Gotham Recap with Spoilers: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

After last week’s heck of a cliffhanger, it’s time to see what Jerome does when he’s fully unleashed. The continuing war between Penguin and Nygma (which Penguin doesn’t even know is with Nygma) also promises to reach a conclusion with a bang and more. Let’s get started!

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The Jerome maniacs are running roughshod through GCPD and if this is what’s going down here, the rest of the city doesn’t stand a chance.

Penguin goes to the warehouse Nygma told him he was being held in over the phone, with two goons in tow. Oswald is thrilled to see Ed, who says he’s fine. Ed shoots both of Oswald’s goons in the head, and he’s baffled. He has Isabella’s car there, but Penguin tries to weasel out of it. “You took her form me, and now I’ve taken everything from you. Your life ends tonight.”

The Court of Owls is watching the burning of Gotham, and a new male member says the GCPD should have a chance to fix things. At the GCPD, Harvey and Jim discuss Jerome and needing to find him.

Nygma ties Oswald to the car to set up his death. Penguin says that Ed would’ve killed Isabella anyway, so he kinda did him a favor. That argument… didn’t work. When Ozzie says he did it for love, Ed said that love is about sacrifice, and he has never sacrificed for anyone. There’s an elaborate trap to kill him, soooo this probably won’t be his end.

Jim tries to talk to Lee about Jerome, and she’s still giving him a lot of cold shoulder. They realize that Bruce Wayne might well be in trouble.

They tried to call Alfred and Bruce, but Jerome and his cult are already at Wayne Manor. They ransack Bruce’s library, and Jerome finds the crystal owl. He shatters it after Bruce shows interest. Jerome says he needs to kill Bruce because it was the last thing he remembered. Bruce takes control, though, and says “You were quite the showman… now you’re just gonna kill me here? Killing me should mean something and you’re telling me no one’s going to see it?” “I know you’re just trying to buy time so you can escape, but your point is still valid.” He takes Bruce, ready to leave Alfred for dead.

A cop finds Penguin tied to the car – and cuts him loose just in the nick of time.

Jim arrives to Wayne Manor, and Alfred yells out the locations and weapons of the three thugs left behind, and the two of them take them out.

At a carnival, Jerome and his cult have taken over, and are torturing the people there.

The GCPD finds the 10 or so places that Jerome’s cult has taken over, and figures out he’ll be at the Boardwalk Circus. Jerome paints Bruce’s face – with the blood of one of his followers as the finishing touch.

Oswald gets home, and Butch and Tabitha are there waiting for him. They say they’re looking for Nygma, but Barbara won’t let them kill him until Ed’s found. They knock him out to take him.

Jerome explains to Bruce that base impulses are all that matter. “Kill them, it doesn’t matter” is all people are waiting to hear. Bruce insists “there are good people in Gotham.” “Face it kid, Gotham has no heroes.” He murders someone, and staples his face back on. He taunts Bruce with the staple gun, and Bruce takes two of the staples without so much as wincing or flinching, but finally breaks on the third.

Jim, Alfred, and Harvey arrive just as Jerome is getting the main event started. Now dressed as a ringmaster, Jerome gets the show going. He brings Bruce handcuffed to a pole to the center of the ring, and has a cannon rolled out right in front of Bruce’s face.

He loads up the cannon with a ball, then knives, nails, the works. Bruce works one of the staples out of his arm. Jim walks up and shoots into the air, and the strikeforce of the GCPD arrives as well. Bruce starts picking the handcuff lock, but Jerome manages to light the cannon. Bruce gets one hand free, then drops the staple. he gets another out, and pulls himself free just as the explosion hits.

At Sirens, Babs interrogates Penguin. He says he underestimated her “The curse of great beauty,” she replies… ain’t it the truth. She tells Penguin her partnership with Ed is limited and needs dissolving. It’s his only chance of staying alive.

Back at the circus, Bruce goes into the Hall of Mirrors, because The Dark Knight Returns is still too awesome not to curb from. Jerome follows him in, pissed that his show was ruined. Bruce taunts him, using his reflection and echoing voice around the room. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done,” he says.

Barbara, Butch, and Tabitha tell Penguin he needs to call Ed and get him over there. Penguin comes to the realization that he doesn’t want Ed dead. “I don’t know that I did love him, not really. I thought I loved him, because he saw me as no one since my mother.” Oswald says “I should’ve been able to sacrifice my happiness for his, but I couldn’t. I can now.” Ed walks in, and they’re all surprised Oswald didn’t give him up. Ed’s a little frustrated by this turn of events.

Back at the hall of mirrors, Jerome is having a lot of fun. “We make a good team, you and me.” Jerome throws the gun down, to give Bruce a fighting chance, and he takes it. They start to fight, and Bruce’s training has paid off. He starts to win, and starts really beating down Jerome, who encourages him the whole time Emperor-style. Bruce is about to deal the killing blow, but sees his twisted clown reflection in the mirror and stops, leaving him in the hall of mirrors.

Bruce comes outside and sees Alfred, and they hug – nice moment. Jim sees them, but sees Jerome leave the hall of mirrors with a shard of mirror in his hand. Jim punches Jerome’s face off – literally. Yowza, this episode is gonna cause some nightmares!

With Jerome arrested, things quiet down quickly in Gotham City – he’s getting his face reattached and heading to Arkham (YES! Jerome survived! We get more!).

Bruce and Alfred have a chat while Bruce gets patched up – it’s a real heart to heart. “I almost killed him, Alfred.” “Oh, but you didn’t, you controlled your anger.” “It wasn’t just anger, after everything Jerome had done, all the pain he’d caused, the idea of killing him…” “It felt right.” “Yes, it felt like Justice.” “There’s a very fine line, Master Bruce between Justice and Vengeance.” “I know, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. I knew where the line was tonight, and I didn’t cross it.”

“Well that’s the first rule then,” Alfred says. Holy crap, this is a major Batman moment! “I’ve been training you so you can defend yourself, but we’re well passed that. So what’s all this training for? What are you going to do with it?” “I don’t know,” Bruce replies. “Nor do I, but if you keep going, you’re going to need rules; rules that you cannot and will not break, no matter what reason or what circumstance.”

“I will not kill,” Bruce says. “Say it again.” “I will not kill.” “Then let’s get to work.” Pardon my language, but F**K YES.

The Court of Owls is back front-and-center, and she’s addressing dopple-Bruce, whose scars are erased. The next part of the plan is going. The man from earlier says, “I know, no one refuses the Court.”

Cut to Jim’s house, where he’s having a drink alone – he opens the door and it’s the man from the Court… his uncle Frank! Uh oh.

Penguin and Nygma are at the docks. Oswald tells Ed he loves him and if Ed kills him now it’ll change him. The two exchange a bit of a screaming match, and Ed comes down to it all: “You killed her, so you die.” Oswald says he created Ed, and is the only one who sees him as he is. “You can’t do this.” Ed says, “I’m listening. I loved her, Oswald. And you killed her.” He shoots Oswald in the gut, grabs him by the jacket, and pushes him into the Gotham harbor. Oswald starts to drift down into the water, bleading, reaching out, and staring in disbelief..

And that’s it. That’s all we get until April 24, 2017.