"Peter" also seems to get that right now is not the time for seeing his "old friend", and graciously accepts Jim offer to see him out. Once on the street, away from the building's cameras, Jim instantly slams Oswald into a wall. He roars that Oswald was never supposed to come back. Oswald apologizes, but basically has nowhere else to go. In exchange for Jim not killing him in rage and to protect himself and Barbara, Oswald offers Jim a deal. Oswald stays in Gotham, and feeds Jim information. Oswald is desperately trying to get Jim on his side, calling him the last good man in Gotham as if Oswald even values decency. When Jim still isn't convinced, Oswald grabs a bottle and offers it to Jim as a murder weapon. He literally puts his life in Jim's hands, confident that Jim won't kill him. After all, Jim didn't before.
When Jim throws the bottle away, just as Oswald must have known he would, Oswald immediately proves himself useful. He reminds Jim of his warning that day at the dock, and says a war that will bring blood on the streets is still coming. And he informs Jim that it will be over Arkham. That word again. It's been teased in the last three episodes. Will it's full meaning be clear? Jim tries to dismiss squabbling over Arkham as politics; Oswald declares politics to just be a peaceful version of war for money. Oswald slips away while Jim is distracted. Like Jim, we'll just have to live through the episode to find out what's the deal with Arkham.
That's not an option for the two men walking from an office building to a car that night. They're approached by a constituent who'd like to talk to Councilman Jenkins. Jenkins tries to politely put him off so he and his aide can get out of there. But the constituent claims to have something to show them, and literally assembles his murder weapon while they watch. The aide even trusts a stranger enough to point the thing at his own eye. The weapon, basically a spike launcher, kills the aide instantly. Jenkins realizes this is the end, and tries to retreat to a stair vestibule, wear his attempt to call 911 ends badly for him.
I call it my Magic Flute
Bullock gets the case the next morning. It appears to be a mugging. When Jim appears and wonders if Jenkins was killed for his politics, neither give his theory much credit. Bullock points out that killing an elected official just produces an identical replacement. It's always better to just bribe them. Bullock claims to know who they need to coerce into confessing. And Bullock does a great job of trying to intimidate him into confessing. But Jim loses interest when the suspect continues to deny killing Jenkins and the aide. He literally just saunters out of the interrogation room, simply declaring him not involved. Bullock is incredulous.
Fish Mooney, recovering nicely from losing Lazlow, is auditioning her next act. The singer has a great voice and singing style, but Fish is less impressed with her people skills. Even First Mate cringes at the singer's clumsy attempt to show Fish Mooney how she'd seduce a man. Before even asking her to try, Mooney wants to know if the singer likes boys or girls. When Mooney dismisses her, First Mate seems to think Mooney should hire her anyway. Mooney is very clear- she's not looking for amusement; she's looking for someone she can use against Falcone.
Jim appears at his desk, and finds an unexpected box containing whatever Jenkins had on his desk when he was killed last night. And the first thing he pulls out is a bound presentation on a huge new redevelopment of downtown. It's the Arkham Redevelopment Plan. And we cut to the Mayor James, excitedly pushing it to a room of reporters. It's going to be great, a little like Battery Park City was to New York City's downtown. But Battery Park City didn't redevelop any existing insane asylum for modern mental and emotional treatment. The old insane asylum is to be completely refurbished.
Mayor James dismisses the alternate plan, which is to simply raze the existing asylum, building nothing else, and use ridiculously valuable downtown land in a crowded city as a dump. Literally, how was that plan even considered? Jenkins, by the way, favored the redevelopment with housing and a new treatment facility. So did the Waynes, which Mayor James stresses. He's using their name to sell the development for the betterment of the city. But the Waynes, if still alive, would be doing that too.
Moroni is pretty confident of something all of sudden. In his favorite restaurant, watched by Oswald, he wants to celebrate getting a ton of land, and the resulting money from it.
Jim, intrigued by Oswald's tip, decides to pay Wayne Manor a visit, and asks Alfred where the Waynes' info on the development is so he can go over it for clues. Alfred tells him that it the redevelopment was taken over by none other than Falcone, who now is putting the plan forward. I guess a rising tide really does lift all boats. That means that the alternate plan for a dump would be Moroni's. How he expects to make any money off a dump in a downtown urban district is beyond me. When Bruce appears, he's happy to help Jim, even reading his mother's pitch of the plan. Basically, she wanted to step and help Gotham's poor and most vulnerable, hoping to spark a city-wide renewal. Bruce asks Jim to protect his parents' plans; Jim says his priority is to keep the city's mobsters from fighting over the land.
Bullock calls him away from Wayne Manor with the news that another councilman has gone missing. And this one supported Moroni's dump plan. The war has already begun. And it begins just inside the gates to Arkham itself, where our killer of the night before rolls a heavy-looking metal barrel into the drive. He opens it to reveal Councilman Zeller, scared and begging for his life. He's willing to make any promise to live, especially when his killer drenches him in gasoline. The killer, who's talkative, goes on about how he'd definitely kill Zeller simply and quickly. He praises the idea of simplicity, which equals sophistication to him. But his customer wants something ugly, as a warning to other elected officials. So, Mr. Simplicity has to ignore his victims pitiable cries for help and mercy as he lights the gasoline trail to the barrel on fire. We hear Zeller as the barrel ignites.
Not eery foreshadowing at all
With Captain Essen, Bullock and Jim there the next morning, both have to admit that Jim was right, with Bullock wishing Jim had been wrong. The cops realize, after Jim points out that the killings must be related to the Arkham redevelopment, that two councillors have been killed by rival mobsters trying to literally scare votes for their separate plans. As the detectives wander the scene, Bullock demands to know what tipped Jim off about Arkham. As if the fact that Zeller was actually murdered there isn't a sign?
Back at work in the kitchen, Oswald happens to notice a back room where a lot of money is being counted. His boss comes and berates him, telling his sniveling nose to stay focused on the dishes. Oswald looks at him as he storms off, already plotting to kill him.
They're interrupted by Forensics, who wants to know if Bullock knows what a paradox is. Bullock angrily insists he does, so Edward Nygma launches into a creepy display of admiration for the killer when he notes that all three of their victims were struck with the same weapon. Jim and Bullock realize a professional killer is serving both mobsters. This time, Bullock actually does know what to do.
At Gotham Penitentiary, two cartons of cigarettes appear in front of a bearded inmate, who's impressed enough by the gift to be helpful right away, and successfully labels the murder weapon. They're looking for a man named Gladwell, who works out of the Lansky Building in Gotham. Jim and Bullock literally roam the building floor to floor looking for Gladwell, finally finding him in a computer-less HR Department. When Gladwell has already bolted from his desk, Jim goes looking while Bullock searches the desk. When Jim is just about to step into Gladwell's trap, Bullock saves him by calling him over to look over newspaper clippings Gladwell was dumb enough to have at his work desk. When a strange noise from the supply closet draws them in, they stupidly scare the shit out of another worker there, who bolts without the office supplies she was going to steal.
Instead of Gladwell, they find instead, a cardstock tag with three capital letters, all separated, so they're probably not someone's initials: C, L, and M. What?
Back at Wayne Manor, a nightmare wakes Bruce up. He acts like such and odd duck, but you might too if you constantly dreamed of the guy who pointed a gun at your face after killing your parents. I'm shocked he's not covering his hair in his own poop. Alfred is worried again, lingering at the door to the study Bruce was napping in. Bruce, wishing to dwell even more on his parents' death, asks Alfred to get copies of all his parents' information on the Arkham redevelopment, which Alfred is reluctant to do, but Bruce is adamant he'll find some new information on his parents' deaths.
As Alfred crosses the room to Bruce, the camera pans out to showcase the study, with a ridiculously famous painting hanging over the desk, It's first seen two episodes ago, but this is our first good, long look at it.
That's my sword... no, that's my sword
It's the Oath of the Horatii, a world-famous painting that actually hangs in the Louvre. Before going on, let's explore this. In the painting, three young men literally salute three swords, two curved and one straight. They are held aloft by the men's father, who is showing his support for whatever dumb thing his sons are about to do. We know it's dumb, because two ladies behind the father can barely contain their grief, leaning into each other to share it. A nurse behind them tries to shelter two children. The girl is crying, but the boy is staring intently at the men. The young men are three brothers, the Horatii, who have sworn to defend Rome's honor against the Curiatii family of Alba Longa. One lady, is their sister, who is also engaged to one of the young Curiatti the brothers will fight. The other lady is married to one of the brothers shown; she's from the Curiatti family. No matter what happens, they will lose most of the men in their lives. The curved/straight swords symbolize that only one brother will return, and only after killing all three Curiatti. It's about duty to your city/state over family and emotion. The men are completely stoic about the fate of the young men. The father is practically shoving them out of the house to their fate.
So two families, set to duel for their city. Hmm.. who's going to have to remember their duty? And who's going to be left crying?
Well, Oswald might be crying soon. Gunmen invade Moroni's favorite restaurant/money laundering operation, looking for money and quickly shooting the owner, Oswald's boss, to death. They make off too fast for Moroni's henchmen to catch them. Walking past the owner's body sprawled on the table, they discover the money in the back gone, and then bloody shoeprints leading to a refrigerator that contains a very traumatized Oswald, clutching the one bag of money he could save before the gunmen came back. He's happy to help the henchmen, but is only sorry he could save on bag of cash. The henchmen tell him that Moroni will want to talk to him, making him look even more worried.
Back at the big clock building, Barbara is fretting in her living room when Jim comes home early. He tries to tell her not to worry about him, and that she needs to let him keep his secrets, but Barbara's been finding that more and more impossible. So, she brings up Oswald, using his correct name even if she doesn't know Oswald was just there that morning. When Jim demands to know how she even knows that name, he basically scolds her into confessing that Montoya came to see her. And that the two of them had a year-long relationship that Barbara ended. Montoya may or may not have moved on emotionally. Jim is incensed. Barbara knows the cop gunning for him personally? And she's talking to her behind his back? The guy who won't tell Barbara anything is furious at what he's just found out. She quickly apologizes, but why does she need to?
Moroni, angry and wanting revenge, has Oswald, aka Paulo, brought to him. Despite Oswald's apparent fear, he anxiously approaches and makes sure to call Moroni "Don", to indicate respect. Moroni's happy to show Oswald appreciation for saving what money he could, and makes Oswald the manager of the restaurant. Oh, and he'll need a new suit.
Back at the precinct, Bullock gives Jim bad news: Gladwell is not their killer's name, just an assumed identity of a corpse. The killer offed him years ago and paid the rent on time and lived quietly, so no one noticed that it wasn't really Gladwell. So, Jim goes back to looking at the letters C,L, and M. Bullock wants to investigate his way. Jim calls it the lazy way. Bullock says, hey, it could be the smart way. Jim says he considered and rejected that. Bullock looks hurt. So, Bullock goes off to do his own investigation, which Jim figures out is just asking Mooney. He tells Bullock to say hello for him. Bullock is surprised; is Jim warming up to Bullock's work wife?
Fish Mooney is auditioning another young woman. This one is dressed less artfully and more like a prostitute, with short, clingy skirt and black lace stockings. Her hair is a shaggy mess, and she can't sing as well as the well-presented woman before, but Fish is intrigued by her. Does Mooney see a young version of herself there? She gets a name, Liza, and gets asked if she's wants a job. Mooney doesn't really describe the job, except to say it can give her money, power, and respect, and anything it takes to acheive them. Liza wastes no time in seducing Fish Mooney to Mooney's satisfaction, sitting on her table, leaning over and happily making out with Mooney. After pulling back, she literally finishes Mooney's drink and takes a seat at the bar. Bullock is appreciative and polite when he enters, and Mooney is happy to see Liza has already charmed her pet detective.
The two sit down, and Mooney decides she could indeed help Bullock, but he has nothing to offer her except an IOU. Jim has better luck, literally. Oswald takes the time, still in his dishwasher's uniform, to stop by a payphone and give Jim what he knows, as proof of his trustworthiness. Another hit is coming, tonight. Oswald laughs when Jim tells him police are protecting elected officials until the Arkham redevelopment vote. He happily reminds Jim never to trust the police. When Jim demands to know why Oswald is helping him, Oswald simply claims to love his home.
Jim, remembering that Oswald told him not to trust the police, finds a clerk and demands the list of officers protecting elected officials that night and who they're protecting. There, at the end of the sheet, are three names. Names that begin with C, L, and M. And they're supposed to be guarding Mayor James. Jim rushes out, on the phone with Bullock immediately, sending him to the Mayor's mansion.
It's getting dark. The police cars outside the Mayor's House are empty. Mayor James literally answers the door himself. And then doesn't believe Jim until he sees the empty police cars himself. They rush upstairs to his office, where he will spend way too much time putting bundles of cash that just happened to be in his safe in a bag. Jim rushes him along all the way, wanting to leave immediately while Mr. Simplicity has appeared outside the front stoop, putting together his Magic Flute. Jim then decides to take the Mayor out the front door where all can see he's switching locations and easily reach him on public property.
He's rewarded for his stupidity by Mr. Simplicity bashing him back inside. Jim loses his gun, and rushes Mayor James right back up the stairs, pointing out that the killer now has his gun. Mayor James leads him through a sliding door to the press conference room seen before, empty now except for a ton of flimsy wooden chairs. Which are perfect for crashing into Mr. Simplicity when he follows. They both are now gunless, and duking it out among the chairs, Mr. Simplicity manages to hold Jim down and is just about to send a metal spike in Jim's eye when Bullock appears. Between two cops, Mr. Simplicity decides to kill the Mayor while he can, but both shoot before he can. He goes down in a heap on the floor, while the Mayor shits his pants, still holding on to his bag of money.
Mooney can't decide between the lovely singer and Liza the Siren. She assembles them in front of her car in an abandoned warehouse, and explains the situation. The young women are confused at first, until one asks if they're really supposed to fight over the job. The singer starts, but it's a quick fight ended by Liza straddling the singer and bashing her head into concrete repeatedly. The singer collapses, probably dead, and Liza stands. Her face is bloody and swollen already, but she wants to know when she starts. Mooney definitely sees herself there. First Mate is impressed.
I love a good old fashioned girl fight
Barbara appears at the precinct the next morning, because apparently Jim hasn't come home. She apologizes again for not telling Jim of her old relationship with Montoya or her last visit. Jim still can't figure out why he's angry at her for not telling, and Barbara can't figure out why she didn't just tell him. But Barbara now has her own demand for the truth- she wants to full story of Oswald Cobblepot. Instead of telling her Oswald was in their living room days ago, obviously happy and mostly well, Jim stonewalls her. When Barbara reminds Jim that he did before, he tells her sharing time is over. From now on, there will be no updates from work.
In his defense, the last time he confided secrets in her, she literally got right up and called the paper. But still, Jim is going to have to accept that being a cop in Gotham on high profile cases he can't talk about and dealing with people a wife should never meet means a lonely life for him. Does Jim really think he can have a wife that he keeps in the dark? Barbara doesn't think so. She gives him The Ultimatum. She wants Jim to confide in her, or break up with her. Is Jim starting to realize why Bullock is single?
The gunmen/robbers from Moroni's restaurant are holed up in a sunny tenement somewhere in Gotham, in one room with bags of cash they're still counting. They react immediately when the door opens, but relax- it's the guy who hired them and told them the whole layout and where the money is. Oswald Cobblepot strolls happily into the room, legs still horribly bowed. But now, he's back in his dapper suit, exquisite vest and tie and hair in his reverse Mullet. He's happy to see them, and has what looks like a little present, wrapped in pink paper and ribbon. The gunmen practically toast him for all the money he helped them steal. And he's happy to see them, sitting down across from them, and offering them the pink box for their hard work. The gunmen are thrilled when it's cannolli . After all, why run an Italian restaurant if you can't scarf a few cannolli for your accomplices? The gunmen, to Oswald's delight, dig right in.
Jim, back at the precinct, has almost forgotten about Barbara's ultimatum because the democratic process he helped protect is working. Sort of. Mayor James, after realizing that the violence is only going to get worse, announces a compromise plan. Touting it as a plan that actually serves all of Gotham's needs, for some housing projects, a new mental health facility, and a dump, the Mayor talks up the plan. Fish Mooney watches with Liza, who gets a tissue for her face. Mooney remarks that Falcone isn't getting all he wants, which she perceives as a loss for him, and a sign that it's time for her move. Lucky she's got the girl.
Bruce isn't as happy as the Mayor, or Fish Mooney. He watches, sad that his parents' dream is only kind of happening. Alfred can't explain it to him, so Jim, who has come to Wayne Manor tries. Falcone will get to build the low-income housing project. Moroni will get his dump and the city will hire him to rebuild and renovate Arkham. The compromise keeps the city from coming apart in gang violence. Bruce is upset that mobsters are taking his parents' work away. Jim reminds him that his parents cared more about Bruce himself than any urban renewal project. You can't save a city when mobsters are literally slaughtering elected officials.
Bruce asks Jim if he thinks Gotham can really be saved. It will be recurring theme. The favors for criminals are so extensive, and people have become so inured to it. As Jim tells Bruce that he'd like to at least go down trying, Oswald leaves the gunmen, one big bag of cash in hand. This plot went a lot better than his last attempt to get money, and he leaves the poisoned gunmen to rot.
Oh, Oswald. Your desire to rule Gotham is somehow more intriguing than Jim's earnest wish to save it. He's happiest when successfully killing his enemies and tormenters. Jim can never be happy because if Gotham is saved, there's no reason for Batman. Bruce will become the Batman specifically because Jim can't save Gotham. It's already clear that Bruce is reliving his parents death every single day. And that it will drive him to realize that he has a unique opportunity and obligation to make his parents' wish of a safe and prosperous Gotham come true. We can already see how Cat will become Catwoman- she's already stealing and propelling herself among Gotham's fire escapes and roofs. We haven't seen yet how Edward Nygma will become Riddler, or Ivy will become Poison Ivy. For now, we can only watch as Oswald delights in becoming a psychopath for money and power.
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