Deceit and corruption has been at the forefront of ‘Gotham’ since the beginning and this week’s hour, aptly titled “Everyone Has A Cobblepot”, is a stark reminder of that narrative.

But before we get to the corruption of Gotham’s law enforcement, we get a peek into Alfred’s slowly improving condition. With Bruce at his side, the stoic SAS soldier turned butler keeps the identity of his attacker from Detective Gordon. He tells Bruce that if anyone’s to “sort [Reggie] out,” it’ll be his former mate, not the cops. Gordon isn’t the only visitor to the hospitalized Alfred as Selina finds her way in, offering her condolences and, when Bruce surmises Reggie’s motivation was aimed at him due to the Board meeting, asks for her help in finding Alfred’s former mate. Bruce declines her aid, not wanting to put anyone else in danger and, instead, remains sentinel at Alfred’s bedside.

Speaking of beds, Fish Mooney awakens to find Dr. Francis Dormacher at her bedside. He’s impressed with her grit and determination, though not sure what to make of her. But that’s not the biggest surprise for her, not by a mile. Instead, that occurs when Fish discovers her new, crystal blue eye, courtesy of the good doctor.

Now, how about we get into the meat and potatoes of the show. Remember our friend, the openly corrupt Detective Flass? Well, thanks to the equally, if not more so, corrupt Commissioner Loeb, Flass is back on the force and in line to become President of the Policeman’s Union. Not bad for a guy facing a murder rap that includes his prints on the murder weapon. When Gordon confronts Loeb about Flass’s change in good fortune, he shows Gordon the “mystery witness” whose testimony overturned any criminal proceedings against Flass.

Detective Harvey Bullock.

Gordon and Dent work to bring down Commissioner Loeb

Gordon confronts his partner only to discover that, once upon a time, he was put in the same spot as Gordon. “Half the cops in GCPD has a Cobblepot and Loeb has the goods on every one of them.” But Jim’s not ready to give up and, after brainstorming with Harvey Dent, determine to find Loeb’s blackmail cache and destroy it. But where to start? Dent has an idea and the two confront Griggs, Commissioner Loeb’s former partner when he was detective two decades ago. Griggs points Dent and Gordon to Sheelou, a Chinese bookie. Unfortunately the tip from Griggs is a trap and Sheelou and his associates come close to eviscerating the two men. Of course, Bullock, kept out of their plan, rides in to the rescue. If they’re going to do things, they need to up their game and, with Bullock’s convincing ways, gleans Carmine Falcone’s name from Griggs. The cop sings loud and clear that Loeb and Falcone are in it together but that’s all he knows.

Enter our friend, Oswald Cobblepot. There’s no situation Oswald won’t examine if it can benefit him in the end and this is no different. He and Gordon make the deal: he shows the detectives to the Farm, a possible storage area for all of Loeb’s blackmail intelligence for five minutes alone with said information and a favor from Gordon to be named later. He directs them to the secluded home and meet the Caretaker and his wife, Marge. As conversations go, it’s innocent enough, until a loud noise upstairs draws the attention of the detectives and guns from Marge and the Caretaker. The two cops overpower their attackers and investigate the noise in the attic and find none other than Miriam Loeb, the Commissioner’s daughter.

It’s clear from the start that Miriam’s not playing with the full accoutrements of sanity. Topping it off is her proclivity to bash in the skulls of little birdies that pay her window sill a visit. A nasty habit she also enacted on her mother. From there, it’s quite clear that Loeb’s been hiding his dear old Miriam on the Farm in order to leave her out of being indicted for her mother’s death. Gordon uses this information to regain Bullock’s freedom by requesting the incriminating evidence Loeb has on his partner. He wanted more but Loeb would much rather Miriam go down than for him to die. But he is willing to give up one more thing; backing Gordon for the President of the Policeman’s Union. “It’s a new day in the GCPD,” Gordon tells the station. A new day indeed.

Cobblepot helping the two detectives…or just himself?

Later, Gordon hands over Bullock’s file to his partner. Bullock is relieved but still wears the shame of his actions. “You know you tell yourself ‘I’ll just do this one bad thing but all the good things I’ll do later will make up for it,’” he tells Jim. “But they don’t. There’s still that bad thing.” He ends by warning Gordon to be careful of Penguin because, sooner or later, he’ll come knocking for that favor.

Speaking of favors and partnerships, Fish and the Doctor have solidified their own after Mooney’s returned to the underground and returns the guard as well as two of the denizens on the doctor’s list. They are sacrifices and she reminds her new “family” that not everyone would live. Sometime after, she meets up with the Doctor and the two are officially in bed to ensure the compound runs smoothly. The Doctor also shows Fish just why he’s not concerned with her escaping any time soon: they are on an island out in the middle of nowhere. Out in No Man’s Land.

On Partnerships

  • As we approach the late winter hiatus, it seems as if our morally ambiguous Detective Bullock has been rewarded a new beginning. Thanks to Gordon’s work, he’s no longer beholden to Commissioner Loeb’s strong arm tactics and can return to being the good cop he started out to be. But he still has his past and the brushes with darkness that will forever be a part of him. Does he have the fortitude or desire to make up for those bad choices? I believe he will but will always harbor that chip on his shoulder and ride along the currents of gray instead of the crisp white hat Gordon wears. It’s necessary though because, Gordon will not succeed without someone willing to bend a few rules to get things done. Some may believe the means do no justify the ends but, when fighting true darkness, concessions must sometimes be made to get things done. The caveat in that is how do you know when to stop from crossing the line before it’s too late?
  • Well, it looks like Fish Mooney’s gamble paid off. Not only has she regained an eye, she’s also been set up as Doctor Dormacher’s right hand woman in the span of a few weeks. There’s no telling where things will lead her now that she’s got her foot in the door. Perhaps she will become the new Manager, considering the freakish punishment the Doctor exacted on the former manager. But does the Doctor realize the viper he’s bedding? Sooner or later, Fish will find the opening and strike. Will Dormacher be ready?
  • Talk about making a deal with the devil. Despite his aloofness and seemingly harmless veneer, Oswald Cobblepot is as cunning and lethal as anyone on the show. His most dangerous weapons are his intelligence and frail exterior. It’s no doubt that many people take one look and dismiss him out of hand. Gordon may be on guard but something tells me that even he’s not giving Oswald credit as it pertains to what he can do. Bullock’s warning to Gordon about the deal with Cobblepot may perk his antennae up just a bit but when one’s dealing with the heavy hands of Dons Falcone and Maroni, an unassuming person like Oswald Cobblepot may fly just below your radar, striking when you least expect it. It makes sense because, after all, he learned it by watching his momma Fish…