12/22/2023 0 Comments 8kuhd gotham beasts of preyBut Gordon’s investigation of Grace Fairchild’s death just feels pointless. Oswald Cobblepot’s acquisition of Lydia’s bar doesn’t pack much of a punch, and the same is basically true of Mooney’s boring prison break (more on Mooney shortly). It feels like an organic escalation of events rather than an ostentatious way to mark time until the season finale.īy contrast, the worst subplot in “Beasts of Prey” is probably Gordon’s story. Finally, Payne’s death matters because Wayne can’t just walk away. Secondly, the violence in this scene feels like a natural extension of Kyle’s character, and therefore a good (though predictable) way to highlight the difference between Wayne and Kyle. Filmed from Wayne’s perspective, Payne looks like a broken toy. The way he films Wayne’s view of Payne’s body after Selina Kyle pushes him out of (what seems like) a tall building is striking. Payne’s murder isn’t shocking unto itself, but there are a couple of things that make it feel genuinely surprising. Still, another scene of contrived violence works in the favor of Wayne’s story: the death of Reginald Payne. As Wayne, David Mazouz has gradually become one of the show’s most valuable cast members, and you can see why when he stammers to Gordon: “That’s what you’re here for, is it?” Mazouz’s thoughtful performance in this sequence makes the sequence where Alfred’s knife wound spontaneously reopens seem that much more gratuitous. Wayne tries to keep calm, but when Jim Gordon comes by, you can see him struggling. Wayne’s story is the most satisfying in “Beasts of Prey,” mostly because it feels the most self-sufficient. And the best way to grade a series that draws its plot out by emphasizing distracting pseudo-shocking moments - tonight it’s Mooney’s gunshot wound and Payne’s murder - is by treating big climaxes as parts of small, discrete wholes. But watching tonight’s Gotham, I can’t help but think that, with three episodes left in season one and a second season already green-lit, his show’s still not really going anywhere in a hurry. To be fair, Gotham’s writers are not exceptional in the way that they compartmentalize various subplots for the sake of stretching things out. But I often feel like the writers of Gotham write with that end in mind. That’s not a great one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to evaluating a long-form, serialized drama. Instead, I want to try to judge each plot thread on its own terms. But that’s not necessarily a great way to gauge the worth or success of the show’s inter-related stories. So in an episode like “Beasts of Prey,” it’s tempting to say that the best subplots are the ones that show the most signs of narrative progress. But while last week’s episode suggested that various characters are on their way to getting what they really want, tonight’s episode makes it seem as if progress won’t come to Gotham City without a lot of throat-clearing. Various important subplots are progressing, particularly Bruce Wayne’s search for Reginald Payne and Fish Mooney’s escape from the Dollmaker’s island prison. Which is to say: Nothing substantial happens in “Beasts of Prey” that won’t happen at greater length next week. Monday night’s Gotham is only useful as a place-holding declaration of intent. Selina (Camren Bicondova, L) and Bruce (David Mazouz, R) in the “Beasts of Prey”.
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