Article originally published as GOTHAM Review "Scarification" on Seat42F.
Last night’s GOTHAM revealed the
“Scarification” that rocked the city nearly two centuries ago. This
gives insight into the motives of the Big Bad this season, as well as
provides a clue as to what his goals might be. Whether or not that will
help him be stopped remains anyone’s guess, but at least not every
character is still in the dark about him. Oh, and a new villain is
introduced.
“Scarification” basically halts its
action for a bit as Edwige (Mary Joy, Secretary) tells Penguin (Robin
Lord Taylor) the tale of the Waynes and the Galavans. Apparently, a very
long time ago, a Wayne badly wronged Galavan’s family, then going by a
different name. Theo Galavan (James Frain) has now returned to the city
to exact revenge, supported by a coming army and a shadowy cult leader
(Ron Rifkin, Alias, Brothers & Sisters).
I admit, my knowledge of Batman is
mostly limited to the movies, not being much of a comic book reader, so I
do not know if this plot arc is based on something in the written lore
or not. What I can say is that it feels off for GOTHAM. GOTHAM has dealt
in a grounded here-and-now. To have such an extended flashback to such a
long time ago seems weird for this particular program, and it paints an
odd picture of the Waynes, who are supposedly a force for good in the
current age. I’m not saying the show can’t make this story work, but it
doesn’t seem to quite fit in tonally with what’s been seen so far.
Much more enjoyable is the struggle
between Penguin and Theo. Penguin works very hard in the first season to
defeat his enemies and rise to the top. Granted, a victory that can be
achieved in less than a year isn’t all that monumental, but Penguin is
on top at the start of the season after struggling to get there To have
Theo come in and threaten that position now is killing Penguin, and
Taylor does an excellent job of showing that desperation and frustration
mixed with lunacy.
As this battle between bad guys shapes
up, Captain Barnes’ (Michael Chiklis) strike force is merely squabbling
with henchmen and minor foes. They encounter new baddie Firefly
(Michelle Veintimilla, Not Cool), but her story is more tragic than
sinister, so even aftershe kills a police officer, viewers are likely to
not blame Selina (Camren Bicondova) for helping her escape.
GOTHAM doesn’t have just one kind of
villain, and those shown in “Scarification” represent a wide swath of
baddies. From the idiot fire-starting brothers, to Firefly, forced into
service, to the Penguin, a man with a chip on his shoulder, to Theo, a
well-organized gangster, to Selina, who is only sort of a villain, there
are a wide variety of personalities. The way they all interact makes
for very interesting television, and it’s easy to see that Barnes,
Gordon (Ben McKenzie), and the rest of the force have their work cut out
for them, the city allowing all of these types of people to thrive for
so long.
There’s another antagonist, though, who
hasn’t yet become an antagonist, and I find his story just as
fascinating as those others. Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) has
killed, but no one knows it. Instead, he fakes a normal, happy life,
even double dating with Gordon and Lee (Morena Baccarin). Obvious to
anyone who regularly watches GOTHAM, his craziness is bubbling just
below the surface, ready to erupt. Every scene he’s in has the potential
to get insane quickly, which makes his presence very welcome.
“Scarification” is a great episode
because of the Penguin’s madness and the threat of Nygma losing it. The
bits with Theo and the backstory are far less interesting, and while
Theo’s plan has much more to play out, I’m not really into that arc this
year. He’s not as complex or unique as other villains on the show, so I
hope Penguin or someone else disrupts Theo’s activities before he gets
too far. Since Theo is already planning to kill Bruce Wayne (David
Mazouz), and we know that can’t happen, he likely can’t go on for an
entire season. The sooner he is taken out, the better.
GOTHAM airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
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