Gotham: “A Dead Man Feels No Cold” Review

Freezy freakies.

Gotham plowed along this week, giving us the type of origin story for Mr. Freeze that I think we all sort of expected. No real surprises on that (cold) front. However Hugo Strange continued to be a wild card force that made the experience way more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.

Plus, Bruce and Alfred returned and – man – did David Mazouz go through another growth spurt? I mean, casting child actors, males in particular, always usually guarantees a few moments of sudden, startling change, but Mazouz seems way more mature now after the midseason break. I suppose, in the end, it just helped add to Bruce’s own change in demeanor. The one where he’s now less fixated on closure and more determined to develop a “dangerous, possibly, endless obsession.” He’s come out the other side of the Galavan kidnapping ordeal with a newfound seriousness and a frozen determination to flat-out kill his parent’s murderer.

Not for nothing, I liked the moment when Alfred sternly told Bruce that HE would be the one to kill “Matches.” Because the way his speech was going, it felt like the usual “When we catch him we’ll hand him over to the authorities” spiel. But nope. Alfred will do the deed. To spare Bruce the weight of it. So yes, Alfred is in full agreement that the guy needs to die. Which adds a nice perverse touch to this mentorship. Reminds me more of the Alfred who encouraged Bruce to go beat Tommy Elliot’s face to a pulp.

Anyhow, on to Victor Fries. Who was all about rescuing Nora at all costs. He had a working formula now, so his goal was to freeze her and then turn himself in. Or something. Really, anything just to freeze her so she could become a ward of the state. Not that I’d trust Gotham with anyone’s fragile cryogenic care after my death, but he had a plan nonetheless.

So he froze a lot of people while Gordon had the terrible idea of using Nora as bait inside Arkham. Honestly, it was a plan so awful that it – instead of getting glossed over – became a huge bone of contention on the show. A big talking point, in fact. It even caused a rift between Gordon and Leslie in the process, leaving the two of them on the semi-outs by the end of the episode.

Well, it was the combination of that plan, Nora unintentionally getting in her ear, and the cumulation of everything that went down back in the fall that worked to grind Leslie down a bit. Causing her to become so resentful that she deliberately put her pregnant self in harm’s way. A dumb decision on all fronts – from the police (Gordon’s not the only one making calls here) allowing it to happen to Leslie herself wanting it.

So Victor took the bait and Strange made things fun. Toying with the cops by locking doors. Secretly speaking to Fries in order to obtain a sample of his cryo-serum in exchange for an escape route. Strange’s involvement here worked well. The more things he can stick his creepy paws into the better. Now he may even have a bead on Gordon’s involvement in Galvan’s death thanks to a Penguin rant in the courtyard.

Seriously though – side note – Victor had no plan of escape AND his endgame involved going back to his own house? He didn’t think to swipe a cry-tube beforehand? Grrr.

The ending saw Nora kill herself (by swapping out the wrong freeze cartridge) and then Victor try to kill himself. You know the drill. It didn’t work and he mutated his body into a frosty blue, husky-eyed nightmare who can only surviving in the freezing cold. But he’s now part of Strange’s menagerie (along with Galavan, Jerome, Fish, etc). Is this where his Gotham tale ends or will Strange use him in some way. Meaning, will Gordon and Bullock actually get to experience Mr. Freeze in full Mr. Freeze mode? Before “hypothetical future Batman” does?