Professor Pyg is terrorizing the city as Fox’s Gotham season four episode seven begins. Harvey (Donal Logue) is back at work after surviving Pyg’s attack, and he’s just in time to witness a massive delivery of severed pigs’ heads to the Gotham City Police Department. 44 heads have been delivered and the instructions say it’s one pig’s head for each of the department’s officers. The only cop who doesn’t get one is Jim Gordon.
Catching up with Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), he’s still depressed about taking a life – even if it was Ra’s al Ghul’s. A charity event’s being hosted at Wayne Manor, but that in no way lifts Bruce’s spirits. He’s snippy with the staff and races from the event to be alone. Of course, Alfred (Sean Pertwee) follows to question him about his feelings.
Bruce is reluctant to talk but finally opens up to Alfred. Bruce confesses he doesn’t feel sad, just angry. Alfred warns him to face his feelings head-on.
Back at the station, Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has shown up to offer his help. He’s brought along his new security consultant, Headhunter (Kyle Vincent Terry), who’s subbing in for Victor. Penguin says since Professor Pyg is killing cops, he’s basically killing his employees and that must stop. Jim (Ben McKenzie) angrily replies that the cops don’t work for him.
After Penguin leaves, Jim yells at Harvey for legitimatizing Penguin’s criminal activities. Harvey’s equally pissed about being questioned, especially by the one cop who didn’t receive a death threat. Harvey’s fine with Penguin going after Professor Pyg, and Jim swears he’ll find him himself. As their angry discussion is breaking up, they’re told three cops just went missing in the Narrows.
Over at Barbara’s place, she informs Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) and Selina (Carmen Bicondova) she’s closing shop. With Ra’s al Ghul gone, there’s no more money backing Barbara’s operation. Selina thinks they can make it work but Barbara (Erin Richards) is ready to break up their unhappy little family.
After Barbara leaves, Selina tells Tabitha about a potential heist they can pull off on their own. Tabitha says no because it’s impossible for them to rip off one of Gotham’s biggest motorcycle gangs.
Jim, Harvey, and plenty of backup arrive in the Narrows and find the missing cops’ car with blood in the front seat. Penguin’s gang joins in to help in the search and as Harvey explains how they’ll approach the search, furniture starts flying out of an apartment building.
Inside the building, Jim stops the cops and Penguin’s men from beating up potential witnesses. Harvey’s fine with what’s going on and how the search is being handled, caring not at all about innocent people getting hurt.
Bruce is hanging out in his kitchen when an old classmate, Grace (Samia Finnerty), shows up to say hi. She’s bored at the fundraiser and asks if he wants to go somewhere. Bruce actually smiles.
Jim respectfully questions one of the residents, asking what she saw. She keeps denying she saw anything when Headhunter and another one of Penguin’s men barge in and yank the potential witness’s husband out of his wheelchair and into the hallway. Jim’s pissed and goes after Headhunter who takes the elderly man to the street and is about to kill him if his wife doesn’t talk. A standoff ensues between Penguin’s men and the cops, and finally, the wife says she saw the cops taken away in a hearse.
Jim, Harvey, the cops, and Penguin’s guys head out to Hoover Island, following the witness’s lead. Jim locates one dead cop with a pig’s head and one cop who’s still alive but severely injured.
Penguin’s with Sofia Falcone (Crystal Reed) and the orphans when a breaking news report reveals two of the cops have been found. Sofia’s paying more attention to the orphans than Penguin and isn’t really listening to Penguin bragging about his accomplishments. She finally offers her opinion that her dad would never have taken the approach of aligning with the GCPD because they always fail. That means Penguin will ultimately fail. He decides that actually means he should get more involved, not less.
Selina ignores Tabitha’s advice and breaks into the motorcycle gang’s warehouse. She steals their stash out from under their noses, causing the men to torture one of their own who wasn’t paying attention and let it happen.
Jim’s in the ambulance with the injured cop when Harvey calls to tell him they haven’t found the third cop or Professor Pyg. The injured cop comes to and Jim asks if he saw Pyg’s face. He didn’t since he wore a mask, but he remembers the man tortured them for hours while singing nursery rhymes. Jim thinks Pyg’s doing this because of all the rot in Gotham, and he admits he also feels like he’s reached a breaking point.
The injured cop admits to being on Penguin’s payroll. Jim says he’s done bad stuff too, but they can make it right. He reveals that he’s going to take down Pax Penguina and then go after every single dirty cop. He asks the cop to join him, and the cop says he remembers Pyg is planning something. Pyg mentioned he’d bring justice to where there is justice no more.
Jim deduces Pyg is at the abandoned courthouse in the Narrows.
Grace brings Bruce to party with some of her friends. It turns out Bruce knows them from school and even previously punched one. When one of Grace’s friends asks about Alfred, Bruce has a vision of viciously punching the kid in his face. Instead, he controls his anger and agrees to go with them to a club.
Jim arrives at the abandoned courthouse along with the cops, Penguin, and Penguin’s men. Penguin seems to be in command and tells Jim, “We’ll take it from here.” Harvey appears to be fine with that.
Barbara counts out Tabitha’s money as Selina calls for help. She couldn’t escape the motorcycle club warehouse and the men there are all packing heat. Tabitha says she’ll be right there, but Barbara’s not anxious to go rescue her. Instead, she thinks it’s a teachable moment.
Penguin is having a blast speaking to the press, pointing out the cop may be trapped in the courthouse. Harvey pulls Jim aside to say Penguin’s men should be the cannon fodder and to let them go in first.
Pyg rings up Jim and explains his name is short for Pygmalion, chosen because he’s creating a new, better Gotham and a new, better Jim. He warns Jim that if he goes inside the courthouse, he’ll die. Pyg says to let Penguin’s men play cops and robbers. It’s then that Pyg reveals he’s actually the injured cop in the ambulance.
Meanwhile, Bruce is with Grace’s friends trying to get into a club. The bouncer won’t let the group’s leader, Brant Jones, in and once again the guy insults Bruce. He calls him a freak as Bruce’s hand clinches into a fist. Bruce pushes past Brant and talks to the bouncer on his own. Bruce then talks to someone else and comes back to tell Grace’s friends they can come in – but not Brant. Seems Bruce has just bought the place and he’s not in the mood to forgive the insults.
The group abandon Brant, and Bruce puts a finishing touch on the situation by taking Brant’s sunglasses and putting them on before heading in to party.
Jim warns Penguin and Harvey to call off the raid. He tells them about the switcheroo and that Pyg warned him not to enter the building. Jim’s sure it’s a trap and that he was warned because he’s not a dirty cop. Penguin thinks Pyg is actually trying to stop the raid and thus save himself. Penguin also believes Jim’s being played. Jim warns Harvey that the ambulance isn’t at the hospital, but Harvey says a spotter saw Pyg standing in the courthouse next to a cop tied to a chair.
Jim remains certain it’s a trap and asks Harvey to trust him. Harvey doesn’t and neither does Penguin, with Jim warning Harvey he’ll get their men slaughtered. The raid gets underway as Jim and Penguin watch from outside.
Tabitha makes it to the warehouse to rescue Selina, but they’re forced to hide after more members of the gang arrive. Tabitha and Selina prepare to fight their way out and just then Barbara appears and begins shooting the gang members. Selina and Tabitha enter into the action, wiping out the gang. Barbara wants her cut, but then she explains the team’s back together and they have a business to run.
Harvey, the cops, and Penguin’s men enter the building and find Professor Pyg next to the tied-up cop. However, after Harvey shoots Pyg, it turns out Pyg is the cop wearing a pig’s head and the tied-up cop is fake. Machine guns are exposed and start firing on the cops and Penguin’s men, proving Jim was right and this was a setup.
Jim informs Penguin the men inside are penned down. Penguin’s remaining men refuse to enter the building so Jim takes it into his own hands and goes in for the rescue. Headhunter is hit and Jim rescues him before taking out both machine guns. If it weren’t for Jim, they’d all be dead.
Later, Penguin tells the press he didn’t order the cops to go in, shifting the blame back on the police. The press leave Penguin in mid-sentence as Jim arrives at the station. They ask how he had the courage to save everyone and Jim says, “If the Pyg is watching, the GCPD is going to take you down.” He walks away as officers congratulate him.
Harvey also congratulates him, calling him a hero. Harvey calls himself “just a cop who shot a cop.” After Harvey walks away, Pyg calls Jim again and says he’s amazing. Jim swears he’s going to find Pyg, and as Pyg speaks we see he’s taking off his mask. He tells Jim next will come an epic spectacle. After calling Jim his muse, he tells him he’ll see him soon and then hangs up.
Penguin returns to his club and when Headhunter says Jim was right, Penguin stabs him twice.
Checking in again with Bruce, he’s now decided he’s going to check out this other side of himself for a while. Bruce Wayne the rich playboy is born. Drinking, dancing, making out…a new side of Bruce emerges. But, is he happy?
Jim watches as a robber is brought in to be booked. He claims to have a license for the crime, but when he shows it it’s immediately torn up. He’s told the GCPD isn’t accepting Penguin’s licenses anymore.
Jim watches a drunk and angry Harvey unsteadily make his way to his office.
More on Gotham:
– Recap of Gotham Season 4 Episode 1
– Recap of Gotham Season 4 Episode 2
– Recap of Gotham Season 4 Episode 4
– Recap of Gotham Season 4 Episode 6
– Erin Richards Interview
– Cory Michael Smith Interview
– Jessica Lucas Interview
– John Stephens Interview
– Alexander Siddig Interview
