Gotham Review: 102 “Selina Kyle”

Who is Cat?

Gotham‘s second episode “Selina Kyle” had a lot more fruitful ideas to work with than the pilot, clearly because there was so much emphasis placed around the death of the Waynes. The episode begins with Bruce holding his hand over a candle flame to see how long he can withstand the pain, until Alfred barges into the room calling him a “stupid little boy” then retracting and giving him a bug hug. Sean Pertwee’s portrayal of Alfred is very uncommon to fans and it may take a while for some to get used to the more “rough around the edges” butler we’ve been introduced to here. Also a fair bit of warning; though the episode is titled “Selina Kyle” there just isn’t enough of Selina in it. There isn’t much that we fans can learn about her back story this week, but we do get a good glimpse at her personality, attitude, and an evil plot in which she’s been stuck! Shall we discuss?

The ladder of corruption extends ever so long.

This week on Gotham, the youth of the streets are vanishing. A couple by the name of Doug and Patty play dress up and disguise themselves as members of “the Mayor’s homeless outreach program.” Distracted by the free food offered to them, these kids are injected by a very strong sedative. One of the kids, Mackie (Cory in the House’s Kyle Massey), escapes and ends up at the GCDP station where he encounters Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Harvey Bullock(Donal Logue). Jim is the only one who takes this story seriously, so they perform a drug screen on Mackie who didn’t receive the full dosage due to his escape. It reveals ATP, a sedative that was only used at the famous Arkham Asylum, which has been closed for fifteen years. Only three pharmacies are licensed to sell such a drug, and Gordon believes that one, if not all, are corrupt. Gordon and Bullock trace a lead and infiltrate Quillan Pharmaceuticals, where they present a search warrant to look around the place. This place, by the way, is a front for Doug and Patty’s boss the Dollmaker (who we have yet to see or learn about) where they store the kids until they are sent off to him. A gun fight ensues with the couple escaping, Gordon finding some of the kids and Quillan being taken into custody. After an anonymous tip gets the press involved (Gordon told his fiancée Barbara information about the situation, who thought it was best to reveal) the Mayor vows to put the kids in new foster homes, though he means only to sent the “clean” ones there. The rest he wants to send upstate to a juvenile detention center.

The kids that are going upstate, including little Miss Kyle (who likes to go by Cat) is on the bus which is taking the kids upstate, only to have it be controlled by the couple Doug and Patty. They take their bus full of kids to a warehouse, which Quillan reveals to be Trident Shipping. DC fanboys may have seen this as a distant Aquaman easter egg. Sorry to say this folks, but in an older and more grounded universe, that’s not happening. Gordon and Bullock arrive in time to stop the shipment of kids and take the couple into custody. Since the kids still have to go upstate, Selina is adamant on making a deal with Gordon to stay out of juvie, claiming she knows who killed the Waynes!

There’s a war coming.

Mafia boss Carmine Falcone meets with Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett-Smith) to discuss how the Wayne’s death left everything out of balance, and that his rivals, the Maroni family, may be planning to step in and take over. Falcone informs Fish that Oswald Cobblepot told him about her ideas of taking over and that Falcone is “too old.” She assures him that she could never do such a thing, where in private she tells her henchman Butch she will bide her time and kill Falcone with her “bare hands and… teeth. Cobblepot hitchhikes with two drunken college boys off a highway. He enjoys himself thinking he’s made some new comrades, until one comments that he walks like a penguin, which leads him to viciously stabbing him. Cobblepot then rents a trailer to hold the other boy hostage against his mother over the phone, who believes this is a prank from her sons friends, which I find to be a bit on the overly clumsy side. Will he try to use him for something else, or flat out kill the boy? We’ll have to wait and see.

“Trust him to choose his own cause.”

Alfred calls Jim over because he’s feeling troubled “raising a billionaire boy” and feels Jim could be of substantial help because Bruce looks up to him. Bruce has been hurting himself, having nightmares, and placing himself in situations of great fear. Thomas Wayne entrusted Alfred to let his son choose his own path and way of life. Bruce claims that he is testing himself, and wants to help the homeless kids but doesn’t know where to start. I think it’s way too early for a kid of Bruce’s age to be honing and improving his “skills” but the fact that we slowly see small bits of the darkness grow inside him really adds another element to this episode, and the shows character development overall.

FINAL VERDICT: Cat got your tongue?

There is a lot more to Gotham than meets the eye, but that also means there’s many more obstacles to come. This week the writers created more of their own stories as opposed to the classic storylines from the comics, which was a must for the pilot. The cops and politicians are way too corrupt so far in this show. Would these public figure really turn the other cheek that many times over something so mind boggling for the public? Fish Mooney, Oswald Cobblepot and Harvey Bullock continue rolling with their gritty and often conflicted characters. Gordon gave us a bit more emotion this week, and we got a little more out of Carmine Falcone’s crime empire with the struggle of power behind it. The one big flop in this episode was simply the title. Had it not been “Selina Kyle” and maybe shifted a bit more towards either the city’s corruption or the Dollmaker, I would not be as disappointed. We didn’t get enough out of the Selina Kyle plot line this week, but actress Camren Bicandova certainly displays the classic cockiness and self respect fans will love to see moving forward.

• What does The Penguin need the money for? To temporarily make ends meet, or is there a master plan being brewed already?
• We’ve see just enough of Barbara Kean in the first two episodes, but it’s enough to leave me wanting a lot more.
• Will Falcone keep tabs on Fish, now that he’s suspicious of her?
• I wonder what the future holds for the Dollmaker..