Gotham Recap with Spoilers: Follow the White Rabbit

Penguin is the Mayor, Bruce and Selina seem to be striking up a new level of relationship, Butch is on the run… a lot went down last week on Gotham. Penguin and Nygma also got much closer, Mad Hatter is taking more girls (and killing them), and Barnes is infected with Alice’s blood.

That’s where we’re at as the next episode of Gotham, with the Mad Hatter-themed title “Follow the White Rabbit” begins. Read further for spoiler-filled recap and commentary.

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We begin with a wedding, as a couple emerges from a church, blissful. Unfortunately, the limo driver is Jervis Tetch. He tells them they’re not going to their reception. He has a small child with him as well. Creepy.

GOTHAM

At le manse Cobblepot, Penguin’s feeling nice and happy. He says he’s “found someone,” but “love is no good if it’s one-sided,” and he needs to “confess my feelings to Ed.” So they’re going there – Oswald is in love with Ed Nygma, and he’s determined to make it known.

Valerie Vale and Jim Gordon have some breakfast, and Val wants Jim to help her get access to Lee and her research on Alice’s blood. They also discuss him “giving up the PI act” and he says he’s happy. “Of course you are, you drink scotch all day and have sex with me.” I mean, yeah. Valerie leaves, and an albino guy comes up to him with a message from Jervis Tetch – an Albino all in white. ALMOST LIKE HE’S THE WHITE RABBIT. Indeed, he tells Jim to follow him or else innocents will die. A phone call from Jervis is full of taunts. Tetch has the newlyweds under his hypnosis. So is a little boy – and Jervis is making Gordon choose which one to save – the married couple of the little boy. Jim hangs up the phone and runs toward the boy, who he knocks out of the way of a truck – only to see the married couple do a swan dive off an overpass to their death. Yikes.

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Jim’s pissed – he gets another phone call with a new location to go to.

Lee and Mario have their engagement announcement, and his mob boss dad is pushing for more with them, including an engagement party. She’s good about it, he’s not great.

Penguin and Nygma have a conversation, and Penguin is flirty. “I would be lost without you” he starts to say. But he chickens out. It’s really hard to read Nygma’s expression.

Bullock and Barnes are investigating the deaths, and find out Jim Gordon saved the kid – they see the “White Rabbit” who is muttering “James Gordon I have a message for you” on repeat and know that Tetch is involved now.

Jim gets to the location Hatter provided, and there’s basically a research board of him, and a phone. Jervis says to look through a telescope there, and he can see Tetch. Jim hangs up on him – Jim’s playing mind games right back. Attaboy, Jim! He tells Tetch if he needs revenge on the person responsible for Alice’s death he should kill himself. Tetch has Valerie. Yeah, Jim’s gonna end this dude.

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Tabitha and Barbara sit in Sirens having a drink and talking about Butch’s situation – she has him hidden away. Jim comes barging in looking for answers. “He knew things that only you could’ve told him, I wanna know where he is.” He shoots a bottle and Tabby ain’t having it. Barbara tells Jim that she told Tetch everything, including about Lee and Vale. He calls Lee’s phone, and Hatter answers. He has them both.

Hatter introduces Lee and Valerie. “You have one thing in common: you’re two halves of Jim Gordon’s heart.”

Barnes is trying to interrogate the white rabbit, and gets pissed when he can’t get anything out of him. He starts to crush a metal chair with his bare hands. Yipe.

Jim arrives at an old power plant, and there is nothing but a gun and about 10 TVs, all with Hatter on the screen. There are two people hooked up to makeshift electric chairs: a doctor and a journalist – get it? Kill one, the other goes free. Jim stands behind the gun and says he’s not killing anyone. The police arrive, and Hatter throws a switch – and both men fry.

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Penguin is on a school tour and he’s not having a lot of fun. He picks out a new kid that’s sitting alone and starts to talk to him. A kindred spirit! He tells the strange new kid that if the other kids are mean to him, he should push them down the stairs. Delightful. He asks Ed to come to dinner at the mansion for a “private discussion.”

Back to Jim, Barnes, and Bullock – Jim fills in Barnes that Tetch is torturing him, he’s obsessed.

Vale and Lee get brought to Lee’s apartment and chained up – Vale starts basically questioning Lee about Alice’s blood – and also reveals a bit of jealousy. Lee is trying to find a way to pick a lock. Lee says “You and Jim are made for eachother” when Vale keeps pushing for info.

At GCPD, the boys discuss the situation. Barnes rallies the troops, and Gordon talks to White Rabbit, asking him how to get to the end. He starts moving his hand like he’s trying to write something. Gordon gives him a pen and paper and it says “a true test will be revealed, the final decision you must wield. The tea party begins once more when you walk through Lee Thomkins’ door.” Just as he’s leaving, Mario comes busting in – and Jim says he needs Mario’s help.

The girls are picking locks, and Vale asks Lee why she moved back to Gotham. Yup, she’s jealous again. Lee breaks free, but the thing they’re using to pick the locks snaps in Vale’s. Hatter comes in and says the guest of honor is almost there.

Jim comes in with gun drawn, and they’re sitting down to tea. Yeah, not creepy at all.

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He’s told to sit by Hatter, and pass his gun off. He does as he’s told, under the threat of Lee and Vale being killed. Tetch is going all-in on the Mad Hatter routine. He knows exactly who Mario is and isn’t scared. Jim drinks tea with Tetch willingly. Jervis starts telling the story of him and his sister.

Meanwhile, Mario goes looking for a gun downstairs in the brownstone.

Tetch thinks Jim “poisoned his sister’s mind” turned her against him, and killed her. “The woman you love is going to die. I just need to figure out which one it is.” After laying it all out there, Mario sneaks up behind, and has the gun on Hatter. Unfortunately, the gun is empty – Hatter found it. Crap. He keeps asking Jim “Who do you love?” Jim starts to talk to Hatter, that Alice was terrified of him and killed herself to get away from him. It’s… heavily implied that Hatter molested her as kids. Lovely. Hatter gets enraged, and Jim tries to get him to let the women go and keep him. Hatter gives Jim to a count of 3 to choose which one of them to kill. At 3, Jim says “kill Lee.” Hatter says “You said Lee because you love Vale,” and he shoots Valerie Vale in the gut. He tells Jim he’s a villain. Hatter and his goons leave, and Leslie calls an ambulance, then starts to try to help Vale. Holy crap.

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Cut to the hospital – Mario is personally working on Vale, and Jim is distraught. Meanwhile, Lee is just hanging out there – awkward.

Penguin sits in his mansion with the dinner table set, practicing what he wants to say to Ed Nygma. “The thing I’ve been wanting to tell you all day long is I love you,” he says to the empty chair.

Nygma is doing some wine shopping, and a beautiful woman, who looks a lot like Kringle, strikes up a conversation with him. She says to him “You struggle to regain me when I’m lost, you struggle to retain me, what am I?” He answers her riddle and introduces himself. Why do I think this is like Kringle’s sister and she’s here for revenge?

Hospital: she’s still in surgery. Tetch is still on the run. Jim’s despondent. “In the end I did exactly what he wanted. He won,” he tells Bullock.

Jim goes to sit down and talk to Lee, and she reassures him that Mario will take care of Valerie, and that any other conversation needs to wait. Zoom out, and that’s the end of the episode.