‘Gotham’ Midseason Premiere Recap With Spoilers

Jim Gordon searches a brothel for Harvey Bullock and leaves his card with the owner, asking her to have Bullock call if he shows up again.

Three young drug addicts break into a run-down apartment looking for “wild drugs.” Instead, they find a cocoon. Ivy emerges, looking much different than last time we saw her.

In a diner, Alfred sits at the counter sipping a coffee when some men begin to harass him because he’s wearing nice clothes. They follow him outside. Somewhere nearby, Lee speaks to people of the Narrows, trying to rally them to build something bigger for themselves. In the back of the room, a man plays with a remote controlled airplane, turning on some kind of weapon attached to the bottom.

Back at the apartment, one of the male drug addicts approaches Ivy but she quickly stops him and scratches his face. This causes his whole head to begin turning green, a power Ivy didn’t yet know she had. The other two addicts run away.

Outside, the thugs from the diner approach Alfred under an overpass and try to rob him. Of course, he beats them off without too much trouble, catching Jim’s attention. The two men talk and Alfred reveals that he’s living out on his own.

Lee continues her plea to the people of the Narrows and they start applauding, finally understanding her mission. The man with the remote plane flies it toward her, Grundy smacks it out the window and it explodes. Jim and Alfred rush in to help the people out of the building. Ivy emerges from another door and smiles, as she’s finally free.

Opening Titles

In the aftermath of the explosion, Jim bids a farewell to Alfred and joins Lucius in an investigation inside the building. Lucius notices the explosive residue on the toy plane.

Nygma and Lee argue about the attack, with the former saying that they should just destroy the Narrows and start over. Grundy looks a little shaken up but, when Nygma leaves, he reveals that he remembers who he really is.

“My name is Butch. Butch Gilzean.”

Alfred returns to the diner where everyone, including the thugs, celebrate his bravery at the scene of the explosion. The waitress is extra kind to him. Alfred notices a bruise on her forehead and, while she says that she fell, he doesn’t believe her.

Lucius and Jim arrive at an old toy shop where the man inside recognizes the plane and says that his store carries them. He and his father are the only two people that work in the shop. The shop owner goes upstairs to retrieve his father, but the man is actually in the back room, and he sets off a machine gun toy to attack Jim and Lucius. The father escapes out of the back door.

Commercial Break

The man who runs the shop promises Jim and Lucius that he didn’t know what his father was up to. He says that his father only works at nights and reveals that a man came a few days earlier talking about “The Doc.” 

Ivy is walking down the street and notices that the chemicals in the air are destroying all of the plants. After seeing a couple leave their apartment she breaks in, steals a dress, and makes herself at home. On the TV, after several news stories about the environment being destroyed, a commercial for the Siren Club airs. Selina, Tabitha, and Barbara appear, and Ivy remembers that she hates all three of them.

Alfred is walking the waitress home from the Diner when they’re stopped by her boyfriend, who is clearly abusive. Alfred gets forceful with the boyfriend before the waitress assures him that she’ll be fine, and she goes home with him. The man picks up one of Alfred’s rings off the ground before driving away.

Lucius visits the coroner and he is shown a man that died at the building where the explosion occurred. It’s the junkie that attacked Ivy. The man is covered in what looks like moss. When he is opened up, plants emerge, growing out of his chest.

The Sirens arrive at the club and Selina is sent to tell Bruce and his friends to calm down. It’s clear that Bruce is still completely off the deep end. He tells Selina that he fired Alfred and she responds by saying she doesn’t buy his act.

Across the bar, two men fight over Ivy and Tabitha comes to cut in. As Ivy marches out the door, Selina realizes who she is.

Commercial Break

Jim enters Barbara’s office behind the club and he asks her who “The Doc” is. She says that Doc is partnered with Nygma, and that they’re holed up at Cherry’s in The Narrows. On his way out, Jim gets a call that there has been a murder in The Narrows and that Alfred is in custody as the only suspect. The waitress is lying dead on the street, with marks from Alfred’s ring in her face. Alfred tells Jim is wasn’t him and that he only fought the boyfriend because he knew that he was beating the woman. Alfred says he and the woman connected and that he’s going to kill the boyfriend if he ever finds him. When Jim walks over to talk to Harper, Alfred disappears. 

Tabitha is startled at the office when she turns to see Grundy. He begins talking to her and she realizes that he is Butch once again. He says he remembers dying but that something in the swamp brought him back. Butch still has feelings for Tabitha but he leaves because he’s not sure she feels the same.

Nygma takes the stage at Cherry’s and introduces The Doc. Jim watches as Lee walks down the stairs.

Commercial Break

Lee talks to the people about the assassination attempt from earlier. She believes that someone wants to break apart the unity the Narrows has finally created. Nygma talks to Jim and tells him that he supports Lee. Jim reveals that Krank, the toymaker, is the one who tried to kill Lee. 

Jim and Lee finally talk face to face and they share a moment. He wants to help find whoever tried to kill her. Lee says goodbye and Jim takes a look around. Nygma notices Krank leaving out the back door. The two run into one another outside.

Alfred arrives at the bar where the murderous boyfriend is drinking and starts a fight. As he starts to lose, the bartender interferes and saves the day. The bartender turns around and it’s Harvey Bullock.

Commercial Break

Harvey threatens the men that are with the murderer so that they drop their alibi, getting Alfred off the hook. 

Selina confronts Ivy at her new apartment and the latter reveals that she has been reborn. She scratches Selina’s hand, causing her to turn green, slowly dying. Ivy explains that her essence causes immense power and kills anyone who it infects. She then gives Selina an antidote and offers to work together. 

Back in the Narrows, Krank tells Nygma that he’s the one who ordered the hit on Lee. He used his Riddler alias. Both Nygma and The Riddler are living inside one head. Krank pulls a gun when Nygma seems confused about paying him. Jim shoots Krank, kills him, and Nygma lies about what he knows, saying Krank was working alone. Nygma sees the Riddler version of himself in the mirror saying, “I’m back!”

The GCPD arrives at Harvey’s bar and arrests the murderer. Jim arrives after the bar is emptied out and approaches Harvey and Alfred. Harvey tries to tell Jim to come clean about whatever it is that’s bothering him. He tells Jim to leave and turns over his badge.

The End.