Gotham returned Monday night and introduced one of my personal favorite villains of all time, Mr. Freeze. Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version of the late 90’s, this Victor Fries (Nathan Darrow) is not campy or cartoonish. Instead, we get a more personable portrayal. Traditionally, Victor Fries is a tragic figure. He wants to cure his wife Nora from a disease that’s killing her. The method he chooses however is questionable at best. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Unlike all the other DC inspired shows that are on the air, Gotham is the most shall we say, more sadistic in nature and tone. It’s become a common theme on this show. It doesn’t bother me that it’s so different in tone from Arrowor The Flash, both of which have its own sense of dark themes. There is just a better balance on those shows as oppose to this one. Getting back to the episode, it picks up where we left off during the mid-season finale. Mayor Theo Galavan has been murdered and Jim Gordon has to answer some tough questions from DA Harvey Dent regarding his possible involvement and the whereabouts of Oswald Cobblepot.
Gordon was excused of any wrong doing although neither Dent nor Captain Barnes believes his story. Cobblepot is finally apprehended although not sure how he was found in the first place. Oh well, I digress. With Cobblepot off to Arkham, his arrest puts Gordon on notice from Barnes that he is still being watched. While this was happening, Gotham was facing a new “villain” with a powerful means of freezing his victims. We are also introduced to another popular villain, Hugo Strange played by B.D. Wong. He’s a different kind of baddie and should make for interesting adversary, as he appears to have his sights on Cobblepot.
The focus of the episode of course was Victor Fries. By definition, Victor is a villain. He uses people as guinea pigs in his attempt to save his wife. Fries have been one of the few members of Batman’s famed Rogue Galley that had a human quality to him. You felt his pain and anguish. You couldn’t help but root for him because you knew what drove him to extreme measures, it was the love he has for his wife. Feeling desperate, Victor goes full on Mr. Freeze and attacks a pharmacy worker and security guard to get the meds his wife sorely needed. The GCPD arrives and the clues lead them to the Fries’ residence. Gordon and Bullock arrest Nora when they discover frozen bodies in their basement.
Victor tires to turn himself at the station but is forced to sit with all the other men who claim to be him. There, he sees the pharmacist that he froze earlier alive and for the most part well. This was a big breakthrough for Victor. All his other experiments ended in his inability to revive them from their frozen state. Seeing this gave Victor a sense of optimism and hope. He leaves the police station vowing to break Nora out and saving her. We’ll have to wait till next week to see if he does just that. I enjoyed the introductions of Mr. Freeze and Hugo Strange and look forward to seeing their development.
The biggest issue I have with the series is Jim Gordon. Actor Ben McKenzie does a wonderful job and I like his work. It’s the writing of the character I take issue with. Much like how I took exception of Jonathan Kent’s portrayal in the film Man of Steel, Jim Gordon has always been a moral compass for Batman just as Jonathan was or Clark Kent/Superman. With the exception of Alfred, Gordon is that father figure Bruce Wayne looked up to. I’ll never pretend to know what it’s like in a life or death situation for an officer of the law. But we’ve seen this version of Jim Gordon commit murder and deny that he did anything wrong. While he is a long way from being the Commissioner Gordon that we all know from the comics, I’m just afraid he’s too far from being redeemed. If that is the case, then that’s a crime. And shame on the show runners for doing that to such a great character in the Batman mythos.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
