‘Gotham’ Season 3 Premiere Recap: Does Alfred Live?

Gotham’s third season premiered last night, starting six months after the events of the last season. Starting with a scuffle between crocodile man and a pharmacist, he is met to fight James Gordon, who is entirely outmatched and yet luckily gets crocoguy hit by a truck. Lucky for Jim, at least.

The Gotham police hold a press conference in order to establish how the super powered villains are escaped inmates who were experimented on by Hugo Strange. As Jim and Captain Bullock chat about Jim’s bounty hunting lifestyle, Penguin walks in to crash the conference and make people find Fish Mooney, turning the meeting from a failure at keeping the peace to Penguin’s personal stage.

Penguin then goes to a bar to offer to kill Barb, and what an offer that is. What a great negotiator he is. Well, I guess he actually is, considering how he offers Fish’s head for a million dollars. Penguin’s butler, Butch, has his wallet stolen by Selena, who then gives a dollar to another black-haired kid casually searching for something in the trash.

The next scene opens up with Alfred talking to a crestfallen, teenage Bruce Wayne. Valerie goes to Jim at another bar to bother him and just overall be pretentious before telling him about the million dollar offer. Penguin goes to Riddler, who immediately solves one of the most complicated puzzles in the world. Penguin admits that without Riddler he would have lost his mind as an inmate before asking him about why Fish let him live. Riddler makes him feel better by telling him not to worry about it and that “Penguins eat fish.” Inspiring.

Another pharmacy is broken into, this time by Fish and 3 others, who knocks out a guard through hypnotizing him, perhaps the funniest scene in the whole show. James walks in to crash Fish’s party, not falling for her tricks. Fish gives an impressive speech before having one of her goons attack Jim and getting away.

Bruce Wayne, who was at the Indian Hill at the time, states that he has proof that Hugo Strange didn’t act alone, and while the board members doubt him, Alfred makes it clear that Bruce is to be listened to. Bruce states that he will release public information on who it is to every media outlet if he is not contacted within 24 hours, the guilty board member now making someone get him before this 24 hour time limit is reached. Barb is approached by gang members who want her bar, and after smacking her they are disposed of relatively quickly. Selena gives Valerie information to lure Jim into a trap, and Wayne meets up with Selena, apologizing for leaving her and warning her of the dangers he might face. This whole conversation is overheard by the kid with black hair.

James Gordon is led to the location before handcuffing Valerie to the car, stating that she would have to tell the cops the situation if anybody came to help her. Jim calls the cops and then meets up with Hugo’s assistant, letting her know that she isn’t safe from Fish’s goons. Seconds later, the goons come in and kidnap her, and Jim is stuck fighting the goon that got away last time. Valerie takes a picture of his struggle by the window, now uncuffed, looking uncertain and perhaps guilty for being an overall terrible person.

Jim and Bullock get yelled at by the boss, threatening to remove Bullock from the force and threatening Jim to never show his face around his jurisdiction again. The man following Selena comes out and wants to know who Bruce Wayne is, and he seems to not know who he is, all the while chasing Ivy away. Barb calls Penguin over to show the goon who tried to take over her bar, a situation which is dissected instantly by Penguin; Butch sent the goons so that Barb would call them over, therefore allowing Butch to see Tammy. Penguin then shoots the goon as if he was doing a simple chore of taking out the trash and agrees to run their bar for them, but not before threatening to kill them again and stating how without Butch they would be dead. Fish talks with the woman she kidnapped, establishing that her powers will grow as she uses them more, as they cause more cells to form. Fish declares that she doesn’t want to be cured, she wants an army of people like her, and through hypnosis she finds that Hugo is the only one who can give her either option: an army or a cure. Her goon ages her to death after usefulness is used up. Ivy spies on this meeting with Selena, getting her caught and thrown in the sewer.

As the police ready themselves, Alfred finds himself face to face with Bruce’s potential killer, with whom he fights equally matched up until he slips up with a single missed strike. Bruce discovers Alfred’s body on the ground and is quickly captured by the assailant. The premiere of Gotham started off slow, but the on-point acting and plot that kept its thrill and requires a basic understanding of the characters to enjoy made it a great episode. The season is looking to be a treat for any fan of thrillers, comics and action.