Gotham Recap with Spoilers: Azrael

After last episode’s resurrection of Theo Galavan, things pick up fairly soon after. Galavan [...]

azrael-gotham

After last episode's resurrection of Theo Galavan, things pick up fairly soon after. Galavan stands alone in the testing/torture chamber a day later. He's killed all the scientists that were there. He's strong and fast now, but a little on the crazy side. He's written things in blood on the wall, from "The Will and Order of St. Dumas," the sacred text of the Order of St. Dumas, Hugo Strange explains – he has the book, too.

Jim Gordon shows up to talk to Strange, and tells him about Karen Jennings, who was murdered, but a member of the Pinewood Farms project. Strange says it was founded by Thomas Wayne, and he was just a lowly researcher. "Within Pinewood the left hand often didn't know what the right was doing," he said, and claimed he forced Wayne to shutdown the program. Gordon lays his cards on the table. "I believe you ran Pinewood, and you've restarted the program." Strange throws it back in his face. "Why are you here? You're a man who no longer can demand answers." He also figures out that Gordon's client is Bruce Wayne. He starts playing mind games, all the while studying Gordon. Jim brings up Victor Fries, and Strange says he's dead, even claiming he was cremated. "Thank you. I can read tells, too, you're lying. I needed to be sure you were behind all this, and now I am." Outplayed, sucka.

The inmates of Arkham are restless, and Ed Nygma tries to defuse the situation. He pretends there's a ghost (actually one of the other inmates' personalities). He sees Jim while he's walking out and says, "I'll find my way out, this is just one big puzzle, and nobody beats me." "I did," Jim says. He hears Hugo Strange and Miss Peabody talking about Gordon and hears opportunity knocking. "I can help you take him down. I know everything about Jim Gordon." He walks through the room of inmates, explaining each one of them, and how he has manipulated and controlled them all already.

Something Nygma says about "everyone has a story" sends Hugo Strange running. He goes to the St. Dumas book and says he needs to give Galavan a "great heroic story." He finds the tale of Azrael in the book and exclaims, "perfect!" and goes into the room.

He starts to manipulate Galavan, calling him "son" and asking him if he's "forgotten the code." He convinces crazy pants McGee that he's Azrael, and that Strange is the Lord Dumas. Oh boy.

Jim and Bullock go to talk to Bruce about Hugo Strange. "We need to do this the right way," he tells the boy. Bruce isn't having it. He's frustrated with the way justice is dealt – hmmmmm #foreshadowing. Jim tells Bruce that killing a man in cold blood is "the wrong choice. It will make you more like the evil you want to fight. You need to be better." Jim wants to put Strange away "the right way."

Back in Indian Hill, Hugo is reprogramming "Azrael," "A fabled 12th Century Knight who died for his St. Dumas. One of Dumas's miracles was bringing Azrael back to life." Strange says they need – his creations – need new personas to hold onto. "He's going to need something to wear."

When Miss Peabody takes an inmate out of GenPop, Nygma sneakily follows. He finds out there's a hidden doorway at the end of one of the halls.

The large inmate, meanwhile, is brought to Azrael. Azrael is basically a child. Strange delivers to him the "Sword of Sin," though it's not a classic weapon – he made it himself the day before. Hugo tells Azrael that James Gordon is a murderer walking the streets free and he must be vanquished. Crazypants is into it.

Captain Barnes is at the scene of four murders, male victims. Gordon, Wayne, and Bullock show up, but Barnes is far from happy to see them. Jim explains everything he's learned to Barnes who thinks it sounds insane. There's a nice, "Maybe you should run GCPD yourself!" "Maybe I will one day," exchange. Wink wink nudge nudge. Azrael, in full costume, shows up with his intent to kill James Gordon. Light reflects off his sword as Barnes tells him to put it down. He goes off into the shadows, moving much like a certain vigilante will one day in this city. Bullock and the others bust in and open fire, but their bullets bounce off. Bruce watches Azrael's movements intently. Oh yeah, he's getting some ideas. Azrael flees the scene.

Bruce and Jim talk to Barnes in his office, asking about what he's doing. Barnes and Jim agree on one thing – Bruce needs to head home and be out of the way for what comes next.

Oh, here's Penguin – still living with his dead stepmother's corpse, cause that's normal. He sees video footage on the news of Azrael's daring escape and grins.

Azrael sees a poster of "Theo Galavan for Mayor" and starts to envision memories of his other life, including Gordon shooting him. Uh-oh.

At GCPD, Barnes orders everyone out on the streets to find the crazed Azrael. He also locks up Jim Gordon on suspicion of breaking Karen out of police custody.

At Indian Hill, Hugo Strange has a pile of books that he wants to use to "install more personas" onto inmates psyches. One of those? "Through the Looking Glass!" Nice tease of a little Mad Hatter action there.

The GCPD tries valiantly to find Azrael, while Jim sits in lockup. Barnes tells him there's no news, but being locked up is "for his own good." As he's pontificating, the electricity in GCPD goes out, and Azrael comes smashing through the window. He leaps to the ground and calls out "James Gordon." He moves quickly through the room while talking to Barnes. "How many will die, all or one?" He starts to pick off cops, dealing death. I hope Joe the Cop is okay! Another cop is stabbed through the gut before he returns to the eaves – it's all very Batman: Arkham. Azrael grabs a gun and starts shooting at them "Such an amazing tool of destruction!" He grabs Gordon, ready to kill him, and Barnes tackles him. He unloads an entire clip on him, but the bullets all bounce off his armor. Azrael stands. Barnes tries to lure him up to the roof while Jim goes to look for a bigger gun. It works – Azrael chases Barnes upstairs, and Barnes stands his ground, trying to fight him off with a pipe. The cheap replica sword breaks in half when he smashes it down, and Barnes is able to unmask him. "You! You're dead!" "Not anymore" says the face of Theo Galavan, and stabs him with the broken half of the sword. Oh, man. Jim arrives a moment too late with a rapid-fire shotgun and shoots him several times – sending him off the roof and landing on a van. The news cameras see Theo Galavan there, dressed otherwise in the costume.

On the roof, Barnes is bleeding out and Jim's trying to help him… he at least survives long enough to be picked up by the EMTs.

Barbara sits with Tabby and Butch, and she's had some kind of break. She's sitting in front of the TV, just flipping through the channels as quickly as possible. They take the remote from her and try to chill her out. "That woman's mad as a bag of squirrels," Butch tells Tabby. She flips through the channels herself, and sees Theo Galavan dressed in armor on the news.

Penguin's watching the same broadcast, and he is uuuuuunhappy.

Bruce and Alfred watch the same broadcast, and Alfred is unbelieving that he died and came back to life. "What the hell is happening to our city?" "Nothing good," Bruce says.

At Arkham, Ed sneaks out again, and tries to find the switch for the hidden door. He finds a lock and picks it, finding an elevator. He goes in, pulls the lever to go down, down, down. When he comes out, there are rooms and rooms of test subjects growling and pounding on cell doors. "Oh my," he says.

Jim Gordon's still at the scene of the crimes outside the GCPD. Standing high above on a bridge overlooking the city is Azrael, in full costume, angrily breathing. And that's all she wrote on this ep.

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