Batman's back and he's got a score to settle.
Last time on Batman: Caped
Crusader Batman did his best to protect Harvey Dent from the forces
attempting to end him. It didn’t go well. Rupert Thorne ordered his minions to
kill the former DA as Dent was aware of a lot of the dirty dealings in Gotham. The
cops try to transfer Harvey to Arkham, but he’s attacked by Bullock and Flass. Barbara
and Dent hold them off for just long enough to escape, Barbara handcuffing
herself to Dent to keep from running off on his own. They make plans to meet up
with Commissioner Gordon and Batman at Gotham docks. Mobsters and the corrupt
cops arrive just before Batman and Jim, and they all try to catch up with Dent.
Batman holds off the goons, but Dent is unfortunately shot and mortally wounded
protecting Barbara from Flass. Batman grabs the gun and threatens Flass with it,
only to throw it into the bay with disgust after shooting near Flass’ head.
Batman thanks Alfred for helping him with his exploits. He tracks down Thorne
and throws a batarang at Thorne, cutting his ear. In a post credits scene, we
see a pale man make another man die laughing and says that his formula is
perfect. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Ep 11: Brute Force
We open with Hattie’s Tea Party, a
local tv show hosted by Hattie Tetch. She’s a gender bent version of Jervis
Tetch, the Mad Hatter fyi. She talks about how crime is a plague in the city
and things are getting worse. We’re shown a scene of several gangsters robbing
a bank just as Batman arrives. Batman is able to fight and capture a few of
them, but this group is lead by Eddie “The Riddler” Nygma, who gets a way with
several bags of money. Jim Gordon and Renee Montoya arrive just as Batman
drives off. Hattie includes some color commentary about how Batman is a masked
vigilante making things worse for unknown reasons, and that GCPD is wasting
time harassing local business man (and crime boss) Rupert Thorne. She’s been
covering the case, and claims the case against Thorne is gossamer thin. We’re
shown a scene of Thorne being brought into custody some time ago. She says that
the new DA Peter Mitchell has a new surprise witness to add to his case. And
because she’s the ‘Mad Hatter of News’ and also unethical as hell, she got her
hands on and reveals the name of the informant, Julian Gregory. He’s known as
the Calendar Man for his perfect memory. Thorne, watching from his very fancy
cell, breaks his TV with a glass. A guard asks if everything is alright, and
Thorne says he needs a new TV and Gregory has to die.
Batman and Alfred try to figure out
where Gregory is going to be on their map. Batman is sure that they’re not
bringing Gregory in through Gotham International Airport, they need something
smaller, easier to control. They’ve narrowed it down to two possible locations.
Alfred asks why he just doesn’t ask Gordon where they’re going, but Batman says
that he might ‘work’ with the cops, but he’s not one of them, and regardless of
his professional relationship with Barbara Gordon, he’s not completely trusted.
He heads out to speak with her to see if she’ll tell him where they’re going.
Alfred points out that if Gordon hasn’t invited him, he might not appreciate Batman
just showing up. Batman says that he might not be invited but that doesn’t mean
he’s unexpected.
At Blackgate Prison, Eddie Nygma is
brought in to speak with Thorne. Thorne chastises Eddie for how he’s been
handling Thorne’s business. Eddie tries to make excuses, saying that Batman
keeps butting in, but Thorne cuts him off and asks who the ‘real’ top of the
list is. Eddie thinks about it for a moment before saying “the accountant.” He
promises to track the accountant down, but Thorne says he already knows where Gregory
is going to be. Eddie is impressed that Thorne has a mole in GCPD, and Thorne
tells him to ‘Diversify your portfolio,’ it gives you options. Eddie says that he’ll
remember that.
We jump over to GCPD. We learn that
Harvey Bullock was demoted back to a uniformed officer after that fiasco at the
docks and he’s telling Flass how unfair it is that he’s being punished when
Flass is the one that killed Dent. Flass tells him that he’ll get Bullock his
shield back, he swears. Bullock says that he’s been feeding him that line for a
weeks. Their conversation is interrupted by Flass reaching a private meeting
room. Bullock tries to follow, but Montoya reminds him this meeting is for
detectives only. They shut the door in Bullock’s face. Gordon says that Hattie
Tetch is annoying, but she’s right about the case being thin, so they need to
get this done fast and neat. Montoya asks how Thorne’s case could be so flimsy
when he’s broken every law in the books, and Gordon points out that Thorne is rich,
so that counts for a lot. They need to see Thorne put away, it’s their duty as
the protectors of Gotham. Flass makes a snide comment about how it’s Gordon and
his ‘bat buddy’ defending city, but doesn’t just gives Gordon a snide salute
when he asks if Flass has something to add.
At his club, Eddie shrieks at his
goons that they’re all worthless. His girlfriend Lily Gardner gets him to calm
down, a little, asking if she’s worthless. He tells his men that they’re going
to prove that they run this town, not some accountant. They’ll get him before
he squeals like… he struggles to think of an animal, and when Lily suggests a pig
or a mouse, he screams and shoots the ceiling. He repeats that the accountant dies
tonight.
Batman calls up Barbara and asks
what airport Gordon is taking the accountant. She tries to say that her dad
doesn’t share private info with her, but Batman insists that Gordon and the
accountant are in danger and he’s the one to help them. Barbara relents, saying
that her dad has used Moldoff airfield in the past. Batman rudely hangs up and
drives off.
Gordon and Montoya wait for the
plane to come in. Montoya compliments Gordon’s speech and then points out that he
didn’t mention Batman. Gordon says that he thinks of Batman as an asset,
helpful, but he doesn’t want to rely on him to do his department’s job. The
plane comes in and they go to meet Gregory. As he comes out, Gregory asks his
escort what Warren G Harding and James K Polk have in common. Both were born on
November 2nd. Riddler and his crew pull up and start shooting at the
plane. They miss Gregory, but kill the pilot, who knocks over the controls,
causing the plane to tax. Gregory jumps out of the plane. The gangsters try to
charge Gregory, Riddler shouting “Die Squealer!” But Batman distracts them with
his batarangs. He takes out several goons and sees one is killed by the plane’s
propellers. Riddler and his buddy Mark “Dez” Desmond escape, Riddler killing a
goon that Batman grabbed with his machine gun. As they drive off, Dez says that
he didn’t have to do that, but Eddie insists that that is how you keep a
secret. Dez says that Thorne wouldn’t like it when he hears this, but Eddie
tells him Thorne isn’t going to hear it until after the accountant is dead. He
says he’s got a guy that will tell him where to find the accountant.
Batman meets with Barbara in her
parking garage. He tries to get her to tell him where the accountant is, but
she refuses to tell him. She says that she won’t cross ethical lines to help
Batman or spy on her dad. She tells Batman that he’ll figure it out.
Montoya and Gordon have a meeting in
his office. He tells her that they have a leak in their department and that he
wants her to find it. She says that if there’s a leak, they both know it’s
Flass. Well, she almost said it, but she’s cut off by Flass coming into the
room. Gordon says that he’s assigning Montoya as Flass’ partner, and that
Montoya is the lead detective. He orders them to take Gregory to the Chandler
Arms and sit on him until he testifies. They head out.
Eddie meets with Professor Hugo Strange.
He’s buying a chemical from the good doctor, something to even the odds with
Batman. Strange gives him a serum that will make the person he gives it too
will be made inhumanely strong. Eddie asks for the price, and Strange says that
its on the house, he wants to see his formula field tested on the Batman. And
Eddie agrees that’ll be a sight to see.
We jump back to Blackgate where
Thorne is taking a shower in a private suite. He demands a towel, and Batman throws
it at him. Thorne is calm, starts to shave, asking if Batman is here to threaten
him or something. He says that he’s not afraid, that he’s going to beat this
trial and when he does, he’s going to see Batman burn. Batman grabs his towel
and starts choking Thorne out. Thorne still isn’t scared, saying that Batman
doesn’t have the stones to do this kind of dirty work. He taunts Batman, saying
that Gordon thinks his safehouse is Fort Nox, but he can get to Gregory
whenever he wants. Batman tightens the towel before throwing Thorne aside. Batman
leaves, Thorne shouting after him that Batman will burn.
Batman calls up Alfred for a list
of GCPD safehouses that they know are still active. Alfred gives him three, the
Adam’s garage, the Chandler Arms, and the ward street church. Batman races off
to check all three.
Eddie has Gregory in his sights,
saying that the squealer is like Repunzal in her tower. Dez asks what the plan
is, to shoot there way in or something? Eddie says that the plan is much bigger
that that. Dez asks what they’ll use, and Eddie says “not what, who.” And
injects Dez with Strange’s formula. Dez hulks… I’m sorry, Blockbusters out into
a colossal titan. Eddie tells him to kill the squealer.
In the hotel, Gregory is freaking
out. The detectives try to keep him calm, a plan that is made harder when
Blockbuster starts climbing the side of the building. He breaks into the room,
saying it’s time to die. Uniform cops shoot at Blockbuster, but he slaps them
around. Montoya calls for backup, and a moment Later Batman flies in. Flass
shoots at Batman but gets knocked aside. Montoya tells the Calendar Man to move
his ass. Gregory makes it down a floor, but Batman and Blockbuster break
through the ceiling in front of him. Batman is down for a minute, Blockbuster
goes to kill Gregory, but Montoya stops him with her gun. Batman wrestles with Blockbuster,
the two end up leaping from a window. They wrestle midair, but Batman
disorientates him by slamming both his ears. They land hard, but Blockbuster gets
back up. The cops distract him long enough for Batman to get the batmobile and
then he runs Blockbuster into the side of the hotel repeatedly, trying to knock
him out. Blockbuster gets under the car and starts to lift it, but Batman
activates his rocket boosters and slams him hard into the building. Blockbuster
gets knocked out and reverts to Dez.
Later, Julian Gregory is able to
testify in court. He’s in a neck brace and cast, but he’s able to say that he told
Thorne that several of his dealings were illegal but he was told to do them
anyway. Thorne’s lawyer asks for a dismissal, saying that the prosecutions
evidence is nothing more than evidence tainted by the most corrupt police
department in the US. The case is dismissed, much to Batman’s irritation.
Outside the courthouse, Barbara asks
if Jim is alright. Jim says he’s the farthest thing from alright. Montoya knows
that Thorne got to the judge, and that they should have seen that coming. Flass
comes up and says they didn’t because they’re chumps. He says that they keep thinking
Gotham will start fixing itself, but they’re living in a dreamworld with Nemo.
Hattie claims that Thorne’s acquittal will start the next chapter of Gotham.
Barbara says that she hates this. Jim says Thorne won this round, but it’s not
over yet. Thorne and his son Matthew are taken to their car, the driver helps
Thorne in and sticks him with something.
They drive off, Matthew saying that
he knew they’d beat the charges. Thorne tells his son about diversifying his portfolio.
Diversify and you can’t lose. Thorne starts laughing way harder the should. It
quickly spirals into hysterical laughter as his face contorts into a rictus
grin. The driver watches the scene in the rearview mirror.
Barbara forces a meeting between
her dad and Batman on the roof of GCPD. She says they need to talk and to do it
without her. She leaves them to discuss their situationship.
Overall, that was a good start to
the season. Looks like we’re picking up more or less where we did last season,
with the GCPD trying to take Thorne in even without the testimony that Dent
could have given. Obviously this wasn’t going to go well with a gangster as
rich as Thorne in a city as corrupt as Gotham, but at least they’re trying. The
Riddler is an addition I have mixed feelings about. I wish that he’d been
introduced last season, but I understand that the showrunners didn’t know if
they’d get another season when they wrote the first. That said, having him just
appear at the start and make it clear that he’s Thorne’s number 1 goon makes it
seem like Thorne just hired a rando as soon as he got arrested. This version of
Riddler is fine. He focus on his anger is an interesting interpretation, as we
see almost none of his usual smug superiority complex. They’ll explain his nickname
next episode, and I’ll say right now that I HATE the reason why he’s called the
Riddler in this one. You do get a sense of what a sociopath he is when he
sticks his friend with the Blockbuster formula. He had no idea what it was
going to do, he just stuck a needle in Dez’s neck and hoped for the best. Monster.
Its funny that in this dark, noir inspired version of Gotham one of the few
characters we see not given a gritty overhaul is Julian Day aka Julian Gregory
aka Calendar Man. FYI, since the 80s, he’s been depicted as a Hanibal Lecter
style nutjob with a day fixation that is covered in tattoos about the days,
weeks, and months of the year. And in this he’s just a tiny accountant. Super
weird. Hattie is a fun spin on the Mad Hatter. Not sure why she needed to be based
on the Mad Hatter, as she’s just a TV personality, but whatever. Hatter is kind
of a lame villain after all, so I’m fine with finding other ways to use the name.
Batman had to do a lot of running in this episode, which I do think was a good
way to show that he and Jim need to coordinate. Had they planned things out
together, Gregory could have been in a lot less danger overall, and maybe Gordon
could have thought of looking in on the judge a little more and maybe see how
Thorne had gotten to him. Just saying. Not that Thorne is going to be much of a
problem for a while. The Joker has him and Mr. J isn’t a kind host, as I’m sure
you’re all aware. But more on that next time. Have a good night, everyone.
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Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
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