Much like the episode of the title suggests, Gotham is indeed a time bomb, as are many of its storylines which are taking some dire turns for various characters. Of all characters, Nygma’s storyline will surely have a lasting impact for the rest of the season.
Since Nygma is hell bent on finding out who was responsible for Isabella’s death, his first thought, one that is backed by Cobblepot, is that it must be Butch. So, as a crazed maniac like Nygma does, he kidnaps both Butch and Tabitha since they were together. Their interrogation is equal parts interesting and creepy. The Riddler side of Nygma begins peeking through. The way that Cory Michael Smith shifts between a gamut of emotions is spectacular.
There is a moment where he sets up a contraption where Tabitha must either press the button to shock and kill Butch, or allow the guillotine to cut off her hand. The scene is oddly funny because, at first, Tabitha is basically saying sorry to Butch and she is going to kill him. But then, Butch taunts Nygma and says that he put two bullets in Isabella’s head. And that’s where everything turns. Nygma knows that he must have the wrong person, but Tabitha still loses her hand because time’s up.
The whole ordeal is great symbolization for exactly what is happening to Nygma. He always thinks he is doing what he feels is just, even if he doesn’t have all that information to make that call. He is one of the smartest characters in Gotham, but continues to allow his heart to control his actions. I feel that he will be able to piece it together that it was indeed Cobblepot, and that will certainly be a hellacious set of episodes.
Barbara also plays a crucial role in this episode, and those to come. Everyone always tries to make it seem as if Barb is ditzy blonde, but the others’ reluctance to actually see how important she is will be their downfall. This episode was all about schmoozing her way into the lives of some very important characters. She talks her way into getting close to Penguin’s housekeeper, Olga, and learns that Cobblepot likes Nygma more than just as a friend. This eventually leads her to finding Nygma’s location after she seduces the sex toy seller, Todd, of course. But, it isn’t until she takes Butch and and Tabitha (and her hand) to Gotham General where she pieces it all together. Now, it’s hard to imagine how she will utilize all this power, but she has the ability to shake up various aspects of Gotham. Erin Richards, as she usually does, plays Barbara’s sexy and powerful sides perfectly. It’s hard not to like her character.
While being the “main†storyline that has been developing, Mario’s storyline was interesting, but his character falls a bit flat for me. It could just be due to the fact that the show really hasn’t given us a reason to really like him. Someone (who we learn later is the Court of Owls) is after him, but we don’t really learn why yet. Falcone is back in town, and it certainly appears that he is going to be causing some problems; but it isn’t entirely because of his doing. The Court of Owls are, once again, moving the pieces in Gotham and, for an unknown reason, Mario is on their list. We do learn, however, that Mario was infected with Alice’s blood, as he can be seen hulking out on two occasions. It seems that The Court of Owls has something to do with it. Hopefully this will allow the character to have some more meaningful interactions with the rest of the cast.
In addition, Bruce, Selena, Ivy (kind of) and The Whisper Gang also have formed an interesting pact to take down The Court of Owls. The whole ordeal was hilariously set in motion because of Ivy’s insistence to not stay in Wayne manor while they were researching the key. Her being taken is about par for the course, and I was hoping she would be a little bit more of a crucial character in Gotham. Bruce’s pact with The Whisper Gang is quite interesting for the character. It’s one of those, the enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of things because the gang, without a doubt, are killers.