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Gotham Recap And Review – S01E19 – Beasts Of Prey

By Steve Lam

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Gotham has returned with its nineteenth episode, Beasts of Prey, and it’s picked up some momentum.  Though still a bit predictable, there were some surprises here and there.  Before the spring-hiatus we were left with a few questions on individual characters’ fates.  Tonight’s episode starts to answer them one by one.

Spoilerific Recap

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At Dulmacher’s island, Fish Mooney has become rather popular with the clients.  She spends her days serving the needs of Dulmacher’s “business” and attending to various people.  Attempting to leave the premises, Fish is intercepted by Dulmacher’s paramilitary security.  The leader threatens to kill her if she tries to escape.

At Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne meets with James Gordon.  Halfway through their conversation, Gordon asks Bruce if he and Alfred lied about the suspect in the stabbing.  Bruce doesn’t budge.  Gordon warns Bruce to not be involved in Alfred’s dangerous world and to tell the truth.  Bruce continues to lie and keeps quiet.

At GCPD, a uniformed cop asks if Gordon would be willing to take the case of a murdered woman named Grace Fairchild.  Reluctant at first, Gordon is softened up when the cop gives him words of admiration.  Gordon brings the case to Leslie Thompkins.  She suggest that he look into a few speakeasies.

Fish meets with Kelley, who recently had his organs surgically removed.  She tells him that she has a plan to escape and needs his help.

Bruce finds Alfred dressed and ready to go after Reggie.  Alfred hypothesizes a number of locations his former friend could be at.  Suddenly, Alfred starts to bleed form his unhealed wound.

Oswald Cobblepot attempts to buy a bar from a gruff woman, Lydia, who runs it.  She’s reluctant to the point of threatening Oswald.  However, Oswald sweetens the deal by offering a favor of her choice.  Lydia wants a man she despises to stop seeing her granddaughter.  Oswald agrees to carry out the favor.

Gordon tries to get a reluctant Harvey Bullock to partner with him on the case.  After a bit of an argument, Gordon is successful at forcing Bullock to go with him.  Meanwhile, Gordon has Edward Nygma look into a piece of missing evidence from the murder scene.

At the prison, Fish divulges her plan to a number of prisoners.  She settles on using the yacht because no one has the ability to fly Dulmacher’s helicopter.

Gordon and Bullock arrive at a speakeasy where a bartender remembers serving Grace.  She also remembers Grace speaking to a handsome man.

Flashback: Grace talks to a good-looking man, Jason.  He admits that he’s single because he’s looking for unconditional love.  Enamored, Grace agrees to go home with him.  Jason continues his seduction of Grace at his home, which has a hidden room containing sadistic torture devices.

Back to the Present: Gordon is adamant in going after the killer.

Bruce makes a list of likely places Alfred was going to investigate.  Arriving in Gotham City, Bruce and Oswald unknowingly cross paths.

Oswald goes into a secluded space where he and his bodyguard, Gabe have abducted the man, a guitar player, dating Lydia’s granddaughter.  Oswald has Gabe cut the man’s fingers off so that his attraction quality is diminished.

Leslie’s autopsy of Grace reveals that her stab wounds were meticulous without any other trauma to her body.  Bullock surmises that Grace may have been a runaway.  Leslie agrees with him, but Gordon thinks that foul play was involved.

Flashback: Grace awakens the day after.  At breakfast, Jason invites Grace to go with him to an exhibit, but she turns him down due to work.  When she tries to leave, his demeanor changes and he violently grabs her.

Back to the Present: Fish sneaks into Dulmacher’s office and retrieves a knife, but Dulmacher catches her in the act.  Knowing that she’s making an attempt to escape, he threatens to shoot her if she doesn’t tell him the truth.  Fish spins a story of wanting to commit suicide due to the horrifying sight of the Manager.  Dulmacher warns Fish that if she tries something like this again, he’ll be sure to turn her into the same abomination.

In Gotham City, Selina Kyle runs into Bruce and agrees to help him find Reggie.

At the bar, Lydia’s granddaughter has returned.  Having the favor now fulfilled, Oswald arrives to finish the deal with Lydia.

Nygma was able to find a photocopy of the missing piece of evidence — a painting of a broken heart.  Bullock puts the pieces together and discovers that the man they’re after is a serial killer.

Flashback: Jason has Grace bound and forces her to play a twisted game of house.  Jason quickly becomes enraged when Grace’s dinner is not up to his standards.  In his torture room, Jason takes a Polaroid of Grace and adds it to a collection of other women he’s killed.  He proceeds to use a knife to murder her.

Back to the Present: Gabe wonders why Oswald has an interest in the bar.  Oswald tells Gabe that he intends to kill Maroni in this very location.

At the prison, Fish implements her plan and hands keys to the prisoners.  She tells them to meet her at the docks while she retrieves Kelley.  On her way to the rest of the prisoners, Fish is intercepted by Dulmacher.  However, this was all part of Fish’s plan, as she opens the gate and has the prisoners brutally beat him.  When the first party of prisoners reaches the gate to the docks, they discover that it’s still locked.  Fish used them as a diversion for the paramilitary security guards.  Fish escapes on a helicopter (she initially feigned not knowing how to fly one in order to carry out her plan) with the rest of the prisoners while the guards mow down the other group.  The lead guard takes out a sniper rifle and critically wounds Fish.  Mustering all her strength, Fish flies the helicopter off the island.

At GCPD, Bullock tells Gordon that the man they’re after is called the Ogre.  Gordon has never heard of the killer because the information was only privy to senior detectives.  On top of that, everyone is afraid to work on the case because the Ogre will go after the loved ones of whoever is investigating him.  Bullock then asks how Gordon found out about the case.  Gordon tells him about the uniformed cop — someone Bullock hasn’t even seen at the station.

Bruce and Selina find Reggie in a dilapidated building housing other homeless people.  Reggie is uncooperative so Selina takes his bag of narcotics and threatens to throw it out the window if he doesn’t answer Bruce’s questions.  Reggie explains that a man named Bunderslaugh sent him to Wayne Manor after fearing what Bruce had uncovered in his investigation.  Satisfied with the answer, Bruce tells Selina to give Reggie back his bag, but she still throws it out the window.  Reggie goes on a tirade, threatening both Bruce and Selina.  When he sees that his bag was only dropped onto the ledge, he reaches out  for it.  Bruce is tempted to push him, but holds back.  Selina, seeing her opportunity, shoves Reggie out to his death.

Gordon and Bullock confront the uniformed cop who originally brought the murder case to their attention.  The cop comes clean, telling them that Commissioner Loeb ordered him to do it.  Bullock implores Gordon to drop the case while it’s still under the radar.  Gordon is unable to do that knowing that the next victim will be his fault if he does.  When Loeb enters GCPD, Gordon angrily approaches him and vows to catch the Ogre and, eventually, come after Loeb himself.

Good Moments

  • The Ogre’s transformation from charming to sadistic.  That’s some fine acting from Milo Ventimiglia.
  • Selina pushing Reggie out the window.  You know she did it for Bruce.
  • Gordon making a stand and threatening the corrupt and conniving Loeb.

Bat Signals (References and Giveaways)

  • Jason Lennon, the episode’s serial killer, is given the nickname “The Ogre.”  There are multiple DC villains named The Ogre, but none of them have the alter-ego of Jason.

Riddle Me This … (Predicting the Past)

  • I was unsure of whether I should put this here or under the “references” section: I’m making the call now that the lead guard who shot Fish is actually the man who becomes Deadshot.
  • I guess Bruce’s “no killing” rule started at a young age.  I’m glad that the writers didn’t change this part of Batman’s history.

Final Thoughts

Gotham kept this post-spring hiatus episode rather speedy.  It could be that the writing got a little better over the break, or I just got more accustomed to the jumping around in plots.  You can certainly tell that they wanted to up some of the drama in this episode and start wrapping up Fish’s story.

We had Gordon confronting Loeb and calling him out in front of everyone.  Selina making the ultimate move to show that she actually cares for Bruce.  And Oswald planning his vengeance against Maroni.  I’m sure we’re going to be revisiting these events in the remaining three episodes of the season.

Well, Fish has been shot, and I’m guessing that she might have a painful prolonged death — that is if they want to stretch it out across three episodes.  Or they may have her miraculously recover and kill her in a more Fish-appropriate way.  After all, what can you really do to a person who’s willing to scoop out her own eyeball?

Beasts of Prey is Gotham saying “hi” before it soon says “see you later” in three weeks.

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