In the Gotham mid-season finale, "LoveCraft," was one major question to be pondered: "How did they know?"
The episode opened with three assassins descending on Wayne Manor. Dressed all in black, balancing flawlessly on a pair of several-inch heels, the lead assassin kills a gardener and worms her way in through the front door, claiming to be an injured victim of a car accident. Seconds later, she and her cronies blow their cover and lunge after Bruce and Cat. Alfred, a deceptively talented fighter, fends them off while the kids flee.
The assassins, it turns out, were after not Master Bruce, but Cat. Someone, it seems, leaked to Dick Lovecraft that young Selina Kyle was the witness Harvey Dent was harboring, threatening to take him down for the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. But how did they know she was at Wayne Manor?
Cat leads Bruce into Gotham City, where she plans to hide him from the would-be assassins. The two are presented successfully as somewhat naive (but smarter than their contemporaries) children bonding over a shared sense of adventure and independence. To Bruce, Cat is teacher and friend. To Cat, Bruce is a symbol of the childhood and the privilege she never had, but a worthy student of her world. Despite their frequent tiffs, their bond is growing, with their personalities, strengths and weaknesses complementing each other at every turn.
Elsewhere, Falcone believes rival boss Maroni was behind a botched plan to steal his fortune. But how did he know where Falcone kept his money? Falcone interrogates and attempts to intimidate Cobblepot for an answer. Cobblepot says there must be a mole.
The mole, we know, is Liza, Fish Mooney's seductive weapon in her aim to weaken Gotham's ruling Don. But Cobblepot wants to keep that secret a bit longer. He has her (and by proxy, Fish), Falcone, Maroni and Detective Gordon under his thumb, and as he tells his driver Gabriel: "Timing is everything." In an effort to ferret out the mole, Falcone makes an example of one of his thugs, Bannion, by shooting him. His face lands directly in his oh-so-appropriate bowl of pasta, and the "family" goes about their dinner. Quietly, Fish makes plans to turn Falcone's mob against him.
As Alfred, Gordon and Bullock search the Gotham streets for Bruce and Cat, the two kids "disappear" to the Narrows - "like the mall for street kids without the crappy music," Cat says. There they run into Ivy Pepper, who has escaped from juvenile detention, where she was taken after her mother's suicide. They leave Ivy quickly (Cat finds her "creepy") and go to visit Clyde, Cat's primary fence, or the guy who buys her stolen goods for resale. Unfortunately, the assassins have already located Clyde and paid him to lead them to Cat. How did he know she would come by? He could assume; a good thief can't stay away for long, and a good fence can't refuse a payday. Cat and Bruce are detained in a storage closet, awaiting the assassins. With some feline ingenuity, a bravery heretofore unseen from Bruce and a little suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience, the youngsters manage to hold the trained killers at bay until Alfred arrives to deliver the final blow. Cat escapes, and a distraught Alfred is reunited with his charge.
Meanwhile Detective Gordon, who is convinced, like Dent, of Dick Lovecraft's involvement in the Wayne murders, goes to visit the wealthy businessman at his home. Gun drawn, Ben McKenzie Serious Face [9] on, he busts in, only to find Lovecraft cowering in hiding. He had nothing to do with the Wayne murders, he says. He holds no real power, he insists. The same assassins who infiltrated Wayne Manor also came after him. But why?
"I know too much."
Before Lovecraft can finish telling Gordon about a suspicious run on Wayne Enterprises stock just before Thomas and Martha were killed, the assassins arrive. Miss High Heels takes Gordon down in a sleeper hold. When he wakes up, Lovecraft is dead in the bathtub from a single shot to the head - a shot fired from Gordon's own gun.
Though Ben McKenzie's cogency as the broody but devoted Gordon remains spotty, these last few episodes have held together well. McKenzie's consistent state of heightened awareness and his growly anger play well when there is actually something to be upset about.
Rather than trying to fight the public's imminent suspicion that a GCPD cop killed a prominent local figure in cold blood, Gordon allows Mayor James to kick him off the force for being overzealous - but not before a nice request for a smooch where the sun don't shine. He is reassigned to Arkham Asylum where, as we see in the preview, he will work as a security guard for Gotham's most mentally challenged (as if he wasn't already doing that). True to the episode's theme, how could the mayor know that after a short time, Gordon's particular hero cop skills would be called upon in the battle sparked by one of the most famous jailbreaks in comic book history?
As we wait for the series' January return, we are left with many nagging questions. Without Lovecraft's suspicion or files, how will Gordon, Bullock and Bruce find who really killed Thomas and Martha Wayne? Where did these assassins really come from, and why are they after Cat? Will Falcone's thugs rebel against him and join Fish? Where and when does the Penguin plan to intercept the transfer of power? And most importantly: Will Bruce and Cat kiss again?
Gotham returns in January.
