In Review: Gotham: Legend of Dark Knight – Pena Dura

Synopsis: A military task force, led by Eduardo Dorrance is called in to provide relief to Gotham. Meanwhile, Nygma looks for answers from Penguin, who leads him back to Hugo Strange. Also, Bruce is concerned by Selina recent behavior.

Review: This episode wraps up the mystery surrounding Nygma and why his mind has been playing tricks on him.

The Story

Eduardo Dorrance comes to town with a special unit of soldiers to help Jim subdue the criminal element so that things can return to normal. The immediate task is to hunt down Edward Nygma who has been found to be the main suspect in the attack on Haven.

This proves to be a tricky proposition given that even with a compromised mind. Nygma is still tactically aware enough to be able to outwit Jim Gordon.

Now on the run from GCPD and Eduardo. Nygma knocks on Penguins door for help in learning about what has been happening to him. Penguin sends him onto Hugo Strange, which opens an entirely new can of worms when we learn who it is that has been controlling Nygma.

The Acting

This week we have a powerhouse performance from Cory Michael Smith as Nygma. One of my favorite moments is when he is getting tortured by a Family who is mad at him because the Haven attack killed their pet dog or cat. Couldn’t tell which the photo they showed was a blink and you’d miss it type thing. I also loved Nygma’s reaction when he learns that it was Hugo Strange that fixed him.

Also good this week was BD Wong as Hugo Strange. A character we haven’t seen in a while. I really enjoyed how matter of fact and guilt-free he is of having essentially chipped Nygma’s brain so that someone can control him.

Overall

This was a really enjoyable episode, which tied up a few loose ends for Nygma and progressed the storyline with Jim’s mission to try and save Gotham. The revelation at the close of the episode and the reappearance of Jeremiah with his new look is only going to stir the pot more in weeks to come, and I can’t wait.