The Blade's Path
"The Blade's Path" | |
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Gotham episode | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Scott White |
Written by | Tze Chun |
Produced by | |
Featured music | David E. Russo |
Cinematography by | Crescenzo Notarile |
Editing by | Leland Sexton |
Production code | T40.10005 |
Original air date | October 19, 2017 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"The Blade's Path" is the fifth episode of the fourth season and 71st episode overall from the Fox series Gotham. The show is itself based on the characters created by DC Comics set in the Batman mythology. The episode was written by Tze Chun and directed by Scott White. It was first broadcast on October 19, 2017.
In the episode, after Alex's funeral, Bruce discovers Ra's has a likely possibility to be released from prison and sets to go and kill him himself using the knife. Gordon and Alfred become worried about what Bruce could do and set to find him. Meanwhile, Butch Gilzean's body is dropped from the hospital to a swamp where he is reborn under a new identity, "Solomon Grundy". He is soon discovered by Nygma who is also suffering from a severe identity crisis. Cobblepot and Sofia also meet to discuss business.
The episode received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Siddig's and Mazouz's performances as Ra and Bruce. However, Penguin's subplot received criticism.
Plot
After being in a coma for six months, Butch Gilzean's (Drew Powell) body is taken out of the hospital in order to make room. Afterward, he is dumped into Slaughter Swamp where his body is dropped into a lake that also contains toxic chemicals left over from Indian Hill.
Bruce (
Back on Slaughter Swamp, Butch suddenly wakes up in a zombie-like state. He wanders around the area to find a group of campers. He attacks the campers with a superhuman resistance and strength. Suffering amnesia, he adopts the name of a
Bruce arrives at Blackgate and manages to enter Ra's cell, ready to kill him. However, he hesitates and decides to leave only to be ambushed by Ra's and assassins from the
In the aftermath, Gordon decides not to report Bruce murdering Ra's. Bruce decides to leave his vigilantism and leaves the suit for Alfred. Meanwhile, pretending that he was his friend before his rebirth, Nygma takes Grundy to a fight club headed by a woman named Cherry (Marina Benedict). Cherry sends Butch to the medic for inspection, where it is revealed that Lee (Morena Baccarin) is secretly working there as the new doctor.
Production
Development
In September 2017, it was announced that the fifth episode of the season would be titled "The Blade's Path" and was to be written by Tze Chun on his writing debut and directed by Scott White.[1]
Casting
Camren Bicondova, Jessica Lucas, and Chris Chalk don't appear in the episode as their respective characters. In September 2017, it was announced that the guest cast for the episode would include Kelcy Griffin as Detective Harper, and Marina Benedict as Cherry.[1]
Reception
Viewers
The episode was watched by 2.75 million viewers with a 0.9/3 share among adults aged 18 to 49.[2] This was on par in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.75 million viewers with a 0.9/3 in the 18-49 demographics.[3] With these ratings, Gotham ranked first for Fox, fourth on its timeslot, and tenth for the night, behind How to Get Away with Murder, The Good Place, Superstore, Toy Story of Terror!, Scandal, Chicago Fire, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Will & Grace, and Thursday Night Football.
Critical reviews
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
TV Overmind | [6] |
"A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.7 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "Bruce's endgame (and seemingly final confrontation) with Ra's made for a pretty good central story as Gotham often operates at its best when it's beholden to nothing except the 'Batman' lore it wants to use for its own purposes. If this was the true final stand of Ra's in this iteration of the story, then so be it. He already tried to destroy the city and play head games with Bruce. Done and done. Also, Solomon Grundy was a goofy good time. It will always be odd having Butch, after three seasons, transform into Grundy, but it's working."[4]
Nick Hogan of
Vinnie Mancuso of Collider wrote, "Tonight's episode of Gotham, titled 'The Blade's Path,' was one of those rare Balloonman specials: an entry so beautifully absurd that it transcends the show's regular status of silly fun to become something more, like a child accidentally finger-painting the Mona Lisa. I'm not even sure where to begin, to be honest."[8] Lisa Babick of TV Fanatic gave the series a perfect 5 star rating out of 5, writing "Bruce broke his one rule when Ra's al Ghul pushed him to his limit, and Sofia Falcone tried to weasel her way into Penguin's heart, but the highlight of Gotham Season 4 Episode 5 was when Ed Nygma met the new and improved Butch Gilzean. Is anyone else as excited about this storyline as I am?"[5]
References
- ^ a b "(GTH-405) "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 20, 2017). "'Gotham' and 'Supernatural' adjust up, 'Arrow' adjusts down, final NFL numbers: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 13, 2017). "'Will & Grace,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Gotham' and NFL adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Fowler, Matt (October 19, 2017). "Gotham: "The Blade's Path" Review". IGN. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "Gotham Season 4 Episode 5 Review: The Blade's Path". TV Fanatic. 20 October 2017.
- ^ TV Overmind. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 20, 2017). "DC TV Watch: 'Arrow' Star Promises a "Stronger" Black Canary". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ "'Gotham' Recap: "The Blade's Path" โ Born on a Monday". Collider. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
External links
- "The Blade's Path" at IMDb