Better to Reign in Hell...

"How many escapees you brought in now? Hmm? Six? Five grand a pop? That's not too bad. What happens when there aren't any more?"

- Harvey Bullock to James Gordon

"Better to Reign in Hell..." is the first episode of Season Three of Fox's Gotham. It was written by John Stephens and directed by Danny Cannon. It is the forty-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on September 19, 2016. This episode is the third season premiere.

Synopsis
Gordon works in a monster-ridden Gotham as a bounty hunter and seeks to find answers about the Indian Hill escapees, and why their powers appear to be killing them. Meanwhile, Bruce's doppelganger roams the streets, and Barbara and Tabitha open a new nightclub called The Sirens.

Recap
Jim Gordon walks up to a perfect little house in a perfect little town on a perfect little day. He's got a bouquet of flowers and he’s wearing a suit. He’s there to see Lee, but Lee isn’t alone. She’s with another man.

Someone is raiding a pharmacy. The pharmacist tries to stop the intruder, but it’s the massive Indian Hill escapee, the one with stegosaurus fins on his back. The pharmacist is thrown outside, and that’s where Gordon finds him. Gordon tries to take him down, but the guy is way too strong. Luckily a bus comes along and takes him out.

Later that night, we meet Valerie Vale at the news conference at GCPD headquarters. She wants to know why bounty hunters are the ones taking out the Indian Hill escapees. Mayor James wants to offer sympathy to the escapees, but Vale points out that they used to be Arkham inmates. Upstairs, Gordon tells Bullock that he won’t return to the GCPD. Bullock says that he can’t blame the police for what happened to his relationship. Lucius steps in and tells Bullock that the medicine the escapees are after is an immune suppressant. Lucius works there now that he has left Wayne Enterprises. Vale seems to know a whole lot about the real situation. That’s when Penguin shows up, and he wants the public to know that there is a lot more going on. He gets in front of the press and tells them that Fish Mooney is at the heart of this. No one is safe until she’s caught. As he leaves, Penguin runs into Gordon and says that he’s surprised that Gordon hasn’t caught Fish yet. Gordon says Penguin hasn’t made it worth his while.

Penguin and Butch head to Barbara and Tabitha’s new club, The Siren. He’s there to offer his protection, under his umbrella. Barbara says they can take care of themselves, and Tabitha comes in, which causes Butch to put his foot in his mouth. Penguin still holds a grudge against Tabitha for killing his mother. That’s when he reveals his other offer, that he’ll give a million dollars to anyone who can capture Fish. Butch drinks away his sorrows, and Selina shows up. She steals his wallet and heads outside to meet Ivy. Selina offers money to a kid digging through the trash, but she doesn’t see that it’s Bruce’s double from Indian Hill.

At Wayne Manor, Bruce and Alfred return home after a long trip. Bruce is troubled. He wants to know why they had to leave, and Alfred reminds him that they had no choice.

Gordon drinks some coffee at the bar when Valerie Vale comes in. She sits next to him and reads him his life’s story. She wants to know about Indian Hill and why no one has been arrested other than Hugo Strange and his assistant. Gordon wishes that she’d keep quiet, but she persists. She asks about Penguin, and he admits he hopes that Penguin isn’t right. Vale tells Gordon about the million dollar reward, and that gets his attention.

Penguin offers Nygma a puzzle as a gift. Nygma is still an inmate at Arkham. He solves the puzzle in record time, and then wonders why Penguin is so nice to him. Penguin has enjoyed talking to Nygma, and he wants to know what Fish is doing. Nygma tells a story about how simple solutions can be best. He whips up a paper penguin and reminds Penguin that penguins eat Fish.

Selina is working with Fish. She helps Fish open a door to a large lab, and her two goons start grabbing medicines. Fish overpowers a guard with her powers, but the effort wears her out. Clearly, Fish is the one who needs the drugs.

Lucius tells Gordon that there is only one place that has the drug that has been stolen over the past month. He just happens to be at the same lab as Fish. Gordon walks in on Fish as she leans on the counter, and she greets Gordon. Gordon knows better than to touch her. She tells Gordon that all of the escapees are with her, and one of the goons attacks Gordon so Fish can make her escape.

Alfred waits with Bruce in the lobby at Wayne Enterprises. Bruce looks every bit the young executive as he walks into the boardroom with Alfred behind him. As Bruce starts talking, Mr. Crowley laughs and starts to ridicule the meeting. Bruce says he knows that the board and the ghost members are in the boardroom, and he offers them a chance for a meeting or else he will put out his information to every media outlet.

The leader of the Court of Owls orders a quiet hit on Bruce.

Barbara is interrupted by a gang who comes into the bar, and says that since she’s not under Penguin’s umbrella, they’re taking over. The crime boss hits Barbara when she blows him off, and this makes her break out in laughter. Tabitha makes quick work of the rest of the gang while Barbara knocks the leader to the ground and bashes his head with the butt of the gun.

Selina finds Valerie Vale outside the Gazette and asks if information on Fish is worth anything. Later, Vale finds Gordon at the bar and asks if he’s interested in finding her. Vale is willing to get information for Gordon, but she wants to come along because she wants more information too. Gordon is able to get it for her.

Bruce climbs to the rooftop to see Selina while she feeds the birds. He gives Selina a warning about the people who are coming after him, and she’s still upset that he left town without saying anything. She says she’d do it too, but clearly it’s upsetting. She takes off, but as the camera pulls back, we see Bruce’s double watching the whole interaction with interest.

Gordon returns to Vale and cuffs her to her car to keep her from getting into trouble. He uses a squad car’s radio to distract the police, and he goes into the building where Fish may be hiding. He goes inside the room to find Strange’s assistant in an apartment. She’s not in jail because she made a plea deal to testify against Strange. He wants to know what she knows about Fish, and he reveals that she’s sick because of whatever was done to her at Indian Hill. Gordon knows that Fish will come after her, and he’s right. There’s a noise outside, and three of the Indian Hill escapees come in and attack. They take Strange’s assistant while Gordon tangles with the Man-Bat again. Gordon dangles him outside so that he starts flapping his wings, and Vale gets a picture of him.

The Chief berates Gordon and Bullock for losing Peabody. Gordon vows to find Peabody, but Bullock suggests that perhaps Gordon should stay away. Vale comes in and wants to know if Gordon is still looking.

Ivy wants to know where Selina has been going and who she’s working for. She thinks it’s because Selina doesn’t want to share. She leaves, and Bruce’s double steps out of the shadows and tells Ivy that he wants to talk to Selina since she was so nice to him. Ivy thinks it’s Bruce, but when she says his name, he flips out. Ivy runs away.

Penguin and Butch are at The Siren, where Barbara and Tabitha are laughing at the gang leader’s new accent, a result of his head smashing. Penguin says it is his territory and they must deal with him. However, it turns out that Butch orchestrated the whole thing to see Tabitha again, which infuriates Penguin.

Peabody knows that Fish is rejecting her new powers, but Fish likes her new powers and doesn’t want to stop using them. Strange, Peabody says, is the only one who can fix her problem. Fish wants an army of people just like her. Marv, the “fountain of youth in reverse,” uses his powers to kill Peabody. Ivy is dragged in because she’s been spying on Selina. Fish calls Marv, but Ivy gets away. She runs off, but Marv catches her and touches her just long enough to do some damage. However, Ivy trips into an open sewer line and is swept away as Selina watches.

Starring

 * Ben McKenzie as James Gordon
 * Donal Logue as Detective Harvey Bullock
 * David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne/Subject 514A
 * Morena Baccarin as Dr. Lee Thompkins
 * Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth
 * Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot
 * Erin Richards as Barbara Kean
 * Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle
 * Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma
 * Jessica Lucas as Tabitha Galavan
 * Chris Chalk as Lucius Fox
 * Drew Powell as Butch Gilzean
 * Michael Chiklis as Captain Nathaniel Barnes

Special Guest Star

 * Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney

Guest Starring

 * Richard Kind as Mayor Aubrey James
 * Clare Foley as Ivy Pepper
 * Tonya Pinkins as Ethel Peabody
 * James Carpinello as Dr. Mario Calvi
 * Leslie Hendrix as Kathryn
 * Jamie Chung as Valerie Vale

Co-Starring

 * Victor Pagan as Marv
 * Mike Cannon as Tweaker
 * Radu Spinghel as Scale Skin Man
 * Nikolai Tsankov as Boris
 * Brian Cade as Crowley
 * Bianca Rutigliano as Nancy
 * Kevin Michael Murphy as Plant Worker
 * Kenny Wong as Alex
 * Bobby Beckles as Security Guard
 * Michael Montgomery as the Ridgeback Monster
 * Michael Lorz as Sid
 * Stephanie Sasso as Sirens Club Singer

Production Notes

 * Reporter Valerie Vale is the aunt of recurring DC comics character and Bruce Wayne love interest, reporter Vicki Vale.
 * After spying on Fish Mooney, Ivy Pepper is touched by Marv for a second, before falling into a sewer. This is the reason for Ivy's sudden age increase.
 * The Monster Man that James Gordon fights at Ethel Peabody's apartment is possibly a reference to the Man Bat from the Batman comics given his bat-like wings that we see in the photo Valerie Vale takes.