It has been well over a month since the last new Gotham (the last new one was in late November) and in it we meet the inmates of Arkham Asylum and its resident doctor, Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin).  Before we get to that main action, let’s get out of the away several of the B-plots, C-plots and D-plots.

Selina and Ivy

It is raining in the streets of Gotham and Selina finds a homeless Ivy under some cardboard boxes obviously sick. Ivy refuses Selina’s help but relents when she says she knows a place they can stay. That place is Barbara and Jim’s penthouse.

Barbara and Montaya

The two ladies are still shacking up in a hotel room. Montaya returns to Barbara, who is still in bed, with some coffee. Montaya wonders if Barbara had called Jim yet but Barbara tells her that she is over him and leans in for a kiss. Montaya then tells Barbara that what they are doing is wrong and they shouldn’t be together, that if she stays, they will fall back to their old vices of drugs and alcohol. Montaya states they are toxic together. Barbara takes offence to this and the two argue about who should stay or go. Eventually it is Montaya who volunteers to leave. When alone, Barbara calls Jim at home but instead Ivy picks up and as any trouble making little girl makes it sound like she is Jim’s girlfriend and is other in disposed. Barbara gets pissed, hangs up on Ivy and tosses her phone away.

The Penguin

At the docks, the Penguin tries to raise the taxes on some of Maroni’s fishermen. The fishermen refuses and even called the Gotham PD. The Penguin thinking that was foolish ends up looking like the fool as the police punch him and bring him and his sidekick in. At the precinct, the Penguin tries and get Bullock to call Maroni for him but he refuses. Maroni eventually comes and wanted Penguin to stay in jail because of his hubris in thinking he can raise the fishermen’s takes without his permission. The Penguin profusely apologizes and Maroni bails him and the sidekick out. Once out, Maroni reminds the Penguin that he is the man in charge making some zookeeper and monkey metaphor.

Fish Mooney

Fish meets with a couple of Falcone’s men, which include an old friend of Butch. Jimmy Saviano is displeased with Falcone and when Fish asks Saviano who would take over from Falcone, he of course suggests himself. Fish wants their thoughts on her taking over. The two men kind of laugh off that idea.

Later, Butch offers to talk to Saviano for Fish in order to get him on her side. Fish wonders if Butch will betray her, which he replies that of course not, But when he rises, it looks like Butch just might.

At the pier, Butch does meet with Saviano and offers him a job to go over to his side. Butch says he will think about. Later at Fish’s Butch says he needs more time to work on Saviano, which Fish gives him.

Butch finally has an answer for Saviano; he will join him. Before he declares some terms, Butch confesses to Saviano that he cheated him out of some choice beef cuts when they were kids. Saviano forgives him and Butch shoots him dead in the head. So much for me thinking he will betray Fish.

Jim Gordon at Arkham Asylum

Jim is watching a Arkham Asylum version of what I am pretty sure it The Tempest when one inmate leap frogs onto the stage to attack the inmate, Royston, who is playing Ariel.

Nurse Dorothy (played by Moonlighting’s Allyce Beasley) tells Director Doctor Jerry Lang that they need to bring in the doctor. Also it seems that Dr, Lang has it out of Gordon, blaming him for the incident.

The doctor called in is Leslie Thompkins. Thompkins knows all about Jim’s rep and the two seem to have a flirty conversation.

Later as Gordon is making his rounds, he sees the inmate that attacked Royston. When Gordon enters Frogman (as he known) cell, he find him catatonic with two circles around his temples.

Thompkins tells Gordon that Frogman underwent really bad electro shock therapy that made him brain dead. Gordon wants to call in the Gotham police but Dr. Lang believes it is an internal matter and once again blames Gordon for what happened.

Gordon learns that a guard lost his set of keys during the riot at the play so Gordon starts to question the inmates, which include Jack Gruber (Christopher Heyerdahl, who also played Zor-El in Smallville), denies taking the keys and the child like Aaron, who Dorothy defends as not being able to hurt a fly despite killing his family with an axe.

Unfortunately, Royston is the next victim of the electro-shock therapy but instead of being brain dead spouts his lines from the play. Gordon comes to realize that it might be a staff member creating all of this havoc and not an inmate. Dr. Lang staunchly believes it is an inmate and warns Gordon once again not to call the police.

Too late, Gordon does and Bullock arrives and takes in Dr. Lang for questioning, allowing Gordon to go over the staff files.

Dr. Lang denies any staff involvement, including him. Bullock wonders what Lang is hiding. Lang admits he is hiding something but won’t tell Bullock what it is. Bullock presses again for a staff member that could be involved. Lang once again defends his staff until he thinks of a certain name.

At Arkham, as Gordon is getting nowhere with the staff files, he comes upon the asylum’s blueprints and asks Nurse Dorothy if there is a basement where records woulc be kept. Dorothy says there is but it has been closed for 10 years. Gordon insists that Dorothy take him to the basement. And we all know where that will lead and Gordon knows it too.

When Dorothy and Gordon head to the basement, Thompkins comes upon them. Gordon tries to get her to go home but Thompkins is just confused. What happens next is Dorothy shoves Thompkins to Gordon and makes a run for it. Gordon tells Thompkins to place Arkham under lockdown and go home. As Gordon catches up to Dorothy, Bullock calls to let him know that Dorothy is actually a patient and the guilty party.

The next we see Dorothy is she has let all the inmates out of their cell with Gruber choosing to remain in his cell. Unfortunately, in the stampede of escaping inmates, Dorothy is trampled to death. The mob comes upon Thompkins and corder her at a closed gate. Fortunately, Gordon comes to the rescue and tries to tell the inmates to go back to their cell while Thompkins opens the gate to escape. Gordon goes with her and locks the gates behind them.

At the precinct, Gordon, Bullock and the Captain celebrate their win. Bullock wants the Captain to get Gordon back to the GPD and while she wants to, the Captain tells the two her hands are tied. When the ME comes in to say that Dorothy also under went electro-shock therapy, the three realize that the real mastermind is still loose.

And we see that it is Gruber who uses the electro-shock therapy to control Aaron to get him to kill a guard and then Lang. When Bullock and Gordon return to Arkham, Gordon finds a note from Gruber in Lang’s hand taunting Gordon and pretty much a see you later nemesis type letter.

After a long day at work, Gordon returns home and believes that Barbara has returned home after seeing the empty bowls and dishes left behind by Ivy and Selina.

The episode didn’t end on that exciting cliff hanger but when Butch killed Saviano.

So we get one new episode to now have two weeks off. So what did you think of Gotham’s winter premiere? I still can take or leave this show.