Television: Gotham, "Spirit of the Goat"

I don't like goats.

There's a long story behind that, but we'll skip it.

Goats do like me for some reason.

Anyway, this episode of Gotham had a woman with my name being killed by a guy channeling "the Spirit of the Goat," so it started with a strike against it.

But I have to say, on the whole Gotham is improving. And not just because Jim Gordon is trying to clean it up. It was nice to see Bullock in a flashback and find he wasn't so different from Gordon, a lot less jaded than now at any rate. And the stuff with Nigma and Kringle was some of the best they've had yet. Also: no mob stuff this episode! I will actually take goats over mob plots.

As I mentioned the plot revolved around a killer who believed he was "the Spirit of the Goat." Thing is, the same kind of murders had occurred a decade ago, and Bullock and his then-partner Dix caught the guy. So why is it happening again? And how does the copycat know details about the M.O. that were suppressed in the file?

I foresaw the answer well before the reveal, but it was still a good story.

Meanwhile, a witness is found who is able to identify Gordon as the murderer of Oswald Cobblepot. So as Gordon and Bullock wrap up their investigation, Gordon gets arrested. And then Bullock does, too, as an accessory. (Apparently the witness saw him, too.) Lucky for Gordon, the Penguin turns up at the police station and proves there was no murder. Unlucky for Gordon, this means the mob will want to kill him, unless Bullock beats them to it.

Carol Kane does a great job as Mrs. Cobblepot. Actually, the entire show is well cast. I'll give them that. Now, if we could just unclog the show and open the lines to the more interesting characters and stories . . . I mean, they took the long way around on the Penguin thing, and Nigma/Riddler is clearly going to be a slow burn, too. But so much of the show feels like a slog. Not this episode, mind. This one was much better. But I know we're going to be back to the mob stuff, and that just drags it all down. Gotham has such potential. But first it must be freed of the sludge.