Fox’s Gotham
Season 3, Episode 3: “Look Into My Eyes”
Directed by Rob Bailey
Written by Danny Cannon

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Burn the Witch” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “New Day Rising” – click here
A man called Jervis Tetch (Benedict Samuel) has just come to Gotham City. He’s a hypnotist. He performs at the club owned by Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) and Tabitha Galavan (Jessica Lucas). He does an elaborate show, various tricks involving people hypnotised to do different things. One man he has stand on a chair, “unburdened by doubt and fear” through his hypnotic state, balancing at all angles, not once falling. But it’s not all sweet little fun and games, there’s something sinister behind Mr. Tetch.
“Are you ready to do something impossible?”
At Wayne Manor, Bruce (David Mazouz) and Alfred (Sean Pertwee) are letting subject 514A chow down. He has no memories, just being locked in Indian Hill, all those tests. The young billionaire wants to help his doppelganger, whereas the butler’s really uneasy about the whole thing.
In the morning, Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) is waking up next to Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung) after their night together. He doesn’t realise that Dr. Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) is back at the GCPD to take up her old job. That is until he goes to get his latest cheque from the city, running into her. He finds out about her fiancee, a doctor soon to be working at Gotham General as head of trauma. Ouch.
The man Jervis hypnotised at his show becomes a pawn for the hypnotist. Tetch calls the man’s house later, reciting the words he’d implanted earlier. This sends the man downstairs to let him inside. When the wife wakes up, she finds the “magic man” manipulating her husband. Then she’s dead, and hubby is set to commit suicide. The whole reason Tetch is in Gotham is to track down his missing sister, it seems.
Alice Tetch (Naian González Norvind) ain’t doing so hot in the big city. She can’t pay her rent, she has a disgusting landlord. However, there is something very strange about Alice. She’s not exactly a… normal lady, to say the least.
On the street, Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) confronts Mayor Aubrey James (Richard Kind) in front of the media. He looks like he’s positioning himself to run for office, announcing his candidacy for Mayor. He may just have a decent chance, too. Really enjoy the few parallels to the storylines of Cobblepot used in Batman Returns.
When Alfred and Bruce are sparring, 514A wakes up to see them training. They give him a try at the gloves. They begin uncovering the powers of this specific experiment from Indian Hill. It’s obvious that he doesn’t feel any pain. He likewise has some ugly scars as souvenirs.
That day, bounty hunter Jim gets an offer from Jervis, he wants help finding Alice. We hear that Jervis brought her to “the fiend” Strange; ah, this explains her frightening powers. She was one of the Indian Hill escapees during the chaos, now she’s out there, living alone, frightened and frightening in equal measure.
Selina (Camren Bicondova) comes to see Bruce, worried about Ivy after her fall. He’s surprised that she cares. But Ms. Pepper had literally nobody in the world, only the Cat, and it’s clear the two have a bond. Bruce urges her not to give up looking for her friend. They also share a brief, beautiful, subtle moment. That is, before the myriad of problems in young Wayne’s life makes him look like a “selfish son of a bitch.” Again. All the while, 514A looks on, learning human behaviour.
On the street, Jim finds Selina, asking if she may know of Alice Tetch. She also tells him about Ivy, hoping he might hear something about her. The Cat saw Alice, momentarily, but knows she got a job in the Narrows Bar. When he goes down there to the bar he finds it burned down; Alice did it. Jim runs into a few mobsters, though, and has to fight his way out.
This sends Jim to get a few stitches at the hospital, where he gets stitched up by Lee’s fiancee, Mario (James Carpinello). And what is the guy’s last name? Falcone! He’s a Falcone! Oh, shit. That’ll add a nice new dynamic to the character relationships. His dad is Carmine (John Doman), no less.
In a restaurant, Penguin meets with James, taunting him over his lack of leadership when Galavan terrorised the city. The current Mayor sees it as no threat, believing Cobblepot just another psychotic. Think he’s underestimating the power of the citizenry, who’ve clearly chosen their candidate in the Penguin.
Across town, Jim finds Alice’s apartment. She is busy worrying about the landlord she infected. She warns Jim not to get any blood on him. Then she lights the landlord’s body on fire, running off into the night again after Jim mentions her brother. She doesn’t want to be found.
514A gets up to some eerie stuff, cutting his hair and taking some clothes. Imagine what sort of weirdness he might get up to, out there in the world looking just like Bruce.
In Arkham Asylum, Penguin visits the new warden to try getting a friend of his released. He needs some help with his campaign. Oh, surely you know who it is – I’d bet none other than Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith). He’s quite pleased to see his “old friend” waiting to pick him up in a limo later. Big, bad things are poised to happen.
Jervis is doing a new show. At the club, he hypnotises Barbara herself into being in love with him. She comes out of her state and professes her love for Mr. Tetch, kissing him in front of the crowd. Afterwards, he has to snap her out of it, quick, because she’s quite unpredictable, even under hypnosis. Gordon catches up with the hypnotist following his show, updating him on Alice and her “infection.”
Moreover, Tetch takes Jim outside for a talk. Right about the time he starts hypnotising the unsuspecting bounty hunter. He commands Jim to put down his gun, then walk to the edge of a building. Jesus. So close to taking a tumble to the concrete below. Before Gordon can commit suicide Alice shows up, telling her brother to stop. When she shoots at Jervis this makes Jim slip, though she manages to help him back onto the roof.
On the streets, 514A poses as Bruce, to go pick up Selina for a bit of dinner together. Hmm. I am officially worried as hell. This is getting sketchy.
Love the Mad Hatter, so glad to see Benedict Samuel playing Jervis Tetch. Great character added to the cast. Gotham is such a beautiful mix of noir, camp, and dark crime drama. Really find it a wonderful combination of all the things I’ve loved about Batman comics/films/series’s over the years.
“New Day Rising” comes next.