Gotham Episode Review: "Rogues’ Gallery"

Guest stars include Allyce Beasley, Steve Axelrod, David L. Townsend and Christopher Heyerdahl.

After Gordon was punished by being demoted to a guard, I wasn’t really sure what sort of tone the series would end up taking. However, as it turns out, it was actually a good move because it resulted in one of his most interesting cases.

The thing I liked about this particular case was the fact there was no shortage of potential suspects. Gordon didn’t know if it was one of the insane prisoners or a staff member and that, along with his boss making sure he didn’t have all the resources he needed, just made things really complicated, even after he got some much needed help from Bullock (Donal Logue).

What really impressed me though was the nice slight-of-hand move the writers pulled off, making me believe the assailant was one person and then throwing in a nice twist that resulted in it being someone I probably should have suspected but, for some strange reason, didn’t. I have watched plenty of mysteries and am usually really good at spotting red herrings. This episode fooled me and should be applauded for that.

The part with Penguin getting arrested and learning it was Maroni was behind the arrest was interesting but also a little predictable. I had a feeling he was being punished for something from the beginning. So, when his boss finally confirmed it, I wasn’t really all that surprised. I am, however, curious what sort of reaction we’ll see from the normally astute Oswald Cobblepota and genuinely wonder whether or not he actually knew about Maroni being behind the arrest and allowed himself to spend time in jail as part of a bigger plan.

The part with Selina (Camren Bicondova) and Ivy (Clare Foley) spending time in Gordon’s apartment while he was away was also somewhat interesting, mostly because I’m pretty sure that conversation Ivy had with Barbara (Erin Richards) made things between her and Gordon even more murky than they already were, especially since she is on a major downward spiral since leaving him. With a new potential love interest in the fold (Dr. Leslie Thompson, played by Morena Baccarin), it’ll be fun to see what sort of love triangle comes out of all of this.

I was concerned the episode would be somewhat limited not that Gordon, for most purposes, is stuck in Arkham. However, it turned out to be a very entertaining episode and I definitely enjoyed watching it.

My Grade: A