‘Gotham’ episode 12 review: Meet Mr. Freeze

Was there something missing within the “Gotham” winter premiere? On paper, there was so much to like from this first episode back entitled “Mr. Freeze” from start to finish. Nathan Darrow is doing an excellent job with his interpretation of the character, who is extremely dangerous and yet tortured at the same time. His motive is benevolent (he wants to help his ailing wife), but the methods in which he goes about it are nefarious and terrible.

Meanwhile, we also had the arrival of Hugo Strange, who was played rather brilliantly in this hour by none other than BD Wong. We witnessed the arrival of Oswald Cobblepot to Arkham Asylum, and eventually his brand of torment officially began upon him. Strange is fascinating, and so much smarter than the word suggests. He also was front and center for the night’s biggest twist, where he realized that Victor Fries may have been capable of reanimating using cryogenics. This changes almost everything when it comes to his secret research at Indian Hill.

Here is the problem with the rest of the episode: There was a lot that was fairly predictable. For example, we knew Jim Gordon wouldn’t be arrested for what happened to Galavan, just like we knew Fries would not be arrested one episode into his crime spree. We also were aware of how more than likely, the bond between the Penguin and Nygma would continue. Most of the episode was as by-the-numbers as you would expect from a pilot.

Despite this particular problem, we’re still beyond excited for the remainder of this season. We still haven’t seen many of the main characters, and the potential that Fries has now to revive old villains could shake up the landscape as we know it. Grade: B.

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