This week opens with a woman running in the rain from someone. A man catches up to her, steals her purse, and is about to shoot her when a mystery person grabs him and disappears. Could this be one of the Order of St. Dumas?
Officer Parks is being laid to rest. Jim Gordon appears to be struggling with the fact that he let Eduardo Flamingo live, and he would go on to kill Officer Parks. Gordon follows up the funeral with a visit to Theo Galavan in jail. Gordon tells Galavan he will be there tomorrow to watch them put Galavan away.
Gordon arrives home, and tells Lee that he doesn’t think he did the right thing. He should have killed Flamingo, and Parks would still be alive. Gordon feels that Galavan shouldn’t be alive, and he is skeptical that Galavan is going to be put away.
The purse-snatcher awakens in a candlelit room. The order of St. Dumas have him, and they sacrifice him as an apparent first step to cleansing Gotham. They say that the blood of the nine will wash away the sins.
Captain Barnes limps into the station with the help of a cane. He is lucky to be alive after being stabbed in the leg by Flamingo. He gives Gordon the assignment of a dead body that showed up down by the port. From the description it is the sacrificed purse-snatcher. Gordon wants to continue working on Galavan, but Barnes believe that case is finished.
Bullock has a lead on the cassock and symbol that were found at Galavan’s. It is the Order of St. Dumas, and they used to have an abbey downtown. Galavan tried to buy the old abbey while he was mayor under the cover of urban development, but the new owners said no. It is a massage parlor now. Meanwhile, at the massage parlor, the Order of St. Dumas shows up, and they brought knives.
Bruce Wayne tells Silver St. Cloud about the offer Galvan made him. Silver asks if he will accept, but Bruce says that Galavan’s assets are frozen. Bruce will pay for Galavan’s defense in exchange for the name of his parents’ killer. Silver argues that if Bruce thinks Galavan is guilty, why would he believe him. Bruce says it is because the name would come from Silver, he would believe it if it came from her. He then leans in to whisper something to her that Selina (who is perched in the tree above) cannot hear. Silver replies “Do you mean that?” and Bruce kisses her. As Bruce walks away we see two thugs in a van keeping their eyes on him.
Gordon and Bullock arrive at the massage parlor just as several people run out screaming, some covered in blood. Inside there are several injured or dead victims. As Gordon is checking on someone, one of the Order attacks him with a knife. Gordon is able to overpower him and stab him in the stomach with his own knife. The man does not appear to even notice. He steps back, pulls out the knife, and retreats. Outside Gordon stops him. The man tells Gordon that the day of reckoning is at hand, and he steps in front of an oncoming truck and is killed.
Bruce gets a call from Silver. Galavan agreed to the deal, and she has the name. Bruce goes to meet her, but instead the thugs in the van roll up, and they have Silver tied up. Bruce is told to get in or they will kill the girl.
Bullock tells Gordon about two more hoods who were found dead, bringing the death toll to seven. This means that there are two left until they have spilled the blood of nine. Gordon remembers the woman who was attacked saying the purse-snatcher and the monk vanished. Gordon figures out that they are using the sewer.
Finally, Ed Nygma makes an appearance! He is on the phone, apparently with Penguin, and says “Again? Did you jiggle the handle? Well what did you put down it?” I still think Nygma and Penguin are the best part of Gotham! Lee walks in and asks if Ed was talking to Kristen. Nygma tells Lee that Kristen left town with Officer Doherty (whom he also murdered). Ed pretends to be upset and cries to get Lee to leave him alone.
Bruce is tied to a chair in an abandoned building. The leader of the thugs says that someone has been nosing around the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and they know it was Galavan. They have been tasked with finding out what Galavan told Bruce Wayne about the murder of his parents. The thug hits Bruce several times, and is going to remove Bruce’s fingers until one of them talks. As he drags Bruce away he pleads with Silver to tell them what she knows. She admits that she lied, Galvan didn’t tell her anything. She was just supposed to keep Bruce busy until later that evening. Galavan is sure he will be freed and convince Bruce to sell his company. The thug tells Bruce he needs better taste in women, and drags him out of the room. Both Bruce and Silver scream as we go to break.
In the sewers, Gordon and Bullock find the body of another person. One of the monks attacks them. Bullock throws him into a wall and knocks him out. While Bullock goes to call for an ambulance, the man mumbles “Good day of reckoning, brother”
The thug returns to visit with Silver. He is cleaning his bloody knife. He says that he hasn’t killed Bruce yet, it is up to her. Silver flips a switch and says that if he touches her, Galavan will have him gutted and kill everyone he loves. She demands to be released. The thug cuts her free and prepares to cut off one of her fingers. She admits that she does know the name, it is Malone, and his first name starts with M. The thug yells out “Are we good?” Bruce and Selina walk into the room. Bruce thanks the man and pays him for his service. Nobody enjoys this more than Selina. Silver says that when Galavan finds out what he told her, he will kill her. Bruce says goodbye to her. She says that the things he told her earlier in the day, she believed him. Bruce says that was the point. Silver says that this isn’t him. Bruce says that she is wrong and walks out.
Back underground, Gordon is helping the injured monk, who is blindfolded. He thinks Gordon is another monk. He asks Gordon for his blessing. Gordon cuts his hand and lets it bleed upon the monk, who says that the son of Gotham will die and the city will be cleansed. Before Gordon can get anything else out of him another officer comes in and ruins the charade.
Tabitha Galavan is retrieving something from a hidden compartment in Galavan’s home. It appears to be the knife that Galavan recovered earlier this season. Alfred appears with gun in hand. He thinks that Bruce might have come there. Tabitha whips the gun out of his hand. Alfred says that if anything happened to Bruce she would disappear. As Alfred is walking out Tabitha cracks her whip at him. He catches the whip and a fight ensues. Tabitha stabs Alfred with the knife, but he is able to get away. Out on the street Alfred jumps on the back of a trash truck. Tabitha throws what looks an awful lot like a batarang at him, stabbing him in the back. Alfred falls in the trash truck.
The grand jury hearing is in process, with former mayor James on the stand as a witness. He says that Galavan did not kidnap him. Instead it was the Penguin, who did it because he hated Galavan. Penguin told Mayor James what to say. Gordon erupts and says that he is lying. Since there is no other evidence, the judge orders Galavan released. Galavan asks to speak, and says that he has no ill will towards Gordon or the GCPD. He asks Gordon if they can move forward, and is met with a right cross to his face. Two officers remove Gordon from the courtroom. Once outside, the officers knock Gordon out with a taser.
Back at Wayne Manor, Selina asks Bruce what he whispered to Silver. Bruce says that he told her that he never met anyone like her, that he trusted her with his life, and that he felt tied to her in a way that he couldn’t explain, but wouldn’t change. He said it was true, but not about her. Flustered, Selina makes her exit.
Nygma phones Penguin, and asks him to get rid of Kristen’s glasses because Lee is becoming suspicious. Just then one of Penguin’s goons shows up at the door to tell that Galavan was released. Penguin crushes the glasses in his hand upon hearing the news.
Gordon is awakened by a slap to find that he is tied up. Galavan taunts Gordon, and allows him to ask questions. Gordon asks if the monks work for him. He replies that they have for centuries, and that Galavan is a mask. His name is Dumas, and his family built Gotham, but they were driven out. Galavan orders the officers to cut Gordon loose, and tells him to take his best shot. Galavan delivers a swift and brutal beating to Gordon, and orders the officers to kill him. The officers are beating Gordon when they are suddenly shot and killed. Penguin and his goon are there to find Galavan. Penguin loses it a bit and slaps Gordon around, demanding to know where Galavan is.
Bruce Wayne is going through some files when he hears a noise. He thinks it is Alfred, but it is Galavan. Bruce asks what Galavan wants, and he responds “Your life, of course.” Galavan brandishes the knife as the episode comes to a close.
Final thoughts:
We didn’t get to see Alfred again, I hope he is okay! I like this tough, ex-military version of Alfred, and I especially got a kick out of him catching Tabitha’s whip, even if it is a little unlikely.
It was great to see a little bit of the darkness come out of Bruce. I had a feeling when the thugs were dragging him out of the room that he was in on it.
I enjoyed seeing a fire lit under the Penguin. He can’t hang out at Nygma’s place forever!
Things are bleak all around. Where are they going to go from here?!
