TV Review: Gotham Season 1 Episode 6 “Spirit of the Goat”

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Episode 6: "Spirit of the Goat"

Synopsis: When a killer begins targeting the first born of Gotham's elite, Bullock is forced to confront traumatic memories from a nearly identical case he worked in the past. Later, Gordon is confronted by past decisions.

Recap: Jumping back ten years, we are introduced to a masked killer called The Spirit of the Goat, a psychopath in a black cawl that is very reminiscent of the future Batman.  Once again, GOTHAM gives us another parallel to the Caped Crusader in a town dripping with characters who simultaneously want to damn and save their city.  We also get to see Bullock and his former partner Dix (Dan Hedaya) as they investigate the titular murderer.  Dix even spouts a new and until now unknown Rule of Gotham: No heroes.  Seeing Bullock as the younger and idealistic cop is a nice flip from what we are accustomed to.  Bullock shoots Milky, aka The Spirit of the Goat, and seeminlgy loses the victim and DIx at the same time.

In contemporary Gotham, Bullock is at the site of a copycat killer while Edward Nygma teases him with a riddle.  Gordon is not at the crime scene as he deals with his argument with Barbara.  They still argue about the baggage Gordon carries with him, Barbara asking him to share his torment and pain with her.  The couple reconcile and Gordon agrees to tell her as much as he can every night and then leaves to meet Bullock.  Meanwhile, Montoya and Allen find a homeless man at a pier near where Oswald Cobblepot was "killed" who recalls seing the cop shoot the criminal. 

Bullock and Gordon meet the parents of the latest victim who are of no help.  Their therapist is at odds with Bullock who calls out the amount of painkillers she has put them on.  Bullock is obviously affected by the seeming resurgence of the Spirit of the Goat.  Back at the station, Nygma researches the Goat murders in the filing room and has a creepy conversation with Kristen Kringle, smelling her hair and discussing her rare last name.  Kringle is not amused and seems to find Nygma off-putting as he criticizes her filing method.  There is some mild flirting at the end leading one to believe Kringle will develop into another famous Batman character at some point.

Gordon and Bullock deduce that the killer may have had access to the victim's home and is potentially a janitor or other maintenance employee.  Oswald Cobblepot visits his mother, revealing he is still alive.  She at once mocks him for being with a "demon hussy" while also supporting his rise to vengeance against those who hold him back.  During the autopsy, Bullock guides the medical examiner to find a sealed incision at the base of the victim's neck that houses an old penny.  Bullock says the only one who could know that detail could not be a copycat as that item was never revealed to the public.  They decide to go see Detective Dix to see if he told anyone this crucial detail or if he has any suggestions for the case.

At Wayne Manor, young Bruce watches the news which is featuring a "Goat Watch" for the elusive killer.  Alfred suggests that Bruce leave as he fits the profile for the Goat but Bruce says he has too much to do and that the Goat wouldn't want him as there is no one to take him from.  At the station, Kringle returns to find Nygma reorganizing all of her files.  She lashes out at him for bothering her and he seems completely oblivious to what his actions have done.  At the hospital where DIx lives, Bullock tells Gordon that his former partner is part of his "black box" that they should never open.  Gordon allows it but refuses to sit back and not be there as they ask Dix about the case.  Dix says that he does not believe that Randall Mily was working alone but there is rather a conspiracy of killers working together.  Bullock scoffs at the idea.

At the site of the next CopyGoat crime, Bullock and Gordon continue to pursue the janitorial connection.  Bullock tells Gordon to bring Nygma in as he is good with puzzles.  Montoya confronts Barbara about Gordon's crimes and warns her that a warrant has been issued for Gordon and he will be arrested but she insists she will stay by his side.  Nygma and Gordon determine of the common janitorial employees at both crime scenes, there is only one possible match.  The scene is all the more blatant with the Riddler allusions by having Nygma drink from a coffee mug with a question mark on it.  Ah, subtelty.  Gordon and Bullock arrive at the address for their suspect and it is the same place where Bullock shot Milky and where Dix fell.

Inside, the Goat has his latest victim strung up.  Bullock goes after the Goat and Gordon tries to save the victim.  Bullock and the Goat tussle down a flight of stairs.  Just before he can kill Bullock, Gordon jumps in and knocks the killer out cold.  At Wayne Manor, Selina Kyle sneaks into the house while Bruce sleeps and checks out his wall of criminals and theories about the murder of his parents.  At the Cobblepot home, Oswald takes a bath while his mother washes him, admonishing him to trust no one else but her.  Seriously a creepy Norman Bates vibe off of these characters.

Determining that their suspect has ties to both victims, Bullock is not convinced he is the culprit.  Both the new killer and Randall Milky had mental issues and worked for the same janitorial company with no history of violent crime and randomly decide to become the Goat,  Bullock doesn't go as far to believe i Dix's conspiracy theory but something doesn't add up.  Sending Gordon home for the night, Bullock watches as the suspect begins to grip his hand and moan, and Bullock suddenly has an epiphany.  At home, Barbara warns Jim about the warrant and implores him to leave with her but he says he cannot run.  Opening the door, Montoya and Allen arrest Gordon.

Bullock visits the therapist he met earlier in the episode under the pretext of discussing the case.  He asks her about her work and probes about her work as a hypnotherapist and her pro bono work that goes back 12 years.  One of her patients, Raymond Earle, the latest suspect had a physical compulsion as a result of possible hypnosis.  He also reveals she treated Randall Milky and deduces she hypnotized both men into thinking they were the Spirit of the Goat.  When she reveals Bullock is not wrong, Dr. Marx reveals she does what she does to show Gotham what they have done wrong and to reinforce that the city needs to be saved from itself.  Before he can arrest her, Marx triggers her patient to attack Bullock and he shoots her before she can get away.

Unable to verify Bullock's claim, he argues with his captain as Montoya and Allen bring Gordon in.  They also arrest Bullock for being an accomplice to the death of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, but as everyone argues, Cobblepot himself walks into the station, negating the case against Gordon but now pitting the two partners against each other.

Rating: 7/10 Gotham PD Badges

Finally, an episode that feels like the pages of a Batman comic.  Dark, brooding, and reminiscent of SEVEN, this episode manages to retain the vibe and feel of GOTHAM's overall style while telling an engaging and scary killer story, just in time for Halloween.  There is even some progress on the development of Edward Nygma which is interesting but somewhat incongruous to the overall episode.  Even the scenes with Penguin feel like they were shoved into the middle of the episode rather than fitting into the story itself.  If not for these inconsistencies, this episode would have scored higher.  Getting some backstory on Bullock is interesting but on the other hand, why is the Selina Kyle scene here at all?  This is more of the issues GOTHAM keeps facing as it cannot figure out how to spend the entire hour with the numerous plot threads it has built for itself.

Next Episode: "Penguin's Umbrella" airs November 3rd. As violence between Maroni and Falcone continues to escalate, Penguin reveals a new component of his manipulative strategy, forcing Gordon to deal with the consequences of his decision to spare Penguin's life.