‘Gotham’ Recap With Spoilers – “Ace Chemicals”

So Thursday’s new episode of Gotham, “Ace Chemicals,” was just as wild and twisted as everyone had assumed it would be. The Bruce/Jeremiah showdown we’ve been waiting for finally came to fruition, the seeds for Batman and Joker have finally been planted, Penguin was reunited with his closest frenemy, and so much more.

Let’s now waste any more time, huh? Here’s the full recap of the events of Gotham, complete with spoilers. You’ve been warned.

The biggest story obviously involves Jeremiah and Bruce. The latter recreated Bruce Wayne’s old life, including the “resurrection” of his parents, in order to be present for the night they were killed. After leaving with the new version of Thomas and Martha, Jeremiah sets the entire Wayne Manor to blow. Bruce acts quickly, breaks Alfred from the spell Jeremiah put him under, and escapes into the tunnels just in time. (The end of this sequence provides the best live-action Bruce and Alfred scene since Michael Caine said “I’ve failed you” to a headstone.)

Bruce’s night continues onto a movie and the alleyway where his parents were murdered. However, instead of his parents at the scene, it’s Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins taking their place. Mad Hatter helped Jeremiah create a formula that put them in a trance, one that would break just before the died so they would realize what happened. Fortunately, Selina whipped in to save the day, and Bruce chased Jeremiah into the chemical plant.

This fight went about like anyone expected it to. They traded blows, Jeremiah told Bruce they needed each other, and it ended with the villain falling into a vat of chemicals, recreating the Joker’s iconic creation scene. Bruce reveals at the end of the episode that Jeremiah is still alive, but that he has no brain activity and therefore is “no longer a threat.” Yeah, we’ll see how that goes.

Elsewhere, Barbara has enlisted Lee as her OBGYN, which is sort of a low blow. But that’s not the only plan she puts into motion. Penguin and Riddler join forces once again to make their grand exit from Gotham, and Barbara discovers their plans thanks to a tip from Selina. Now thinking about the little baby Batgirl that’s growing inside her, she decides not to kill Penguin, and instead leave the island with him and Riddler.

Part of Jeremiah’s plan throughout the episode is to release a slew of fireworks filled with Tetch’s new virus, allowing the smoke to rain down on the city and infect everyone. Per usual, Jim steps in to save the day, driving the truck into the river before the fireworks go off. This seems like a victory, but who knows that it will do to the city’s water supply.

Oh, and despite the whole Barbara being pregnant scenario, Lee finds it in her heart to forgive Jim, and they get back together with an aggressive slap-followed-by-make-out-sesh.

The end. Well, until next Thursday, that is.