It\u2019s another \u201cvillain-of-the-week\u201d episode (which are always weaker in terms of overall story progress). Dr. Crane (Julian Sands), or the future Scarecrow\u2019s father for you comic book nerds, is wrecking havoc on his phobia bound support group. He kills his fellow members by subjecting them to their worst fears: heights, swimming pools, and even pigs. I\u2019m not making that up. Why he is doing this? And why now? Who knows! But he is! Harvey and Captain Essen are on the case of the first murder atop a roof. The victim, who feared heights, was left to hang off the top of the building. Ed Nygma, forensics, is also there and discovered something in the body, but Harvey quickly and assuredly shushes him. Must be tough for him, since apparently all the other cops are shunning him? Not too clear.<\/p>\n
Back at the station, Harvey gets a visit from Scottie Mullen (Maria Thayer), a Jessica Chastain lookalike, whose number was in the dead guy\u2019s pocket. Harvey is blown back and is reduced to being creepy and flirty with Scottie. They banter and she tells him about her phobia support group. He asks her if she is Irish (for odd reasons) and then watches her as she walks away, not listening to Jim, who has a lead taking them to ANOTHER warehouse. I swear, Gotham is a city of creepy abandoned warehouses. Maybe if they got rid of all the warehouses, then criminals would stop showing up to hide\/murder\/kidnap\/make bombs in the city.<\/p>\n Welp, Jim and Harvey arrive just in time to find the second victim being tortured by a guy in a pig mask surround by pigs. It\u2019s as ridiculous as it sounds. Harvey shoots the pig-masked man dead and that settles it, right? Nope. Also, the scene with Dr. Crane carrying a baby pig on the street was laugh out loud ridiculous. Back at the station, Harvey and Essen believe they caught the guy and the case is done. But you know who doesn\u2019t believe that? Jim freaking Gordon, because he always is right and KNOWS something else is up. Essen tells him to let it go, but we all know Jim NEVER let\u2019s things go.<\/p>\n Harvey, who earlier told Jim to forget about Barbara and make some moves on Thompkins, is making some moves himself, on Scottie Mullen, who reveals her fear of drowning in a swimming pool. Harvey says he is scared all the time and wants to join their support group for the night. So, he shares with the group, the group where no one seems upset\/worried\/sad about the killer who is killing off their members. And, oh, hey look, the killer, Todd Crane, is still there. He shares his fear of failure before rushing off, Scottie follows. He, of course, kidnaps her, right under the nose of Harvey. It pains me so much how this show can pull stuff like this. I mean, come on. Gotham City Police Department is probably the worst police force in all of fictional media.<\/p>\n Luckily, after a call to Scottie\u2019s mother, they find a location on the pool where she almost drowned as a child. Sure enough, Dr. Crane has taken her there, speaking his villain talk to her about fear. His son, Jonathan aka Scarecrow, comes in for money for the parking meter. Like, what? HAHA. His father reassures him this is for the greater good. Why? How? What? Stereotypical villain reasoning. Jim and Harvey arrive just in time. Harvey saves Scottie but Jim loses track of Dr. Crane after a chase\/gunfight.<\/p>\n Back at GCPD, Thompkins shows up with the case file. She discovered that the killer has been removing the \u201cfear\u201d gland from his victim\u2019s at the moment of their death for the extra cortisol. Why? No reason yet. Jim then says woodenly, \u201cI have the strong urge to kiss you.\u201d Riiiiight. Leslie goads him into kissing her on the cheek, but pulls a fast one and turns her mouth just in time and the two passionately make out. In the middle of the police station. As everyone, EVERYONE, stares. Totally professional\u2026 not.<\/p>\n Ed Nygma has been coming into his own as a nerd and also as a creepy maniac. After being told repeatedly to not dissect the bodies of dead people, he is caught in the autopsy room by Essen and the angry Medical Examiner, who tells Essen she has to do something. So, she suspends Ed, even though he might have had a lead on the whole adrenal gland thing. Ed tells Kristen Kringle, who is crying over Flass (Ew!), that he is leaving and gives her back a tiny pencil. Kristen smiles and I want to warn her not to give even a little hope to Ed cause it could turn bad.<\/p>\n Ed later sneaks into the men\u2019s locker room and hides a bunch of gross body parts in the Medical Examiner\u2019s locker. He is later found with them and promptly fired, creating a new job opportunity for say…perhaps Dr. Leslie Thompkins. How so utterly convenient! Ed also returns to GCPD and makes sure Kristen knows. I can\u2019t wait to see his descent into madness and riddles!<\/p>\n Anyways, Maroni decides to take Penguin on a road trip upstate to \u201cmeet a guy about some stuff.\u201d Wow, great lie. Penguin is already suspicious. Later, at Maroni\u2019s cabin, Maroni starts baiting Penguin about truth, lies, dead Frankie, Indian Hill, etc. But Penguin won\u2019t bite. Maroni steps outside and Penguin quickly secures himself with a gun. When Maroni returns, they continue to play hardball, Maroni admitting what Fish told him. Penguin says its all a lie, but pulls the gun on Maroni and tries to shoot him. Yikes! The gun is filled with blanks. Penguin is screwed. How is he going to get out this one!?<\/p>\n![\"Gotham](\"http:\/\/www.whedonopolis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/CatCaught.jpg\")
<\/a>Jim isn\u2019t present for once because he goes to Barbara\u2019s empty apartment to drop off her keys. Young Selina Kyle has been shacking up there, eating cereal and looking pretty fly in her \u201cstreet\u201d clothes. Her makeup on point, her hair perfectly coiffed, dang, it\u2019s good to be a homeless child in Gotham. Anyways, Jim catches her and she tells him that she lied about seeing who killed the Waynes. So, Jim visits young Bruce, who confirms this, and then angrily lets Jim off of his promise to find the killer. He is going to investigate himself. Jim tries to protest but Alfred is all like ‘Back off my child master, bro!’ And so, maybe Bruce\/Selina\/Alfred will be off screen for a while, growing up. Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/a>So during all this kerfuffle (what a fun word!), Jim invites Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) to dinner. Appropriate timing. She thinks it\u2019s a date, but he asks for her advice on the case. She is confused, but then he says he did want to go on a date. Um, okay? When did he become so awkward? Unfortunately, the \u201cdate\u201d gets cut short by a phone call, there\u2019s another killer out there. He was right again. Dr. Thompkins is all too okay with Jim leaving. She is almost too cool for school.<\/p>\n<\/a>In the main side plot: Maroni receives a call from Fish, who is on some boat in Gotham harbor, telling him that Penguin has been working for Falcone this whole time. Maroni can\u2019t believe it. Penguin was just boasting about Fish\u2019s probable demise. WHY WOULD PENGUIN NOT CHECK TO MAKE SURE FISH WAS DEAD? Because then she could just call and tell Maroni, like she did! Big plot hole.<\/p>\n<\/a>Luckily for Penguin, Maroni decides to crush Penguin in a car crushing machine instead of just shooting him, which once again defies logic! I guess this is based off a comic-book, so I\u2019ll let it go. Penguin, of course, escapes, by threatening the car crusher dude with future death. Ya know what Maroni, you\u2019re an idiot! Penguin wakes up later in a pile of leaves and heads back to Gotham on a church bus full of singing gospel women. Um, okay? Is that supposed to be funny or symbolic or something?<\/p>\n