Gotham S02E14: This Ball of Mud and Meanness Robin Lord Taylor, Ben McKenzie Premiere Recap!

Fox continues Season 2 of the Batman prequel series, Gotham, with Wrath of the Villains. In episode 14, This Ball of Mud and Meanness, can Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) handle Dr. Hugo Strange (BD Wong)?

Penguin hallucinates as he sees himself killing his own mother (Carol Kane) with a baseball bat. Hugo Strange (BD Wong) is upping the ante on his experiments with him. Back with the other lunatics, Penguin is beaten to a pulp. Bruce (David Mazouz) is then given a loaded gun by Selina (Camren Bicondova). 

Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) hands Jim checks from Ms. Kringle. She wants Jim to investigate where she is but they're too distant with each other. Alfred (Sean Pertwee) and Bruce meet with The Mutants to find where Matches Malone could be. In a fight, Alfred lectures Bruce as he teaches him how to beat a stronger opponent. After winning the fight, Alfred passes out from the loss of blood. 

With Alfred in the hospital, Bruce is on his own. Penguin is frightened that he needs more therapy from Hugo Strange. Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) tries to keep his cool when Jim questions him about Kringle. Edward thinks Jim is trying to outsmart him. 

Gordon and Bullock (Donal Logue) visit Alfred and learn about Matches Malone. Bruce is allowed to enter a nightclub and and meets Jerry (Lori Petty). He then follows Jerry into the back and asks for Matches Malone, the man who killed his parents. Jerry laughs when Bruce says he's gong to kill him. Feeling sad for Bruce, Jerry gives up Matches' location. 

As Bruce walks out, Jim spots Wayne and grabs him. Jerry calls out the crowd, who grab Jim and toss him around. Bruce makes a run for it as Jim fights his way through the crowd. Bruce then meets with Matches (Michael Bowen) and hands him money for hire.

As Gordon interrogates Jerry, Bruce takes out his gun and points the barrel at Matches Malone. Matches though is too tired to put up a fight. Bruce claims he is the man who killed his parents. The name rings a bell but he doesn't remember the date. 

As Bruce recounts the event, Matches vaguely remembers. Bruce wants to know who hired him, but Malone doesn't remember. Matches though wants Bruce to kill him. He's tired of doing wrong and going unpunished. Bruce wishes Malone was a monster but he's just a man. 

Bruce puts down the gun and walks away. As Gordon finds Bruce in the hallway, Matches Malone then picks up Bruce's gun and shoots himself in the head. 

Elsewhere in Arkham, Strange watches as Penguin releases a lunatic and is finally declared sane. Penguin is now a sane man and is free to go. Good things happen to good people, says Hugo. This is all part of Strange's master plan. 

Bullock looks into Malone's files but why was he paid to kill the Waynes. Nigma thinks Jim is following him though. Back at home, Bruce has left Alfred a letter. Bruce is living in the bad parts of town, wondering how he can learn to live int he streets. 

Nygma is on his path on becoming The Riddler. 

Readers, what did you think of This Ball of Mud and Meanness?