Gotham 4×08 Review: “A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself”

“A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself” was not Oswald’s best week on Gotham. After starting off season four strong with holding all the cards and power, he’s continued his momentum of loss by suffering one upset after the other. My count came up to at least three times within this episode alone. This is what happens when you’re the one on top in Gotham City – you can only go down from there. The worst part is that he didn’t realize it until it was too late.

Sofia’s advice actually worked – Oswald used the distraction of training Martin to clear his mind and realize she was deceiving him. She was toying and manipulating him for a few episodes now; it was so obvious but he couldn’t see it. I enjoyed watching this turn of events. For a while it even looked like Penguin, Sofia and Martin could’ve become an unofficial family, but now that Oswald is going to turn against Sofia, we might have to give up this dream. Though, I still hope Oswald adopts Martin; he could be a good father for the little boy.

David Giesbrecht/FOX

Speaking of Martin, were you a fan of the new character? I quite liked him. His silence made him mysterious and he got along with Oswald pretty well. I’m not sure if he appeared in the comic books; I’ll have to do some digging on this. I have a feeling Penguin’s training of Martin will come into play later on in the season. Teaching him how to deceive “friends” and stab them is the type of foreshadowing twist that will hurt a character in the future. Wait…could it be Sofia?

Even though it was due to Sofia’s meddling and other tactics, I’m still happy James Gordon became the GCPD Captain. As I mentioned in last week’s review, his character has been the only one for a while now trying to do any good in Gotham City. Harvey, for as much as he is a good friend, doesn’t do anything to help the citizens; it’s all about protecting himself. With James behind the desk, we could start seeing him develop into the Commissioner we love from the comics and cartoon series.

Edward was pushing his luck with the performance at the Narrows. Who would ever think that was a good idea? His portrayal constantly made fun of Oswald. I’m surprised Penguin didn’t call Zsasz or go there himself to kill the Riddler. In fact, him sending Barbara, Tabitha and Selina to kidnap him was almost tame in comparison to what he could’ve done. “A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself” was Edward’s night to be petty, and petty he was!

I’ve missed having scenes of Barbara and Lee together. These two have great chemistry – there’s electricity whenever they’re throwing shade at each other! After all the seasons of them fighting, it’s nice to see them to have a newfound respect for each other, even if it came with Lee slapping Barbara. Lee and Barbara are two of the most powerful women in Gotham City; they see in each other their counterpart. And now with Lee as the leader of the Narrows, she and Barbara could find more common ground in Gotham City.

David Giesbrecht/FOX

Can we all agree it’s Firefly’s fault the plan didn’t work? She messed it up. I mean, Barbara, Tabitha and Selina had Edward in their grasp and were ready to bring him back to Oswald. If Firefly hadn’t been stubborn, Penguin would’ve had the Riddler once and for all. Furthermore, Cherry wouldn’t be dead and Tabitha would be reunited with Butch now that his memory is back. It’s all Firefly’s fault.

“A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself” was an action-packed episode that progressed the development for many of the characters. Some rose with power, while others are getting smarter with each new loss. I can’t wait to see how Lee and James react with their new power positions and what Oswald does to get revenge on Sofia. Trouble could be coming to our favorites in Gotham City.

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