Gotham season 4, episode 3 review: They Who Hide Behind Masks

Reviewing season 4, episode 3 of Gotham.

Episode 3 of Gotham begins with a flashback to a very long time ago in Arabia where a dead Ra’s al Ghul is found by a mysterious man. Ra’s al Ghul is brought back to life by the waters of the Lazarus Pit and given a mysterious knife. In the present, Bruce is decked out in his new bulletproof suit as he spies on Penguin’s men receiving a shipment at the docks. However, he’s not alone as Selena is also at the docks snooping around.

Unfortunately, both Selena and Bruce leave empty handed as Bruce is caught by Penguin’s goons. I really enjoyed seeing some classic Batman moves in this fighting sequence. Bruce makes it home while Selena faces a disappointed Barbara who takes matters into her own hands later in the episode. On the other hand, Penguin is fuming at the robbery attempt on his shipment. Ironic that Ed is frozen yet it’s Penguin who needs to chill.

Speaking of Ed, a mysterious savor comes to torch him out of his frozen prison who turns out to be an old classmate of Ed’s, and she’s developed an obsession for the Riddler. She does a good job of nursing Ed back to health and even points out that his brain may be broken as Ed fails to answer simple riddles. The roles were reversed in season 2 when Ed was nursing Penguin back to health and wanted to embrace his villain self. Now, it’s ironic to see how he makes a run for it the second opportunity presents itself leaving his eager protege at the hands of Penguin and Zsasz.

Meanwhile, Gordon travels to not-so-sunny Florida seeking Falcone’s help in the war against Penguin. We learn that Falcone is dying and meet Sofia, Falcone’s “only” daughter which now makes her the heir to the Falcone business (Gordon kills Mario Falcone in season 3). Sofia displays a lot of her father as she determines whether Gordon is trustworthy before making the trip to Gotham City to reclaim her throne. Gordon and Sofia’s partnership is sealed with a kiss, although we are unsure about her intentions as she knows Gordon killed her brother. Could she be out for revenge or is she glad that her brother was removed as a contender to inherit the family business?

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Back in Gotham City, we find out that Barbara is working for (and making out with) Ra’s al Ghul. After failing to convince Penguin to sell the mysterious knife to her before the auction, Barbara is forced to bid for it against a “spoiled brat” Bruce who outbids her. Surprisingly, Ra’s al Ghul is satisfied to hear that Bruce has the knife. Most likely because he still believes that Bruce is his protege. Even though Bruce figures out that Ra’s al Ghul is over a millennia old, he still hasn’t figured out what he has planned or how this mysterious knife plays into the equation.

This episode of Gotham was more comic relief than suspense and thrill. I can wholeheartedly relate to Ed in the episode as They Who Hide Behind Masks left me asking questions. Where is Ivy? Where is Tabitha? Who is this Riddler admirer? I thought it would have made more sense that Ivy be the one to defrost Ed since Gotham built up the tension between her and Penguin. The “Riddlerette” was a lowlight for me.

On a higher note, Ed is loose now and it would be interesting to see who he makes an alliance with. As the war for Gotham City continues to brew, I hope new villains make an appearance in Gotham and maybe some old ones like Jerome. However, in this episode of Gotham, we are back with our construction hats paving for an exciting future episode.

Must Read: 100 greatest superhero stories

For these reasons, I’m grading They Who Hide Behind Masks 2.5 out of 5.

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