his story. Barnes insists on proof and a warrant before they go against Galavan. Little does he know Bruce is going to be freaking murdered tonight if he’s not saved. Alfred and Bullock decide they’re going to go after Galavan themselves, warrant or no warrant. Lucius says he’d offer to help, but doesn’t really know how to handle himself in a violent situation and would be more of a hindrance. “We need Jim Gordon.” Nygma laughs when they say they don’t know where he is, and they turn to him. “A diamond plate, a glowing grate, a place you never leave. Where am I?” “Home,” Lucius says. He very quickly figured out that Gordon was at his home.

Penguin is saying goodbye to Jim and Lee. “Goodbye, Miss Tompkins, please don’t think too badly of me. We are what we are.” Just as they’re going to leave, Bullock, Alfred, and Lucius roll up. Jim looks back at Lee, and she just moves right over into the driver’s seat. “Galavan has Bruce.” “I understand. Just promise me… never mind. Do what you think is best. Call me when it’s over” is all she says to him.

In the prison, Bruce comforts Silver while she cries. “You’re so calm, it’s like you’re not scared.” “I guess I’m not. It’s weird.” “You’re weird, but I love you. Do you love me?” she asks – yeah this is all a game to her, isn’t it? “No,” he says, simply. “I don’t know why you’re doing it, but I know you’re playing with me.” Oh snap. He tells her he knows the whole escape was a ploy, and that when he’s dead she might feel bad for trying to trick her. “Silver, I don’t love you. I pity you.” She seems to be crying for real now. He asks her what the point of all this is, and she says Theo made her, and she’ll be kicked out of the family or killed if Bruce doesn’t kiss her goodbye. “I’m such a loser, an evil, pathetic loser.” Bruce tells her she’s not, that she’s young and scared and under the control of bad people. “You can change, there’s hope.” She says there isn’t.

Jim, Bullock, Alfred, and Penguin and his men arm up. Jim says that they go in, put a gun in Theo’s mouth and leave it there until he gives up Bruce, then arrest him. Penguin wants to “kill him slowly.” They need a way in, and Selina (I absolutely refuse to call her “Cat”) comes in the window as their deus ex machina, telling them she has a way. Alfred asks how they know she’s on their side, and she responds, “How do I know you’re not a Martian in a rubber suit?” Oh, Selina. Jim trusts her, and she’s now part of the crew – good golly, basically everyone’s involved in this big finish, huh?

Silver now seems to be angry that Bruce isn’t scared of what’s coming. He says he might be a little, but “mostly I feel very alive. Happy, even. I’m going to see my parents.” Theo comes in and says simply, “Showtime.” Bruce asks for a moment. “Goodbye Silver, I love you, and I forgive you,” he says, and kisses her. She looks shocked. Theo grabs her and says, “Bravo.”

The coalition of Gothamites (hey I gotta call them something) marches onward toward the ceremony.

Inside, Theo and about 20 monks of the Order, plus Father Creel, are all ready to go, and bring Bruce toward the altar.

Selina sneaks in through a vent in the garage, and takes out one of the Order Monks, catching him by surprise. Hot damn! I’ll remind you that combat-trained ex-military cop Jim Gordon fought a monk to a standstill, but the monk basically shrugged him off and walked away. She lets the rest of the team in. Alfred, Jim, Bullock, and the thugs run in, while Penguin hobbles in.

“Death to the Son of Gotham,” the monks chant as Theo ties Bruce up. The coalition keeps running up the stairs. Father Creel takes the ancient knife from Theo, while Silver and Tabby look on. “Prepare yourself, boy,” he says to Bruce. “You’re a deluded old fool, and you’ll pay for this,” Bruce says back. There’s some of that pre-Batman fire! Just as Creel is about to slit Bruce’s throat, Silver yells “Stop! Please?” And the coalition runs in. Creel says “sacrilege” and the monks attack. The team opens fire. Even injured, Alfred is a bad ass. Creel jumps at Gordon with the knife, and Bullock shoots him twice. I’d note that Theo, Tabby, and Silver got away.

They walk into Theo’s office, and he gives Tabby a parachute. “The only way out now is straight down.” When she points out there are only two of them, he says, “Silver’s not coming.” He admonishes the girl, and tells Tabby to shut up when she objects. He goes to strangle Silver, and Tabby knocks him down from behind. She gives Silver the other parachute. “I don’t know who you are anymore,” Tabby tells Theo, who makes fun of her for the cliché. She kicks him in the face, and pushes Silver out the window saying she has to “look out for number one now” – yes, another cliché. She jumps out as well, and they’re both parachuting down to relative safety. Nothing like a good basejump to clear the head.

Jim comes in and tells Theo Galavan he’s under arrest, and to cuff himself. “Oh god, you scared me, man, I thought you were going to shoot me. Thank goodness for simple men of principal who believe in the system,” Theo says to Jim. Jim says he’ll get the chair this time, “Wanna bet?” Theo says. Jim pulls his gun and says “maybe you’re right.” Barnes barges in and stops him, tells him to put his gun on the ground and “do this by the book.” Jim complies, but Penguin smashes Barnes over the head. “I apologize for that, but we’re all friends here.” Jim pulls his gun on Penguin now, who has two armed thugs behind him. “They’re still alive, that’s something!” Penguin says he will kill Jim to get to Galavan if he has to. “Think of the greater good, think of Gotham. He has the courts in his pockets and billions of dollars at his disposal.”

Alfred, Bruce, and Selina are leaving the building, meanwhile, and Alfred is a right old bitch about the whole situation. “I do believe, Master Bruce, this falls firmly into the category of ‘I told you so.’” “I told him so, too, Alfred,” Selina adds. “Yes, well thank you both for your help, but I had a perfectly feasible escape plan.” We bet you did, Bruce, we bet you did.

Oh man, this scene looks familiar: Jim and Penguin drive out to the waterfront. Theo is in the trunk, and they pull him out. Theo says “We’re men of conscience, and you’re going to regret this.” Penguin starts to beat Theo to death with a baseball bat. Jim finally says “enough!” and pull Penguin away, and shoots Theo (or did he? We don’t really see the bullet hole) and walks away, darkly. Penguin exchanges his bat for an umbrella, seeming like he’s going to do more to Theo.

Later, Jim walks up to Lee, sitting on a bench somewhere serene. “It’s over,” he tells her. He asks her to marry him and… she looks with a slight smile.

Indian Hill: Ooooohhhh boy. A body bag is being wheeled in. There are several people in tubes. Miss Peabody is being given the body. “Professor Strange has high hopes for this one.” It’s Theo Galavan, definitely dead, with the umbrella jammed down his throat. “That’s unusual.”

The Gotham logo appears – and freezes, zooming back out to the city. A man is running, and hits a fence. He keeps running down an alleyway, and his pursuer starts marching slowly down. He has a gun and a tube on his back, he turns the corner, and without a word, fires, and the camera freezes over. Chilling final scene, wouldn’t you say?

That’s it for the first half of the season! What’d you think of the mid-season finale? Rate it above and sound off in the comments!