Not only has the show hit its stride at this point, it's been steadily ratcheting up the tension and stakes episode by episode. Things really hit a fever pitch with this episode and the execution of it all is stellar... except for one aspect that causes the whole thing to nearly fall apart.
Let's start with what works. Gordon basically taking a "well I'm dead, so I'm going down swinging" attitude is infinitely more engaging than the oddly inert righteous indignation he's been riding on for a while. It's nice to see him truly take control of the situation, even though he knows what it's likely to cost him. I'm glad that the show found the sweet spot for Bullock in all of this as well, taking a "oh why the heck not?" attitude rather than going back to the adversarial relationship he had with Gordon at the start of all of this.
The villains are also in top form, as they usually have been. The surface level of respect that the Dons have for each other even as those under their command backbite each other is well played out. Fans are treated to a fun and intimidating take on killer Victor Zasz, here played as a high level mob enforcer and hit man. When Don Falcone says "I'll send Victor," you feel the weight of that statement and when he shows up he does not disappoint (though I don't think he needed the two scantily dressed sidekicks, if I'm being honest.) As has been the case, the Penguin is an absolute delight. It hasn't been clear up to this point how much of what he's doing has been part of a master plan and how much has been merely opportunistic. While there's still elements of both, which is the bigger factor becomes clear in this episode, and it's well played and thrilling.
The problem comes with Barbara. She nearly derails the entire episode. Without getting into specifics of what happens, she has clearly fallen into the standard "hero's girlfriend" trap that has been the doom of so many films and TV shows. She's barely a character. She's a prop, she's a device, and ultimately she's a hindrance to Gordon. She holds him back from doing the kinds of things that audiences want to see him doing. Her very presence becomes a leash that I just want him to break free from. Thankfully there's a nice coda at the end that recovers the episode as a whole, but Barbara herself really isn't adding anything positive to the show at this point.
The show overall has done a pretty good job of adjusted and shedding the aspects that weren't working as well. We don't have as many shoehorned in villain cameos. The relationship between Gordon and Bullock evolved into something more engaging than where it started from. Gordon himself developed layers and isn't the generic white knight we had at the beginning. These are just a few examples of weak points that go stronger. I can only hope that Barbara can follow suit, because right now she's the last bit of dead weight still hanging on from the shaky pilot episode.
Let's start with what works. Gordon basically taking a "well I'm dead, so I'm going down swinging" attitude is infinitely more engaging than the oddly inert righteous indignation he's been riding on for a while. It's nice to see him truly take control of the situation, even though he knows what it's likely to cost him. I'm glad that the show found the sweet spot for Bullock in all of this as well, taking a "oh why the heck not?" attitude rather than going back to the adversarial relationship he had with Gordon at the start of all of this.
The villains are also in top form, as they usually have been. The surface level of respect that the Dons have for each other even as those under their command backbite each other is well played out. Fans are treated to a fun and intimidating take on killer Victor Zasz, here played as a high level mob enforcer and hit man. When Don Falcone says "I'll send Victor," you feel the weight of that statement and when he shows up he does not disappoint (though I don't think he needed the two scantily dressed sidekicks, if I'm being honest.) As has been the case, the Penguin is an absolute delight. It hasn't been clear up to this point how much of what he's doing has been part of a master plan and how much has been merely opportunistic. While there's still elements of both, which is the bigger factor becomes clear in this episode, and it's well played and thrilling.
The problem comes with Barbara. She nearly derails the entire episode. Without getting into specifics of what happens, she has clearly fallen into the standard "hero's girlfriend" trap that has been the doom of so many films and TV shows. She's barely a character. She's a prop, she's a device, and ultimately she's a hindrance to Gordon. She holds him back from doing the kinds of things that audiences want to see him doing. Her very presence becomes a leash that I just want him to break free from. Thankfully there's a nice coda at the end that recovers the episode as a whole, but Barbara herself really isn't adding anything positive to the show at this point.
The show overall has done a pretty good job of adjusted and shedding the aspects that weren't working as well. We don't have as many shoehorned in villain cameos. The relationship between Gordon and Bullock evolved into something more engaging than where it started from. Gordon himself developed layers and isn't the generic white knight we had at the beginning. These are just a few examples of weak points that go stronger. I can only hope that Barbara can follow suit, because right now she's the last bit of dead weight still hanging on from the shaky pilot episode.