As five robbers go into a bank, one of them, Gus Floyd, puts on a
makeshift red hood and tells the others that he made it to space things
up. Inside, Floyd takes command, jumps up on a table, and orders the
customers to get down. However, he assures them that they're just there
to take the bank's money, rather than rob the captives. The other
robbers grab the money, while Floyd jokes with the customers. A bank
guard, Clyde, opens fire but manages to mix Floyd with six consecutive
shots. Floyd laughs in triumph, and one of the robbers marking the time
says that they need to get out. When the robbers get outside, Floyd
insists that the red hood has made him invulnerable. The police pull up
and Floyd tosses money out to the crowd, causing them to get in the way
and cover their escape.
Jim and Harvey get the call and play
the security footage back. The bank manager's secretary tells the
detectives that Clyde refuses to wear glasses even though he needs them.
She seems enchanted with the idea of the robbers stealing from the bank
to give to the poor, but Jim points out that they only threw out the
money to cover their escape. Jim notices the robber counting down the
time and asks if the alarm went off recently. The secretary confirms
that someone set off a smoke bomb a week ago, and the police responded
to the alarm. Jim figures that the robbers did it to time how long it
would take the police to respond, and asks to see the footage from that
time.
That night, Alfred answers the manor door and finds an
old friend, Reggie Payne, standing outside in the rain. Alfred lets his
friend in and Reggie explains that the police rousted him from where he
was sleeping beneath a bridge. One of officers, a former Marine,
suggests that Reggie look up his old mates so Reggie went to find
Alfred. Reggie is surprised that Alfred is working as a butler, and
Alfred says that it's been good for him. The ex-soldier admits that he
lost his wife 11 years ago and then his home a year later, and took on a
few disreputable jobs when he came back to Gotham. Reggie admits that
the drink did him in, just as Bruce comes in. Alfred introduces his
friend and Bruce invites him to stay with them.
The Manager's
men escort Fish through the makeshift hospital. She sees room with
"patients" missing legs and eyes. When they reach the Manager's office,
he tells Fish to sit down.
At the station, Jim plays the
security footage and spots the robber planting the smoke bomb and timing
the police arrival. He notices that the robber is wearing a works hot
with "Kleg's Auto" on it, and heads out with Harvey.
At the
garage, Floyd tells the other robbers that the people love them, and
that the newspapers have christened them the "Red Hood Gang." The others
aren't impressed and one of them, Clyde Destro, tells Floyd to shut up.
Floyd insists that the man wearing the red hood should lead the gang,
and Destro shoots him dead and takes the hood for himself.
The
Manger tells Fish that he manages the facility on behalf of Dr.
Dulmacher, who isn't interested in meeting with Fish. Fish says that the
basement is hers and she won't let anyone take more prisoners unless
Dulmacher meets with her to negotiate terms. The Manager considers and
then has his men take Fish to his private quarters to clean up.
At the club, Oswald watches as two customers leave as the comedian
bombs on-stage. He sees the bartenders talking and goes over to ask what
the matter is. A bartender tells him that they're out of booze. Butch
comes over and tells Oswald that Maroni controls the flow of alcohol in
their part of Gotham, and he hates Oswald so he isn't letting any come
through. Oswald figures that Butch wants to see him fail, but Butch says
that he puts his life into the club and doesn't want to see it go down.
The owner decides to get the booze from Maroni, one way or another, and
Butch warns him to be careful with Maroni.
The next morning,
Jim and Harvey check out the garage and discover that the robbers have
moved on. They search the place and find Floyd's body in the
refrigerator. Harvey figures that with their leader dead, the Red Hood
Gang will disappear.
The robbers enter another bank and Destro
tries to pass as Floyd. One of his fellow robbers helps him up on a
table, and Destro stumbles through Floyd's speech about only taking
money from the bank. One of the customers asks him for some of their
money, and Destro finally tosses a few dozen bills out.
After
checking out the new crime scene, Jim and Harvey watch the security
footage and Harvey warns that the citizens will protect the robbers as
long as they hand out money. Jim is more concerned that the Red Hood
Gang can continue as long as someone wears the hood. An eyewitness,
Chaing, comes in and explains that he works at a restaurant near the
bank and saw Red Hood without the hood. Jim suggests that he look
through the photos of armed robbery suspects that Harvey has pulled from
the files, and Chaing agrees if Jim will fix his parking tickets.
At the manor, Bruce returns from a run and prepares to practice his
fighting. Reggie sees him and tells Bruce to take a swing at him. He
easily knocks Bruce down when he tries to tag him, and continues
provoking Bruce as Alfred silently watches. Reggie finally tells Bruce
to hit him. The boy punches him as hard as he can, and taunts him into
hitting him harder. When Bruce points out that Reggie is bigger, Reggie
tells him to do whatever it takes to bring him down. Bruce grabs a
walking stick but Alfred intervenes and says that it's enough. The boy
points out that Reggie was teaching him how to fight effectively, but
Alfred insists that discipline and hard work is the key. Bruce storms
off and Alfred tells Reggie that nothing prepares a person to raise a
child. He says that he's a better person for knowing Bruce, and tells
Reggie to leave their past in the past.
That night, Oswald
takes two of his men to Maroni's alcohol distribution warehouse. They
prepare to move in, but the police go in first and arrest the two
workers. As Oswald laments his bad luck, Butch comes over and tells
Oswald that the policemen work for him, and that using them is cleaner
than an armed robbery.
At Barbara's apartment, Selina goes out
to ask their host if she's okay. She thanks Barbara for letting them
stay there, and Barbara takes a drink of wine and says that she likes
having them there. She then takes Selina inside, saying that she's going
to turn her into a beautiful woman, and gets out her old dresses.
Barbara tells the girls to take whichever ones they want, and then leads
Selina to the mirror and says that she's beautiful. She advises Selina
to use her beauty as a weapon, but Selina points out that it hasn't
worked well for Barbara and walks away.
Jim and Harvey round up
the employees from the garage, including Destro. Chaing immediately
identifies Destro as Red Hood, and Jim suggests to Harvey that they let
Destro go. They know that the robbers had a disagreement over Floyd and
Jim suggests that once they track Destro to the others, they use them
against each other. Harvey agrees and Jim takes Chaing home.
Once Fish is cleaned up, she meets with the Manager again and asks why
they're stealing the organs. The Manager explains that Dulmacher
performs personal experiments and sells other organs to raise money for
his project. Looking over Fish, the Manager says that her eyes will
bring in a good price, and that he can easily kill her. Fish vows not to
let him take her eyes, grabs a spoons, and scoops one of her own
eyeballs out. She throws it on the floor and crushes it as the Manager
screams in frustration at being thwarted.
That night, Bruce
brings up a bottle of wine from the cellar and suggests that Alfred and
Reggie drink it. Alfred reluctantly gives in and he and Reggie both open
up about their time in the SAS. Reggie admits that the two of them went
on covert missions and never failed or lost a man. Ignoring Alfred's
objections, Reggie tells Bruce about how their unit was separated in a
sandstorm and Alfred was captured. Alfred killed twelve of his captors
before they took him down. Alfred cuts him off and says that he has to
tidy up. Bruce agrees and leaves for bed, and Reggie tells Alfred that
he's an old war dog and a killer. In the hallway, Bruce secretly listens
as Alfred tells his friend that it's time that he leaves. Reggie admits
that he sees the faces of the people he killed and asks Alfred if he
sees them. Alfred says that they find him and leaves.
Jim and
Harvey follow Destroy to his apartment and wait outside. Inside, finds
another of the robbers, Regan, searching the place. Regan says that he
needs the Hood to impress his girlfriend because her ex is back in town.
Destro refuses and Regan shoots him. Jim and Harvey run in, only to
discover that Regan has left via the fire escape. Destro is bleeding out
and asks for an ambulance, but Harvey refuses until destroy gives up
the names of his accomplices. When Destro hesitates, Jim calls for an
ambulance. He then finds letters from the bank, confirming that both
robbed banks refused to give Destro a loan. Jim realizes that it was
revenge robberies, and Destro admits that he needed the money for a
pastry shop. He warns Jim that the banks don't care about either one of
them. Jim finds a third rejection letter and figures that it's the next
target.
As Oswald's men bring in the stolen alcohol, Butch
pours drinks for himself and Oswald and offers a toast to new beginning.
He points out that Falcone won't trust either one of them if the club
tanks, and he's done being a sidekick. Oswald agrees and notices that
Butch's hand is shaking. He asks Butch if he misses Fish, and admits
that he does. Butch merely says that Fish got what she deserves.
Alfred hears someone in the study and goes in to find Reggie at Bruce's
desk, holding a bag of stolen items. Surprised, Alfred says that his
friend could have asked for help, but Reggie says that it isn't so easy
to do that. He admits that he's in real trouble and warns Alfred that he
doesn't know who he's involved with. Alfred tells him to put down the
bag and get out, and Reggie stabs him in the chest and leaves. A few
minutes later, Bruce comes to investigate the noise and finds a badly
wounded Alfred on the floor. He calls 911 and asks them to send an
ambulance for his friend.
The next day, Regan meets with the
last two bank robbers and puts on the Red Hoods. As they go inside, the
police arrive and Jim orders the robbers to surrender. Regan and then
his friends open fire, and the other two men are soon gunned down. A
bullet takes Regan in the side, surprising him, and Jim orders him to
put his gun down. Regan lowers the shotgun but goes for his revolver,
and Jim and Harvey have no choice but to shoot him dead.
Jim
pulls the hood off of Regan and the detectives figure the case is
closed. Jim's cell phone rings and he asks what hospital, and then runs
off, dropping the hood on the street. When Jim arrives at Alfred's room,
he finds Bruce at his friend's side. Bruce says that Alfred is all that
he has left and he can't lose him as well. Jim comforts the boy as he
breaks into tears.
The next day, Reggie goes to Wayne
Enterprises and tells the board that Bruce has nothing but theories and
notes, and Alfred was his only confidant. He tells Molly Mathis and the
other board members that it's the perfect time to make a move on Bruce.
Molly pays him off and thanks him for his help, and says that they won't
meet again. Reggie points out that Bruce is a good kid, but Molly tells
him to leave.
A young boy finds the hood in the street and puts it on, and then makes shooting noises at the police as they secure the bank.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 26, 2019