The Mask (Gotham)

8th episode of the 1st season of Gotham

"The Mask"

Gotham episode
Episode no.| Season 1
Episode 8
Directed by| Paul Edwards
Written by| John Stephens
Production code| 4X6658
Original air date| November 10, 2014 (2014-11-10)
Guest appearances

* Todd Stashwick as Richard Sionis
* Makenzie Leigh as Liza
* Cole Vallis as Tommy Elliot
* Frank Deal as Dr. Felton
* Orlagh Cassidy as Mrs. Lawson
* Carol Kane as Gertrude Kapelput

Episode chronology
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"Penguin's Umbrella"  | Next →
"Harvey Dent"

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List of episodes

"The Mask" is the eighth episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on November 10, 2014 and was written by John Stephens, and directed by Paul Edwards. In this episode, Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Bullock (Donal Logue) investigate a killer with a fight club while Bruce (David Mazouz) returns to the school since the death of his parents.

The episode was watched by 6.35 million viewers and received positive reviews with critics commenting on Bruce's storyline.

## Reception

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### Viewers

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The episode was watched by 6.35 million viewers, with a 2.2 rating among 18-49 adults.[1] With Live+7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode had an overall rating of 10.03 million viewers, and a 3.8 in the 18–49 demographic.[2]

### Critical reviews

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)| 83%[3]
The A.V. Club| C+[4]
Paste Magazine| 6.0[5]
TV Fanatic| [6]
IGN| 7.8[7]
New York Magazine| [8]

"The Mask" received positive reviews. The episode received a rating of 83% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating: "The appearance of a familiar Batman villain and a bullying scene at Bruce's school make 'The Mask' an important episode, though it returns to Gotham's procedural format."[3]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.8 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "The 'case of the week' and Barbara's decision to unravel into a mess and leave Jim again (!) - which felt like the show was purposefully giving up on her and forcing her out more than anything - gave us plenty to roll our eyes at this week. But the fact that Gordon's relationship with his co-workers had become a critical topic was excellent. As was, believe it or not, Bruce's bully story. Kid Wayne still hasn't quite found his place on the series, but this was a spectacular moment between him and Alfred. With Alfred finally figuring out how, with his limited parenting skills, he could best help young Master Wayne."[7]

The A.V. Club's Oliver Sava gave the episode a "C+" grade and wrote, "Very little comes of the procedural this week. It may not be as ludicrous as the Balloonman, but there's little to no stakes here. Sure, Gotham tries its damnedest to get us to care about Gordon's ongoing battle to 'stand up for the city,' giving Bullock a speech (though he wouldn't call it a speech) that rouses the police force to spread out across the city and find Gordon, who's gone missing while investigating the fight club. When Sarah Essen shows up at the episode's end and helps save Gordon, it doesn't feel like a triumph of the system, or a sudden turn for the GCPD towards actual policing. Instead, it's a tidy end to an episode that's supposed to make us cheer for Gordon, but only continues to outline how sloppy and inconsequential these procedural storylines can be. Where’s the tension or insight?"[4]

## References

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1. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 11, 2014). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Dancing With The Stars' & 'Castle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 2, 2014). "'The Big Bang Theory' Has Biggest Adults 18-49 Ratings Increase; 'The Vampire Diaries' Tops Percentage Gains & 'The Blacklist' Leads Viewer Gains in Live +7 Ratings for Week 8 Ending November 16". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
3. ^ a b "The Mask". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
4. ^ a b Sava, Oliver (November 11, 2014). "The first rule of Wall Street is don't talk about Fight Club". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
5. ^ "Gotham Review: "The Mask"". pastemagazine.com. November 11, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
6. ^ "Gotham". TV Fanatic. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
7. ^ a b Fowler, Matt (November 10, 2014). "Gotham: "The Mask" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
8. ^ "Gotham Recap: The Mask". Vulture. November 11, 2014. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.

## External links

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* "The Mask" at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Gotham

Characters|

* Jim Gordon
* Bruce Wayne
* Selina Kyle
* Fish Mooney
* Oswald Cobblepot
* Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska

Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "Pilot"
* "Selina Kyle"
* "The Balloonman"
* "Arkham"
* "Viper"
* "Spirit of the Goat"
* "Penguin's Umbrella"
* "The Mask"
* "Harvey Dent"
* "Lovecraft"
* "Rogues' Gallery"
* "What the Little Bird Told Him"
* "Welcome Back, Jim Gordon"
* "The Fearsome Dr. Crane"
* "The Scarecrow"
* "The Blind Fortune Teller"
* "Red Hood"
* "Everyone Has a Cobblepot"
* "Beasts of Prey"
* "Under the Knife"
* "The Anvil or the Hammer"
* "All Happy Families Are Alike"

|

Season 2|

| Rise of the Villains|

* "Damned If You Do..."
* "Knock, Knock"
* "The Last Laugh"
* "Strike Force"
* "Scarification"
* "By Fire"
* "Mommy's Little Monster"
* "Tonight's the Night"
* "A Bitter Pill to Swallow"
* "The Son of Gotham"
* "Worse Than a Crime"

|

Wrath of the Villains|

* "Mr. Freeze"
* "A Dead Man Feels No Cold"
* "This Ball of Mud and Meanness"
* "Mad Grey Dawn"
* "Prisoners"
* "Into the Woods"
* "Pinewood"
* "Azrael"
* "Unleashed"
* "A Legion of Horribles"
* "Transference"

Season 3|

| Mad City|

* "Better to Reign in Hell..."
* "Burn the Witch"
* "Look into My Eyes"
* "New Day Rising"
* "Anything for You"
* "Follow the White Rabbit"
* "Red Queen"
* "Blood Rush"
* "The Executioner"
* "Time Bomb"
* "Beware the Green-Eyed Monster"
* "Ghosts"
* "Smile Like You Mean It"
* "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies"

|

Heroes Rise|

* "How the Riddler Got His Name"
* "These Delicate and Dark Obsessions"
* "The Primal Riddle"
* "Light the Wick"
* "All Will Be Judged"
* "Pretty Hate Machine"
* "Destiny Calling"
* "Heavydirtysoul"

Season 4|

| A Dark Knight|

* "Pax Penguina"
* "The Fear Reaper"
* "They Who Hide Behind Masks"
* "The Demon's Head"
* "The Blade's Path"
* "Hog Day Afternoon"
* "A Day in the Narrows"
* "Stop Hitting Yourself"
* "Let Them Eat Pie"
* "Things That Go Boom"
* "Queen Takes Knight"
* "Pieces of a Broken Mirror"
* "A Beautiful Darkness"
* "Reunion"
* "The Sinking Ship The Grand Applause"
* "One of My Three Soups"
* "Mandatory Brunch Meeting"

|

Season 5|

| Legend of the Dark Knight|

* "The Beginning..."

|

Related|

* Pennyworth

* Category

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