BWW Recap: Teens on the Run as Assassins Go Gunning in GOTHAM

As of tonight, GOTHAM has clocked in ten episodes. Organized crime wars, underworld underlings with delusions of grandeur, sadistic henchmen, shady real estate deals, unsolved murders - these are just a handful of the daily machinations we have seen so far in the naked city. Maverick detective James Gordon is still trying his best to stay above the dark underbelly of corruption that percolates through nearly every brick in Gotham.

So how do things end up during tonight's episode, "Lovecraft," the fall finale? Gird your loins, here we go:

Right off the bat, Wayne Manor gets some deadly visitors who murder the innocent gardener right away. A team of assassins have arrived and we can only guess at this point their intended target. Inside the house, Bruce attempts some daredevil training, balancing along the handrails of the staircases. His teacher, Selina Kyle, invites Bruce to go on more adventures in downtown Gotham. The rich boy and the girl from the streets continue to flirt, but they also get on each other's nerves. The female leader of the assassins tricks Alfred into allowing her in to the mansion and things escalate quickly. Alfred uses his skills at hand to hand combat to protect Bruce and Selina and he yells for them to run. Forced to flee for their lives, Selina leads Bruce outside and heads to Gotham. We learn (and it is confirmed later) that even though Bruce would seem to be the likely target, but it's Selina they are after. Alfred shoots one of the killers and receives a flesh wound in the crossfire.

Responding to the trouble at Wayne Manor, Bullock and Gordon bring tons of the Gotham City P.D. and begin searching the Wayne estate for Bruce and Selina. Bullock clashes, once again, with Gordon over details on the case. Bruce and Selina are on the run, presumably heading to Gotham where she is adept at hiding. Gordon works the Lovecraft angle, whilst Bullock is joined by Alfred to follow leads as to where the teenagers might be hiding.

Back in Gotham's criminal underworld, Carmine Falcone calls Oswald Cobblepot to his mansion to be questioned about how Maroni knew where his money would be (from the last episode). Falcone suspects Oswald is not on his side, while Cobblepot pleads the case that Fish needs to go. Oswald claims there is a mole in Falcone's organization and it's probably someone close to Fish Mooney. The truth is, the mole is Eliza, and Oswald will use the information when the time is right.

Gordon goes to Harvey Dent for assistance in finding Dick Lovecraft, since Jim is warming up to Dent as another resource for potential good in Gotham City. Jim also learns it may have been Dent who leaked details of the case and endangered Selina and Bruce. Meanwhile, Bullock and Alfred question one of Selina's street-wise associates about where Selina might be found. Since she has worked as a cat burglar, he suggests they check with Fish Mooney since she controls fences in Gotham.

Don Falcone invites his associates to a meal, only to shoot in the head the man assigned to protect the armory. Falcone also announces he is increasing the tariffs each one of the underbosses must pay. Some of the others express their displeasure. Fish feigns her loyalty to Falcone, to protect her underhanded plans against the big boss.

Above the streets of Gotham, Selina tries to distance herself from Bruce, admitting she knows the assassins are after her and not the wealthy orphan. When she takes off across the rooftops like a ... um ... a cat, Bruce takes off after her and just barely makes a leap to another rooftop. Selina says Bruce can hang with her as long as he follows her rules. "Yes, ma'am," Master Wayne answers, as they head deeper into Gotham. "You got to be like smoke," Selina warns, leading Bruce into the "mall for street kids." Bruce finds some new, leather threads to better blend in as one of the gang. He meets Miss Ivy Pepper, whom we have not seen since episode number one. The future Poison Ivy takes a shine to Bruce but Selina squirrels him away to find her favorite fence, Kyle.

Fish and Butch, her sidekick, confer over their ongoing plan to make hurt Falcone and eventually take over. Bullock shows up at the club, with Alfred still riding shotgun. Fish admits Selina is being targeted by certain elements because she might be able to identify the Wayne killers and hurt Lovecraft. Alfred works his charms on Fish and she agrees to make some calls, but she expects him to remember her kindness.

Gordon tracks down Dick Lovecraft and discovers the business man shaking in fear; he is being targeted too, claiming he did not order the hit on Selina. The assassins arrive for Lovecraft, who barely escapes, and Bruce fights mightily against the she-bitch killer. She overpowers the detective, leaving him in questionable shape. Jim revives from the fight only to find Lovecraft dead in the bathtub courtesy of Gordon's own gun, an apparent suicide - but most likely he was killed by the femme fatale assassin.

Selina brings Kyle the fence some items Bruce gave her from the Wayne estate. The assassins arrive but not before Selina uses her acrobatic sense of survival to find an escape route in the rafters. Selina works her way up to the old iron work pulleys and skylights of the warehouse. The assassins pursue Bruce and Selina, while Bullock and Alfred arrive and begin shooting back before back up arrives. Guns start blazing, the teens try to hide and the ruthless killers give deadly chase through the cluttered warehouse. Alfred finds Master Bruce and the guardian is reunited with his charge. The cops round up as many of the hired guns as they can, but their harpy leader eludes capture. (Just like a harpy, don't you know?)

Back at GCPD, Mayor James blames Jim for "suicide" of Dick Lovecraft. During the same meeting, Harvey Dent leaves Jim in the lurch and allows the mayor to make Gordon a scapegoat. Jim answers the corrupt blowhard of a mayor with the immortal words, "Mayor James, Kiss my ass." The mayor immediately launches a press conference, making Jim the scapegoat. His retribution against James is not over, however. Detective James Gordon is unceremoniously reassigned to that choice police beat, Arkham Asylum. Jim will now be working a security detail at the institute for the criminally insane.

Selina sneaks in to Wayne Manor, since they never said goodbye after the assassins' attempt on their lives. She also pops Bruce with the long-awaited (albeit rushed and thoroughly chaste) kiss just before Alfred pops in. Alfred says to Bruce, "The old home is a lot quieter without her here."

Just before the credits roll, Jim Gordon walks up to the ominous entryway of Arkham Asylum as the iron gates creak open and he walks into his uncertain future.

A Final Word: I must say that even if I was not recapping this series each week, I would be a faithful viewer of GOTHAM. Even without Batman watching over it, Gotham - the city - is filled with colorful characters and engaging conflict. As we see the development of other major players from the Batman universe - Gordon, the "baby villains, Alfred and, of course, the orphaned, wounded and keenly intelligent Bruce Wayne - I have been excited by the surprises, been pleased by the clues to the future and await each episode eagerly. My hope is that the series will build on this fine foundation with the second half of the season. And my fond wish is that there are plenty more seasons to come to allow the slow build to the advent of the Caped Crusader.

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and follow me on twitter @jeffwalker66.

See you in the new year: Same Gotham time, same BWW-TV World location!

PHOTO CREDIT: Fox

Can't wait until January for what's to come? Here's a teaser to keep you busy: