Knight Moves: Gotham Episode 419, "To Our Deaths and Beyond"

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The Riddler (CORY MICHAEL SMITH) teaches a lesson in betrayal with this episode of GOTHAM. Having agreed to perform a series of bank robberies for Lee Thompkins (MORENA BACCARIN), the proceeds of which are distributed among the impoverished of The Narrows, GCPD Captain James Gordon (BEN MCKENZIE) and Harvey Bullock (DONAL LOGUE) suspect Nygma's cleverness behind the thefts.

They're not the only one. Oswald Cobblepot (ROBIN LORD TAYLOR) and Butch Gilzean (DREW POWELL) are also on the trail of The Riddler. They want in -- by force -- and they want half of the take. When Oswald sees that Nygma is lending his brilliant mind in the service of Thompkins, he plants doubts in The Riddler's mind about Lee using him, doubts which fester when the mirrors are turned on Riddler, who is now taunted by his alter ego, Nygma (where it used to be the other way around).


GOTHAM: "To Our Deaths and Beyond" R-L: DREW POWELL and ROBIN LORD TAYLOR as Butch Gilzean / Solomon Grundy and Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot.

There's a certain Occupy method to Lee's selection of banks to rob, and the first robbery was only the precursor to the bigger job ahead. Gordon, upon interviewing the bank president, determines her to be just as big a crook as the thieves, having exerted usury and loan fraud over its customers. However, he's bound to uphold the law, and he deduces where the next bank robbery will be held.

When Riddler and Lee break in to the last bank, Riddler lets his personal plan unfold, introducing Penguin and Grundy as part of that plan. It's all a part of his betrayal -- but who he is betraying remains to be seen.

Alongside this particular plot, we have Barbara Kean (ERIN RICHARDS) suddenly faced with the resurrected Ras Al Ghul (ALEXANDER SIDDIG), who decides that Barbara has been too short-sighted with her gift of the Demon's Head he gave her, and he wants it back. Bruce Wayne (DAVID MAZOUZ) stands ready to kill Al Ghul once again, as he's the only one who can do it, but the opportunity is denied him. Also, as he and Selina (CAMREN BICONDOVA) arrive in his new car, we get a peak at yet another feature of the prototype "Batmobile." One thing is for sure: it isn't bulletproof tires.

 

Grade: 
4.0 / 5.0