Welcome back, Jim.

It took him a while, but Jim finally faced his demons on Gotham Season 3 Episode 7 and ended back on the GCPD, right where he belongs.

Did anyone really think Jim would stay a bounty hunter/private detective for long? I think not. With all the Indian Hill monsters seemingly gone from the streets of Gotham, was there anything else for him to do?

Barnes froze him him out of the Jervis Tetch investigation, and it actually turned out to be a good thing for Jim. Why? Because Jim needed to go on a mind trip. He needed to delve into his psyche and face his demons. Without Jervis and the Red Queen, it's probably not something he would ever have done on his own.

It was interesting that Barbara was the one who gave him the key, because it was that last floor that solidified his return to the GCPD. Maybe Barbara always held the key to Jim's psyche? Didn't she say at one time that she and him were alike because they both had a dark side?

But, it seems that Jim is done with his dark side, or at least letting it rule his life. What he wants is to be like his dad. He wants to be the hero without bringing the dirt home. 

Badge holds expectations. People want a hero, and I'm not.

Jim

• Permalink: Badge holds expectations. People want a hero, and I'm not.

With Barnes heading towards the dark side sooner rather than later, it was a perfect time for Jim to rejoin the GCPD. When Barnes finally steps over the line, I'm going to guess that's going to be when Jim becomes the new guy in charge thus leading the way towards his destiny as Commissioner.

The rest of Jim's trip was quite bizarre. Bruce with a mask (was that a Gordon mask?) and pulling out beads from Jim's stomach, Penguin talking in tongues or whatever he was doing, and the 50's Twilight Zone-style family he had with Lee was pretty much out-there.

Were the beads a symbol of Bruce's mom's necklace and the shooting? That was probably the weirdest part of everything.

I know a lot of people are tired of Jervis, but I still think he's the best villain Gotham has had so far, and I really liked his craziness this hour. Some of it didn't make sense, sure, but hey, the guy is a nutcracker and this is Gotham.

This city tore my love from me, so I'm plunging it into insanity.

The Mad Hatter

• Permalink: This city tore my love from me, so I'm plunging it into insanity.

I was actually waiting for Tetch to put Alice's blood in Gotham's water system or something. If he wanted to make Gotham a "mad city", why only target the leaders? Jervis almost seems a bit simple-minded, but he's still a lot of fun.

I especially liked when Barnes had him on the ground at the Founder's dinner and he saw the virus spreading through Barnes. He was so excited about it, he could barely contain himself. I know the feeling. I can barely wait for Barnes to cross over either.

Still, Jervis is a sicko. Who pulls his dead sister out of the morgue only to hang her upside down to drain her blood? Even though Jervis and friends are locked up in Arkham, I don't think that's the last we'll be seeing of him. He's not done yet. At least I hope not.

Nygmobblepot is pretty much dead, at least it appears that way right now. I don't know why Gotham had to tease us with a possible romance between Nygma and Penguin only to pull it away so quickly. Were the writers just testing the waters to see what the reaction would be?

I'm highly disappointed that Gotham decided not to go down that road.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Isabella. She's one strange bird. And how odd is it that she is so accepting of Nygma's past? Even more odd was that Nygma felt the need to tell her all about his past. Why divulge all that information? 

But, she already knew thanks to Penguin. That was a failed trip on Penguin's part, because trying to plant seeds of doubt in the woman's mind did nothing. Did you see the look on Penguin's face when he saw them kissing?

I'm having a hard time believing that Nygma fell for her so fast. His bond with Penguin is so strong, I'm not sure I buy that he completely forgot about Penguin's dinner. But, it happened.  Now we have to deal with this ridiculous love triangle. 

Can't we give Penguin something better to do than pine away for Nygma? What happened to his search for Butch? If Penguin can't find love, then let him get back to being the mean bastard he used to be.

How adorable was Bruce tonight?! I loved that he was making dinner for Selina, and I'm glad she finally showed up. Their little romance is off and running, but I hope they have more to do than just being all googly-eyed with each other.

This? Me and you? It's weird for me.

Selina

• Permalink: This? Me and you? It's weird for me.

Other Thoughts:

• Wasn't it a bit weird that Isabella made a paper doll chain of her and Nygma? 
• It was nice knowing 'ya, Valerie Vale. I'm guessing now that she's dumped Jim, we won't be seeing much of her anymore. Too bad. I liked her.
• Why was there a focus on the bandaid on Mario's neck? 
• I was surprised that Bullock was so mean to Jim at the morgue. I hope he's going to be excited that Jim's returned.
• Mario isn't going to be too happy when he finds out Jim is back at the GCPD.
• Barbara goes from a sexy nurse to a nun. Funny, Jim.
• The Court of Owls made an appearance. What do they have planned for Penguin? And who is the shadow man? 

What did you think of "Red Queen"? Hit the comments and share your thoughts. If you missed any of the action, you can watch Gotham online right here via TV Fanatic!