Gotham 4x4 : The Demon's Head review.

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it.

Starting off this week and see that Bruce has brought the knife he purchased in last week's auction to get it examined by a professional. He introduces Bruce and Alfred to his grandson Alex a student who is also keen to understand the meaning of the knife just like his grandfather. Bruce and Alfred leave them to do their thing but of course things don't go as planned as Ra's Al Ghul invades the establishment and kills the older gentlemen rather ruthlessly who was examining the knife. Alex somehow manages to escape into a back room and hides the knife. More on the knife later.

The relationship between Bruce and Jim really stepped up in this episode. Gordon knows Bruce and Alfred are up to something even going as far as to say to Alfred that he knows something is up. Later we here Jim say to Bruce that now isn't the time to ''Play detective'' which was a nice little nod to what Bruce will become..the world's greatest detective! both Bruce and Jim bicker throughout the episode and I just loved it because that is exactly what a young Batman and Jim would do. Both always wanting to do the ring thing but in what they each think is the right way.

Onto Ed and we see racking his brain trying to come up with riddles for Penguin to which he does..two very weak riddles which took him a total of 6 hours to come up with as he explains later in the episode. That is so not like Riddler at all and it does look like his mind has just gone completely blank. He even gets trumped by Penguin which really should never happen. Penguin wants to freeze him again but realizes that him being out of the ice and not being The Riddler would be a greater fate for him. Which was a great little scene. The dynamic between Oswald and Ed really is one of the best things about this who entire show.

Sofia Falcone is called to visit Penguin as he try's to figure out just why she is back in Gotham. She plays it off as if she is there to attend some charity events. Penguin obviously knows she is lying but he let's it slide as her father gave them the start he needed in Gotham. In fact later we find out that Penguin was just using Sofia as bate to weed Falcone loyalists out of hiding to which he has Victor just kill them all. Sofia reminds him that Falcone was ruthless but he still had a heart and maybe he should keep that in mind. We see Jim at Sofia's at the end of the episode and their relationship is certainly heating up. Jim kisses her and they end up on the couch about to make love.

Ra's turns up at the GCPD dressed as a professor from Nanda Parbat. Yes we get the first mention of Nanda Parbat in this show. Subtle little hints but it's still so cool. He wants to speak with Jim about the knife and why he wants it back. Jim knows this is all a ruse of course but plays along until Alfred shows up and punches Ra's to which he uses to make his escape from the GCPD.

Back onto the knife and Alex takes Bruce to where he has it hidden to which they are chased by some guys working for Ra's. One had similar clothing to what the Asylum inmates wore in the Arkham Asylum video game which I really liked. Of course Gordon arrives in the nick of time to save Bruce but the same cannot be said for Alex to whom Ra's kills right in front of Jim & Bruce as Bruce refuses to give up the knife. Such a Batman thing to do. Risking everything to find out the main goal. Later we see that Bruce blames himself for Alex's death, he looks really beat up over it. Angry Bruce coming for Ra's would be cool to see in my opinion. Speaking of Ra's he surrenders himself to the cop's and we see him heading to Blackgate prison as the episode ends.

This was such a major step up from last week's mess of an episode. More episodes like this Gotham and you'll blow the competition away with ease.

★★★★