Viper (Gotham)

Last updated
"Viper"
Gotham episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 5
Directed by Tim Hunter
Written byRebecca Perry Cutter
Production code4X6655
Original air dateOctober 20, 2014 (2014-10-20)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Arkham"		Next →
"Spirit of the Goat"
List of episodes

"Viper" is the fifth episode of the television series Gotham . It premiered on FOX on October 20, 2014 and was written by Rebecca Perry Cutter and directed by Tim Hunter. In the episode, detectives Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Bullock (Donal Logue) are investigating a new street drug that causes euphoria and then death. Meanwhile, Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) works his way deeper into Maroni’s (David Zayas) inner circle and Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) continues to plot to take down Falcone (John Doman).

Contents

The episode was watched by 6.09 million viewers but received mixed reviews, mostly for lack of character development.

Plot

Bruce (David Mazouz) plans to find a way to speak to the board members of Wayne Enterprises to learn their connections to the Arkham District Project. Later, a new drug called "Viper" (which is a prototype of Venom) is hitting the street, which endows users with super-strength but eventually kills them by draining their bone cartilage. Maroni plans to rob a casino owned by Falcone (John Doman), and Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) reveals his past which results in Maroni assaulting him, and Frankie confronts Gordon, telling him to come with him or else he will reveal that Cobblepot is still alive, which could put his life in danger if Falcone were to learn about it. Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Bullock (Donal Logue) learn that "Viper" is being distributed at a charity event held by WellZyn and Wayne Enterprises, which is targeted by former WellZyn employee Stan Potolsky (Daniel London), who is planning to reveal Wellzyn's involvement with "Viper" by exposing it to everyone present. Gordon shoots the canister on the roof and Potolsky is exposed, jumping off as he suggests they check out Warehouse 39, where Gordon and Bullock later find nothing. During their search, a WellZyn board member was watching them from afar. As Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) makes plans to conspire against Falcone with her lover and Russian mob boss Nikolai, a disguised Liza (Makenzie Leigh) visits Falcone in the park, where she bonds with him while sharing her supposed love for Giacomo Puccini's aria "O Mio Babbino Caro."

Reception

Viewers

The episode was watched by 6.09 million viewers, with a 2.3 rating among 18-49 adults. [1] With Live+7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode had an overall rating of 10.12 million viewers, and a 4.0 in the 18–49 demographic. [2]

Critical reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)62% [3]
The A.V. Club C [4]
Paste Magazine7.0 [5]
TV FanaticStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
IGN 7.8 [7]
New York MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

"Viper" received mixed reviews. The episode received a rating of 62% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 26 critics, with the site's consensus stating: "While 'Viper' adds some much-appreciated Batman mythology to its origin story, Gotham struggles to figure out what kind of show it's going to be." [3]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.8 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "Gotham is still figuring itself out but I think setting Wayne Enterprises itself as possibly the 'big bad' of the series was a nice step. The gang feud continues to interest me while the cases-of-the-week continue to more or less feel arbitrary and, at times, unnecessary. But at least this week's played into the larger Wayne corruption angle while also introducing the important visual of green serum and green gas to the show. I hope that the series will find the confidence to, at one point, take a break from some of the stories and not feature everything/everyone in each episode." [7]

The A.V. Club 's Oliver Sava gave the episode a "C" grade and wrote, "The show has offered tiny crumbs in regards to these questions: Jim has a strict moral code forged during his time as a hero soldier; Harvey is complacent because he's afraid of what would happen to him if he wasn't; Fish and Oswald are both disrespected and condescended to by their superiors. But Gotham needs to give us more, and every week we get another fantastical mystery of the week instead of the grounded character development a successful cop show needs. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gotham</i> (TV series) American superhero crime drama television series (2014–2019)

Gotham is an American 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish Mooney</span> Fictional character

Maria Mercedes "Fish" Mooney is a fictional character created by producer and screenwriter Bruno Heller for the television series Gotham, portrayed by actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

"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.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on September 22, 2014 and was written by series developer Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon. The episode, and the series as a whole, are based on characters appearing in and published by DC Comics in the Batman franchise, primarily those of James Gordon and Bruce Wayne. FOX gave the pilot a straight-to-series order with an order of 16 episodes.

"Selina Kyle" is the second episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on September 29, 2014 and was written by series developer Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon. In the episode, Gordon and Bullock investigate a child trafficking ring in Gotham City while Cobblepot begins to make his way back to Gotham, leaving victims in his path.

"The Balloonman" is the third episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on October 6, 2014 and was written by John Stephens and directed by Dermott Downs. In the episode, detectives Gordon and Bullock track down a vigilante who is killing corrupt Gotham citizens by attaching them to weather balloons. Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot returns to Gotham and gets a new job close to an influential figure in the underworld.

"Arkham" is the fourth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on October 13, 2014, and was written by Ken Woodruff and directed by TJ Scott. In the episode, detectives Gordon and Bullock try to save the council of Gotham, which is threatened after a dispute for the known Arkham Plan is in progress. Meanwhile, Cobblepot indulges more in Maroni's mafia.

"Penguin's Umbrella" is the seventh episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on November 3, 2014 and was written by series developer Bruno Heller, and directed by Rob Bailey. In this episode, the mob war escalates while Cobblepot reveals a new component of his manipulative strategy, forcing Gordon to deal with the consequences of his decision to spare Penguin's life.

"Lovecraft" is the tenth episode and mid-season finale of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on November 24, 2014 and was written by Rebecca Dameron, and directed by Guy Ferland. In this episode, Wayne Manor is attacked, forcing Bruce and Selina to flee, while Gordon comes closer to Lovecraft.

"Rogues' Gallery" is the eleventh episode and mid-season premiere of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on January 5, 2015 and was written by Sue Chung, and directed by Oz Scott. In this episode, Gordon is transferred to Arkham Asylum and tries to avoid a conflict when inmates riot with the help of Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

"What the Little Bird Told Him" is the twelfth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on January 19, 2015, and was written by Ben Edlund, and directed by Eagle Egilsson. In this episode, Gordon looks to capture a prisoner who escaped from Arkham Asylum to get his job back. Meanwhile, Falcone struggles to hold his empire when someone beloved to him takes an unexpected turn.

"Welcome Back, Jim Gordon" is the thirteenth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on January 26, 2015, and was written by Megan Mostyn-Brown, and directed by Wendey Stanzler. In this episode, Gordon and Bullock investigate the murder of a witness in a public homicide. Meanwhile, Mooney suffers the consequences of her failed plan against Falcone.

"The Fearsome Dr. Crane" is the fourteenth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on February 2, 2015 and was written by John Stephens, and directed by John Behring. In this episode, Gordon and Bullock investigate homicides where the victims are killed with their greatest fear. Meanwhile, Maroni begins to question his relationship with Cobblepot after a tip.

"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.

"Everyone Has a Cobblepot" is the eighteenth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on March 2, 2015 and was written by Megan Mostyn-Brown, and directed by Bill Eagles. In this episode, after Commissioner Loeb's controversial moves, Gordon looks for a solution to the problem. Meanwhile, Fish Mooney comes face to face with the prison's director.

"Under the Knife" is the twentieth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on April 20, 2015 and was written by John Stephens, and directed by TJ Scott. In this episode, Gordon and Bullock continue to track down The Ogre. Meanwhile, Bruce digs deeper into Wayne Enterprises' corrupt board and Nygma makes an unexpected move.

"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.

Oswald Cobblepot (<i>Gotham</i>) Fictional character on Gotham

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 criminal who aspires to rule Gotham City's criminal underworld. His character arc in the series explores his rise to power.

<i>Gotham</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first 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 and Danny Cannon serving as the showrunners.

References

  1. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 21, 2014). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'The Voice' & 'Gotham' Adjusted Up; 'Jane the Virgin', 'The Originals', 'The Millers' & 'Castle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 10, 2014). "'The Big Bang Theory' Has Biggest Adults 18-49 Ratings Increase; 'America's Next Top Model' Tops Percentage Gains & 'The Blacklist' Tops Viewer Gains in Live +7 Ratings for Week 5 Ending October 26". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Arkham". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Sava, Oliver (21 October 2014). "Lack of character development diminishes the plot's steps forward". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Gotham Review: "Viper"". pastemagazine.com. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Gotham". TV Fanatic. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 Fowler, Matt (October 20, 2014). "Gotham: "Viper" Review". IGN . Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Gotham Recap: What's Altruism?". Vulture. Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.