Gotham came back with the episode titled, “What the Little Bird Told Him,” which was written by Ben Englund, who is the creator of The Tick and a producer on this show. A lot of long-running plotlines were finally addressed, however not to the best results in most cases.

“What the Little Bird Told Him,” begins with Gordon boldly returning to the precinct demanding his job back and for justice to be served in the case that he had begun investigating in Arkham Asylum. This episode we meet Commisioner Loeb for the first time, who is taken aback by the crusading Gordon. Despite being railroaded by corrupt forces, the brash investigator demands his badge back because he knows how to catch the two killers on the loose, which is later revealed to be a complete bluff. Loeb gives him 24 hours to catch the Electrocutioner. It is an inevitability that Gordon returns to the police force on the show. It just lessened the impact of the narrative to only have him in the hellish Arkham for an episode. Although we will surely return to the Asylum later in season, it didn’t seem that Gordon really felt the burn before talking his way out there.

In our Gotham recaps we rarely spend much time on the random villains, because they often aren’t crucial to the overall story and this review won’t deviate much. However, the way in which the Electrocutioner’s elaborate weapon was exposed was campy and underwhelming. Seriously, it only took a cup of water to defeat him? The electrical engineering genius didn’t think that one out? It felt very like very lazy storytelling and undermined the elaborate sequence.

Fortunately the episode was focused on a few characters and the only minor ones to get screen time were Barbara Kean and Edward Nygma. Barbara returned home to her upper-class parents looking for refuge and again slows the pace of the show. She lies to her parents and tells them that her and Gordon are still a couple, which will pressure her to try and reunite with him. Nygma has begun to use riddles as his method of communication, while it is clear that he is like a pipe building too much pressure that will surely explode at some point. His character arc actually has the chance to be one of the best on the show, because he has been given the time to grow and add layers of complexity gradually. Barbara and Edward are two minor characters who’s narratives are annoying and enjoyable, because as they are written, one is a slow burn while the other is a slow fizzle.

On the other hand, Dr. Thompkins made her move on Gordon and instantly there is a believable and appealing romance on the show. It is frustrating to know that Barbara is lurking around the corner trying to creep her way back into Gordon’s life. She is a waste of airtime. Okay, I said it.

Fish Mooney finally makes her own move on Falcone and after a season long build up, it was handled surprisingly sloppy. After taking the first half of the season to groom a mole, Fish devises a fake kidnapping plan with Liza. It is poorly thought out and badly written motivation to expect the crime boss to simply sign papers and walk out of town over a woman that he didn’t even have an intimate relationship with. Additionally, when Fish made her move, her security was mind-boggling inefficient for someone who made an act of war. It was disappointingly anti-climatic and after Falcone dispensed of Liza with his bare hands, it was nonsensical to keep Mooney alive. Although it is understandable that they would want to keep Jada Pinkett-Smith around the series for as long as they can string it out.

Mooney and Penguin have always been on parallel paths on Gotham. It seems that it is only a matter of time before the Penguin is uncovered and will have to show his true allegiances. Maroni got his first hint that Cobblepot is hiding a secret in this episode, when the Penguin talks while barely conscious after been electrocuted. In a bit of possible foreshadowing, he promises Maroni “on his mother’s life” that he is being honest about his allegiance to him, which he surely is not. That will definitely come back to haunt him.

Even though Mooney is captured, you would expect her to go out in a blaze of glory, but it does seem like it’s only a matter of time before we see the Penguin taking over Mooney’s nightclub and dubbing it, The Iceberg Lounge. They will both seemingly have to go through the fire by the end of the season, however it looks as if the Penguin will emerge from the flames, while Fish will get cooked.

This was a heavily flawed episode that should of had its audience on the edge of its seat. However, some questionable plot decisions took the air out of many moments, such as Gordon’s return and Fish’s declaration of war and capture, that should of had huge impact. While there were some intriguing developments, “What the Little Bird Told Him,” should have had more significance.

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