Directed by Danny Cannon
Written by Bruno Heller
As the Maroni and Falcone mob war in Gotham gets hotter, Bruce rips his father's study apart trying to find his secrets.
Tropes:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: What Penguin resorts to when Jim handcuffs him with Maroni's men on the way.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Ms. Kringle gives an indication she now has increased interest in Nygma when she suspects him of being involved in her boyfriend's disappearance.
- Alone with the Psycho: Leslie agrees to counsel Barbara, who turns out to be more than a little unhinged from her ordeal with the Ogre.
- Ax-Crazy: Barbara goes completely around the bend and attempts to kill Leslie.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Cobblepot, who instigated the entire mob war, gets what he wants: Falcone gone, Maroni dead, Fish Mooney tossed into the river. He gleefully declares himself "King of Gotham" and leader of the criminal underworld.
- Bookcase Passage: Invoked and played with. Bruce forms a lead that points to one of the books in his father's library, but instead of triggering anything when pulled, it's just a normal book — containing the remote that opens the actual passage. Gotta love that Schizo Tech.
- Book Ends: The end of the pilot episode had Cobblepot being tossed into the Gotham River, apparently disgraced (believed by most to be killed) and exiled from Gotham thanks to Fish Mooney. The season finale ends with the Penguin throwing Fish into the river, being the last man standing in Gotham's mob war, and proclaiming himself king of the city.
- Boom, Headshot!:
- Fish deals with Maroni's demeaning and sexist insults in a rather permanent manner, to everyone's shock.
- Penguin does the same to one of Maroni's mooks.
- Call-Back: Fish decided that she would let Harvey go. Referring back that it was Harvey that helped her out of the city.
- *Click* Hello: Gordon interrupts Penguin and Butch's assassination attempt on Falcone by putting his pistol to Butch's head.
- Conveniently Timed Distraction:
- See Villainous Rescue.
- After Fish kills Maroni, her gang and Maroni's men get into a fight which gives Gordon, Bullock, Falcone, and Oswald the opportunity to escape.
- Death by Adaptation: Since Maroni lived to see the start of Batman's career in the comics (and caused Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face), most people assumed the character would do the same here. Fish proves everyone wrong.
- Disney Villain Death: The Penguin sends Fish Mooney off a roof to her apparent death in the river far below.
- Downer Ending: Neither Jim nor Brucenote have made any success in their missions: Gotham is as corrupt as ever, the Corrupt Corporate Executives still run Wayne Enterprises with impunity, Selina has joined a street gang, and Nygma is going deeper into his insanity. Oswald is the only who comes up on top.
- Easily Forgiven: Even though Falcone lost all his power and he made it clear that he wasn't going to help fix Gotham, Jim decides to simply let him go. Despite the fact that he was a mob boss.
- Enemy Mine: Gordon makes it quite clear to Falcone that the only reason Gordon is saving his life is because he thinks Falcone is the better option compared to Maroni.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Alfred is sick of Bruce's digging around and brings up the "none so blind" quote... which reminds Bruce that Lucius Fox's use of the term The Stoic was another one from the same place, forming a lead.
- Evil Costume Switch: Selina when she joins Fish's street gang. Includes a Important Haircut.
- Fighting from the Inside: Butch chances upon Fish and Cobblepot wrestling each other on the roof. While he clearly wants to save Fish, he was brainwashed to follow Cobblepot's orders, so when both combatants plead for him to shoot the other, Butch shoots both of them non-fatally.
- Important Haircut: Fish comes back with a new punk-styled haircut. It impresses Selina enough to where she styles her own that way.
- Internal Reveal:
- Penguin reveals to Falcone that he instigated the mob war.
- Bruce and Alfred discover the hidden entrance to what will be the Batcave.
- Lesser of Two Evils: Gordon believes that Falcone has the best chance of keeping the peace in the city as Maroni is too volatile.
- More Dakka:
- Maroni's hit squad uses a rocket launcher in their first attack on Falcone.
- When Penguin returns to face down Fish's gang, he brings a light machine gun to even the odds.
- More than Mind Control:
- In that vein, whatever it was the Ogre did to Barbara that drove her to willingly kill her own parents.
- It is confirmed that Zsasz, who is conveniently and strangely absent this episode, did something like that to Butch.
- Mythology Gag: This isn't the first time Gordon has stopped a man from killing someone with a knife with a *Click* Hello, only for said guy to ask for some time.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Fish's outfit has a neckline that reaches her stomach.
- Number Two: Kelly has become this in Fish's gang.
- Pet the Dog:
- Fish is willing to let Harvey go — but just Harvey.
- Falcone gives Gordon his father's old knife and gives him advice on how to survive in Gotham before leaving.
- Plot Armor: Supposed to be Invoked with Foregone Conclusion but Fish completely revokes Maroni's.
- The Reveal: Barbara tells Leslie (and the audience) that the Ogre didn't kill her parents — she did.
- Sanity Slippage:
- Barbara fully descends into insanity in this episode.
- Nygma slips into this as well after Kringle discovers the clue in his forged farewell letter.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!:
- Selina realizes she's over her head when Penguin shows up with a machine gun, and makes like a cat and scats.
- Falcone makes the same decision after he's saved from certain death for the third time in a few hours, not counting the near-miss assassination earlier in the day, and is certain when he manages to get away from Fish the second time. Surviving five attempts on your life in one day justifiably makes him want to retire from the business.
- Sequel Hook: Bruce discovers his father's hidden secret...
- Shout-Out: The title is half the opening line of Anna Karenina. The second half is "Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
- Start of Darkness: The episode clinches Nygma's turn into the Riddler, including his compulsion to leave clues even though he knows it's a stupid thing to do.
- Take a Third Option: Butch, struggling with trying to deal with his love and loyalty to Fish and his negative-conditioned need to obey Penguin as they each yell at him to shoot the other, instead shoots both.
- Tempting Fate: Maroni becomes so convinced he's in control of the situation that he taunts Mooney even after she agrees to play along. See Too Dumb to Live.
- Too Dumb to Live: Maroni proves Falcone and Gordon were right in believing he was incapable of keeping the peace as he relentlessly provokes Fish with sexist nicknames until she kills him.
- Villain Has a Point: Like all the other times Penguin had talked his way out of certain death, he points out to Mooney that any deal with Maroni will end badly for her because Maroni will no longer need her once Falcone (and Penguin) are dead. Maroni foolishly proceeds to prove Penguin correct by openly taunting Fish until she's had enough.
- Villainous Breakdown: Edward after his clue is discovered.
- Villainous Rescue: Penguin quite unintentionally saves Gordon, Bullock and Falcone when he opens up with a light machine gun on Fish and her people, allowing them to escape.
- Wham Episode:
- Only natural for a season finale. Let's see, Maroni dies, Fish is quite possibly dead, Falcone retires, Barbara turns Axe-Crazy, Nygma begins going insane after Kringle starts to suspect him of murder, and Bruce finds the Batcave.
- Also true in a Meta sense, as Maroni's death clinches the fact that the show is creating its own canon, not complying with the comics or any other past continuity.
- Wham Shot: The fireplace in Thomas Wayne's study sliding back to reveal the freaking Batcave.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Zsasz isn't seen or heard in the entire episode.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Every major player of the season — not only Mooney and Cobblepot, as well as Maroni and Falcone, but also Gordon trying to end the gang war with Falcone in control — attempt to pull off their conflicting schemes against each other in one evening. In one warehouse. With each gaining and losing control of the situation every other minute until Cobblepot is left standing.
- You Owe Me:
- Cobblepot invokes this with Gordon when Jim is thinking of leaving Penguin and Butch handcuffed and vulnerable to Maroni's hit squad coming to kill Falcone in the hospital. Gordon seriously considers ignoring the plea, so Penguin reminds him as a Good Cop that he and Butch are officially under arrest and thus under Gordon's protection. That makes Gordon realize he has no choice but to protect Penguin as well as Falcone.
- Averted with Jim, who does not pull this trope when he's trying to convince Selina to help them escape.
