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Recap / Gotham S 4 E 8 Stop Hitting Yourself

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Directed by Rob Bailey

Written by Charlie Huston

A rift develops between Bullock and Gordon when the latter is promoted to captain. Meanwhile, Penguin enlists Barbara, Selina, and Tabitha to kidnap Nygma from Cherry's arena, where Tabby discovers that her old lover Butch is alive, as well as the reigning champion of the ring.


  • An Arm and a Leg: Grundy murders his opponent by ripping his arm off and beating him with it, hence the episode title. He later does the same to another fighter, except with his leg.
  • Armor-Piercing Question: Bullock fires one at Jim after the latter takes his place as captain. "Look who got what he always wanted. What I'm wondering is, what did you have to do to get it?"
    Gordon: All I did was my job, like—
    Bullock: NOTHING in Gotham is free!
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Jim is promoted to captain...at the behest of Sofia Falcone, turning the crusader against Gotham's corruption into another cog in it.
  • Boom, Headshot!: How Barbara kills Cherry.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Penguin kills the leader of the Demonz for calling Ed "Riddler".
  • Do Wrong, Right: The reason Penguin first starts giving Martin advice.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Bullock deals with the guilt of shooting Patel by drinking heavily.
  • Enfante Terrible: Martin, the bullied child that Penguin takes under his wing, is pretty much a psychopath in the making.
  • Evil Mentor: The Penguin becomes this to Martin.
  • Expospeak Gag: Penguin's chief aide tells Barbara, Tabitha and Selina about the Riddler mocking him in "a terrible commedia dell'arte!" The trio stare at him as if he's speaking Martian. An exasperated Penguin elaborates:
    Penguin: He is making fun of me... in a clown show... IN THE NARROWS!
  • Faceā€“Heel Turn: Lee reluctantly takes over the arena after Cherry's death.
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: The arena fight between Tabitha and Grundy. Tabitha does manage to knock the memories back into Butch's mind for a moment, but sadly, she accidentally wipes them away again right when he starts to recognize her.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Penguin coaches Martin on how to be one.
  • Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: The Sirens turn on Penguin after he sends Firefly after them.
  • Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Lee has one right before shooting out Firefly's fuel tank and sending her flying. Ed is impressed, and she admits to getting melodramatic under pressure.
    "The only thing that stinks here is you."
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "He is making fun of me... in a clown show... IN THE NARROWS!"
  • Pyromaniac: Martin initially shows shades of this, before Oswald suggests a more subtle way to get back at his bullies.
  • Special Effects Failure: The first opponent in the ring has a helmet with spikes, which bend as his face is slammed into the mat.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Penguin's reputation in the Narrows tanked after his men, working with the GCPD, raided their homes and terrorized its residents during their brutal raid while looking for Pyg last episode.
  • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Martin wedgies himself and curls up in tears as part of his Penguin-suggested plot to turn the bullies against each other.

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