"Pax Penguina" | |
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Gotham episode | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Danny Cannon |
Written by | John Stephens |
Featured music | David E. Russo |
Cinematography by | Crescenzo Notarile |
Editing by | Barrie Wise |
Production code | T40.10001 |
Original air date | September 21, 2017 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Pax Penguina" is the first episode of the fourth season and 67th episode overall from the Warner Bros. series Gotham . The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. This is the first episode with the new subtitle "A Dark Knight". The episode was written by executive producer John Stephens and directed by Danny Cannon. It was first broadcast on September 21, 2017.
The episode begins three months after the season 3 finale and revolves around a period in which criminals now get "licenses" to commit crimes, provided by Cobblepot in order to earn the support of the city government and the public to reduce crime. However, a gang of criminals challenge the new licenses' policy and decide to commit heists to send a message to Cobblepot. The gang also makes use of Jonathan Crane's fear toxin. Gordon discovers the use of the gas and sets out to find Jonathan. Meanwhile, Bruce continues his vigilantism in order to prepare himself when Ra's al Ghul arrives.
The episode received positive response, who praised the new character development for some characters.
The episode opens with Bruce (David Mazouz) again on the roof of a building similar to the one at the close of the season 3 finale. He hears a couple scream, and he leaps down to the alleyway. While saving a couple from a pair of thugs, Bruce, wearing the first version of the Batman mask, discovers that the thugs possess a official "License of misconduct." He walks away from the scene, not realizing Ra's al Ghul (Alexander Siddig) is watching him.
Elsewhere, a group of gunmen crash a wedding reception and begin stealing the guests' valuable objects. Zsasz (Anthony Carrigan) arrives and announces that they don't have Cobblepot's (Robin Lord Taylor) license authorization, which would allow them to commit crimes as long as they give half their haul to him. The group's leader rebuffs Zsasz, who then shoots the leader's, Merton (Michael Buscemi), finger off. Zsasz allows them to flee. As they do, a licensed group under Zsasz's control enters and resumes robbing the guests.
Cobblepot negotiates with the newly appointed Mayor Burke (Larry Pine) and police commissioner and they agree to the licensing in exchange for a percentage of the cut. Gordon (Ben McKenzie) arrives at a bar just as a thug is robbing the owner who knows him. The thug shows a license and continues the robbery, but Gordon slams him into the bar and arrests him. Bruce tells Alfred (Sean Pertwee) his intention to stop Cobblepot's crime business.
After bribing the warden, Merton and his partner Grady (Michael Maize) visit Jonathan Crane (Charlie Tahan) in Arkham Asylum. Crane is still suffering the effects of his father's fear toxin The Scarecrow (Gotham episode). Over time, Crane's mind has created a "Boogeyman Scarecrow persona" that now haunts him. Merton and Grady bribe the Warden (Damian Young) to release Jonathan, who leaves a drawing in the form of a scarecrow. They take him to his old home where he reveals the hidden fear toxins. The gang then uses the gas to do a bank heist, spraying people with the gas in order to make the heist easier.
Investigating the heist, Gordon tells Bullock (Donal Logue) that the victims' faces were coated with a substance that caused them to experience their worse fears, which is the same method Gerald Crane used. He deduces that someone must have taken the formula from Jonathan. After interrogating the Warden, they go to Grady's apartment but are ambushed by him and Merton. Merton beat Gordan and Bullock and while they are laying on the floor, he explains their plan to send a message to Cobblepot regarding the licenses, and they leave. Meanwhile, Selina (Camren Bicondova) and Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) attack a group of thugs. When returning to their apartment, Zsasz shows up, claiming that they should go to Cobblepot's club inauguration to get their licenses. Selina is interested, but Tabitha refuses and tells her to pack so they can find a new place.
Cobblepot throws a party to inaugurate his new club, the Iceberg Lounge and shows the attendees Nygma's (Cory Michael Smith) frozen body as a hall exhibition. Gordon, based on advice from Bruce, visits Cobblepot before the party and tells him that the gang does not fear him, prompting Cobblepot to set a trap to catch the gang. As the gang prepares to attack the club, they have Jonathan make more toxins and then lock him in a closet with a scarecrow. He begins to have severe hallucinations about the scarecrow who seemingly comes to life. In the GCPD, Gordon is attacked by a group of police who are loyal to Cobblepot.
In the Iceberg Lounge, during the inauguration, Bruce finds Selina on the rooftop and they discuss what happened at the hospital with Bruce apologizing for his behavior. They are interrupted by Alfred who says something is happening. As the gang entered the club's kitchens, Cobblepot and Zsasz catch them and bring then in front of the party goers to exact a public punishment. This disgusts Ivy (Maggie Geha), who cuts the power at the same time Gordan and Bullock arrive. The gang attempts to escape and spray Cobblepot with the fear toxin, making him hallucinate Nygma. The gang is subdued, but Grady manages to escape.
The next day, Bruce retrieves the list of criminals with the licenses. However, as he crosses a rooftop, he comes across a house being robbed. While leaning on the skylight, the glass cracks and he falls through into the apartment. He is then caught without the mask by the GCPD.
Grady returns to Crane's house to get more toxin from Jonathan. However, when he opens the door to the room they locked Jonathan in, he is confronted by Jonathan, who says Jonathan no longer exists. He is now dressed as "The Scarecrow" and demands to be called the Scarecrow while spraying Grady with fear gas.
The show was officially renewed by Fox for a fourth season on May 10, 2017. [1] Just like the second and third seasons, the fourth season will also carry a new subtitle for the first half of the season: A Dark Knight. [2]
In June 2017, John Stephens announced that the first episode of the season would be titled "Pax Penguina" and was to be written by Stephens and directed by Danny Cannon. [3] The title "Pax Penguina" is a play on the Latin phrase "Pax Romana", meaning "Roman peace". [4]
Regarding Bruce's beginning of vigilantism, McKenzie explained that "We are definitely leaning into Bruce, having learned some of the skills to be a vigilante, now actually attempting it. Now, we have a long, long way to go before he can realistically be Batman, so there will be many stumbles and falls – and regressions back to being a kid at times – but Gordon will eventually become aware of what he's doing and that will bring them against each other." [5] David Mazouz also added, "Bruce really is taking on this vigilante persona and all the things that go along with that. Whether it be creating another persona, a public persona, that's also definitely going to be a major part of Bruce's journey this year. His relationship as this other person. Batman is coming. Absolutely." Mazouz also stated that he was worried the writers could pull back some aspects from Batman, deeming it "too fast" but he was glad it didn't stop. He said that Bruce would take the "Batman persona" this season. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Cannon also explained that Bruce will be seen "as the emerging threat he is." [11] Alexander Siddig stated that his character will seek to make Bruce his heir and will "do anything he can to get his hands on him, to manipulate him into what [Ra's] wants him to be." He also claimed that the season is "a season so far of extremes." [12]
As a concept McKenzie wished to explore, the episode brought back the actor Charlie Tahan as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow, [13] who portrayed the character on the first-season episodes: "The Fearsome Dr. Crane" and "The Scarecrow". [14] McKenzie explained: "So we met his father Dr Crane in Season 1. So we've taken our time; we're gonna come back now to his son. You know, in circumstances probably not best described now, his son takes on his father's mantle and becomes the fully-realized Scarecrow. It's great. We're able to use this sort of fear toxin that Scarecrow is able to summon. We're completely unafraid — or perhaps afraid but we still persist–in expanding the universe and our capabilities." [15]
Morena Baccarin, Erin Richards, Chris Chalk, Drew Powell and Crystal Reed appear in the episode as hallucinations of their respective characters, with Baccarin and Chalk receiving credit only, while Richards, Powell and Reed were uncredited. In August 2017, it was announced that the guest cast for the episode would include Michael Buscemi as Merton, Larry Pine as Mayor Burke, Michael Maize as Grady Harris, Charlie Tahan as Jonathan Crane, Anthony Carrigan as Victor Zsasz, Damian Young as Warden Reed and Maggie Geha as Ivy Pepper. [16]
The episode was watched by 3.21 million viewers with a 1.0/4 share among adults aged 18 to 49. [17] These ratings were higher than any episode of the second part of the past season and it was a 6% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 3.03 million viewers with a 0.9/4 in the 18-49 demographics [18] but an 18% decrease from the previous season premiere, which was watched by 3.90 million viewers with a 1.3/4 in the 18-49 demographics. [19] With these ratings, Gotham ranked second for the night as well as for Fox behind The Orville .
The show was the 49th most watched show of the week. [20]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
IGN | 7.8 [21] |
TV Fanatic | [22] |
TV Overmind | [23] |
"A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina" received positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.8 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "Gotham returned with a fun look at how much of the city's problem's could be solved with morally questionable outside-the-box thinking. It's up to the show now to convince me, basically, that Jim has a leg to stand on with regards to his objections of having a staggeringly low crime rate and a city at peace." [21]
Nick Hogan of TV Overmind gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5, writing "Ultimately, Gotham is off to an interesting start. The pivot to a different style has its merits, but the long term benefits will have be [sic] fleshed out. Still, I enjoyed the episode immensely, and I'm glad that one of my favorite shows is back." [23] Sydney Bucksbaum of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The potential for chaos and destruction is truly terrifying. Thank goodness Jim Gordon isn't rolling over and letting Penguin run the city. If anyone can find and catch Crane, it's him. And it's interesting to note that this incarnation of the Scarecrow is much closer to the comic book version, despite it being Dr. Jonathan Crane's son and not the professor himself. Gotham is no longer just dealing in proto-villains." [24] Dan Seitz from Uproxx wrote, "Embracing the campiness that was always at the core of the show was something of a risk for Gotham. But it's paid off, especially now that the show is full of vigilantes and frozen villains in the middle of nightclubs. As the show's realized it can be, well, Goth ham, it's loosened up and started having fun." [25]
Vinnie Mancuso of Collider wrote, "Outside of a few rejected album reviews drunkenly sent to every music magazine in the country at 4 AM, I rarely get the chance to compare Fox's batshit Batman prequel Gotham to the music stylings of Taylor Swift. But the show's Season 4 premiere, titled 'Pax Penguina,' provided a surprisingly prescient opportunity to do just that. Much like Swift hinted at her transition from a sugar-laced pop-singer into something angrier and more prone to shop at Hot Topic by declaring the Old Taylor was dead, young Jonathan Crane announced that he, too, has officially become something darker. 'Jonathan Crane isn't here anymore,' he says at the episode's conclusion. 'It's just the Scarecrow.'" [26] Lisa Babick of TV Fanatic gave the series a 3.5 star rating out of 5, writing "'Pax Penguina' was a bit of a rocky start to the season, but there are good storylines that show promise; Bruce's being the most of exciting of all. Will Baby Batman decide to take on Scarecrow, or will that be Jim's villain to catch? " [22] Robert Yanis, Jr. of Screenrant wrote, "Seasons 2 and 3 may have introduced some thrilling villain origins, but aside from that, its narrative has felt jumbled and erratic. The show has long been fans' guiltiest pleasure, but Bruce's storyline this season could legitimize Gotham once and for all. For as much fun as Penguin and company are, the real reason fans tune in to a Batman prequel is to see the character's evolution. Now he has arrived: a dark knight." [27]
Kayti Burt of Den of Geek wrote, "It might seem like I am being a little harsh on this episode, which introduced some great new plot directions for this show, but, after last season, I know this show can do better! It has raised the bar for what makes a great episode of Gotham." [28] Laurence Mozafari of Digital Spy wrote, "Gotham season 4 has swooped onto screens, and as itty bitty Bruce Wayne continues his loooong transformation into the Batman, fans were treated to a new, acrobatic look at the young detective." [29]
Gotham is an American superhero crime drama television series developed by Bruno Heller, produced by Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from the Batman mythos in comic books published by DC Comics. The series premiered on Fox on September 22, 2014, and ended on April 25, 2019, after five seasons consisting of 100 episodes. It features an ensemble cast that includes Ben McKenzie as James "Jim" Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, and David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne. The show follows Gordon's early days at the Gotham City Police Department following the murder of Bruce's parents, as well as the origin stories of Batman's infamous rogues gallery.
"All Happy Families Are Alike" is the 22nd episode and finale of the first season of the FOX series Gotham. The episode was written by series developer Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon. It was first broadcast on May 4, 2015 in FOX. In this episode, the mob war between Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni is coming to a brutal end while Oswald Cobblepot and Fish Mooney face off in their final confrontation, putting James Gordon in the middle of both conflicts. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne sets out to find evidence that his father had a secret life before his death.
"Damned If You Do..." is the 23rd episode overall and second-season premiere of the FOX series Gotham. The episode was written by series developer Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon. It was first broadcast on September 21, 2015, in FOX.
"The Scarecrow" is the fifteenth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on February 9, 2015 and was written by Ken Woodruff, and directed by Nick Copus. In this episode, Gordon and Bullock continue following Dr. Crane's killing spree.
"Better to Reign in Hell..." is the first episode of the third season, and 45th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. This is also the first episode in the series with the subtitle "Mad City". The episode was written by executive producer John Stephens and directed by Danny Cannon. It was first broadcast on September 19, 2016. In the episode, after seeing that Lee has been moving on with another man, Gordon leaves her. 6 months later, he has been working as a bounty hunter dedicated to catch Indian Hills' monsters. After an offer of a million dollars from Cobblepot for Fish Mooney, Gordon sets out to find her as she is leading the monsters. Meanwhile, Bruce and Alfred return after laying low and prepare to confront Wayne Enterprises about their role in Indian Hills.
"Ghosts" is the twelfth episode and mid-season premiere of the third season, and 56th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The episode was written by executive producer Danny Cannon and directed by Eagle Egilsson. It was first broadcast on January 16, 2017. In the episode, after Mario's funeral, Falcone places a hit on Gordon for his murder while also complicating Gordon's relationship with Lee, who continues seeing him as a murderer. Meanwhile, a morgue employee is revealed to be conspiring to bring Jerome Valeska back to life as part of his cult. Also, Selina's mom's arrival could shake things up between Bruce and Selina while Cobblepot begins to have strange events occurring to him while on his way to the most important interview he may have.
Oswald Cobblepot is a character and one of the main antagonists of the FOX television series Gotham, portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor. Based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name, he was adapted by showrunner Bruno Heller for the series, which is intended to explore the origin stories of characters from the Batman mythos. Introduced in the first season, Cobblepot is depicted as an intelligent low-level thug who aspires to become a leading crime lord in Gotham City. The series explores his rise to power and the challenges he faces in achieving this goal.
The fourth season of the American television series Gotham, based on characters from DC Comics related to the Batman franchise, revolves around the characters of James "Jim" Gordon and Bruce Wayne. The season is produced by Primrose Hill Productions, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television, with Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon, and John Stephens serving as executive producers. The season was inspired and adapted elements from the comic book storylines of Batman: Year One, Batman: The Long Halloween, and Batman: No Man's Land. The subtitle for the season is A Dark Knight.
Bruce Wayne is a fictional character appearing in the Fox series Gotham, based on the character of the same name who is the secret identity of DC Comics superhero Batman, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, and developed for television by Bruno Heller. Gotham portrays Bruce's teenage years and transition into adapting his Batman persona in later years. The series marks the second time Batman was adapted for live-action television after the 1960 Batman series, though the lead character in Gotham is James Gordon. Bruce is portrayed by David Mazouz, while Mikhail Mudrik portrays him as an adult in the series finale. He is never referred to as "Batman" in the series.
"The Fear Reaper" is the second episode of the fourth season and 68th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by executive producer Danny Cannon and directed by Louis Shaw Milito. It was first broadcast on September 28, 2017.
"They Who Hide Behind Masks" is the third episode of the fourth season and 69th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by co-executive producers Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt and directed by Mark Tonderai. It was first broadcast on October 5, 2017.
"The Demon's Head" is the fourth episode of the fourth season and 70th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by main cast member Ben McKenzie on his writing debut and directed by Kenneth Fink. It was first broadcast on October 12, 2017.
"A Day in the Narrows" is the seventh episode of the fourth season and 73rd episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by co-executive producer Peter Blake and directed by John Behring. It was first broadcast on November 2, 2017.
"Things That Go Boom" is the tenth episode of the fourth season and 76th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by co-executive producers Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt on his writing debut and directed by Louis Shaw Milito. It was first broadcast on November 30, 2017.
"Queen Takes Knight" is the eleventh episode and midseason finale of the fourth season and 77th episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by executive producer John Stephens and directed by Danny Cannon. It was first broadcast on December 7, 2017.
"The Sinking Ship The Grand Applause" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season and 81st episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by Seth Boston and directed by Nick Copus. It was first broadcast on March 22, 2018.
The fifth and final season of the American television series Gotham, based on characters from DC Comics related to the Batman franchise, revolves around the characters of James "Jim" Gordon and Bruce Wayne. The season is produced by Primrose Hill Productions, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television, with John Stephens serving as the showrunner. The season was inspired and adapted elements from the comic book storylines of Batman: No Man's Land and Batman: Zero Year. The subtitle for the season is Legend of the Dark Knight.
The Scarecrow, a supervillain in DC Comics and an adversary of the superhero Batman, has been adapted in various forms of media, including films, television series, and video games. The character has been portrayed in film by Cillian Murphy in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and in television by Charlie Tahan and David W. Thompson in the Fox series Gotham, and Vincent Kartheiser in the HBO Max streaming series Titans. Henry Polic II, Jeffrey Combs, Dino Andrade, John Noble, Robert Englund, Elijah Wood and others have provided the Scarecrow's voice in animation and video games.
Selina Kyle, nicknamed "Cat", is a fictional character on the Fox TV series Gotham. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name who goes on to become Catwoman, Selina is a morally ambiguous street thief who becomes an ally and later love interest to Bruce Wayne, the orphaned son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Camren Bicondova portrays Selina Kyle for the majority of Gotham's run, but is replaced by Lili Simmons as an adult in the series finale.