On the heels of his reinstatement, Gordon is thrust onto the high-profile case tracking the deadly inmate escape from Arkham Asylum. Meanwhile, Galavan plans his next move, while Bruce enlists the help of his father's old friend to unlock the secrets in his office, and Nygma asks Kristin Kringle out on a date.
Theo Galavan has sinister plans for Gotham this season. He's using the escaped convicts from Arkham in order to terrorize the city. He is able to manipulate events from behind the scenes. No one from Arkham honestly believes that they are criminally insane. They all believe they are the normal ones free from the procedure of everyday society. Sure, they brag about the acts of violence they've done and are more than willing to go along with Theo's plan. But that's because Theo has stroke their collective ego. He has told these criminals just how brilliant and special they are. He positions Jerome as the leader of the group but Theo is still the one in charge. Jerome is just the face that can and will terrify the citizens of Gotham."Knock, Knock" starts with the criminals making their mark on the city. They drop several people from the top of a building just to declare that they are out and ready to strike. They call themselves Maniax! It's a cool name but it's for a terrorizing group. But their acts of violence are only just getting started. They roam this city like they are the ones controlling it. Everyone is afraid of what they will do next. They are anxiously awaiting for the next tragic act. That happens when Maniax hijacks a school bus filled with high school cheerleaders. Jerome talks about the young girls being targeting solely to appeal to the youth demographic and give law enforcement something to talk about. They target the girls solely to make a big entrance. And yet, Detective Gordon is able to stop them before anyone is killed. But that only showcases just how well organized Theo and Tabitha Galavan are with this operation. Even when Gordon catches one of the inmates, Tabitha is there to make sure he can't say anything to the police. Everyone in Maniax is expendable to them as long as they help them achieve their goals of bringing radical change to the city.
Theo is playing a smart game that is manipulative and controlling of everyone in Gotham. He thinks of himself as an observer of human behavior. He knows how people will react to a given situation and uses that knowledge to benefit himself. He's a smart character who is able to completely destroy most of the risk that the police poses against his grand plan. He doesn't even have to get his own hands dirty. He knows that Barbara has a personal connection to the police force. Jim is someone she still cares a lot about. But she also has no problem luring him out of the precinct so that he can get beat up and the rest of the criminals can launch an assault. It's a genius move that is so devastating to the idea that things are going to get better in Gotham.
Newly minted Commissioner Essen has idealistic goals to be much better at the job than any of her male predecessors. It's a nice change in the dynamic of the character. She is willing to stand beside Jim in order to do good in this city. And now, she's actually in a position to make that plan a reality. It's a new day in Gotham for her and Jim. What they don't realize is that the new day is much worse than the previous one. They talk a lot about bringing effective change to the management of Gotham. But at the end of the day, they are still just reacting to everything that the Maniax criminals do. The villains are running the town right now. That's a scary prospect for anyone in law enforcement. But being an officer also carries a huge risk to it as well. The criminals are able to enter the precinct with relative ease. They are able to slaughter so many police officers so easily.
Such an attack on the precinct needed to carry a meaningful amount of weight to it. So, that meant one of the regular characters had to die. That victim is Essen - who just started feeling like a useful character on the show. It's odd that the show promotes her to Commissioner just to kill her off in the next episode. She's not someone the show did a great job utilizing in Season 1. She's not that important to the narrative spine of the show. So it does feel like it was time wasted on her. But it does carry a meaningful reaction from Jim. Now, he's the only one still able to carry on this crusade to do good and make Gotham better. He won't be alone for too long though considering Essen's death is enough for Bullock to make the return to the force. He has felt the calling to do better for the city. The villains are depleting in numbers. Jerome kills the cannibal just because he stepped on his punchline. But Jerome and Barbara are still very dangerous - especially when partnered with Theo and his master plan for the city.
Elsewhere in Gotham, Bruce has made his choice on whether to pursue happiness or the truth. His father's secret room holds so many of the answers he desperately seeks. For so long, Bruce wants to know who killed his parents and why. This room delivers some of those answers. But the show also frustratingly takes most of them away from Bruce and the audience. Alfred wants Bruce to choose happiness so that he doesn't meet a fate similar to his father's. He destroys the computers so that Bruce can't access the information. It's frustrating for Bruce and everyone watching. He has waiting for so long to know the truth. And now, a stalling technique keeps him and the audience from learning any more. It doesn't make any sense. The show wants to give the audience answers but not any time soon. It wants to establish the connection between Bruce, Alfred and Lucius Fox. That scene at the bar with Alfred and Lucius is absolutely fantastic as Alfred is trying to figure out if he can trust this man. But it doesn't justify the need to destroy the computers or the brief amount of time where Bruce fires Alfred and Alfred listens - despite technically being Bruce's legal guardian. It's a storyline that drags this episode down a considerable deal. Answers aren't coming any time soon. The show tries to distract from that by having Bruce recommit to his training schedule as well as running to the precinct to make sure Detective Gordon is okay. That's all fine but it's not the best way to tell this story.
Some more thoughts:
- "Knock, Knock" was written by Ken Woodruff and directed by Rob Bailey.
- It's horrifying to watch as the criminals drop the people from the building. But it also gives the city a reason to fear and ignore the fact that the Mayor has seemingly disappeared. Again, it's all a part of Theo's master plan.
- Harvey has also met a beautiful woman, Scottie, who he has gotten engaged to. She is not a fan of Jim Gordon's though because he represents the life Harvey has walked away from. She probably won't react well to the news that Harvey has rejoined the force.
- Nygma is still very awkwardly pining after Kristin Kringle. He fails to ask her out and is only losing more of his mind. However, he does save her from the bullets flying in her direction. He even catches one in his arm to save her. That will probably be important for their dynamic later on.
- Lee was the only one not harmed during the attack on the precinct. And yet, it was only because she hid under the table and the cannibal didn't bother to look.
- Theo: "Monsters will cleanse this city in blood and fire."
- Jerome after Essen spits in his face: "That was strangely pleasant." Cameron Monaghan is so great on this show.
