Gotham Recap: “The Blade’s Path”
“The Blade’s Path,” is back to typical Gotham this week after the fun in the previous episode.
Unfortunately, the hour is a little boring but DC Comics fans got their first look at Solomon Grundy in the opening minutes. While “The Blade’s Path,” isn’t the best episode of Gotham, it does set up a few of the characters for interesting arcs throughout the season.
Bruce Wayne is caught up in the central storyline in “The Blade’s Path,” as he grieves the death of his short-lived friend, Alex. His guilt over Alex’s death has led Bruce to consider killing R’as Al Ghul but thankfully Alfred is around to remind him of his vow. Yet, when R’as is given diplomatic immunity (which lets him escape murder charges), Gotham’s hero-in-training decides to take justice into his own hands. He slips away to Blackgate Prison before Jim or Alfred realize he’s missing to finish the job himself but changes his mind once he holds the knife over R’as’ head. Unfortunately, the Demon’s Head expected as much and had his pawns (masquerading as guards), escort the young billionaire to a different kind of prison.
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The ending to the R’as Al Ghul story (for now) is a bit jarring in “The Blade’s Path,” mainly because it seems so predictable. A lot of fans had already guessed that the reason R’as needed the knife was just to have Bruce kill him with it. Even Bruce, who vowed not to kill earlier in the episode, only needs a little bit of goading before stabbing his nemesis in the heart until he disintegrates. It’s an unfortunate and abrupt ending especially since Alexander Siddig has done such a good job with the villain. Thankfully, his weird hand touching moment with Barbara makes it seem like R’as could return later in the season unless he transferred his power to her to make his business partner the new demon’s head rather than Bruce.
There are two side plots in “The Blade’s Path,” and both have a lot of potential to be interesting. First, Solomon Grundy finally rises to join the Gotham Rogue’s Gallery after being dumped in a toxic lake during his coma. Now suffering from amnesia, he adopts the name “Solomon Grundy,” before making his way back to the city. He runs into Nygma, who’s nursing his wounds after failing to rob a pharmacy. The two form a fun odd couple and make their way to an underground fight ring with the hopes of earning some money.
Looks like they’re about to get a new ally in the form of dark Lee who has become a doctor for criminals while nursing a drinking problem. It’s nice to see Morena Baccarin back on-screen but after the horrible arc her character had last season, it’s hard to be excited about her return. Especially when new femme fatale and Jim Gordon love interest, Sofia Falcone, is such a delight to see in Gotham. This week she easily wraps Penguin around her finger by taking on a maternal role and the burgeoning mobster looks like she’s ten steps ahead of everyone else.
Next: Gotham Recap: “The Demon’s Head”
Next week it looks like the GCPD are in for an unwelcome surprise with a killer who is specifically targeting cops. While, “The Blade’s Path,” does a good job of setting up the inevitable showdown between Sofia and Penguin, “Hog Day Afternoon,” should give Jim something to do rather than yell at Harvey regarding the crime licenses. In the meantime, what did R’as do to Barbara? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts!