Final Thoughts from the Gotham Episode "By Fire"

Given the fact she was accused of both arson and killing a police officer and her current state of mind after discovering some new freedoms, I figured this episode wasn't going to have a happy ending and Gordon wasn't going to be able to keep his promise to Selina.

However, while I figured Bridgit/Firefly wasn't dead, I wasn't expecting her to be carted off through a secret passageway. Now I can't help but be curious if there is another evil element at work in Gotham City, perhaps recruiting easy-to-influence potential villains like Bridgit.

Even though Bridgit was the girl the police were after, this episode was as much about Selina/Cat as it was anybody else. And, the more I watched, the more I began to wonder when, exactly, we are going to hear her backstory.

Her attachment to Bridgit seems to indicate she has a past that is in common with the other girl's. And, the fact she does not like people touching her (especially males) could be an indication she was abused by either her parents or some other guardian.

While, admittedly, having that mystery about her is somewhat entertaining, I think I would love to hear more about why she is the way she is.

There are some things about Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) I do like. For one, it's nice to see Gordon finally have a boss that is willing to do whatever it takes to clean up the police department. And, he's kind of a bad ass too, something I do think the series needs.

However, at some point, his sticking to the rules is going to end up backfiring in some way. Either Gordon is going to have his hands tied to the point he can't do his job. Or, he's going to get caught doing something he shouldn't be doing. I guess we'll have to wait to find out which it will be (I'm leaning toward the latter).

Of course, I do find it a bit entertaining that Gordon now has a boss that was much like he was when he first was hired by the Gotham City Police Department. In many ways, Barnes gives us a bit of a measuring stick so we can see just how much Gordon has been corrupted.

Maybe it's just me, but as I watched Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) get his men ready to rescue his mom, I can't help but feel he is being set up and is walking into a trap.

Butch (Drew Powell) has always been a bit of a wild card this season because, while he has been "programmed" to be loyal to Penguin, he has admitted he still has loyalty to Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith). And, I have to believe if there's anyone who could take advantage of that and un-program him, it would be Galavan (James Frain).

Of course, Penguin isn't a slouch either and, even in his emotional state, may actually be expecting the trap. It'll be interesting to see which it is.

I absolutely love what he has done to his hand stump by turning it into a dangerous hammer-like weapon. It has a nice comic-book-like feel to it without being anything that is overly extreme and a tough-guy like Butch was a good choice for it. It'll be interesting to see if he actually gets to use it in some way.

I always suspected Kristin (Chelsea Spack) would be the reason the otherwise friendly Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) would turn to a life of crime. So the fact he ends up snapping and strangling her at the end of this episode wasn't much of a surprise.

What did surprise me, however, was the fact she didn't even suspect Nygma killed her ex-boyfriend, despite the fact he all but confessed to it over dinner during their first date and there was plenty of reason to believe he didn't just leave town suddenly.

In fact, up until her reaction from his pillow talk confession, I was honestly under the impression she knew the truth and was purposely avoiding the subject. Because of that, I was pretty surprised when she revealed she didn't and was ready to turn him into the police, something that obviously backfired for her.

I fully expect to see a big showdown between Penguin and Galavan in the next week or two with Butch potentially turning on his boss. This, more than anything, has me excited because I know this episode is only leading to bigger and better things.

My Grade: A