Law Enforcement Bromance and Strike Force Gets Bitten By The Penguin #Gotham #FOX

Law Enforcement Bromance and Strike Force Gets Bitten By The Penguin #Gotham #FOX

All pictures courtesy of FOX 

After the crazy villain uprising and anarchy that was the arc of the first three episodes (especially last week's misguided murder of Jerome) this week Gotham restored a bit of calm to the show as they got back to the basics and began to unravel more of the newest bad guy's true plan. So, let's dig in shall we and pose a few theories on what will happen in the coming weeks.

As most viewers witnessed, Gotham started its season with a bang. You had an Arkham Asylum break by some new billionaire and we saw the triumphant return of Jerome. Though I didn't write about it last week because I was so busy with all of the posts about the new shows, I have to take time to finally mention it here. The fact that they teased Jerome as being the Joker last season was at first unfavorable to me. Outside of one or two instances the character had always remained a mystery. His background and how he got to become this malevolence was one of the best parts of the villain, hell, of the entire Batman mythos. Unlike every other comic book, novel, movie or TV show, his creators dared make him evil because that's what he was. No traumatic childhood, no mental frailty to make us pity him, not even the notion that he believed himself the hero in his own story. No, he was the villain who caused chaos because it was fun. The fact that most people believe that evil is generated from past trauma, yet The Joker had none to identify with is what made him so great. He did bad to see if he could do it.

When they introduced Jerome and said he was beaten and abused and all of that as a child, I cringed. Why explain the devil? Mad no sense. However, I came around to the idea only because I think the kid they got to play him was fantastic in the role. Like, seriously, this guy was darn good. Even though they gave him a background, he had an aura to him that suggested he would be crazy even raised in a loving home. He had both charm and a classic "something's snapped, Mary, and I don't know how to fix it" look about him that fit perfectly into the show. So, I accepted it. Then last week they killed him off which I thought was the worst idea they could

have ever pulled, even worse than giving him a background in the first place. Why? Because now whoever comes after him is a copy of him, a cheap knockoff who, no matter what he does, will always pale in comparison. This was seeing Anakin turn into Darth Vader again. The producers explained that no one comes from nothing and everything is created from a mythos or is just a copy of something before them which on its face is false. Not saying that there are still new ideas in the realm of entertainment because I don't believe there are at the moment, only unique combinations. But the way they set this up is that the real joker will be a carbon copy when he could easily have just been someone created from the madness of the city. He didn't need a rubric on how to walk, talk, laugh, etc. But they've made the decision and no use in dwelling on it.

Anyway, back to tonight's episode. After the shock of killing Jerome, the city returned to a little quiet. With the asylum break and the live TV Jerome fiasco on everyone's mind, Penguin set out to discover who was the puppeteer behind such feats. Luckily (or unluckily), the purple-suited man found him and proposed a business deal. He wanted Penguin to kill two mayoral candidates before he himself entered the adjunct race. Why does he want to be mayor? So he can build some massive skyscrapers on residential land. Huh? So, wait a minute, this guy released loons from prison and had them create chaos that would make him into a hero so he could become Gotham's next Donald Trump? Isn't being the mayor enough without the construction project? Dude, I don't know about your plan. Seems fishy.

In any case, Penguin wants no part of it until it's revealed the man has his flighty mother chained to a bed somewhere. Motivated, he dons his 1930s The Shadow costume and goes to kill one of the candidates himself. One of the witnesses talks even after he threatened them and Jim hops to it.

Speaking of Jim, he finds himself in a budding bromance when the precinct gets a new captain. In what was surely an erection-inducing speech about true justice, honor and bringing the bad guys down, Jim listens to his captain fire about ten cops and threaten to arrest any others doing illegal stuff on the side. I was quite surprised when they both didn't rip their clothes off and go after each other when Jim learned that his captain was also a former jarhead military dog like him. Just what he's been waiting for, a man unafraid of doing his job.

Together they build a team of fresh from the academy topnotch police officers too young to be jaded or corrupted. Named the GCPD Strike Force they answer only to Jim. A first clash comes with Penguin's bald hitman guy in the middle of trying to kill the second candidate. He gets one in the bulletproof vest before escaping but this just reminds Jim of how sticky a situation he's in as his previous deal with Penguin lingers over his head. Even worse, after their scuffle the new captain assigns the force their first official mission: bring down The Penguin. But how will Jim do that when old Cobblepot knows he killed a man as a favor to the crime boss? This is looking to boil over before Christmas break.

There was also a tertiary plot concerning Bruce forming the genesis of a love triangle with him, Selina and a new classmate named Silver. After Alfred punched the crap out of Selina, she got scared away from seeing her not-yet-official boo allowing Bruce to be captivated by the new girl who also happens to be the ward of the new big baddie. This won't end well and will most likely be one of those things that keeps Bruce's relationship with the Kitty contentious for years to come as young hearts may mend easily but don't soon forget. Oh, and E. Nigma finally went on an at-home date with that woman he works with and she actually likes him. He'll probably be cutting her up and stuffing her into a suitcase soon enough.

What do you think? Did you like the way this week's episode felt calmer considering the chaos of the last few weeks? How do you think Jim will handle his secret with Penguin? Who do you think will kill the new villain first: Cobblepot or Jim? Or are you going through Jerome withdraws like I am? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out my new comedy novel Yep, I'm Totally Stalking, My Ex-Boyfriend. #AhStalking

If you’re looking for Halloween scares check #AFuriousWind, #DARKER, #BrandNewHome or  #ThePowerOfTen. For those interested in something a little more dramatic, check out #TheWriter. The full first season is OUT NOW exclusively on Amazon. Join us on Goodreads to talk about books and TV, and subscribe to and follow my blog with that Google+ button to the right side.

Until next time, “it ain't easy bein' cheesy! "

P.S. I was just eating some white cheddar Bag of Bones Cheetos and I just thought of that. Why do I find Chester Cheeto so cool? Is that weird? It's probably weird. I'll think of a better sign-off next time.  

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I Am Zaardon And The Passcode Is “BRUCE” #Gotham #PremiereWeek

I Am Zaardon And The Passcode Is “BRUCE” #Gotham #PremiereWeek

All pictures courtesy of FOX

So, there was a heck of a lot of TV going on last night and I still haven’t decided how I’m going to cover the new shows. I have been debating whether the new shows I’m interested in will get an individual post for each episode or if I’ll do a first three episode summary and my ultimate judgment on whether I’ll continue watching them or not. For now, I’ll just cover a few of the old returnees, and as you can see, we’ll start with Gotham (#Gotham).

In my opinion, Gotham whimpered back last night. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of stuff happened, but it wasn’t as “umph!” as I might like. However, the fact that it is a season premiere is the big reason why I will excuse that as this looks to be an amazing season.

It opened with Bruce and Alfred still looking into that cave they found behind the fireplace. The nosy little boy he is, he had to get that door open. Remembering that this is not the all-out genius detective Bruce will one day become, I still found it a little ridiculous that he would decide to build his own bomb and blow the door open, rather than taking a strip of clear tape and lifting the fingerprints from the most used numbers on the keypad. But the bomb making will come in handy too. Strangely, it looked nothing like a clock. Huh.

Meanwhile, Gordon suffered through his own version of Breaking Bad or the latest episode of The Writer (#TheWriter) after he was fired from police duty for touching an officer who showed up late for work. The fact that the guy even told on him shows just how ridiculous the cops in this show can get. While Gordon struggled to figure out what was right for him to do—go and collect a debt for Penguin of whom he asked a favor—crazy Barbra managed to get a phone in Arkham Asylum and called him and his new girlfriend.

Adjusting quite well to her new residence in Arkham, Barbra befriended Jerome (our supposed future joker and current redheaded Dennis the menace), as well as some rich guy with not a single lick of back story. Didn’t matter because he refused to be a criminal under another criminal mastermind who seeks to bring total anarchy to the city. The white guy let his black sister (oh no! Somebody call the people who complained about the Fantastic Four’s race discrepancy) gut him in front of Barbra and Jerome.

Oddly, this new big menace was the same guy speaking at Commissioner Loeb’s forced retirement—a favor the commissioner owed to Penguin for sparing his life... and his head (shocked that the FCC let FOX get away with a severed head in the eight o’clock hour). This a favor to Gordon from Penguin, Jim not only got reinstated to detective but also saw his black lady boss become the new commissioner.

All that acted as setup for the season as now a slew of villains will be let loose and puppeteered by this new guy, and revenge from Barbra and Loeb is sure to come. From some of the internet’s theories and rumors circulating, many are saying that Barbra will turn into Harley Quinn as she and Jerome already get along swimmingly. While I can see that in some respects, I’m not sure if Warner would want to do that so close to Suicide Squad releasing. For one, while viewers of the cartoon are well aware of her background, most people are not, especially those who didn’t read the comics after the 90s. Muddying her origin story on the show, then introducing an entirely different background in the film could make people hate both as the disparity in age between the two was always a key aspect of her character. Also, Barbra still seems too put together to become as loony as Harley needs to be. We’ll see if her character devolves into lunacy on par with Jerome, but for now I wouldn’t like this idea.

Probably the biggest thing from this episode that actually ticked me off was its still unresolved spirit of what it wants to be. Does it want to stay completely grounded in reality or will it venture into the paranormal, bizarre and magical which could introduce some of Batman’s stranger villains like Clayface and Killer Croc. This, evidenced by the use of some strange potion imbibed by Zaardon. No, not Zordon the Power Rangers’ pale white benefactor and mentor, but a cheap, costumed villain who Gordon arrested at the beginning of the episode. The potion turned out to be a smoke bomb of some sort that magically went off at the most convenient time for an Asylum break. My reaction: “Really? He just happened to kill over and die from the potion at the same exact time the villains came to get Jerome, Barbra and the others? Well, OK. If you say so, Gotham.”

Still, I had fun and it’s nice to see that they’re building on character—is it too early to say that I suddenly like the kid playing Bruce and could totally see him growing into Batman?

Anyway, what did you all think about the season two premiere of Gotham? Did it not have enough action for you? Are you disappointed in the background they’re building for the Joker (I always liked his mystic and the fact that he had no reason for his evilness; sometimes bad is just bad)? Do you think Loeb will return for revenge or is he forever off the show now? Let me know what you think in the comments below. Hint: click where it reads “no comments” to comment.

As always, check out my books on Amazon (if you’re looking for Halloween scares check #AFuriousWind, #DARKER, #BrandNewHome or #ThePowerOfTen). For those interested in something a little more dramatic, check out #TheWriter. The final episode of season one of The Writer is coming this Friday. All other 14 episodes are out now available exclusively on Amazon. Join us on Goodreads to talk about books and TV, and subscribe to my blog.

Until next time, “ridin’ through the six in my popemobile, just ridin’ through the six makin’ hope so real.”

P.S. OK, maybe I made that up. It was about time I made up a good sign-off, right? So what if it’s a play on Drake’s song lyrics. According to Meek, he didn’t even write them. And just because I’m not pope doesn’t mean I don’t have a popemobile. Alright, fine, I keep workin’ on it.

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Because Penguins Eat Fish And All Barbs Are Wired #GothamFinale #Gotham

Because Penguins Eat Fish And All Barbs Are Wired #GothamFinale #Gotham

 All pictures courtesy of FOX, unless otherwise stated.

 

Whoa! I just finished watching the season finale of #Gotham and... Whoa! I know, I'm very behind on my DVRing but it has been a busy week. There were people dying, people flying (to their doom), to people retiring and people discovering secrets. There was so much stuff packed into this one episode that it felt almost like more of a summation of the season, rather than an end to it. Where do I begin.

CatFish
How cute!

I guess we should first talk about the return of Fish Mooney. Seeing as how the episode was so packed with tying up loose ends and setting up the future of this world of deceptive cops and honorless crooks, the majority of viewers were left to surmise and assume that whatever misadventures, secret hospital visits and underground surgeries that she underwent were successful. If you remember, the last time anyone saw her, she had just been shot in the stomach while escaping The Doll Maker’s island; she returned to Gotham much like The Dark Knight did in that movie where he rose and everything (remember? That guy Bane was in it. Bruce was Batman, but he wasn’t Batman and nobody thought to ask where this billionaire guy went for half a year. There was fire, too. They even had an ugly Batman statue. Remember? I’m getting off topic). She returned by boat and was greeted by Selina Kyle who clearly saw the black woman with crazy hair and mismatch eyes as a role model, immediately joining her gang because it’s a great gig and thus starting the legend of #CatFish. Lucky for her, she returned in the middle of a gang war that would see one or both of the current city crime bosses crumbling.

First up to crumble: Falcone. He might have crumbled had his would-be assassins not aimed their rocket launcher at his car instead of at him as he held a chicken. Suffering a little residual pain and anguish from the attack, he winds up in some rather dingy looking hospital somewhere in the city with Maroni’s goons slowly making their way toward him. Penguin stopped by to gloat as he is wanton to do, and proved that he still had a lot to learn if he was going to truly be the crime boss of the city (I suppose now we know why every villain ever has always saw the need to profess their plan before it’s completed—it’s arousing). Of course, their encounter where Penguin confesses that it was he who tangentially started the war, he then proceeded to take out a scalpel and try killing his old boss. In hindsight, I think that defeated the purpose in starting the war in the first place. If you always planned on doing the killing yourself, why not just do it to both bosses and claim your throne?

Unfortunately like nearly all good plans Cobblepot had this season, it went awry as Gordon came in and white knighted the entire situation. Gordon only saved Falcone out of a belief that the old man could stop the anarchy in the city. He’d have to shoot his way out of the hospital as it had been abandoned due to a notice about the hit on Falcone put out by his squad. Bullock to the rescue to come and shoot the last guy before his partner got killed.

With Cobblepot, Falcone and Penguin’s right hand guy (formerly Mooney’s right hand man) all in custody, the two cops took the men to what Falcone thought would be a safe house. Surprise! Surprise (Gomer Pyle voice)! Lo and behold, Fish Mooney was already there with Selina Kyle in-tow with her other new cobbled together group of goons. She was happy to not only tie the five men up, but turn them over to Maroni in favor of respect and her own piece of the kingdom. Why the hell did she think she would get either of those things? Especially from Maroni? Forget the fact that he still saw her as nothing more than a minion, a bossable peon to give directions (yes, I said bossable. It’s a word... maybe), he didn’t even respect her as a woman. She wasn’t really even a woman scorned, just really pissed off. She shot him in his head and started a shootout with his guys.

Somehow, during this shootout, the five guys all got loose from their shackles and either ran away or gladly participated. Penguin being a member of the latter stayed and killed as many people as he could, clawing and shooting and beaking his way to the top in hopes of taking the crown of the city. He managed to get into one last fight with Fish on the rooftop of the harbor side of the warehouse. After a brief Sophie’s choice interlude with his new second hand (remember, Fish’s old right hand guy), they managed to fight through the bullet wounds left in both of them and scrap it out to the death. Penguin finally succeeded by tossing Fish over the roof into the icy waters below. In an unexpected move, he climbed atop the ledge of the roof and went complete DiCaprio Titanic, proclaiming how he was the King of the world Gotham. At that point, I completely expected for the right hand man to whisper, “I’ll never let go, Fish. I’ll never let go!” But he didn’t. Disappointing.

To round things out, E. Nygma went crazy or crazier than what he already was when that girl he had a crush on all season discovered his clue in the letter he forged for the cop he killed. Falcone escaped the bloodshed with Gordon and gave him a knife, the same one that Gordon’s father gifted to Falcone years ago. Like all good gangsters, he graciously retired, leaving the city for warmer pastures. Barbara also went crazy, confessing that it was she who killed her parents, not the Ogre, and that they were soulmates of some kind. She and Gordon’s current girlfriend got into a heck of a fight where Dr. Thompkins bashed her head on the hard floor. Gordon walked in and immediately believed that his ex was crazy, because who’s ex isn’t?

But the most intriguing cliffhanger/question came during the last few minutes when Bruce showed off his genius and figured out what Lucius meant went he said Thomas Wayne was a Stoic. He discovered a small remote that turned on music an revealed a secret passage behind a fireplace that led down some stairs. We know that will become the batcave in the future, but the question is what exactly is down there now? Could this be a mix of one of those other new comic story lines from the past quarter century where Thomas Wayne was some form of the Batman character or at the very least a vigilante himself?

This question along with others will plague us all off-season. For instance, is Fish Mooney really dead? Sure, Jada said about two months ago that she wouldn’t be returning for a second season but I honestly thought this was her second best role after Set It Off. She only fell into the water and in the comics Batman is always tossing or letting someone fall into the water and they magically re-appear. Plus, water is a fish's natural habitat. I can understand if she doesn’t want to reprise the role or if they don’t want her back for whatever reason, but if she did want to come back, I’m sure that could be worked out. What will happen to the show going forward? Who will be the main villain? Will we return to a city still in a gang war with no real leader, or will Penguin have officially claimed his throne? What is going to happen with crazy Barbara? What’s going to happen to crazy Nygma? Will Gordon get his own official non-Batman villain to be his nemesis or will the show continue as it is? Personally, I think an interesting and creative thing for them to do is to skip ahead a full year or two and pick-up there; if they didnt’ do this next season, then maybe the season after that.

What do you think readers and viewers out there? Were you satisfied with the finale? To you comic book fans out there, did you enjoy the show more at the end of the season? What would you like to see for next season?

As always, leave your comments below (click the no comments button if no one has commented yet). I look forward to reading your opinions. Follow me here and on Twitter. Join me on Goodreads in the group Books Similar To Breaking Bad, Scandal and other Popular TV Shows and check out my books on Amazon. #BrandNewHome is coming May 8^th. #Darker is coming in June and so is #TheWriter. Also, look for the short story #ThePowerOfTen or check out the books I already have up there.

Until next time, If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

P.S. OK, so maybe that was a quote from dodgeball. Classic Ben Stiller. Classic Vince Vaughn. Classic Frat Pack humor. I like the movie. So what? I’ll do better next time.

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