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Gotham Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: A Dark Knight – The Blade's Path

Published Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:45:44 -0500

This article contains spoilers for the Gotham season 5 episode – A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path.

The episode some of us have been waiting for. It starts with an unconscious Butch Gilzean aka Cyrus Gold being unceremoniously dumped in Slaughter Swamp to free up some beds at the hospital. His body floats into an area where toxic waste from Indian Hill had been dumped. We move on to find out Harvey is releasing Gordon's collar that have licenses from Penguin and Bruce discovers the writing on the dagger making him think it's a way to kill Ra's al Ghul. Bruce is riddled with guilt over the death of Alex, but Alfred reminds Bruce about his vow of no killing. Gordon arrives to tell Alfred that Ra's is being extradited and the two have words. Gordon thinks Alfred is putting Bruce in harms way. Bruce overhears, goes and suits up, grabs the knife and heads for Black Gate Prison. Meanwhile Ra's has Barbara visit him in prison where he does something to her with flowing fingers through glass.

Back at the swamp, Butch/Cyrus rises out of the water now pale white with white hair (longer then when he went in) and wanders toward a group of guys living in a trailer and their listening to an old recording of the Solomon Grundy rhyme and singing along. He of course beats them up, takes a black suit that's too small for him and starts repeating the rhyme. Solomon Grundy is born. Sofia Falcone goes to invite Penguin to lunch to help him secure the remaining 14% of crime that isn't under his licenses. Riddler tries to rob a pharmacist but it goes poorly, his brain is still bad, and he runs into Grundy (who seems to have regrown his hand). Grundy knocks him out and takes him away. Alfred runs and grabs Gordon so the can stop Bruce. At the prison, Bruce gets all the way into the cell way too easily. Its an obvious trap and Bruce fell for it. The guards are loyal to Ra's and they knock Bruce out. And Ra's expected Gordon and Alfred to show up.

Riddler learns the Grundy has no memory of being Butch Gilzean and he wants help figuring out who he is. Nygma tries to explain that he's not smart anymore and can't help anyone when Grundy offers him a hot dog. When some thugs attack, Grundy protect Nygma and Nygma helps Grundy when his arm catches fire. They are becoming friends. Oh, and Bruce wakes up in the catacombs under Black Gate and finds out that Ra's wants Bruce to kill him. Gordon and Alfred realize the guards are fake and take them out. Sofia has lunch with Oswald and has the meal prepared exactly like his mother made… this effected him emotionally. She follows him back to the Iceberg Lounge and it almost seems like she trying to seduce him.

Back int he catacombs Ra's goads Bruce, threatening his future loved ones until Bruce finally stabs him with the dagger. Ra's body decays quickly, leaving what looks to be an ancient corpse. Alfred and Gordon arrive, see the corpse and try to talk Bruce from giving up. Gordon about Bruce still being the person who will protect those he loves and Alfred about Bruce finding his way back to the light. Nygma tells Grundy they've always been friends and take him to a fight club where they can make money. The head of the fight clubs calls for the doc to take a look at Grundy's burnt hand and we get our first look at Leslie Thompkins this season… or at least someone played by Morena Baccarin.

A lot happens in this episode. The introduction of Grundy and his interaction with Riddler was a lot of fun and should lead to some good stories going forward. Bruce killing Ra's is obviously going to have some long term ramifications… as will Gordon and Alfred butting heads, though they work well together in a fight. We have the lingering question of what exactly did Ra's do to Barbara Kean. What is Sofia Falcon trying to do with Penguin… and what's up with Lee? That's a lot and it's another episode with very little Harvey Bullock. I wonder why he's being back-seated. This season seems to be running at mach speed already.

Next week it looks like we'll get more Bullock as he and Gordon get to go after Professor Pyg.

https://youtu.be/hWh9asmAhxk

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