Detective Gordon's assignment at Arkham Asylum gets off to a rocky start when the murder of a guard ignites an investigation, leading him to meet Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin). Meanwhile, Oswald continues to build his army.
Jim Gordon's time at Arkham Asylum is meant as a punishment for his actions in the fall episodes but it's instead framed as a place for personal growth. This is a place where the corrupt figures of the city can send all of their problems to and never have to think or worry about them again. The establishing of the asylum has been a part of the season's arc. And now, the audience gets to see the inside of the institution through Jim's eyes. It's strange then that "Rogue's Gallery" establishes both ongoing and episodic threads with the players at Arkham Asylum.Episodic investigations have been a major focus for Gotham in the early going. They are something for the characters to do that can be neatly introduced and resolved throughout the hour while progress in the larger stories of the season simmer in the background. The best episode of the series so far was the one that didn't feature a case-of-the-week and instead focused on the changing gang dynamics. That was exciting. And with all the important buildup Arkham Asylum has received so far, it's a little bit of a letdown once we finally step into the building. The players introduced in this episode could become important to Jim's journey for the next few episodes. I paid extra attention to the new character details as their interactions could be of interest in the short term. But to my surprise, every character that is introduced at Arkham Asylum in "Rogues' Gallery" is either killed off, arrested or escapes - with the lone exception of Dr. Leslie Thompkins. If the only thing of merit to come out of this demotion for Jim is Dr. Thompkins, then that seems like a waste. She is introduced as someone who agrees with his mindset on the city and admires what he was trying to do. He's entirely too trusting of her too easily. He never realistically considered her a suspect in the case-of-the-week and the audience was never given a reason why. That makes him seem like a bad detective and her feel only like a new ally and potential romantic interest.
So, Arkham Asylum will only produce a new lady in Jim's life? That doesn't feel all that rewarding given the weight the place has been given throughout the season. Why would the show introduce this new atmosphere only to wipe the slate clean of characters by episode's end? Either the show will bring Jim back to the force in the next episode - which seems way too soon - or they'll introduce new inmates and a new boss - which seems like a waste of time that could be better served balancing out the various other stories on the show at the moment. It's all very confusing and I'm not entirely trusting of the creative choices being made right now on Gotham.
The majority of "Rogues' Gallery" is spent on Jim and his struggles at Arkham Asylum with brief updates on what's happening in the lives of Oswald, Fish and Barbara. None of which are all that compelling either. The only way I can interpret the Oswald story is him needing Maroni to believe that he is the man in charge and that Oswald isn't as smart as him. Oswald has clearly been established as this master manipulator of events. He wouldn't make this kind of a mistake if he didn't have some kind of ulterior motive. And that motive didn't really come in a compelling way.
Additionally, it was just odd that Butch and Montoya were suddenly given character identities. Butch is given a story about being best friends with one of the other members of the Falcone family eyeing the big job. Just because they both repeatedly say that they love each other like brothers doesn't make the resolution of Butch killing him and remaining loyal to Fish an earned moment. It just seems like a necessary plot beat to make him appear more than just the brainless lackey to Fish. Similarly, I appreciate Montoya recognizing that her relationship with Barbara is toxic. But it's not some grand character realization because Montoya simply is not a character. And now, Barbara is spiraling even more desperately and who really wants to see that?
Some more thoughts:
- "Rogues' Gallery" was written by Sue Chung and directed by Oz Scott.
- Did Selina really climb all the way up the side of the building to get to Jim and Barbara's apartment?
- Also, did Selina and Ivy crashing at Jim and Barbara's apartment only happen to further push Barbara down? That seems very lackluster.
- The camaraderie between Jim, Harvey and the Captain just felt off. Jim hasn't been gone for that long. And yet, they are sharing a drink over a job well done and reminiscing how things used to be. That hasn't been a part of that dynamic so it was just odd seeing it here.
- I'm glad the show didn't feel the need to cram Bruce and Alfred into this episode too. I really like the rapport those two have developed lately but they simply weren't needed here.
- How soon until we see Jack Gruber again?
