Gotham Episode Recap, Season 1 Episode 12: What the Little Bird Told Him

Episode Recap of Gotham, Season 1 Episode 12: What the Little Bird Told Him

This episode begins with Jack Gruber, a.k.a. the Electrocutioner, and his sidekick Aaron Danzing, who broke out of Arkham Asylum last episode, stopping in at Irwin’s Electronics. A man comes to open the door, but is electrocuted. Irwin is surprised to see Jack, who asks him where his stuff is. Irwin shows Gruber that he has kept his “gadget” safe. Gruber puts a strap on Irwin, as Irwin cries out for him not to.

Meanwhile, at the police station, the captain is briefing the others on info about Gruber and Danzing. Gordon shows up in the middle of her brief, and the captain and Bullock try to make Gordon leave before the Commissioner arrives. However, the Commissioner gets there just then, and questions why Gordon is there. Gordon accuses him of being desperate. The Commissioner calls both Gordon and Bullock into a meeting.

Gordon convinces the Commissioner that he can catch Gruber and Danzing, but demands to be reinstated as Detective First Grade. The Commissioner agrees to give him and Bullock 24 hours (despite Bullock’s unwillingness to be involved in this), or else they’ll both be spending the rest of their careers at Arkham.  After they leave the office, Gordon admits to Bullock that he lied about knowing what Gruber was going to do next.

We see a flashback of Falcone as a little boy sitting on his mother’s lap as the family looks at a dead body. His mother looks exactly like Liza. In the present, Falcone orders the execution of a young man, and ignores his cries for mercy. Falcone pays Liza a visit, and they go for a walk. He offers to get her a job so that she can be independent, but she says she would rather be with him, and that he makes her feel safe.

At the police station, Ed reports to Gordon and Bullock that Gruber’s real name is Jack Buchinsky, and that he is a criminal who had requested to be transferred to Arkham. Ed gives them the file, then hurries over to see Kris Kringle, who he had given a cupcake to – with a bullet. She gives it back to him, annoyed.

Gordon, Bullock, and the captain go over Gruber/Buchinsky’s file, and they plan to find his partners, so that they can lead them to Gruber. Just then, they get a note and get called out to investigate – the van that Gruber stole from Arkham has been recovered. Not far away, they spot Irwin’s Electronics, and go inside to take a look. There, they find the dead body of the man who had answered the door for Gruber. The go further into the warehouse and find Irwin mindlessly writing a message on the wall over and over: “I will not betray my friends.”

As Liza is walking down the street with her bodyguard, a car pulls up, men get out and shoot the bodyguard, place a bag over Liza’s head, and kidnap her. It turns out that Fish Mooney is behind this. Fish says she is going to make her move on Falcone. She makes a phone call to Falcone, disguising her voice, informing him that they have Liza and that someone will be in contact with him soon.

Back at the police station, Ed insists that Gordon and Bullock wear insulated rubber boots. Bullock makes light of it, but Gordon agrees. Just then, Dr. Thompkins stops by to see Gordon. She has a doll with her that Gruber had asked an inmate to curse. Its name is Mr. M.

Meanwhile, at Marone’s restaurant, Marone and his men are eating lunch. Cobblepot gets a phone call from Falcone that someone took Liza. He asks him to come right away. Cobblepot makes an excuse that his mother is sick, so he has to leave. However, when he gets to the door, he is electrocuted. A man stumbles in with an electronic device that explodes and injuries everyone inside.

Gordon investigates, and tells Marone that Buchinsky is behind this. He also accuses Marone of being one of Buckinsky’s partners. However, Marone plays dumb. Gordon offers to place Marone in protective custody – as bait. Just then, Cobblepot wakes up from the stretcher and says he must be going, because he has urgent business with Falcone – then he collapses into unconsciousness again. Marone returns with Gordon to the police station, and carries the unconscious Cobblepot with him.

Barbara shows up at her rich parents’ mansion, and asks to stay for a few days. They agree.

Cobblepot wakes up and says he must go to his mother. Marone says his mother can wait. Marone tells Cobblepot what he said earlier about Falcone.

Falcone’s phone rings. It’s Fish, who says some people have contacted her about making a deal for Liza. Falcone immediately realizes that Fish is behind the kidnapping. She admits to it, and demands that Falcone leave Gotham and never come back, and that he can take Liza with him. He agrees. Fish deduces that Liza likes Falcone, but she warns Liza that she can never tell Falcone the truth.

At Falcone’s place, Victor Zsasz says he can easily take out Fish’s crew, but Falcone says that Victor’s job is to keep him and Liza safe.

Ed visits Kris Kringle in the archives and recites a poem that he wrote for her. As she struggles with finding a response, a guy comes in and tells Ed to back off. When he walks away, he overhears Kris thanking the guy, and telling him that Ed is weird.

Meanwhile, Gruber and Danzing are outside the police station, coming up with a plan to electrify the building. Marone has just given Cobblepot permission to leave, when the electric currents overtake police station, knocking everyone out. Gruber instructs Danzing to take Marone to the truck. However, Gordon shows up and points his gun at Gruber. Gordon wasn’t stunned like everyone else because he was wearing the rubber boots Ed gave him. Gruber electrifies Gordon’s gun, causing him to drop it. Then Danzig attacks Gordon, but Gordon fights him off, knocking him out. Gruber begins firing up the electronic device he has strapped to him – but Gordon throws a cup of water at him, shorting out the device.

The press comes in and takes pictures of Gordon, the Commissioner, and the captain, who have successfully captured Gruber and Danzig. Gordon quietly threatens the Commissioner from ever taking his badge away again.

Cobblepot stops by to see Falcone. He tells Falcone that Liza belongs to Fish, and that this whole thing was a set up. Just then, Fish calls Falcone and tells him to meet at her place in an hour. When he arrives, she tells him she needs him to sign some papers. But he says he needs to see Liza before he signs anything. Fish brings Liza out. Falcone asks Liza how long she’s known Fish Mooney. Liza claims to have only met Fish that day, but Falcone says a little bird told him they’d been friends for a long time, and that Fish told her about his mother. Falcone remembers that he and Fish used to talk about his mother all the time. Falcone is disappointed at his own stupidity, and calls in his hired guns, including Victor. Then Falcone strangles Liza to death. He then orders Fish and Butch to be locked up. He says Fish will suffer for using his mother against him. He also says that for the first time in a long time he feels alive, and remembers who he is. Just then, Falcone calls Cobblepot in, and tells him to say his goodbyes to Fish.

Dr. Thompkins stops by to see Gordon – in the men’s locker room. She claims that she’s there to get the doll back, but then admits that’s not the only reason she’s there, admitting she doesn’t know why she’s there. As she starts to walk away, Gordon calls her back, then kisses her. Their make out session is interrupted by an officer reporting that there’s been a big shootout at Fish Mooney’s place.