[sc:gothamtop]

Pax Penguina is a new concept for Gotham and not everyone is onboard. Jim is fighting the GCPD, Bruce wants to use the license system to stop crime. It is A Dark Knight rising in the fight against crime but will he survive the Penguin’s crew?

Pax Penguina:

GU68 - Pax Penguina - Penguin

Penguin is ruling Gotham City in a more subtle way.  His Pax Penguina is because he has beat down and intimidated the criminals.  Then he has licensed career criminals to commit crimes. It has cut the crime rate in half and even the police officers, most of them, are happy with it. Victor Zsasz (Anthony Carrigan) is his enforcer and is cracking down on anyone trying to commit crime without a license. Turns out this license system has gotten approval, for a 1% cut in the profits, from Mayor Burke and the new commissioner.

Penguin has taken over the Sirens Club from Tabitha and rebranded it as the Iceberg Lounge.  He meets with the press to discuss the opening of the club and all he gets are questions about the license system.  But he turns the conversation back to the club.  The centerpiece is The Riddler on ice. He claims that Ed was frozen because of a rare incurable brain disease. In private, Oswald talks to frozen Ed and tells him how he no longer needs him. All this time, Ivy is working with Oswald and being treated like an annoyance.  But she gets her revenge in the end.

No Pax For Bruce:

GU68 - Pax Penguina - Bruce

Bruce has been hitting the streets and fighting off muggers.  He has a costume and is prepping to face Ra’s.  The training is paying off.  He takes down two armed muggers with no trouble.  But he is troubled by Penguin’s license program.  He talks with Alfred about things and Alfred tries to reason with him by talking about mission creep.  He has gone from one objective Ra’s, to two Ra’s and cleaning up Gotham.  Alfred questions it and says it is dangerous.  Bruce goes to Jim about the license program and talks with him. Bruce gives Jim ideas on how to get the gang.  This conversation is bookended by Bruce doing the Batman appear & disappear. Bruce knows that if he gets the list of the licensees he can stop or prevent crimes.  So he goes to Penguins club and gets the scoop on the list as Bruce not the mask.  Taking Alfred’s advice, he even makes some headway in defusing a situation as Bruce not the masked figure. He heads out and finds Mr. Penn and steals the list, but his attempt to stop a robbery gets him caught by the police.

Bruce is fighting for a pax with Selina.  She has been on the run with and training with Tabitha.  She is honing her skills with the whip and fighting.  Tabbs and Selina are given an ultimatum from Penguin via Zsasz. Selina decides to play nice with Penguin and get a license and surprise, Tabitha joins her.  At the grand opening, Selina sees Bruce and heads to the roof.  He follows her up and apologizes for how he treated her when Alfred was in the hospital.  She calls him up on the ledge where he walks and is confident and she plays on the edge.  In the end, they have come back part of the way towards understanding.

 

Jim Officer of The Pax?:

GU68 - Pax Penguina - Jim

Jim is not happy with the Penguin’s new roll in Gotham.  The commissioner has said if a criminal has a license, the GCPD has to let them walk. Harvey is still captain and he sees where Jim is coming from but, sees things differently.  As captain, he sees that his officers are surviving and not being hurt.  The crime rate is down and Gotham is coming back under control.  Jim argues with him that this peace is not good for the city or the force, because people are trusting Penguin more than them.

There is a rogue gang lead by Merton & Grady (Michael Buscemi & Michael Maize). They don’t wan’t to kick 1/2 of their proffits to Penguin, but after a confrontation with Zsasz they have to up their game.  Grady was a orderly at Arkham and has an idea of who can help them.  They bribe Warden Reed to let them have Jonathan Crane (Charlie Tahan). They take him to his dad’s house and they uncover his dad’s research and supplies.  They force him, using a scarecrow, to make the fear toxin.  They use this to rob a bank and thumb their noses at Penguin.

Jim knows the gang is not licensed and he can go after them. He and Harvey know they used the dead Dr. Crane’s toxin and go to Arkham to check on with Jonathan but the warden stonewalls them.  Jim takes Bruce’s suggestion and uses Penguin to call out the gang to attack.  He preps to capture them, but they make it to the club first.  This is because Jim gets a beat down from his fellow officers who like Penguin’s new system.  By the time they arrive Penguin & Zsasz have captured the gang.  They try to put on a show but Ivy kills the lights and between Bruce & Alfred, the GCPD, Tabbs and Selina the gang gets free and Penguin is dosed.  The gang gets captured except for Grady. Jim is fine with the outcome but things are not settled in the city yet.

Closing thoughts:

I am so glad Gotham is back. Jonathan Crane has stepped into the role of Scarecrow and I’m going to love it.  Bruce has grown so much in his skills and I’m loving his interactions with Selina.  I think this will be a great season for Gotham and feel the move to Thursday nights will help us. We thank you for your support and feedback.  Please give us your feedback.  If you can’t get it in by Friday’s at 5pm, still leave it!  We will play or read it on the next episode.

News:

A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper:  Under pressure to prove that the GCPD is still powerful, Gordon attempts to bring in Jonathan Crane. However, Gordon puts himself in a dangerous situation at Arkham when he is forced to fight off lunatics and the demon within himself. Meanwhile, with Barbara’s unexpected return, Selina and Tabitha must consider risks that come with joining her in the weapon business in the all-new “The Fear Reaper” episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, Sept. 28 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Sound Off:

What did you think of “Pax Penguina” What was your favorite moment from this episode?
Be sure to join our facebook group and get updates on upcoming shows!

Head over to our feedback page where you can upload an audio file, submit written feedback, or record a voice message on Speak Pipe.  As much fun as for the two of us to talk about Gotham, we want your voice to be heard.  So please help us in leaving audio feedback.
Have you checked out the other Golden Spiral Media podcasts? Head over to www.goldenspiralmedia.com/podcasts to find other great shows!

Lend A Hand:

Please leave us a review and a star rating on iTunes! They help us improve the show. We appreciate your support!
If you’re in the market for Gotham or Batman books, videos or other merchandise, click on this link and you’ll help support GSM Podcasts.

Looking For Other Great Shows?:

GSM has a great selection of podcasts about TV, Movies, and life in general.  Check them out here.
Catch Karen on Maid of Steel and Remaking History and Geoff on Stuff I Learned Yesterday.

[sc:gotham]