TV Show Review

TV Review: GOTHAM: Season 3, Episode 7: Red Queen [Fox]

Ben McKenizie Donal Dogue Logue Michael Chiklis Red Queen

Gotham Red Queen Review

Fox‘s Gotham: Season 3, Episode 7: Red Queen leaves us where we last left Jim Gordon (Ben McKenizie). His sort of love interest Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung) was shot by Jervis Tetch (Benedict Samuel) after forcing Gordon to choose between Vale and Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) of who he should kill.

Naturally, as it is apparent to everyone in the room (as well as Vale) that Gordon offered up his ex, Lee, with the assumption that Tetch would do the exact opposite. This obviously calls for Vale to rightful end things with Gordon at the hospital because seriously, who wants to be with a guy who knowingly offers you up for target practice?

Advertisement
 

Red Queen marks the low point of Gordon’s fallout from season 2. It is also the point that everyone, even Gordon’s partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), expresses their frustration with Gordon.  It is a little surprising to see Bullock close ranks on Gordon since he’s been so patient with him through thick and thin. But everyone has a breaking point and maybe Gordon’s refusal to embrace his position within the GCPD became too much to deal with. Lee even accuses Gordon of being afraid. But after all, that has happened: like getting convicted of murder and losing the baby Gordon has a lot of good reasons for being in the mindset he’s in. But that’s not who he is and everyone around him knows it.

If Gordon is on some version of the hero’s journey, Red Queen marks the moment he goes through the death and rebirth portion of our evening. After is he attacked by Tetch with Alice Tetch’s (Naian Gonzalez Norvind) blood Gordon suffers an intense hallucination where after a lot of strange interactions with Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) and Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) he has a conversation with his deceased father that in a sense reassures Gordon that being a GCPD Detective is the right course for him.

Gordon’s journey thus far has consisted of him realizing he does not need to be a dark, brooding person that goes where the GCPD can’t. But that’s easy to say since his usual story arc is cemented in any Batman-related movie ever made. But it is refreshing in a way to see how much Gordon grows from the type of man he is in Gotham, who has a bit too comfy of a relationship with the villains of the city, to the person we eventually see in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night. 

While Gordon’s storyline is the strongest in this episode the developments between Cobblepot and Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) are the hints of unrequited love about to go really, really bad. In the previous episode, Cobblepot planned to unveil his feelings to Nygma over an elaborate dinner. But Nygma, while buying wine, meets and falls in love with Isabella, a librarian, who is a creepy look-alike of Kristen Kringle (Chelsea Spack) who he murdered in season 2. Nygma seriously pulls a Disney princess in this episode. Who falls in love that fast?

News of Nygma’s new love interest does not sit well with Cobblepot who tries to use Nygma’s past time in the Arkham as a way to convince Isabella that Nygma is all wrong for her. But the plan backfires, leaving Cobblepot the loveless leader of Gotham City.

Leave your thoughts on Gotham Red Queen review and this episode of Gotham below in the comments section. Readers seeking more Gotham news, images, and videos can visit our Gotham Page and our Gotham Google+ Page.Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Google+ Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

FilmBook's Newsletter

Subscribe to FilmBook’s Daily Newsletter for the latest news!

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Eming Piansay

**Fired for illegally republishing FilmBook articles on another website. Though not a salary employee, Emilya betrayed the trust we'd placed in her. When we found out, her employment was terminated effective immediately.** Emilya is a writer from San Francisco. She went to S.F. State for her undergraduate degree in Journalism, and she also holds an MFA in film editing. She's the former managing editor of YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia. Currently, she manages the literary blog Tea & Fiction.
Back to top button
Share via
Send this to a friend