‘Gotham’ episode 17 review: ‘Red Hood’ a sight to be seen

If you’ve been waiting to see “Gotham” somehow take a big step forward in their storytelling, “Red Hood” may be an episode that you are now celebrating. After a clear miss with the Jerome / Joker story in terms of hitting things on the nose, introducing the Red Hood gang or more specifically Red Hood himself / herself manages to mix things up again.

In the comics, Red Hood has some ties to one Joker backstory, but that was not completely addressed at every second on the show. Instead, what “Gotham” did that was for the most part so enjoyable was gave us a really twisted story where you never knew completely just who was the real villain, and also sort of played around with the concept of an alter ego and what it really meant to be under the hood. It was more about what the hood represented, and that anyone could have it and use it for a particular purpose. Sure, much of this played out in violence, but it felt more like a comic-book story for a change than a show trying to be the goofy uncle who really wants to act cool, but isn’t.

As for some other specific highlights, let’s talk about Fish Mooney’s eye … or really lack thereof. Her scooping that out is really one of the craziest things that the show has ever done, and to go along with that it also helps to answer one important age-old question: How in the world does she look intimidating to people who are really twice her size? All of a sudden, she’s approaching Kingpin status among her new crew of lackeys in her new, underground prison. The Fish story is, at least for now, a little more interesting than it has been.

As for Barbara Kean, not so much. The less we say about that, the better, but in terms of providing real action, drama, and a comic-book feel, “Red Hood” is one the best things “Gotham” has done so far into the show’s run. Grade: A-.

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