Original Airdate: November 24, 2014
Has it been 10 episodes already? Let the midseason finale begin!
At Wayne Manor, a woman stands in the bushes. The gardener finds her and offers help, but she says she is where she needs to be. She chokes him to death and then orders her men to “open him.” Once he’s open, she spreads his blood on her face.
Inside Wayne Manor, Bruce practices his balancing act on the banister. Selina gets on in front of him and advises him to tighten his core. She says that she could take him to the Midtown Bridge to climb it. That’s where the kids go to make out. She asks why he’s doing all of the homework on his parents. Bruce says that he’s trying to understand why it happened, but she says those things happen all the time. Selina switches subjects again and asks if he wants to kiss her, but Bruce doesn’t suspect that she sees him as a “suitable romantic partner.” In fact, he doesn’t think she’s a nice person. She’s good, but not nice. “Screw you,” she says.
The doorbell rings and Alfred sees that it’s the assassin, but she claims that she was in an accident (hence the blood). He escorts her inside. Bruce and Selina come down the stairs as the woman asks for an ambulance. That’s when she sees Selina. Alfred sees Selina’s expression and tells them to run. Alfred fights the woman, and then her accomplices, while Bruce and Selina make their way through the servants’ corridor to the roof. Selina jumps down, and Bruce follows. Alfred is holding his own against the assassins. The woman and one of the men chase after Bruce, and Alfred manages to get one of their guns and shoots the other man, but not before getting shot in the arm. Of course, Alfred doesn’t even flinch. He gives chase and calls out for Bruce.
Gordon and the medics are in the study. Alfred shakes off the medics, saying he has work to do. Gordon says they have a perimeter set up but Alfred is upset that Selina is the one who drew the assassins to Wayne Manor. That’s when Bullock shows up with a picture of Selina that was found on the dead man’s body. He demands to know the truth, given that he knows Selina’s reputation and knew she had been one of the street kids that was kidnapped. Gordon tells Bullock about the ties to Lovecraft, that Selina was a witness to the Wayne murders, and that she had been staying there for protection. Bullock flies off the rails at being deceived once again, but Alfred silences them and says they need to find Bruce. Gordon leaves, telling Bullock to scour the streets. Alfred wants to go with Bullock, who easily accepts the offer, saying he’s a pretty useful valet. “Butler, mate,” Alfred replies.
Bruce and Selina wander through a field. Bruce wants to call Alfred, but there’s no phone. She says that the police are no help to them. He wonders who wanted to kill her. She points out that no one knew she was there, so they were after Bruce. She promises to hide Bruce and then find him a phone. He thanks her, and she tells him she’s just trying to be nice.
Falcone’s house. His thugs drop the Penguin off and pull off the bag on his head. Falcone wants to know how Maroni knew about the location of his money. Penguin says that it wasn’t Maroni, and that it was someone who wants to hurt him. Falcone is still protective of Fish because of the money she makes him, but he is willing to consider proof. That’s when Liza comes in with his tea. Liza and Penguin see each other and she quickly leaves. Clearly, Penguin says, there is a mole operating, and moles are not something Maroni is good at. Falcone asks for proof. Penguin promises to get it.
Later, in the car, Penguin tells Gabriel that he isn’t going to tell Falcone about Liza just yet. He wants to wait til the perfect moment. He says Liza is a ticking time bomb who will eventually crack on her own.
Gordon charges into Dent’s office and says that Lovecraft hasn’t been home, and Dent says he wasn’t in his office. Gordon wants to know how they knew where the witness was. And now Bruce and Selina are on the streets running from assassins. Dent admits that he leaked Gordon’s name to a select few sources for credibility. This sends Gordon into a deeper rage. Now this is on Dent’s head. Dent tells Gordon that Lovecraft keeps a few apartments around town for his mistresses. They split up to search for him.
Bullock and Alfred interrogate one of Selina’s friends. He doesn’t want to talk, so Alfred pulls out his wallet and starts making it rain. The guy starts to sing. Her new fence will know where she is. He names Fish Mooney.
Falcone kills one of his guys at the lunch table. He says that Bannion slipped up and leaked the location of the armory. Now he has paid for it. Everything Falcone does is based on trust, so if you trust him, he trusts you. And in light of the situation, he is requiring more tariffs from each location. He asks Fish if this is fair. Fish, who had been looking a bit uneasy at the thought of being caught, agrees that it’s fair. They’re family, after all. Falcone calls for their food, and they proceed to eat while Bannion is dead, his face planted in his pasta at the table.
Selina and Bruce are in the city, and Bruce finds a phone. He doesn’t have any change. Selina wants to know why Alfred matters so much. Alfred is family, Bruce explains. She hands him a quarter and as he makes a call, she says she’s leaving. She only stuck around to play with him, and she made it up when she said he was the target. He says she needs to testify at the trial, but she says that was never going to happen. She bolts, climbing up the fire escape. He follows. She leaps across the top of a building, and she’s shocked when she sees Bruce start to follow. He jumps, and she pulls him to safety. “Please don’t run off again. I’m out of breath,” he says. She says this is her world, so it’s her rules. “Yes, ma’am,” he agrees.
Bruce and Selina show up at The Flea, a mall for street kids. They’re hiding out there until later.
Butch is nervous that Falcone will find them out. Fish says that there are other bosses who are hurting and he needs to go put some pressure on them. Of course, Butch is working with Penguin, so he’s in a tight spot. He’s about to leave when Bullock and Alfred walk in. He tells them it’s a busy day, but Alfred steps in and talks about a guy he knew in England named Butch. Butch picks up a threat, but not in time to stop Alfred from taking him to the ground and pressing the point of a knife to his neck. Fish appears, and Bullock asks about Selina. She knows all about the Wayne witness and doesn’t want to be involved. Bullock realizes that there was a leak, and she agrees, saying that streets talk. Alfred steps in when he sees that she’s not interested in doing something that is outside of her interests. He charms her and plays on her compassion and intelligence to do the right thing. She acquiesces, but says that she will remind him of this favor someday.
At the Flea, Bruce changes into suitable street clothes. She says he looks “badass.” A little girl walks up. It’s Ivy Pepper. She has run away from her new foster home because they’re trying to make her cut her hair. She asks who Bruce is, and when he says her name she rolls her eyes and wonders if he had anything to do with her father’s death or her mother’s suicide. She switches from topic to topic. She asks if Bruce is okay. Selina asks about Clyde the Fence, and then she grabs Bruce and leaves. Ivy is too strange for her.
Gordon bursts into one of the apartments and finds Lovecraft hiding. To Gordon’s surprise, Lovecraft has been chased by the same assassins after Selina Kyle. He didn’t kill anyone, but he knows too much. He has proof in his briefcase. Someone was buying up Wayne stock before their deaths like they knew something. The door creaks, and Gordon sees the assassins coming in. They don’t want Gordon, though. He raises his hands, but he takes out one of the men instead. Lovecraft runs as Gordon fights with the woman, who knocks him out. The assassins pursue Lovecraft while Gordon is out cold.
When Gordon wakes, his phone is ringing. It’s Bullock, and Fish found Selina’s fence, Clyde. He’s in the Narrows at The Factory. They’re heading there now. Bullock thanks Fish, who reminds him that he owes her. Gordon gets up and looks for Lovecraft, but he’s in his bathtub, dead. He’s been shot with Gordon’s gun.
Selina shows up at Factory and gives Clyde the stuff she stole from Wayne Manor. He wants to short her, and Bruce steps in and tells him how much the items are worth. She grabs her stuff when Clyde won’t budge on the price, so his thugs grab her and says that some people are coming to meet them. The assassins pull up. Selina and Bruce rig a ladder to the skylight while Clyde does business with the assassins.
A man comes up the stairs for them, just as Selina manages to open the skylight. He comes in and sees the open window, which is when Selina jumps out and hits him. They hide. Alfred runs inside, shooting as he goes. Bruce hears him and runs, leaving Selina. Bruce starts throwing things to distract them. The female assassin catches him and points a gun at him, asking about Selina. She says Bruce isn’t on the contract and gives him some advice about mistaking bravery and stupidity. She takes off after Selina. Alfred sees Bruce and approaches him. “Fancy seeing you here,” Bruce says. Alfred looks at him, dressed in street clothes. Bruce jumps into his arms, and Alfred holds him tight. Downstairs, Gordon cuffs the assassins they managed to capture. He sees Bruce with Alfred. “Thank God,” he breathes.
The Mayor is furious that Lovecraft is dead. He asks Dent and Gordon what he should tell the media. Gordon reminds him that he was a crook, but the Mayor reminds him that he was killed with Gordon’s gun. Therefore it was suicide. Dent says he’s at the Mayor’s disposal, but the Mayor says they are chipping away at the foundations of the city. He says that one of them has to take the fall. Dent knows how to walk the line, knowing where the edge is. Gordon doesn’t. “Mayor James, kiss my ass,” Gordon growls. Outside, the Mayor tells the media that he is dealing with the cop who pushed Lovecraft to kill himself.
Gordon packs up his desk, telling Bullock he’s being reassigned to Arkham. Bullock can’t believe this. Nygma comes up and says that he protests this change, and that he wants to write a letter on Gordon’s behalf. He just doesn’t know who to write to. He hugs Gordon, and then leaves quickly. Bullock laughs and says that Gordon should take Nygma with him. He wants to take Gordon for a drink some time. “Soon,” Gordon says, shaking his hand.
Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is interrupted when Selina sneaks in, telling him the security still sucks. She never got to say goodbye. She hands him all the things she stole from the house. She says she’s keeping one thing, a little box, and when Bruce takes a closer look, she kisses him. Alfred knocks on the door and Selina leaves. Alfred asks if Bruce was having a chat, but Bruce tries to cover it up by saying that he was talking to himself. Alfred sees the bag from Selina and comments that the house is quiet without her around.
Gordon approaches the gates at Arkham. This is his new future. The guard opens the gates and Gordon steps inside. The music tells us that this is a scary place.
Ah, January can’t come soon enough. This was an awesome episode that gives us canon along with a fresh perspective on the stories we all know and love.
See you in January!
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