Gotham Review: “Spirit Of The Goat” (Season 1, Episode 6)

Bullock’s personal connection to The Goat comes in handy when a new body is discovered that meets the M.O. of the original killer, right down to the Liberty Penny that’s sewn into the head of the victims. The way Bullock devotes himself to catching the new Goat is extremely important, because it shows that, deep down, there’s still good in him. It will likely be hard for Jim Gordon to tap into that, especially after Bullock finds out that he didn’t kill Oswald Cobblepot, but at least it’s there.

While the Goat felt very much like a killer-of-the-week, by episode’s end it’s revealed that there may be a larger conspiracy in place, and that the Goat is actually just a hypnotized patient of one rather crazy Dr. Marks (The Americans‘ Susan Misner). Marks notes that in order to clean up Gotham City, the 1% need to be taken to task, starting with their first born children.

Based on what we’ve seen of the various Gotham conspiracies so far, could Dr. Marks’ mission somehow be tied to other events in the series, like the Dollmaker kidnappings or even the Wayne Murders? Perhaps. Or, maybe we’ll see the Court of Owls, introduced by Scott Snyder in the New 52 relaunch at some point; something that would greatly expand the mythology of the series if handled correctly.

Of course, this is Gotham, after all, so the Goat storyline was not the only one addressed in the episode. The aforementioned Riddler inclusion was exceptionally cringe-worthy, and it’s clear that at this point, Edward Nygma does not belong in the series at all. And, as if his quirky riddles and coffee cups with question marks on them weren’t enough for you, he’s got a thing for the GCPD file room lady, Kristen Kringle. These little whimsical asides are enough to take the wind out of the show’s sails, and prove that Gotham is still facing a bit of an identity crisis. It’s incredibly jarring to go from the dark and macabre storyline of the Goat to the wacky Riddler storyline, especially when the former is so much more enjoyable than the latter.