“Even before you went crazy, I never liked you.”
Finally, finally, FINALLY, villains are allowed to cut loose and make the most of it in this week’s episode of Gotham. When given good material and room to breathe, the actors can take their performances to the next level. This is the case with Anything for Anything for You. What sounds like a title for a John Hughes ‘80s teen film centers around the bromance between Penguin and Nygma, the latter’s ability to flex his muscles in a way we haven’t seen in a long time on the show, and a jealous Butch who doesn’t like being relegated to third banana.
Penguin’s riding the wave of his election victory, with Chief of Staff Nygma at his side, which doesn’t sit well with Butch, as the opening montage shows. A dedication ceremony for a memorial statue of Gertrude Cobblepot is interrupted by a new Red Hood Gang, who challenge his authority decapitate the statue. Incensed, Penguin has Nygma oversee the investigation with the GCPD where he receives a colder than icy welcome. Nygma, however, seems absolutely delighted to return and wave his certificate of sanity in everyone’s face with a sly smile and piercing eyes behind those horn-rimmed glasses.
Nygma figures out quickly that Butch is behind the Red Hood Gang as part of a scheme to make himself Penguin’s right-hand man once again. But wait, Bat-believers, it seems Babs and Tabs have also discovered Butch being naughty. The binary, Bat-crazy babes bring Butch to their bar and the big boy bows to their bargain; they remain silent about his involvement and he owes them. When Penguin calls and says he knows the location of the Red Hood Gang’s hideout, he arrives and kills the thugs as Penguin, Nygma and Zsaz arrive.
At Penguin’s party that evening, Nygma confronts Butch about his role in the Red Hood Gang and offers to help him kill Penguin; seems Nygma can’t stand being second banana as much as Butch can’t stand being third. Nygma suggests they both kill Penguin and run the city together; Butch refuses, though changes his mind under duress when Zsaz’s men have Tabs at gunpoint. Butch, donning the Red Hood, shoots Penguin as he gives a speech but the gun is loaded with blanks; turns out Nygma’s plan was to expose Butch for his treachery. Butch attacks Nygma, forcing Penguin to incapacitate him with Babs’ champagne bottle, which only makes him more of a hero. All is not neatly tied up, as Tabs breaks Butch out of the ambulance he was riding, so El Predicto states he will team up with Babs and Tabs in order to stick it to Penguin.
Cory Michael Smith, Robin Lord Taylor and Drew Powell were outstanding this week as Nygma, Penguin, and Butch respectfully. This is the kind of storytelling we’ve been waiting for and for this week at least, we’ve been given the promise of the premise. Anything for You is a solid episode involving characters in love or on the cusp of love, as well as offering love in its many forms. The themes of commitment and betrayal are prevalent, most obvious in the Penguin/Nygma/Butch main storyline, but also in the smaller stories.
Gordon, for example, and Vale are struggling three or four romps into their not-relationship. Seems she doesn’t separate Vale the woman from Vale the reporter, and presses Gordon on info involving the blood of the recently deceased Alice. Gordon doesn’t help and even muses that not being able to shut it off was the reason for the demise of his relationship, implying he and Lee, but also Babs as well. Vale then decides to go on a not-date with a haematologist to get the info she needs, but Gordon isn’t thrilled about his not-girlfriend going on a not-date. He mans up at the end, crashes Vale’s work dinner and tells a failing Don Juan to hit the bricks as he tried to procure sexual favours for the info he has on Alice. Gordon knows Vale can handle herself, but he decides to tell her what he knows.
Gordon also gives Bruce relationship advice about sharing his feelings with Selena. Turns out Gordon still has some humour left in him. Bruce, showing more maturity this season, flips the script and asks Gordon if he will follow his own advice with his new lady, as Bruce notices lipstick on a coffee mug at Gordon’s place.
Lee, meanwhile, takes it upon herself to confront Gordon and explain her fiancé’s parentage; Gordon already knows and is happy for both of them. So far things seem a little too kosher between them with “it’s none of my business”, and “I’m happy for you” stuff; El Predicto states something will happen to both Vale and Mario (maybe they run off together?), leaving Lee and Gordon an open door to get back together.
Bruce indeed confronts Selena and tells her how he feels, that he cares for her as more than a friend. And how does Selena volley that serve, you ask? She thought he felt that was as she is literally the only girl she knows; doesn’t matter if it’s true, just doesn’t. Selena kisses Bruce, plays her cards to her chest and leaves things ambiguous. In that moment I suddenly had a flashback to Grade Nine, when an inconceivably less personable, confident and ruggedly handsome me felt the similar sting of a young woman’s possible rebuff, and that’s the rub; we men never truly know what women are thinking and will drive ourselves mad if we attempt to try.
Babs and Tabs have each others’ backs, as always, but there was also a residue of what once was between Butch and Tabs, especially when she went to rescue him from ambulance custody. Even Tetch, though a lot more Mad Hatter than Jervis, gets in on the act. He kills an Alice surrogate and writes Gordon’s name in her blood, pledging to avenge her death and make those he feels responsible pay, starting with Gordon.
A solid, character-driven episode that delivered on all fronts, and the performances of Smith, Taylor, and Powell lead the way in how villains should behave on the show. Anything for You proves that Gotham need not have to abandon gritty nihilism, crazy plot antics or over the top villainy to present characters that care for each other. That allows we as an audience to care about them. Such layers and depth offer a more complex, compelling show. Now that we’ve seen what Gotham is capable of, we want more. And more Harvey.
Tune in next time – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
