Duck Fox

Thanks FOX

Vigilantism is the theme with this week's Gotham, as the show spins a yarn out of its craziest, most over the top weekly villain yet: the terrible, evil: BALLOONMAN! Now if you would please stop laughing, I have to tell you why this mild mannered lunatic is awesome! You see, the Balloonman was originally a very kind hearted juvenile service worker who went the extra mile for his people, the denizens of Gotham. But he watched the news and saw how unsavory characters all around Gotham were getting away with murder. Sometimes literally. So he decided to suit up, put on a pig mask (no relation to Professor Pyg) and punish the people who were hurting poor, innocent Gotham citizens. He became the hero Gotham never wanted. And really didn't deserve.

The believability of the Balloonman is basically nill. A weather balloon wouldn't be able to lift a person into the stratosphere. But the themes of an innocent person being wronged, and taking it upon himself to mete out justice to all those who would continue to perpetrate harm unto others should be intimately familiar to fans of any version of the Batman mythos. The Balloonman specifically targets Ronald Glazer, a Bernie Madoff type who swindled hundreds of Gotham's would be retirees and citizens, and the corrupt Lieutenant Cranston. Both one off characters who still deserve praise for their perfectly slimy portrayals. Taking them down is a worthy cause, one that would resonate with any vigilante. It definitely resonates with Bruce Wayne, who for once, feels appropriately utilized rather than shoved in for maximum fan appreciation.

Bruce and Alfred are still figuring out how to get on without Thomas and Martha, and while Alfred starts the episode with a small victory by getting young Bruce Wayne to smile in a mock fencing match, he's soon finding Bruce has lost his appetite and smuggled crime scene photos from his parents murder into the house. Bruce's appetite only returns after the Balloonman is placed under arrest. The idea of killing criminals is what ended up leading to his downfall, in Bruce's eyes-- if he hadn't committed this sin, then it would have been all good. He could have kept being a vigilante. The way young Bruce is mesmerized by the idea of vigilantism at this young age speaks volumes to Gotham's ability to connect with the original mythos.

What's really great about this episode, though, is that everything is finally working in similar ways to Bruce and Alfred's interactions. While the past couple of episodes have been great, the jigsaw puzzle of Gotham was weak in a couple of areas. Tonight, it was strong across the board. Fish Mooney continues to inspire in her C-story by using her five minutes of screen time to set up a hit on Falcone's girlfriend as payback for last week's beatdown on her boy toy. The culmination is a chilling exchange between the two, where Falcone intimates he's aware of Mooney's actions and he is fully ready to take care of her as soon as he's able to justify it. The conspiratorial angle of the episode serves it really well as it dives in with Cobblepot again.

Oswald Cobblepot is the bridge between the campiness of the crazy weekly villains and Gordon's department life, and the dark, noir thriller feel of Gotham's underworld when it's at work. He's just deranged and brutal enough to be part of the dark thriller scenes, but he also belongs in the campy world where murder is close to a punch line. It's only fitting that he shatters Gordon's entire life by the episode's end, when he shows up unannounced. Before that he's goofing around, murdering people for their shoes (yeah, seriously) and bussing tables. He's got a plan to take Gotham back, but Gordon's unlikely to enjoy it. The tension mainly comes from the fact that Montoya and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) are still eying him for Oswald's murder. Montoya even makes a play for Barbara, wrapping her infatuation with the woman in an urge to see Gordon brought to justice. Though there's a bit of reciprocation when Montoya kisses her, Barbara isn't quite ready to betray Gordon, or believe he betrayed her trust. Gordon later proclaims to her that the city is "sick" in a way he didn't count on. It's a heavy burden to carry; the weight of Gotham's sins. Gordon still refuses to shift it, even a little, onto Barbara, but even though he's keeping her in the dark, Barbara now understands that he's carrying it.

The metaphorical weight of sins is played with a lot in "Balloonman." How could it not be when the guilty men, like Ronald Danzer and Lieutenant Cranston don't feel an ounce of extra guilt when abusing their powers and stealing from people. Their conscience is light as a feather, so why shouldn't they float away into the heavens? The twisted reward is a less obvious metaphor than Allen telling Gordon to "take a shower" after Gordon spent the day trudging through sewage, eager to find proof Selina Kyle was where she alleges on the night of the Wayne's murder. The little walkthrough of that night, with Selina piecing together events to prove herself to Gordon, has all the feeling of a walkthrough in your average Detective Comics book.

By the time all is said and done, Gotham ends its third outing by continuing to up its game. The series deftly leaps from thrilling conspiracy to raucous camp. Though the dialogue could stand to be a little less stilted and the various storylines, while great, still aren't balanced, the show has proven itself as the Batman-related TV series we need right now.

Score: 8.5

Watch It Like a Fox:

• You love the chemistry between Gordon and Barbara and Bruce and Alfred. Or Montoya and Barbara.
• Cobblepot kills for shoes!
• Harvey Bullock's "finding people" montage. Sometimes you just gotta take a sandwich break.

Duck It:

• You want more camp in your Batman themed TV. Alternatively, you want more noir. Or just more cowl and cape. 
• Less on-the-nose metaphors, please?
• The Balloonman is a little too over the-top.