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Ruin delivers unlikely alliances in the wake of the Haven destruction. One team is finding a potential suspect, another is forensic'ing their way to the cause - and finding out the true perpetrator. The third team is still fighting for vengeance against Jeremiah, and then - as usual - there is Barbara.

There Are Lines That We Don't Cross

©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Fox

Haven is on fire. Gordon mobilizes all that he can to put the blazes out. Penguin is visibly shaken by the sheer violence and inhumanity of such an act. Barbara is still on the scene and has Penguin dead to rights but pulls away instead and disappears. In the morning Harvey finds Jim's badge which confirms that the Jr. Deputy is in fact dead. Jim describes the carnage on the short wave radio and once again he is promised help and he is doubtful that will ever happen. The citizens are upset with Jim who can only promise empty hope. Harvey suggests that Barbara might have something to do with it so Jim goes to find out what she knows. She tells him she knows the location of a potential suspect and asks Jim if he really thinks she could be capable of killing all of those people. He simply says "I don't know." Hurt, she replies "I guess I deserve that." Jim is called back to the Police Station to find Penguin and his men there looking ready for battle. It turns out Penguin wants to supply the GCPD with weapons and ammo to forge an alliance because they all lost good people in the Haven blast. The suspect Barbara is leading them to turns out to be none other than Victor Zsasz. Victor tries to fight his way out but Jim and Penguin's combined forces turn out to be too much for him and Jim takes him down in a spectacular move. Victor is taken back to the GCPD and says he was at Haven to steal supplies but had nothing to do with the bomb. Penguin, out for vigilante justice, comes with his armed men and takes Zsasz from Jim to put him on a show trial for his alleged crime. After finding out the truth of how the blast occurred Jim tries to convince the citizen-jury that Zsasz is, in fact, innocent but they are hungry for anyone to pay so they pronounce Zsasz guilty and he is nearly guillotined before Jim and Harvey step in to save him. They take him to the outskirts of the city where Jim must release him because there are no better options. Zsasz taunts Jim and says Gotham will never be what Jim wants but will always belong to the bad guys. Jim orders Harvey to give Zsasz his gun so they can have a shoot out right there. Zsasz backs down and Harvey tells Jim that he needs to get it together and not to EVER ask him to do anything like that ever again.

When Is A Bomb Not A Bomb?

©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Fox

Ed wakes up to find an empty suitcase on his bed and a partial note written on his hand that leads him to think "Inmate 1215" knows. "Knows what?!?!," he screams to no one. He disguises his way into the GCPD HQ to get the prison records of Inmate 1215 when he is surprised by Lucius who has been tasked with finding out how Haven was destroyed. Lucius grabs the all-important file that Ed wants and uses it as leverage to have Ed help him figure out the bombing. Agreed on working together they go back to Haven to discover that the existing 250 gallons of contained heating oil was the incendiary device and that an RPG came through a nearby window from a rooftop to cause the blast. On the rooftop they find the RPG launcher case and Lucius genuinely thanks Ed for his help. As Lucius leaves, Ed notices that an older lady is across the street in her apartment and that she had a perfect line of sight to the person who launched the RPG. Reaching her apartment the lady is truly terrified and tells Ed that he was the one on that roof. She blunt force trauma's him and the details start coming back to him that The Riddler launched the RPG and he sees all of the details as they truly unfolded. Not being knocked unconscious, he throws the lady from her wheelchair out of the window to her death.

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Catwoman Shot

©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Fox

Bruce is still handcuffed and trapped at the unholy Jeremiah church. He tries to fight his way out one using one arm but is about to be shot when Alfred arrives on the scene. While he frees Bruce, Alfred also confronts Bruce that he can't always save Selina from herself and her current path of destructive vengeance. But today, they should go help her. Indeed Selina is still following Ecco and the new recruits and we find them still trying to build the tunnel that we were introduced to two episodes back in "Trespassers." And the leader Jeremiah Valeska himself is there to oversee the work. Jeremiah and Ecco and Jeremiah catch up on the latest happenings over a strangely awkward dance. Ecco assures Jeremiah that she will kill "Curls" the next time she sees her. Selina takes advantage and has Ecco's outfit on and gets close enough to stab Jeremiah. Repeatedly. Viciously. She is about to slice his throat as well but Bruce again holds her back from her full rage. He, Selina, and Alfred escape and our last vision of Jeremiah is him on the ground appearing to be dying. (???)

Why Don't You Make Like A Tree, And Get Outta' Here?

©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Fox

Jim is drinking. A lot. Barbara saunters into the office to give Jim another tip on a suspicious character. She is also describing Jim in his current state - that no one can understand the weight he is under. He tells her to leave. Twice. The second time she says she hears him and comes very close and we have a very, very, very hot near kiss. She turns to actually leave, Jim slams another drink, takes her by the arm and boom-chicka-wow-wow commences. Cue the "Gotham" title card!!

Closing Thoughts:

Ruin, like the other three episodes of Season 5 so far, is simply perfection. The alliances of coming together to take down the SOB who destroyed Haven is perfect since there really are some lines that even these collective psychopaths recognize that you just don't cross and this time it's indeed gone too far, for even Gotham! The reveal of Ed as the RPG'er that took down the Wayne Enterprises helicopter and Haven was simply spectacular. The writers led us down the primrose path that surely Jeremiah was the culprit which made the true reveal of Ed that much sweeter. Bruce and Alfred connected by yet another Bat-toy was fantastic. Plus the fact that we got a TON of Zsasz AND Jeremiah in this episode was amazing! It's ludicrous to think that Jeremiah is actually dead, or who knows if they'll pull something to say that wasn't really Jeremiah himself. Finally, Jim being put to his physical and emotional limits was a wonderful journey to be a witness. He has nothing but platitudes of hope to give to the citizens and he doesn't believe any of it. He is becoming reckless and selfish for the first time in a very, very long time. I can't wait to see where this storyline goes as we continue this tragic journey. Is it Thursday yet?!?!?

News:

Pena Dura:
A military task force, led by Eduardo Dorrance (guest star Shane West) is called in to provide relief to Gotham. Meanwhile, Nygma looks for answers from Penguin, who leads him back to Hugo Strange (guest star BD Wong). Then, Bruce is concerned about Selina’s recent behavior in the all-new “Pena Dura” episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, Jan. 31 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (GTH-505) (TV-14 L, V)

No new Gotham on Feb. 7, but you can rewatch Year Zero.

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