Gotham Review: Red Hood

Welcome back to another Gotham episode review! This week’s episode was quite a doozy, so I want to warn my readers ahead of time that as always there will be spoilers for the episode in this review. If you have yet to see the last episode of Gotham, titled Red Hood, you probably don’t want to read this review. My reviews give readers a glimpse into my own mind as I watch each episode of Gotham, and since I am a life long fan of all things Batman, this is hopefully something my readers can enjoy! So without further ado let’s dive right in to Gotham S1 E17 Red Hood!

The first thing I want to point out is that yes, in some of the comics the original criminal called the Red Hood was the Joker (before his accident that turned him into the Joker) and that in every current storyline I am aware of, the Red Hood is none other than former Robin (back from the dead) Jason Todd. But this show is meant as an origin story like none we’ve ever seen before, and it is not going to recreate Batman history word for word (not that it’s even possible to do such a thing since Batman history has changed over the years). It’s possible that at some point the Joker (who for now I think is probably that kid Jerome from The Blind Fortune Teller) will don the hood, just before his accident. We likely won’t be seeing Jason Todd in Gotham at all, as he is a few years younger than Dick Grayson, and the creators f the show have stated that ideally the show will close on Bruce donning the cape and cowl for the first time. I just wanted to point this all out right away as I am sure there will be some fans who complain that the Red Hood in this episode of Gotham is neither Joker nor Jason.

Giving away that cash was actually quite a brilliant move to escape the cops. It’s fairly typical of TV shows and movies these days, use the crowd’s scramble for money to distract and block the police chasing you.

From the moment Alfred opened the door I was concerned that Reggy was no good for him and Bruce. I really think that it’s likely that Alfred will be very cautious about who he allows near Bruce, no matter how well he knew them in the past.

I know it’s horrible, but I couldn’t help laughing when Fish passed by the man in the bathtub that was being filled with ice. Just the very idea of these black market organ harvesters using that terribly cliched urban myth about waking up in a motel bathtub full of ice with your kidney missing, was oddly amusing for me.

Once again Bullock gets a great line. Gordon takes his glasses to magnify something on the screen while watching the bank surveillance tape and says “see that?” to which Bullock replies “no ’cause you took my glasses”, if that doesn’t make you smile than you don’t get the humor of this show.

If this ‘manager’ thinks he butter Fish up with a shower and fresh clothes he is sadly mistaken, I think that will only give her a better advantage, as she will have that extra time in the shower and while she dresses to plan her next move.

Penguin’s having a hard time getting his club off the ground. It’s interesting to see a character that I am so used to being a great club owner flailing this much. Clearly he’s going to take what he learns with this club to heart for when he opens the Iceberg Lounge years later. I like the umbrella theme he’s got going for the club, a sort of nod to his days as Fish’s umbrella boy (it also serves as a middle finger to the woman as well).

That good luck charm, the red hood, is of course actually bad luck, whoever has the hood ends up injured or dead when someone takes it from you. This is typical of items of it’s type, like the elder wand in Harry Potter, if you possess the wand no one can beat you in a duel, but then every one wants to take it from you so they kill you while you’re sleeping to steal the wand. It’s the same with the hood, whoever has the hood has the power and luck, but that means that someone else is always going to want it and they will do whatever they must to take it from you.

Maybe I’m over protective of Bruce but I don’t like or trust Reggy, I don’t like the way he’s teaching Bruce to fight, but then I think that’s the point. I’m pretty sure we’re not meant to like or trust him.

I fall more in love with Alfred and Bruce’s relationship with every episode I swear, this is the best look into their partnership I’ve ever seen outside of a few well written pieces of fan fiction.

I get the feeling that the creators of Gotham are trying to express that Barbara Kean is really a troubled young girl inside, much like Cat and Ivy, which is why she likes having them around and bounds with them so easily. She even takes relationship advice from them which I take to mean that she is on the same level as them when it comes to emotions and maturity.

Gordon and Bullock are working pretty well as a team these days, they each seem to have a pretty good understanding of how the other’s mind works, at least when it comes to handling their cases. Outside of work they both still seem to think the other is odd but they have gotten good at knowing what each other is thinking in regards to a case.

Fish is so awesome, fierce and independent, if I had to be a villain I would want to be her when I grow up! Though I know for sure I would never have the conviction to take out my own eye with a spoon! As my cousin said after seeing this scene, that was totally metal! It was also quite insane, and painful.

How sweet is Bruce, sharing his dad’s wine with Alfred and Reggy, he looks quite happy listening to Alfred and Reggy tell stories from their military past. It’s good to see Bruce smiling, underneath all that angst and turmoil from his parents’ death he is really a sweet kid. I think that taking care of Bruce is really good for Alfred, considering his somewhat dark military past, having this sweet and intelligent child in his life has been a Godsend. As he told his friend Reggy, Bruce has changed his life and taught him things. I think the reason Alfred isn’t able to prevent Bruce from becoming Batman is because the two of them are both leaning on each other, he needs Bruce as much as Bruce needs him and so he doesn’t really see what Bruce is going to become until it is too late to stop him. But that is just my opinion of course.

This is exactly what I was talking about in regards to the hood, now the gang is down to three men.

Butch’s comment about how Fish got what she deserved makes me think that he somehow knows what has happened to her, either that or it’s part of his act, keep Penguin from realizing that he really is still loyal to her.

I knew I didn’t trust Reggy, bastard stealing from a kid and an old friend. Poor Bruce, to have found Alfred like this, after already witnessing the deaths of his parents. It’s no wonder he turns out the way he does, with all that he goes through. Gordon wants to be able to protect Bruce but honestly even if he were living with Bruce and Alfred it wouldn’t be enough to keep this kid safe. And of course Reggy was working for the board of WE, the evil money grubbing, power hungry bastards. Oh and look Reggy feels guilty because he knows that the WE board is going to do something bad to Bruce and he bonded with him. Should have thought of that before you stabbed your old friend and reported on Bruce’s investigation to WE.

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