This week Gordon is investigating a string of bank robberies where the leader believes that wearing a red hood is good luck. Fish is finally discovering who is running the prison harvesting black market, and Bruce meets one of Alfred’s old friend that is hiding a terrible secret.
The Good
- Alfred’s old military buddy, Reggie Payne, pops in for a visit, and opens up old wounds when they both served in Her Majesty’s SAS, Special Air Service. Alfred tries very hard to shield Bruce from his sorted past, but fails miserably.
- Fish meets with the Manager of the prison facility, but finds out that someone higher is really running the show, Dr. Dulmacher. Could it be that Dr. Dulmacher is the Dollmaker from the comics? To prevent the Manager from making her the next victim, she gouges her eye out and crushes it so that he won’t have it to sell.
- Penguin’s club is running out of booze because of Maroni controlling the booze distribution. Butch comes to the rescue.
- Gordon and Bullock find a gang of bank robbers are taking the money and giving it to the poor, the Red Hood gang is labeled heroes in the community because they are helping them with money problems. This gang is more of a comic relief than dramatic and serious.
- Barbara tries to convince Selina that looks can be a very powerful weapon to get what you want. But Selina sees right through her and reminds Barbara to look in the mirror, because it didn’t help her.
- Alfred’s friend, Reggie, betrays Alfred and mortally wounds him before leaving Wayne Manor. To make matters worse, he is hired by the Wayne Enterprises board member to spy on Bruce and find out what he’s got on them.
The Bad
- Barbara’s behavior is pathetic. She is drinking away her problems, and is oblivious that her advice to Selina is a reflection of herself.
- It is obvious that Bruce is fighting an uphill battle against his father’s corporation, and his board members. I just wish that Bruce would get some help to get rid of the rotten waste in Wayne Enterprises.
- The main title of this episode is misdirected. The Red Hood Gang angle is nice, but I think the main focus should have been Alfred’s past and his future with Bruce.
- The more I see Penguin sinking deeper and deeper into the hole with the club, the more I realize is that he doesn’t know what he is doing.
- Fish needs to get out of that prison or she is going to end up in real trouble.
This episode has its ups and downs. Alfred’s past catches up with him, and he gets betrayed by someone he thought he knew. Bruce gets a life lesson from both Alfred and his friend, Reggie. The masked vigilante phenomenon starts in the most unlikely of places, from a gang of bank robbers, and Fish takes drastic measures from becoming a human harvesting victim. Gotham streets are getting more reckless and dangerous, and Gordon’s fight to save his city is not looking promising.
