#Logerquist Hotel

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

“Not everyone wants your help“

Jim Gordon, Orphan & Mother  VS. Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle & Ivy Pepper  This started meant to be a “touching the icky stuff in 5x02” collage but it got me thinking about the two cases. There is more in it than a “Put that down, that´s disgusting.”  Help wanted?  Jim Gordon gets to save two children but has to leave one behind in the custody of a murderer. When Harvey Bullock stated that not everyone wants his help to motivate Jim to leave the Logerquist Hotel he is talking about wanting help. However the helpful person that I want to focus on here is Mother. She states that she´s the only help the ORPHAN boy can get.: “I'm the only mother that boy knows.” “I'm protecting him. When I found him, he was barely alive. Those animals out there, they would have killed him or worse. I taught him how to survive.” She certainly did not ask the boy if he wanted her help and with the statement of “She was kind at first. But she can be very cruel.”  It can be assumed that the boy wants Jim Gordon´s help but Harvey didn´t hear him say this. Harvey only witnessed a boy luring them in a trap and closing it. Jim certainly sees a victim here but Harvey doesn´t he talks about “them” as in all of them being guilty: “They're like rats in the walls. This whole place is their spiderweb.”   While the Orphan boy doesn´t want the help of mother, despite what Harvey thinks and likely would prefer Jim´s. SELINA KYLE seems to be ready to accept any kind of help or damage from Ivy Pepper. She states that if Ivy wants her dead, so be it. Granted Bruce Wayne failed to inform her about all consequences, (Knowing that you have to choose between being you but immobile or being able to move but probably not being you is quite significant.) but it probably would not have had any influence on her decision. 

Help as double edge sword: The potential unwanted consequences of Ivy Pepper´s help are directly discussed:  “It'll cure her?” “Maybe.” “Just maybe?” “Everyone's different. Depends on how strong she is. One thing is for sure though the seed will alter her forever.”  “How?” “Some say the darker angels of our nature are unlocked and set free.” With the Orphan boy they are only shown. He obviously was well trained in entrapping other people it is likely that he has assisted in the murder of plenty. The way he leans against the door and describes what will happen to Jim and Harvey not only shows him being very familiar with the process he also seems distressed by it. It is unlikely that murder is in the boys nature and gets unlocked and freed her but this will affect him. Help for both comes with a cost. 

Murderous: Both Mother and Ivy Pepper are described in a rather similar manner: “Ivy is a maniacal, cold-blooded killer”. and   “You're a crazy bitch who kills people, takes their stuff and burns their bodies.”

Motherhood: With Mother this is evident but even with Ivy & Selina there also is an element of Motherhood and paternal care when Selina recalls their earlier days: “I know Ivy's lost her mind. But after her mom and dad died, she was just sleeping on the streets. And it was a cold winter, and she started to get really sick. So I took her under my wing, I guess, and showed her where to get food, where to get a roof over her head. And after some time, she started to get color in her face. And I just kept checking in on her. Almost every day. She may look old now, but she'll always be that little girl to me.”  This is the kind of care that parents should show: Unconditional, constant and whatever the child decides for their later path in life the love still stays. I doubt that Mother would say the same about the Orphan if he tried to leave. 

(A Witch's) Strengths and Teachings: With both Mother and Ivy there is an element of “strength” present. Mother talks about the boy being weak, barely alive, she claims she taught him how to survive. Instead she just taught him how to be a victim of someone else. With Ivy and Selina we have the teaching when Selina assumed the motherly role: She guides Ivy how to survive in the streets. She doesn´t provide a tight knit, maze that she can´t leave like the hotel. Selina literately helps Ivy not only to gain but also to regain strength when she helps curing her sickness. When the roles are reversed and it´s about Ivy helping Selina (in this case not like that other one in the hospital before ...) it´s not about Ivy giving Selina strength, Selina has to already have that strength for the seed to work. This is not a mother taking care of a child it´s a witch sharing her power. 

The Enabler: Jim Gordon indirectly enables the “help” from Mother with leaving the boy behind, his hesitation to leave hints the question of responsibility. Bruce Wayne seeks Ivy´s help and hands it over to Selina. In this case the question of involvement and responsibility is directly addressed:  “Can she live with that?” “Can you?” 

[If anyone wants a gifpost of this without wall of text just tell me] 

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

Gotham s5ep2 “Trespassers” Personal Review

“Maybe there's still good people left in Gotham.”   “Some say the darker angels of our nature are unlocked and set free.”  Warning spoilers below   

JIM GORDON  Mainland wants the GCPD to do nothing in the case of the children. “Your dedication to your job is admirable, Captain, but you lack perspective.” Jim Gordon says he needs supplies not opinions but Mainland says, nope. They won´t risk pilots (theirs or Wayne Enterprise´s). “So you can save a few lives for thousands, but I can't?”  Touché. Jim got a point there.  HARVEY BULLOCK * Shows some (un)healthy pessimism.  “IF we get back.” / “Check out the basement in a creepy hotel by myself? Sure. What could go wrong, right?” * Still has the best lines: “Why would anyone be a cop in a world like this?” “Well, the Halloween shop was all out of gas masks, so it was either this or sexy nurse.”  * “Oh, my God. Oh. Not good. Oh, God. This This is not good.” And after having swiped through the teeth he still picks up the severed finger that is obviously a severed finger. Honey, what are you doing? The LOGERQUIST HOTEL Scene was awesome. Some reminiscence to earlier season, a side quest that gives you break from the greater mess. More please. > It´s just awesome that they just pulled the leaver and let them slide into a campy/classy horror. You just have to scream at the screen. Don´t leave the kids alone! Don´t split up! Don´t trust the other kid! How about you go for the lamps and try to destroy them instead of banging the door! (Harvey Bullock smashing the windows was a clever moment though, gotta give him that)  Just the whole atmosphere of that set alone. Love!  > This showed actual detective work and brought the plot and chara points of the macrocosm into  this microcosm  !!!!!!! It´s not only Harvey Bullock being weary of being sent into the basement (what could go wrong) that ties back to him not being keen to be shot standing next to Jim because Jim got the bounty on his head. It´s going right for the lingering pessimism that Harvey has been expressing (If we get back..) and him lecturing Jim that Jim´s methods (not killing Penguin) aren´t the right way for the mess they are in.  They have Harvey Bullock being so perceptive to point out the lit candle right away. “Jim, we're not alone. Someone lit that candle. “ To which JIM GORDON reacts with HOPE!    “In the old west, settlers used to leave a candle burning to lead others to safety. Maybe there's still good people left in Gotham.”  He´s not only playing the same record that he played the whole last episode (and I´m not shading him there, his attitude is great in that situation, otherwise what would there be left but despair for him and everyone else) but he´s also referencing HISTORY .. and I vaguely remember that this is not the first time he did that [[DOES AYONE have a better memory than I do? PLS tell me]] which brings back memories of early Jim Gordon that solves cases and Ed´s riddles. They at the same time concede hope a victory, they get to save the two kids and Gabriel but Jim Gordon has to leave the other boy behind: “Not everyone wants your help, Jim Gordon.”  IVY PEPPER   “The plants came to my protection. “ Ivy, how about you asked them to stop. “But this park ever since we were cut off from the rest of the world, it's been behaving differently. There are things growing here I have never seen before.” Okay fucks sake, I so hope that this is not true. First we get Ivy magically aged then we get Ivy stealing some potion aka none of her love for plants and research and experiments that I wanted to see and now she should be afraid of them even? How about no?! Okay, I´m glad they didn´t go there. “You know, I wasn't lying when I said this park is changing.I'm feeding the earth with these wretched creatures. It consumes them, and then it flourishes.”  >> Okay I can´t say that I like the “Ivy is a maniacal, cold-blooded killer.” but the mere suggestion of Ivy being intimidated and patronized by her plants scared me enough to be happyish about it. I´d still like to see her be just with her plants. Bring back her mushroom farm! Scratch all that murder business she had going on with Gotham and its people. Give her some space and place to care about her plants and learn more about them and okay if someone disturbs them or tries to harm them, and then bring out the murder. Maybe it might go into a direction like that now..... ?  Ivy more and more retreating into the branches of that tree, while talking to Bruce got me intrigued. “Where I'm going is none of your business. Best hurry. That root will die if left out in the open for too long.” Her being so mysterious, and ambiguous about if she can be trusted suits her. Much, much more than a snarly direct threat of murder.  She is her own entity, that does as she pleases and everything else if left to wonder what that might be! That would be a good attitude. QUESTION:  “One thing is for sure though the seed will alter her forever.” “How?” “Some say the darker angels of our nature are unlocked and set free.” So this “some say” does not sound like a general statement about the nature of humanity it does sound like some people talk about the effects of this particular plant on humans. Which begs the question: Who says this? The plants? Do they whisper to her? Is it meant indirectly as in the research she did told her that? Or are there actually other people with knowledge over matters like this? Are there records, writings, research with footnotes? Did Ivy read them? Did she do her own experiments. Who or what is this referring to. I need answers!! 

Also: Ivy is so ridiculously overpowered in this show, how the hell did those guys manage to lock her up? Also2: Is the guys story about them coming for their magic and getting killed true? Ivy at first  helping people? After all the nurse knew about her and thought she would help? Was she kind and people got greedy, demanded too much, wanted to take advantage of her? Then again she was not known as the helpful fairy but as witch, so there might have been something that got her that reputation .. but there also had to be something that got her a reputation as healer instead of solely being a murderous killer witch?  EDWARD NYGMA * How could he believe locking himself up would work if he just had the key in his pocket? This should have been some timed release system that didn´t give him access to the key until after a couple of hours. * Uhm, can TANK from the Street Demonz gang please stick around. I like him. I like those two together. That´s fun. “Did I, uh hit you, et cetera? Any idea why?” * Okay so sleepwalking or for him rather wakewalking Ed has orchestrated the demise of the Street Demonz in order to get some more chaos and war and likely Oswald´s head? Great. * “How did I seem? Was I confident, flamboyant, charisma for days? Or a little more conservative, kind of repressed, a little nerdy?” “You seemed stiff, man of few words. In a daze, actually.” “Interesting.” * “Well, whoever did just started one hell of a war.” Tank can you please stick around, I need a rough biker that gets to the heart of things like that on Eds side.   PREDICTION? Oswald put a bounty on Jim Gordan´s head. The criminals want to kill him. “Edward” likely put an indirect bounty on Oswald Cobblepot´s head, ciminals will want to kill them. However it seems Barbara Kean makes this situation less equal with protecting Jim Gordon from criminals and tightening the thumb screws on him in order to get Jim to kill Oswald. It just seems everyone´s best bet is to go get rid of Oswald right now. And I´m gonna be disappointed if Oswald doesn´t change back to his clever self and manipulate the situation in a way that ties his and Jim´s life back together  … SET DESIGN Yes this is a character on its own and it´s marvelous. * The Wallpaper in Edward Nygma´s bathroom is pretty. * Is that a can of beer on the window still next to Tank in the bathtub?? * Damn every place Ivy stays at is just eerie, beautiful and just stunning. * The halls of Logerquist Hotel are awesome and the perfect atmosphere. FunFact: John Logerquist founded Gotham in 1635 

* Someone had a field trip with the LIGHTNING [Edit: Link]  in this. First the bright lights in the conversation with Barbara Kean and Jim Gordon in the Sirens club, then the Lightning used as weapon  at the hotel. This all should be super obnoxious, like glaring out a charas whole face during a dialogue .. what .. but it all just works, and works really well. Damn.  Honorary mention: The light bulb and welding sparks 11:40 * Those safe houses that Lucius Fox set up looked like a dream again. Just like Lee with that train, or Jim visiting the retired Carmine. I just wait for someone to wake up, shatter the bubble, destroy the niceness. It slightly creeps me out every time they do that.   * “What do I do, just swallow it?” Okay Bruce Wayne should have told SELINA KYLE everything that Ivy said about that thing. This is not an informed medical decision: Me not moving vs. probably not me but moving is a relevant thing to know. Not that I think it would change anything for Selina, but they should have laid open all the information and it bugs me. It might kill you is just half of the story. It might change who you are even if it works is a significant thing to know about. * GABRIEL I literarily can´t believe he is still alive. That´s the kind of character that usually has the shortest shelf life. * Also how beautifully phrased was Bruce Wayne´s initial distrust towards Ivy is. “You'll forgive me if I find it hard to do so.” * “God, what have I done” Acting on point, acting over all point, acting is said point .. * “I'll tell you what! I'll take his head, and you can have the rest of him!” I giggled. (Context: He doesn´t need more than Jim´s head to collect the bounty from Penguin)

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

I still can´t let go the The LOGERQUIST HOTEL SCENE in 5x2 I know this episode wasn´t especially liked by many and considered a filler but I really enjoyed it. Especially that part.  The building that Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock enter in order to seek saftey for them and the children has had a stunning atmosphere and the set design put a little detail on the wall: The name of the Hotel. And it´s not just any name, it´s world building done really well.  ~~~~~ Fun Fact: John Logerquist founded Gotham in 1635. ~~~~~ The inconsistency in tone is another thing that´s not always liked about the show but I keep really enjoying that. Especially in this case they just pulled a leaver and threw their characters in a campy/classic horror scenario. Just like that. And suddenly you go from MadMaxish Rescue Mission to the all familiar urge to scream “Don´t split up you idiots” in mere seconds. That doesn´t just happen you really have to craft a switch like that well.  Plotwise they also put a lot of things that were going on in the grand scheme of things into the little intermezzo that played out in the halls of that hotel: At the beginning of the episode Harvey Bullock voices his concern about the bounty on Jim´s head. He doesn´t want to be shot because he´s standing next to Jim. This sentiment is continued when Harvey Bullock expresses his dislike for going into the basement, as Jim tells him  (Creepy Basement, what could possibly go wrong.) He doesn´t want to be a horror movie victim because of Jim´s decision.  There´s two cases where Jim leads, calls the shots and Harvey is endangered by it. They have built him up as being the questioning one, where Lucius Fox follows and understands Harvey voices doubts and issues. In 5x1 they revived the Boyscout and Detective dynamic from Season 1  “Three months ago, I would’ve lost my badge for that.” ..  “You want rules for this game? I’ll tell you. I’ll make it simple, okay? You win or you die. Next time, shoot to kill.” Harvey again says: your methods don´t work here. I doubt it will stop the current HeroJim wave but it´s nice that they sprinkle in Harvey´s voice of lingering pessimism and critique. Even with the consistency to ad it to a scenario like that one in the hotel.  Their contrast is pretty directly voiced when Bullock is so perceptive to notice the lit candle in the hotel. They are not alone, a reason for caution. Jim Gordon however replies with a message of hope.  “In the old west, settlers (*)  used to leave a candle burning to lead others to safety. Maybe there’s still good people left in Gotham.” He just keeps the hope record running.   Even when they leave the Hotel is just quite like their thole situation. Some they can save, some they can´t save: At the same time they concede hope a victory, they get to save the two kids and Gabriel but Jim Gordon has to leave the other boy behind: “Not everyone wants your help, Jim Gordon.” Not everyone wants to be a part of Haven, not everyone manages to be a part of Haven no matter how hard Jim tries to help them reach it. (And despite the phrasing it´s imho referencing the second thing as well, it´s just that Harvey saw less of the boy than Jim and all Harvey saw a child that tried to kill them, so considering that perspective it´s kind of understandable that he´s so “quick” to leave that (not) victim behind and dismiss his wish for being saved.)  Also: Bruce Wayne sits now on Jim Gordon´s side when Jim makes promises to  young boys, Jim officially accepted Bruce´s help. They are now more paralleled than ever before and even the Hotel Scene ties back to this. 

(*) I vaguely remember Jim Gordon talking about history before, but I can´t remember when or what it was about, does anyone have a better memory? 

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

“GCPD. Come out, now.”  (Jim Gordon in the Logerquist Hotel | Gotham 5x02)