Gotham returns from its hiatus with Gordon and Bullock investigating a serial killer called “The Ogre” when women continue to be victimized. Meanwhile, Fish tries to escape from Dollmaker’s island. Spoilers ahead.
Another one of the show’s “pre-Joker” candidates, The Ogre (Milo Ventimiglia), arrives, seducing and killing women just like in an previous cold case. The main plot is barely developed, with the viewers mostly being introduced to his MO as the heroes investigate. The revelation that Loeb indirectly led Gordon to the Ogre’s trail n order to punish him is a good twist, and it raises the stakes in this investigation. Though from what was demonstrated in this episode, The Ogre does not seem interesting enough to carry out a multi-part story arc.
Fish’s side story continues to be bizarre and disjointed from the rest of the show. Beyond paying off the foreshadowing of the Dollmaker in the second episode, it doesn’t really add anything new to the characters or world. It just feels like a way to keep Jada Pinkett-Smith on the show, despite her main story in Gotham City being finished.
Penguin’s side-plot is a bit more interesting, at least for characterizing the extremes of Oswald’s pettiness.
Bruce and Selina’s adventure bears more fruit, as they track down Reggie to find out about his infiltration to Wayne Manor. After Reggie threatens to reveal their secrets, Bruce nearly kills him before Selina finishes the job. This adventure had an unexpected, shocking ending. Their investigation of a conspiracy far above their heads never had them face realistically deadly consequences until now, and Bruce’s reaction to the murder has potential to be a compelling story.
“Beasts of Prey” acts as mostly set up to the last few episodes of the season. There are some strong ideas in Gordon’s self-determined hunt for the Ogre and Bruce’s reaction to murder, but unfortunately, they all get brought down by Fish’s weak plot and an uninteresting villain that has barely taken action in the story.
What were your thoughts on this episode? Do you believe The Ogre is interesting enough to keep up a multi-part arc?
Let us know by commenting below.
Have A Question? Ask Jessica!
-
Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica, the Consumer Press AI, can I help you with a consumer question?
