As I mentioned in my last ‘Gotham’ recap, I found the introduction of future Batman foe The Scarecrow to be perhaps the least interesting thing about last week’s episode. The show wraps up the two-parter this week with an episode explicitly called ‘The Scarecrow’, so you know we’re going to spend more time with that storyline. Fortunately, this one plays a little better.

Not that I disliked the last episode, mind you. I just thought that the other storylines were more compelling, while the business with Dr. Crane and son felt like an afterthought. This time around, they play more of a central role.

The Only Thing to Fear…

The episode opens with the Cranes striking a new victim, an English teacher terrified of zombie home invaders or something like that. With the man’s harvested adrenal glands, the elder Crane (Julian Sands) mixes up a potion that he injects into himself, which gives him hallucinatory visions of a woman on fire. We’ll later learn that the woman was his wife, who died in a house fire. This is the fear he’s been struggling to overcome.

Gordon and Bullock finally identify Crane as a biology teacher at the same school as the victim. It seems like a pretty stupid mistake for Crane to kill someone he knew personally, but I suppose he’s desperate at this point.

With the cops closing in, Crane injects his son with a massive dose of his concoction. This causes the kid to convulse into seizures while in a field underneath a scarecrow. You can see where this is going.

Now cured of his fear, or any fear at all for that matter, papa Crane recklessly charges at Jim and Harvey, who are forced to gun him down in front of his son. They bring the kid to a hospital, where doctors determine that his brain chemistry is permanently altered. He now lives in a constant state of terror, haunted by visions of an evil scarecrow coming after him. I imagine he’ll wind up in the Arkham Asylum, and from there develop his new identity as a supervillain.

Something Fishy

The last episode ended with Fish Mooney lunging toward a pirate. It seems my assumption that they actually knew each other must have been wrong. Here, she wakes up in a dungeon or prison of some sort, filled with all sorts of dangerous lowlifes, plus one guy named Kelly wearing a ratty suit, who’s a little too helpful at showing her the ropes of the place.

Ever the smart cookie, Fish quickly identifies a dude named Mace as the badass everyone else is afraid of, because he somehow has the only knife. Apparently, Mace has never seen a prison movie before and isn’t aware that the best way for a newbie to prove him- or herself and avoid being fucked with is to immediately take out the toughest guy around. Fish, however, has seen a prison movie or two, so that’s exactly what she does.

As Fish asserts her dominance, the pirates toss a new prisoner into the cell, a woman whose eyes they’ve cut out. Eww.

Into the Woods

At Wayne Manor, Bruce gears up to go on a hike through the woods near the estate. This was an annual tradition that he and his father used to have, and he insists that he must do it alone. Well, he probably regrets that when he falls down a hill and sprains his ankle. Bruce spends a long time dragging himself back up the hill, only to find Alfred sitting there with a campfire, waiting to see if he could do it. They have a nice bonding moment watching the sun rise, just like Bruce and his dad used to do.

No Kissing at Work

Jim is a little apprehensive when his girlfriend Leslie (Morena Baccarin) takes a job as the GCPD’s new Medical Examiner. He’s worried about appearances of propriety, especially when Harvey warns him that, “Office romance always ends in tears.”

Ed Nygma thinks she’s a swell addition to the police force, and likes her a great deal more than the last M.E.

A Bird in Hand

Now officially on Don Maroni’s shit-list, Penguin whines to Don Falcone about needing protection. Falcone barely pays him any attention, doesn’t seem concerned about it, and orders Penguin to reopen Fish’s nightclub. The business makes money, and money equals power. Penguin will now openly be an associate of Falcone, no more skulking around, and that already will bring him some protection.

Penguin renames the club “Oswald’s” and decorates it with a neon umbrella logo. He sends out invitations to a grand opening, and personally goes down to police headquarters to invite Jim, hoping to solidify him as a friend. Jim spurns his offer.

Falcone has a parley with Maroni, in which he again doesn’t seem to give a crap if Maroni wants to kill Penguin. However, he offers up the goods on a blackmailed judge as a sign of good will. Maroni pays a visit to the nightclub to tell Penguin that, “All is kosher between us…” until the very minute Don Falcone dies, at which time penguin hunting season will reopen.

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I wouldn’t say that this is one of the best episodes of the show’s first season, but it’s a solid entry in most respects. Next week teases a possible introduction for The Joker. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Is it really a good idea to bring that character out so soon? I’d rather see him in Season 2 or 3. The first year should leave The Penguin as the major antagonist and not steal his thunder. I guess we’ll have to see how the episode handles things.