#''well she was a suspect in gordon's shooting-'' literally not one of them actually thought she did be serious | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stxleslyds · 3 years

Note

EVENT LEVIATHAN issues 2 and 3

EVENT LEVIATHAN BUT IT’S ONLY JASON TODD.

Oh, Anon, I am sorry it took me so long to answer your ask, to be honest with you, I had completely forgotten this book ever happened and when I went looking for it, I saw who was the writer for it and my brain disconnected completely.

Michael Brian Bendis, what a polarizing writer. I had forgotten why I didn’t like his work much but this book made me remember that his writing gives me headaches. I swear, every time I read his work I am left wondering if I missed an issue or a page, it’s like I always lack information even though he makes sure to write a lot in those “monologue boxes”.

But I am not here to complain about Bendis, let’s talk about why Jason appears in this book and how is he characterized in it.

If you don’t know what Event Leviathan was about, in the first issue we are told that a terrorist has been attacking places simultaneously. This person, known as Leviathan collected some of the people that survived the attacks (like Batgirl), and others he let escape (like Green Arrow). All of the attacks were on organizations (A.R.G.U.S, Spyral, D.O) that were the pillars of the world intelligence community.

Because the case is big and operating on a big scale, several detectives and heroes (Batman, Robin, The Question, Lois Lane, Plastic Man, and Manhunter) have come together to figure out who is behind Leviathan’s mask.

In the second issue, their main suspect is Jason Todd after Damian suggests that Jason’s “special war on crime” can be related to this worldwide level of terrorist activity.

Well, If you couldn’t tell by the way that I phrased that, I really believe that DC and Bendis had to do some weird changes to the narratives because Jason hadn’t been really at “war with crime” for a very long time, or at the very least, not on that level (against organizations selling/controlling intelligence). So, right of the bat, I am confused as all hell.

Jason at this point in time was working as the Ice Lunge’s owner, so this was after the events of RHatO (2016) #25 and after Roy Harper’s death. But before I get to explaining why Damian and the others thought that Jason was behind Leviathan’s terrorist attacks, let's talk about Jason’s characterization.

How to write about a character based only on “tropes” that the publisher of the book told you. A Guide by Michael Brian Bendis.

We find Red Hood in Seattle, already investigating Leviathan. So, yeah, to me it was kind of obvious that Bendis put Jason there to build up the reason as to why Jason was the main suspect of being Leviathan or working with them.

We are offered some very casual banter with Batman as well as the ever-present subplot of Jason caring for Barbara Gordon. I am not a fan of whatever DC was and is trying to do when it comes to Jason and his crush on a person that he barely knew and has rejected him before. Bendis was probably told to put that there, I really don’t see Jason going out of his way to ask if Barbara is final but oh well.

In that panel we also see Jason say this to Batman, “can we put away the stuff between us so we can work on the case?” to which Batman answers, “of course”.

What the hell was that? First Batman beats the living shit out of Jason (Jason even says that he never saw Bruce hit the Joker as hard as he was hitting him) and rips the bat-symbol of his suit saying that they no longer work together or whatever, then we have Bruce going to Jason to tell him that Roy is dead, he gives him a hug but then proceeds to tell Jason that he is still banned from Gotham.

DC really reduced all that to “stuff between us”, alright, all I am getting from that is that I was right when I said that DC lets Batman get away with his horrible treatment of his kids as if it just were a subplot. Lovely, I hate being right.

But that’s not really what I want to discuss, I want to discuss the level of detective/investigation skills that Jason has got going on for him in this issue. Suddenly Jason has information about what happens with organizations like Spyral, ARGUS, and DEO? And then Bruce asks Jason if he has been in contact with Talia recently?

I am not mad about those last things, don’t get me wrong, Jason being good at investigating and him being (possibly) in contact with Talia are great things BUT they don’t fit in his story anymore.

Where is this Jason coming from, it must not be from the narrative that Lobdell had going on, Jason never showed much interest in keeping up with that side of the world or in doing detective work. And his relationship with Talia was downgraded a lot, basically, all Talia had done was keep an eye on Jason since she first met him before he was robin (yeah, that was a thing that happened as told in RHatO (2011) #25) and that how she found out that he died, after he came back from the dead, she put him in a Lazarus Pit and then sent him to the All-Castle so he could become Ducra’s apprentice. That’s literally it.

Or are we working with a Jason that maintains his Lost Days origins? There isn’t time on the timeline for that to have happened so his involvement in this book and the way that they are writing him is very confusing to me.

Jason doesn’t say anything about Talia except that he pulls an Uno reverse card on Bruce and asks him if he has been in contact with Talia. But just like many things with Bendis as a writer we never really hear any of them say anything about Talia and they continue talking about something else.

Alright, back to sharing what they found it is! Jason has apparently investigated this very closely because he cannot stop bringing up the fact that the attacks leave no bodies behind. Either people escape or vanish from the attack site.

But here is where the so-awaited “Batfamily” mention comes in. After Bruce tells Jason that he is putting a team of Detectives together Jason asks this, “we can’t keep this in the Batfamily?” Gods, was DC on crack when they wrote this? The Batfamily? Honestly? Two of your best detectives are not around to help you and your so-called family left Dick Grayson all alone in Bludhaven!

What Batfamily are you talking about Jason? You, Bruce, and Damian? I can’t with DC pushing and pushing the wildest concept in their universe.

After all that Batman spends a lot of time explaining what has happened or what was supposed to happen, he talks to Jason about how the other detectives were getting closer to retrieve a body that they needed to study. In between what Batman is explaining the scene of Plastic Man talking with Leviathan happens and there Leviathan says that they know each other. So, that’s a clue, whoever is behind the mask is someone that Plastic Man has met before.

We find out that Batman was retelling that story to Jason, so Jason starts putting the pieces together. Batman already has a team, they know that Leviathan has been spearing some heroes’ lives, there is a cause for all the attacks (“a new world order”), and that the attacks leave no bodies. Jason even begins to put together the list of suspects but then Jason asks Batman if they have their number one suspect and Batman says, “Yes”, and it’s Jason!

This is so funny to me, like what? How did they come to that conclusion? Luckily Bendis “explains” the Detectives’ team’s reasoning, I guess? They take turns to ask Jason basic questions that Jason deflects from some reason? It is so dumb.

From this page the most important thing that I gathered is that Damian (the one who initially accused Jason of being Leviathan) says that he doesn’t “think that you (Jason) know you are doing any of this. I think it manifested itself out of grief”.

What? A terrorist that has some sort of technology that makes explosions that leaves no bodies and spares some people’s lives, is being manifested by Jason because Roy Harper died. Did I understand that correctly? That’s their big idea as to why Jason is their number one suspect?

Team of detectives, yeah, I don’t see it.

It makes zero sense! First of all, what “war with crime” was Jason having at the time, and they also say that that war was “a point of controversy for years”. Excuse me? Are they really calling Jason using guns (with rubber bullets) a SPECIAL war with crime? What are they referring to? Are they talking about the events of Under the Red Hood? Because Jason hasn’t been that version of himself in years! We don’t even know if those exact events happened in this continuity!

I am so lost; I actually don’t know why they are relating a terrorist attack to Jason. I don’t know, to me, Jason’s appearance here is unjustified and lacks logic.

Now, we find ourselves in the third issue, where an unnecessary amount of time jumping is done. First, we are in the present after both Batman and Robin let Jason run away. Listen, I know that they tried to paint it as Jason kicking both their asses but I saw those pages, they threw three punches and one of them connect with Jason’s jaw. Batman and Robin just stopped fighting Jason.

I don’t know, why they had to make Damian say that Batman let Jason get away when he was there too and did nothing.

And then they had Damian say this about Jason, “I have never been a member of his fan club but Jason Todd is one of the great master fighters of all time”. Okay, sure, Jason has had a lot of training and he has been immeasurably overpowered over the years but I still find Damian saying this a bit weird, like why would he say that? The fight that is shown after this look into the present is just like any other fight that any Bat-related hero has had. Dick has had more impressive fights than that one after the New 52 and he was immeasurably nerfed.

I love Jason getting recognition for the things that he does right and that he is good at but I need you to represent those moments better. The fight isn’t that grand and they clearly let him run away!

In the fight there all jumped off of a building, (Jason, Batman, Robin, Manhunter, Arrow, and Plastic Man) Jason shoots at everyone and they have a “fight” midair. Then Batman, Robin, and Jason fall through a glass roof and they continue fighting in a pool, this is where I say that they let Jason ran away, they showed us Damian kicking Jason in the face and Bruce punching Jason in the face. But then Jason electrifies both of them while they are in the pool? Listen, this is very nitpicky but Batman and Robin are wearing proper suits for vigilantism, if their suits aren’t prepared to receive some electric shots then wow, but also, the electricity does nothing to Jason even though he is also in the water? Jason’s Red Hood suit at the time was a pair of pants, a shirt, a vest with a hood, and some bandages on his arms… You are telling me that Jason was wearing a suit that protected him from that? Alright, I will believe it, after all, I am very dumb.

Then Jason fights Manhunter, a simple fight apparently, he doesn’t show much fighting skill because she looked like an easy target and then Jason stops fighting and decides to have a nice chat with Lois Lane.

“Why did you run?” I think he ran because a bunch of people accused him of being a terrorist and threw themselves at him at the edge of a building, what kind of question is that?

This page is just, I cannot describe how confusing it is. Lois finally asks that if it isn’t the Red Hood, then why would Leviathan try to set him up? To that Jason answers this, “I was thinking about that on the way down here. Because I am perfect. All this should be me” then he explains “I lose sleep running the numbers in my head, on how measured response to the criminals of the world brings nothing but more chaos. Batman knows this. If this Leviathan is making a big play to change the world, maybe it is the move the “crime-fighters” just don’t, will never have the guts to take. Maybe.”

What. Is. Going. On? Where did this version of Jason come from, this isn’t really in tune with UtRH Jason, RHatO Jason, or RHO Jason. This take on Jason is completely different, Jason doesn’t involve himself with threats on a worldwide scale, he doesn’t care how all heroes around the world operate, and he is not the only one that does things differently from Batman and other heroes that have similar morals.

What is this Jason saying really, is he suggesting that a global terrorist attack can lead to the reconstruction of how heroes work?

Why does Jason think that what Leviathan has going on is similar to things that Jason has done? What did Bendis read that I didn’t? How did Bendis come up with this characterization of Jason?

Because even though RHatO and RHO Jason went beyond Gotham he still fought for things that were directly aligned with his story, Ra’s al Ghul, the Untitled, Essence, all of that wasn’t on a global scale, why is he so suddenly aware of more than that, I just don’t think that his participation in this book is justified.

In these other panels he also comes off as way too aware of what is going on, and I understand that to a certain level all heroes might keep up with what going on a global scale but it seems like Jason knows way too much for someone that hasn’t been connected to those organizations and or people before.

Jason appears a little more after that but nothing of true importance is said anymore in this issue. After, Lois finishes her talk with Jason she reunites with the rest of the team and is like “It wasn’t Red Hood, let’s move on” and that’s that.

That was all Jason did in those two issues. A mix between nothing, knowing too much and him speculating about what a terrorist would want to do next.

Before I give my last thoughts about Jason and these issues, I want to share with you these panels from issue 5 of Event Leviathan.

There, Zatanna and the others confirmed it. Even though Lois listed the Red Hood as a suspect the other detectives told her that not only none of their suspects were Leviathan but that none of them were Leviathan adjacent.

OF COURSE, JASON HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH LEVIATHAN!

Here is what I think, Jason shouldn’t have been in this book, it makes less than zero sense for him to be there. Jason being set up by Leviathan had no logic whatsoever. Jason and Leviathan’s levels of “disruption” are on completely different levels.

I just don’t know why he was there.

Anon, once again I am sorry for taking so long to do this review, I hope you had fun reading this, and I hope that you have an awesome day!

#jason todd #red hood #robin #batman #event leviathan #dc comics #asksss #lois lane

14 notes · View notes

sunlitroom · 6 years

Text

Gotham – s4e09 – Let Them Eat Pie

As I watched it, and some random observations here and there.

Previously on Gotham:

Bruce killed R'as and started down a dark path. This path is so well trodden by Gotham's citizens at this point that it should really have vending machines and little benches along the way - is there anyone at this point who hasn't offed someone? Bruce acts out. Oswald has met Martin. Harvey made a mistake. Jim took over as captain in the coldest way possible. What did you do to get it? Ha - a sneaky cut there shows us Jim and Sofia on the couch. Oh Jim - all those noble intentions about not dancing to Carmine’s tune when you came to town way back in s1e1, and you wound up the Falcones’ bitch after all. Pyg and his endless fucking talking.

As always, long post will be long. There are likely to be rambling digressions. Gobblepot might appear (although I welcome all shippers and non-shippers alike :)). There will be naked favouritism and naked not-favouritism. Broader comments at the end on plotlines and parallels and general direction.

Someone who is clearly Pyg in disguise is handing out donuts to the homeless. Between Oswald's poisoned Cannoli, and the drugged pastry Ed fed the mayor, Gotham seems very concerned with making sure we never accept free pastries. He's disguised as a priest, which I think is a very specific offence. He lures some to go with him with the promise of pie, ushering them into a van

Say no to free pastries, and don't get into vans with theatrical strangers

Pyg has taken them to an empty building of some sort. He's photographing the homeless people he lured away and pinning the pictures to a wall. He's also wittering on about divisions in society, and saying he knows how it feels to feel like a ‘have not’. After a few mouthfuls of his pie, the people round the table all slump. Pyg gloats that he's going to show the ‘haves’ a lesson.

In a makeshift kitchen, he takes off his disguise and begins to butcher the corpses.

Let's begin - shall we?

At the precinct, a man is painting Jim's name on the door of the Captain’s office, while, inside, Harvey is still clearing his stuff out. Ouch.

I'll be out of your way in just a second, captain

Jim says this isn't how he wanted things to go down, but this vaguely regretful look doesn't tally with how cold and self-righteous he was last week when relieving Harvey of duty - so fuck you, Jim.

Harvey says he was thinking about their first case. He says that if Jim had killed Oswald, then Falcone would still be running things, and a lot of people who are dead would be alive today.

(An aside - what now? Am I misremembering things, and Falcone was actually some kind of jolly Santa Claus figure? I'm not sure why we keep getting this bizarre nostalgia. Plus, it completely discounts that both Fish and Maroni were jockeying for position too.)

Jim says that if he could go back he'd do exactly the same thing. Harvey says Jim doesn't understand how the city works: it doesn't need heroes - it needs people who'll do what's necessary. In a staggering display of hypocrisy, Jim tells him that he's wrong:

if you show them the way, people will follow

He also tells Harvey that when his leave is over - there's a desk waiting for him - but Harvey replies that he has no desire to sit and watch Jim all day. He leaves, and Jim is left standing alone. For the second time now, we’ve seen him in that office – but not in the Captain’s chair.

(An aside – it’s probably Gotham’s old problem of inconsistency week to week, but Jim’s sudden sadface is not in keeping with his behaviour last week. Also, Harvey seems to have lost 4 seasons’ worth of characterisation and gone back to his earliest version of himself. On top of that, Jim’s not even going to see him until he gets back from leave? Not check up on his self-destructive friend at all? This isn’t in keeping with how close they are at all. Why has a big reset button been hit on their friendship?)

At the orphanage, Sofia's arranging flowers.

Oswald enters the room, says the flowers are beautiful and assures her that the benefit will be a success. Sofia says she hopes so - she wants the wealthy to fund the orphanage.

Oswald however, has to decline, and says something has come up. She asks if it's the thing in the Narrows with his former Chief of Staff. Oswald shakes his head – and tells her that it’s more serious – Jim’s promotion.

Sofia asks if he's worried. Oswald smiles and says the issue is the person who ordered the appointment. Sofia deflects – commenting that the mayor is a weasel. Os isn't buying this, though, and says that someone has got to the mayor, and when Oswald finds out who is really behind it, there will be a reckoning.

(An aside - someone at Gotham loves Hannibal)

Sofia looks thoughtful for a moment. She tells him Martin is doing a song tonight with the other children, and smiles before leaving..

Mr Penn scurries over, looking anxious. He tells Oswald to have Victor ‘talk’ to Sofia if he suspects that she’s responsible, but Oswald says she is literally his only friend. Mr Penn delicately asks if she's actually murdered the mayor. Oswald considers this – what if he’s

Chasing a ghost while she’s preparing her next move

He needs someone discreet, someone to get close to her. He has a brainwave. Oswald is going to recruit Martin

Oh Oswald. No. This is a bad idea.

In the hallway outside, Sofia was apparently lurking outside the door - listening to their noisy conversation. She calls Jim. Jim picks up and tries to be all stern, saying that they're done.

Jim - you don't get to keep the captaincy and stay on your moral high horse. You’re bought and paid for, Captain Blond.

Sofia tells him Oswald suspects something. Jim asks if she warned the mayor. She says she did. He says it sounds as if she has her bases covered and tells her not to call again, after insincerely thanking her for the heads up about Oswald. He hangs up. She looks at the phone in some consternation.

Jim walks on up the stairs where Harper is answering the phone. Jim picks up and immediately says Sofia

Wrong, try again

It's Pyg. He asks Jim if he remembers how he told him about the rot in Gotham, from high to low. As he speaks, Pyg is setting up the final touches on some tent. As he leaves, he tells Jim to hurry out for a taste of what's to come.

(An aside - Jim’s slip-up here, and Pyg’s failure to be shocked by it further undermines all the incorruptible Jim Gordon stuff from Pyg, and points again to a plan from Sofia)

As Jim and Harper enter the tent, we see the corpses of two of the homeless people dressed up in 18th century aristocratic clothes, pigs snorting round the table, and a card saying vive la revolution

Jim wants the area closed off, as he’s saying this, one of the people gawping in at the tent comments that one of the pigs is starting to eat a corpse.

(And another Hannibal nod - this is Mason Verger’s thing.)

The kitchens at Wayne Manor. Bruce stumbles in and brattily demands breakfast at lunchtime. Alfred tries to reach out to him, but Bruce is not responding. Alfred reminds him he killed Ra’s. Bruce takes out his phone and tries to ignore him. Alfred asks him he remembers what day it is. Bruce explodes – it’s the day of the annual camping tradition, where they lay stones at the top of some nearby hill. He takes the stones out, inscribed with Bruce and Thomas’ initials, and tells him to remember whose son he is. If I’m honest, I’d guess that comparing his current behaviour to his father’s is probably already part of Bruce’s self-flagellation routine, but I can see why Alfred tried it.

In the morgue, Jim is explaining to Jim that the homeless people seem to have had their organs removed. Jim puzzles aloud about why Pyg said the victims would be rich and powerful if he was going to target the homeless. Lucius points out that Jim wants logic from psychopaths, and suggests that he’s using them to make a statement.

Jim says the homeless population is densest in the Narrows. As he leaves, Lucius comments that it’s a hell of a first day to be captain.

At the Narrows, Jim is sending officers out to search. Harper tells him that traces of the chemicals found on the corpses are used in paper manufacturing. Jim fortuitously remembers an abandoned paper factory nearby, and they head off.

As soon as they enter, they see there's a corpse lying on a table, a hole where an organ should be. Harper asks what he’s doing. Jim says he’s taking organs and – on seeing a grill nearby – adds:

He's cooking them

There’s a sound, and Jim and Harper hare off after it. Pyg manages to sneak up on Harper and (I think) stab her in the chest/shoulder. He tells Jim to drop his gun. Harper tells Jim to shoot the bastard, but Jim drops the gun instead. Pyg says they found him too soon (he really is quite shit), and chortles that the table is not yet set. Jim offers himself as a hostage, but Pyg says he must see the final act. Knocking Harper out, he hauls her into the van and drives off. Jim looks after them, looking faintly put out.

A brief scene to demonstrate that Alfred and Kevin the teenager have indeed gone to the woods.

In a room at the iceberg lounge, we see that Oswald has made Martin a suit for the fundraiser. They communicate with each other through the mirror, emphasising that while they might want to communicate with each other, there’s deception and manipulation acting as a barrier.

Oswald comments that Sofia is

Quite a lady isn't she? A friend to both of us.

Or is she? He tells Martin that he worries Sofia is only pretending to be Oswald’s friend, and using Martin. Martin frowns, and draws a question mark on his pad. Oswald tells him that he’s been running it over in his mind, and there’s two possible ways she’s done this.

The first – she chose a specific orphan to place in his path, told his how to act, groomed him….

Martin shakes his head violently at this, panicked and upset. Oswald backs down from this line of thought, and suggests option two, that she just collected group of children hoping one would gain his trust and make him easier to manipulate. Martin looks tearful.

Oswald tells him that in the second version, he is innocent (Oswald, he’s innocent in both – because he’s a child) and that this is the version he badly wants to believe.

To prove his friendship, he wants Martin to spy on Sofia. Martin nods his head, and Oswald offers his hand. His face working, he asks Martin not to let him down, please. As Oswald walks away, we see that Martin is crying.

(An aside. A number of things with this scene.

First of all – in what we’re being presented, Martin is under a horrible amount of strain. I think Sofia has set him up from the beginning, or at least pushed hard – which puts her on the same list as Tabitha, for me. I think Martin does genuinely want to be friends with Oswald, and now he’s in a horrible, dreadful situation. As for Oswald, he’s allowing his own hang-ups free rein, and is placing a massive amount of strain on a child. It’s more sincere than Sofia, if that makes sense, his emotional involvement is genuine, more meaningful, and not motivated by anything – but it’s still inappropriate to place that burden on a child.

As discussed elsewhere with @rhavewellyarnbag and @maysgreatnewusername, though, given how manipulative and demanding Getrud was (and Elijah, imo), I think that Oswald is under the impression that this is how relationships work – specifically parent/child relationships. Getrud was jealous and demanding (and pretty unstable, imo). From Oswald’s behaviour, he was practised in placating and comforting her. He’s not especially reflective about that relationship, though – and maybe never will be, now – and so instead of recognising that it wasn’t healthy, he instead sort of operates within its parameters.

Secondly – this just didn’t feel solid to me, and I think I’ve figured out why. I just don’t buy that Oswald is so emotionally committed to the idea of friendship with Sofia. That has really been highlighted by his interactions with Martin, where I think you can see genuine emotional engagement.

As such – I don’t think I really believe the lengths he’s going to ascertain her sincerity. He’s mistrusted her from the outset with good reason. I don’t buy that the relationship is emotionally fulfilling enough to outweigh that – it’s too laced with doubt and suspicion, and Oswald finds neither tolerable. At this point, it feels more realistic to me that he would just write her off as too risky, tell Mr Penn to legally extract Martin, and either destroy her or withdraw totally into a Cold War situation.)

At the Narrows, Jim is barking orders about Harper's search. The press ask questions. Jim says he believes Pyg is responsible. A reporter asks how people can be kept safe if they can't keep officers safe. Another asks whether Jim will be pushed aside like Harvey Bullock was if he fails. Jim winces. Another asks about the rumour of cooking victims. A disgruntled Jim asks who told him that.

Back in the paper factory. Jim angrily remarks that someone leaked to press about the cooked victims. Lucius suggests Pyg – which does make sense – and tells Jim everyone is on his side. He also tells him there’s something he has to see.

Pyg's left a quote from A Modest Proposal. Lucius recognises it because he’s pretty wonderful:

“I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for Landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the Parents, seem to have the best Title to the Children.”

(An aside – yeuch, Pyg and his posey little undergraduate affectations.)

He explains that it's an argument for cannibalism – eating the poor. Jim extrapolates from the text that it’s specifically talking about orphans, and heads off alone to the Orphanage. As he suspects that it’s a trap – and doesn’t want to be caught out like Harvey, he says he’ll go alone.

At the orphanage, Sofia is in the kitchens. Pyg shows up in a chef disguise and says he’s made a change to the menu – Gotham meat pies instead of the pre-arranged menu. Hiding organs underneath a pastry lid doesn’t exactly take much work. Hannibal would turn his nose up at all this.

In the woods, Alfred tries, while Bruce sulks. Alfred tells the story of how he met Thomas. He was on a self-destructive path after the army, drink and drugs. He woke up in an alley, covered in blood, and turned himself in, hoping the police would send him to jail. The police made him wait.

There was an annoying American wandering around. He asked Alfred what he did, and Alfred spilled his guts about everything. Bruce is listening, but trying to seem like he’s not. When the police come back over, Thomas concocts a story to save Alfred – telling the police that Alfred saved him from being mugged. After the police left, Alfred told Thomas that’s not what happened – but Thomas told him it is now.

Alfred tells Bruce that friendship saved him. He knows what it's like to hope for punishment – he wants to help Bruce. Bruce grimaces and says he hears him, but doesn’t want to talk about it.

He suddenly gets up and unconvincingly searches for the rocks. He says he must have left them in the car, and runs off. Alfred spots that the rocks are actually in the bag, and hears Bruce drive off.

At the Orphanage, the benefit has started. Sofia tells Oswald and Martin they both look handsome.

Oswald tells her he knows how important the evening is, and that he wouldn't have forgiven himself if missed Martin’s performance. Sofia asks Oswald if he found the mayor. Oswald says he didn’t. Sofia claims she’s happy he could make it to dinner, and goes off to check on the chef, sending Martin off to the other children. Oswald turns, and reminds Martin to watch Sofia.

Jim sneaks into the orphanage basement by the back door.

We see Martin standing in a hallway, writing in his pad. We get some menacing music as Sofia approaches Martin from behind, and asks him what he’s writing. In terms of the question of Sofia’s affection for Martin, I think it’s notable that her approach here is reminiscent of Pyg sneaking up on Harper, and then again on him sneaking up on Jim in the next scene.

Jim is lurking round. A surprised waiter encounters him. Jim hushes him, questions him about the chef, and tells him to bring Sofia to him. As the waiter turns, Jim asks him what’s in his jacket. The waiter turns and swings for Jim. Jim lands a punch, but is then knocked out by Pyg, who appeared from nowhere.

He comments that Jim really is an impressive policeman. The waiter tells him that he thinks Jim came alone. We see Jim dumped in a random room in the orphanage, with a bound and gagged Harper.

Elsewhere in the orphanage, Sofia is making a speech about how an orphanage was a long-cherished dream. What, Falcone couldn’t afford this before or something? Or did he draw the line at putting a gangster’s name on an orphanage? Whatever.

She asks them to go next door and take their seats for the performance. Oswald approaches and asks where Martin is – he wanted to wish him luck. Sofia smiles slightly, but ignores this – and comments that maybe things happen for a reason. Licensing crime was a bold move, but could have destroyed Oswald. Whoever appointed Jim might have saved him.

Oswald is incredulous – by destroying everything he ever created? He looks hard at Sofia. He tells her to confess that she did it, and face the consequences.

They’re interrupted by Pyg – who says something wanky and punny about dinner or performances or something. I honestly tune him out.

Jim is trying to untie Harper, and has apparently stopped the bleeding. She tells him they forgot to search her (that was very convenient). Jim finds a knife strapped to her ankle and begins to work on the door.

They sit down to dinner downstairs. Oswald angrily asks Sofia if this is another of her plans, to which she retorts no.

Pyg gives an intensely annoying performance.

Sofia calls enough – and asks where the children are. Pyg stabs her in the hand. Oswald stands, enraged – but Pyg warns him not to pull it out, the next is in her eye.

He tells Sofia that the children are in the kitchen: he’s not an animal

(You are, mate - you slaughtered and butchered those homeless people)

He rambles on a bit more to make sure everyone gets his hypocritical moral lesson. Oswald twigs first that the pies are people and refuses to eat. Pyg then reveals that he has Martin.

(I’d point out here that the last person to see Martin before Pyg showed up with him in tow was Sofia)

Sofia and Oswald stand, both seemingly enraged. He tells them to eat or he’ll kill the boy. One of the other guests refuses, saying that he’s just some urchin, so why bother. An livid Oswald turns as he says this and – taking the knife from Sofia’s hand – stabs him in the head.

Pyg claims Oswald is the main reason he’s here, the worst glutton. Again – really? Worse than any of the other powerful people in town? He reiterates that Martin will die if he doesn’t eat. Oswald tears up, looks down at the pie, and starts cramming it in his mouth, retching as he does. Turning, he screams at the rest of them to eat – or he’ll hunt them down and kill them all.

Jim gets the door off its hinges.

Pyg keeps talking. He reminds Sofia she has to eat – why, if she’s so desperate to save Martin, has she waited? She tells him she will as long as he doesn’t hurt Martin. It feels very stagey. She struggles to pick up her fork, and asks Oswald – in a little-girl voice – if he can help her. Now it definitely feels staged.

He picks up the fork, and cuts a piece for her. She’s just about to take a bite when Jim runs in, firing his gun, and chaos ensues.

Oswald flings himself in front of Jim, begging him to stop, because he’ll kill the kid. Jim tells Oswald to get off him, and shoves him away. Oswald ushers Martin from the room – not Sofia, who instead runs towards Jim. Jim tells her to get out – and a fight ensues on the table between him and Pyg

Much flightiness goes on. At one point, Pyg tells Jim

Don't give up - you'll ruin everything

(Which – again – maybe points to Jim just playing a role in someone else’s plan.)

Just as Pyg has Jim pinned, Jim spots the knife Oswald used to stab that guy in the head and – pulling it out – stabs Pyg. See – Jim and Oswald connected even when the plot is throwing angst and contrived conflict at them: Oswald just saved Jim’s life. Gobblepot confirmed.

Sofia’s hand is being stitched up by a police officer. As they leave, Oswald enters and asks how her hand is. She says it’s fine, and asks after Martin. Oswald replies that he’s stronger than he looks.

Drawing closer to her, he tells her she paid off mayor to make Jim Captain

And you want me to believe this was out of friendship – to save me.

Sofia says she tried to talk him out of the Pax – but there was no other way. Oswald says it’s equally possible she is his enemy, intent on destruction. She comments that he could choose to see it that way – but the choice is his.

Oswald says that whatever the reasoning – she went behind his back, and he’d be justified in killing her, but what she was going to do for Martin - that was real.

(Yeah - but very conveniently timed - Oswald. And who says her pie had people in it?)

She nods and looks downwards. I don’t buy her sincerity here – her face is very similar to when Falcone told her she wasn’t ready for Gotham. Oswald steps closer, and tells her never to betray him again. He also says he will abandon the licensing scheme (what a damp fucking squib that was) but will not accept Jim as Captain. Sofia shrugs and tells him to pick someone else, Gordon means less than nothing to her. After Oswald has left, she smirks.

Outside, Jim puts Pyg in the back of the policecar. The press call for Captain Gordon. Walking over, he reports back to them, and says GCPD kept its promise. They thank him, and he nods uncomfortably. Sofia watches smiling from a window, Jim looks up at her, somewhat uncertainly.

At Wayne Manor, Bruce is having a party. There’s some back and forth, but Alfred kicks them out. He tells Bruce to face up to who he really is. Bruce is apparently cut up that he avenged his parents – but nothing changed – so why did he do it?

Alfred tries to convince him to talk more, to help him understand – but Bruce glowers and tells Alfred to behave like his butler, not his father. He runs off to join his friends and leaves Alfred behind

Holding a glass of whiskey, Sofia faces the fire, waiting on a predictable Jim, who walks into the room. She smiles at him, calling him the hero of the day. Jim looks po-faced, and says he was just doing his job. She smiles again.

I know you hate me, but you deserve the job

Jim says he went to Falcone and knew what he was getting into, but it doesn't mean he has to like it. Sofia says that he accepts it, though. It’s not clear to me here whether she means the job, or the reality of what he has done. I’d argue that Jim doesn’t accept it, actually – his affronted superiority as soon as he was given the captaincy was a joke.

Jim stubbornly says he deserves the job like Gotham deserves law and order. Sofia frowns and asks if Jim thinks she doesn’t want that too. She tells him that she’s not his enemy – and never will be. Touching his face, she kisses him. Jim kisses back, but seems to have a realisation. He steps back, mistrust on his face.

(An aside – Jim, I know Sofia’s just about wearing her breasts as earmuffs this evening, and you’re easily distracted, but really? After all the cruel things she said about Harvey? Your best friend? Who’s put himself in danger’s way for you so often? Risked his career for you? Made an enemy of every other person in the precinct for you? Engineered your jailbreak? Really really? You still accept a kiss? It’s unclear where that situation went – he seemed to be stepping back, but – if not – he’s putrid right now.)

Oswald waits outside in car. Martin gets in, and Oswald asks if he found anything out. Martin looks conflicted, but writes in his pad and shows it to Oswald

I saw Sofia kissing the policeman

Oswald reads this and – wide-eyed – looks back at Martin for confirmation, who nods.

Oswald is tearful. He smiles and tells Martin that he is a good friend, and Martin smiles back. Turning to the window, his face is twitching with rage and pain.

As for Sofia - she will answer for what she has done. I swear it.

He stares out the car window, on the point of tears.

General Observations

That isn’t what happened, though, is it?

It is now

There’s a bit of a running theme this week on what you choose to believe. Thomas gives Alfred a new story. In choosing to accept it, he began a new life. Jim refuses to fully accept that he got the captaincy by dishonest means, stubbornly reiterating that he deserves it anyway. Sofia gives Oswald a choice – what does he want to believe: is she a friend, or enemy?

There’s variation, though, on how healthy that is. Thomas’ lie offered Alfred a way to a better life, and a way to get out of the mess he was in. Jim’s lie makes him a hypocrite. He’s uncomfortable in his own skin, under the bluster, and he’s lost his only friend. Believing Sofia’s lie could prove deadly to Oswald.

All that aside – to be honest, I just find this whole Sofia/Oswald storyline frustrating. Oswald has swithered between mistrust, threats, and tearful vulnerability – but now we’ve definitely landed on friendship? When did that happen?

And even if you leave to one side the fact that his brain must be operating at about 75% efficiency to have decided that the daughter of Don Falcone has shown up in town and magically become his bestie – you still have the Ivy mess. If Oswald was so vulnerable and needy for affection and connection, then the way that whole relationship played out just made no sense whatsoever. He doesn’t squander friendship. He’s more likely to smother it by holding on too tightly – but he doesn’t throw it away.

And, for reasons discussed earlier, I just don’t buy that he’s emotionally attached to Sofia. He’s tearful in this episode, but I think it’s as much anger and humiliation as anything. I just don’t see a bond there: there’s never been enough trust. I likewise don’t really believe that he’d dither for this long – it’s too dangerous.

Likewise, I’m feeling almost done with Jim/Sofia. Jim’s wallowing in a big mucky pool of hypocrisy right now, and it’s very much time for him to be taken down a peg or two. Sofia’s feelings towards him are a little grey. If it turns out she’s now nursing genuine feelings for him, then I’ll be pretty bored. Just let her be unapologetically malign.

All in time – it’s time to rip off the bandaid, I feel.

Thoughts?

#gotham commentary #let them eat pie #gotham s4e09

37 notes · View notes