Gotham - Penguin's Umbrella

Holy conspiracy Batman I didn't see that one coming!

Did anyone?  I hope not.  Spoiler enthusiasts don't count.

So The Penguin, or just, "Penguin" as he is refereed to on Gotham, is in cahoots with Carmine Falcone.  Awesome. 

Cobblepott has used his sniveling cowardice as an asset and has turned his propensity as a snitch into a major power play.  Not only is he moving up the ladder with Maroni but he is surreptitiously drawing closer to Falcone.

Make no mistake, Penguin only needs these two gentlemen as long as they serve his purpose and that is to be the crime boss of Gotham himself.  No doubt, Penguin will set Falcone and Maroni against each other in hopes of the two wiping out each other.

Too bad he doesn't have a crystal ball.  If Batman mythology holds true, Penguin won't be the only kingpin in town.  The Riddler is still waiting in the wings as is Catwoman, Poison Ivy, the still unseen Joker and as of last night, Victor Zsasz. 

That's a lot of competition.  It will be interesting to see how Gotham will spin it's tale as the season progresses.  Penguin is right though, there is a war coming and he is starting it.

The fact that we have such a rich conspiracy as this is a testimony to Gotham's maturity as a series.  7 episodes in and we'd almost forget this show deals with the time before Batman and the long shadow he casts over everything.  Despite the fact that we've seen so many characters the show is actually narrowing it's focus and letting the true talent come forward.   The real stars of this show are Robin Lord Taylor, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue and John Doman.

In that order!

Let's hope Gotham continues to let these few shine the brightest.

While we're on the topic of conspiracies here's another one for you.

Don't you think Bullock switched gears awfully quickly to Jim Gordon's side?  Yes, it was just last week during "Spirit of the Goat" that we learned Harvey once had a heart and it beat with the pulse of a real detective.

Have we been set up?

Harvey has his own mythology and he eventually turns out all right.  But the writers have intimated that we should expect a few changes and this may be one of them.

Who was the big loser in this episode (a key ally and lover gunned down) and who has an inside still on the police force?

 Right, Fish Mooney.  It won't be long before she realizes Falcone is on to her and with Bullock staying close to Gordon she'll get all the information she needs about Penguin as Cobblepot will continue to weave Gordon into his plans.

Now that is a conspiracy.

Cobblepot will tease information learned from Falcone to Gordon to help him along and Mooney will get this gold from Bullock. 

What's in it for Bullock?  If Mooney climbs the ladder the more valuable he becomes.  He may be able to maneuver Gordon and Essen out of the way and if he can't Mooney will.

There are very high stakes involved for all.

Odds and Ends

What did everyone think of Victor Zsasz?  As portrayed by Anthony Carrigan I thought he did a pretty good job.  Not over the top crazy but pretty damned intense.  We should see more of him and the good news is he wasn't introduced as a ten year old!

In other good news, he brought his scars along with him.   Not good news for his victims.  He is just getting started.

See you next week for, "The Mask."