Gotham: Michael Chiklis previews his big arrival

Capt. Barnes seems to be a “take the bull by the horns” kind of leader, firing a handful of detectives he knows to be lazy or on the take – or both – right off the bat. When one of the cops protests his termination, Barnes immediately arrests him for his crimes. The antics of Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) and the other escaped convicts have left the city in a current stage of fear which is bad for business. Instead, he’s concerned about Theo (James Frain) capturing his mother (Carol Kane).

Next Episode: “Scarification” airs October 19th – Galavan and Penguin join forces with a unsafe family in Gotham. You know, I hate to point out the obvious to a insane person, but if he hadn’t killed the would-be Joker, he’d already have someone all too happy to do it for him, without having to trust the likes of the Penguin, aka his villainous competition.

First on Penguin’s dirty deeds for Theo: fake an assassination attempt on Theo, who’s being honored with a medal of valor for killing Jerome. If he wins, he will yield the power to make his vision of a new Gotham a reality. Theo wants Penguin to be his “destroyer” and help him move Gotham towards his vision. I’m not sure why his name is used, besides the incredible image of an 8-foot-tall monster donating enough money to the city to have a street named after him.

Still, for the most part, GOTHAM maintains its web of various heroes and villains struggling for control of a crumbling city in top form.

It’s love at first sight for Gordon, who Barnes makes his second in command. With the mayor “missing”, and the deputy mayor recently deceased, Theo plans to run for public office.

Not seeing any quick way out of his situation, Penguin gets Butch (Drew Powell) to help him enter the campaign headquarters of Janice Caulfield (Saundra Santiago) late one night wearing masks covering their faces.

Penguin is proving to be the asset Theo thought he would be. If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you. “For your own sake keep quiet”. He’ll probably be the one to kill Galavan and save Gotham.

Chiklis’ character made his debut during the previous episode of “Gotham” titled “Strike Force”. And while Selina holds her cheek in shock, Alfred takes the moment to tell Cat she’s frightful and Bruce Wayne’s life will be immeasurably better without her in it. Bruce also notices Galavan’s ward, Silver outside. Alfred slaps her, knows she killed Reggie, and warns her away from Bruce forever.

Nygma (Corey Michael Smith) argues with himself before getting the courage to ask out Ms. Kringle.

Kringle arrives at Nygma’s loft and it’s revealed that he will be making dinner, as he enjoys cooking. Nygma doesn’t realize that the voice in his head is actually a stronger alternate personality. Though the episode had a cleaner plot than most of the other installments, the overacting and cartoonish reactions got really distracting. Outside of the Penguin and Gordon there wasn’t anyone that really got viewers attention. And indicative of just how protective Alfred is of Bruce these days because it sure made Selina clear out. Will Gordon live up to his word and expose everything that happened between him and Penguin? Oops. Nygma tries to cover his tracks by saying he didn’t mean it literally, just that Kringle’s boyfriend was dead to her. They go through the roster and select the best rookies for a new paramilitary force called Unit Alpha – which will be led by Jim. On a side note, the overall set dressing and character clothing, while odd, is visually interesting: reminds me of a Frank Miller panel. Then in the fourth episode of the season, entitled ‘Strike Force, ‘ the show finally gives fans a real reason to keep watching.

Alas, “Strike Force” lacks that sharp focus that the first three episodes of Gotham had this season, although it’s quite reasonable that the show would want to check in with a few of the other storylines, given that it’s episode 4. The two actors have nearly instant chemistry. That is, if the cops don’t get to Penguin first before he can complete the task.

Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle. Bruce’s is pure: he simply wants to thank the man who he believes saved his life. As they have had dealings in the past, expect that to come out, especially if Oswald gets backed into a corner. Now, Penguin has shown sycophantic tendencies in the past, but he’s the self-declared “King of Gotham” now, so he’s not eager to assist Theo.