Title: Gotham: “New Day Rising”
Network: FOX
Air Date: October 10, 2016
Genre: Crime, Drama Action
Riddle me this; when an area is filled with poisonous blood that makes people act crazy, wouldn’t the first thing on your agenda be to quarantine the entire area? Of course not, because this is Gotham logic. On the other hand, at least they might be doing something with Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis). I am curious to see what they finally do with him after tonight’s episode. It should be good to see Vic Mackey back in the game after being on a desk for so long, but I digress.
Whereas Look Into My Eyes introduced us to The Mad Hatter (Benedict Samuel), this episode expands on that further with mostly bad results.It’s not a bad episode but it isn’t anywhere near as good as it could have been. One problem, as I’ve pointed out in the past, is that Gotham is a show that has trouble staying focused. Not only does that plague New Day Rising, there’s also some things shoved in the episode that feel rather forced. If I could choose a word, to sum up this episode, it would be “Rushed”.
New Day Rising sees The Mad Hatter breaking into the G.C.P.D. to obtain his sister, Alice. He uses muscle provided by some local Luchadores to do so. I can only assume they’ll be his “Tweedle Dee’s & Dums” based on how they’re all dressed. Jim Gordon (Ben Mackenzie) tries to stop him but still finds himself unable to break Tetch’s mind control. On top of that, Lee (Morena Baccarin) is back at the G.C.P.D., which isn’t making this easy for our hero. Meanwhile, Butch (Drew Powell) and Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) have a rivalry going on… don’t ask me why it’s just there… as Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) wins the election. Also, there’s something about Bruce’s (David Mazouz) doppelgänger sprinkled in their too.
The main story of New Day Rising plays out okay and there’s even some compelling drama between Gordon and Lee. However, the side stories feel a bit unfocused and even phoned in. They could of let the story of The Penguin running for Mayor run a bit longer but instead, it lasts only one episode and he wins. It felt like they were just rushing through that entire plotline when it alone could have carried for a bit. There’s also that rivalry between Butch and The Riddler that just comes up out of nowhere. Maybe we’ll get more of a reason for it in the next episode but that doesn’t compensate much for this one. The Riddler wants to drive Butch out but why? Is he just jealous? It would be a shame if Oswald kicked Butch to the curve this early in the season.
But that’s not the only thing New Day Rising rushes through. The end of the last episode saw Bruce’s doppelgänger attempting to be him to attract Selina. However, she finds out only about twelve minutes into this episode that he’s not really Bruce so what was even the point. This is a case of the show setting up something that could have been dramatic and interesting, without ever expanding on it or giving it purpose. Honestly, you could have just cut this entire subplot out of the series and it wouldn’t feel at all different. Bruce’s doppelgänger does get picked up by The Court Of Owls though so I guess we’ll see where that goes.
On the positive side of the episode, the stuff regarding Jim Gordon is actually quite good. There’s a really nice scene with him and Lee finally putting their cards on the table. God knows the last three episodes tip-toed around it. She explains to him that there is a difference between letting go and moving on. This is a message I felt brought some unexpected heart to the episode. Ultimately, this is what helps Gordon defeat Tetch, as he can’t use Lee against him anymore. However, Tetch does accidentally kill Alice, resulting in him blaming Gordon for it. Yes, it’s as obvious and stupid as it sounds. Furthermore, these idiot cops don’t quarantine the area and Barnes gets infected. Guess we’ll see how that plays out next time. Or given this show’s track record, about three episodes down the line.
Overall, I can’t say New Day Rising is bad but it’s quite disappointing given how great the last episode was. It rushes through a ton of things that could have been interesting to explore. The Penguin running for Mayor and Selina thinking Bruce’s Doppelgänger is really Bruce are good ideas. There’s no reason to brush over them like they aren’t important. The main storyline is fine for the most part. There’s a good development for Jim Gordon and Lee but aside from that, New Day Rising is a massive letdown. I seriously hope the next episode can pull me back in.
Did you see the episode? Do you agree or disagree? Please let me know in the comments and be sure to stay tuned for more Gotham reviews right here at TheNerdStash.com
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