The Executioner commences Dt. Gordon's trial. Ed and Oswald co-exist in a dungeon, Lee searches for answers about Mario's death.
Gotham – Heroes Rise, Episode 19: “All Will Be Judged”

The Executioner commences Dt. Gordon's trial. Ed and Oswald co-exist in a dungeon, Lee searches for answers about Mario's death.
Jim rushes to find out the court's plans, discovering the terror they have in store for Gotham City.
Fox’s Gotham
Season 3, Episode 9: “The Executioner”
Directed by John Behring
Written by Ken Woodruff
* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Blood Rush” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Time Bomb” – click here
After the engagement party incident, Dt. Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) is investigating, and his suspicions about Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) are, obviously, running high. He quietly talks to Dt. Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) about it, his partner obviously thinks it’s nonsense, nobody would believe the captain did such a thing. Yet Jim knows something’s “been off” about their boss as of late. The partners go to work, hoping his instincts are wrong about Barnes.
Speaking of cap, he’s continuing his work as The Executioner – three new victims ready with nooses around their neck, as he pontificates about the law, the “whisper” in his head dictating those who are guilty, requiring punishment.
Oh, good! More of Ivy Pepper (Maggie Geha), using her altered age to give her access to more interesting, more valuable things than she had access to before, when she was just a little girl. She tells the latest man intrigued by her about her love of plants, all their interesting uses. Such as the love potion she uses to entrance the millionaire, getting into the room with all his priceless treasures. Love this lady. Get the goods, girl!
In her hideout, Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) gets a visit from Ivy, surprised by the change in her friend. Not an easy thing to grasp. She calls Bruce (David Mazouz), as well. Ivy’s in trouble with the guy she stole from recently, who’s connected to Luka Volk (Costa Ronin), not a good guy; not at all. Her friends suggest returning what she stole and Bruce will give her a few thousand dollars.
At the GCPD, Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) is shown the corpse of Isabella (Chelsea Spack) after her train accident. Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) is there offering condolences, and telling Ed that she didn’t suffer. A devious relationship these two have, proving poor little Oswald can’t have one without manipulating the other person.
Over in the captain’s office, Jim almost gets caught by Barnes snooping around, then the two briefly, intensely discuss Dr. Symon’s last moments. The cap tries passing it all off as mob business. Afterwards, he and Jim go for a ride together; alone. In the car, Barnes asks to be interrogated about the party, he plays coy, as expected. Simultaneously he rails on about how the “city is a cesspool.”
Lonely Ed is having trouble in the wake of his new love’s death. His pal Penguin is trying to get his spirits up, as he wastes away. So clearly the little man loves him, though even in death Isabella keeps a hold over Ed, endlessly. When Nygma goes to the scene of the accident to try getting over her, a homeless man confirms he heard screams before the crash. He believes it was Butch who organised her death.
When Barnes and Gordon get to where they’re headed, the cap blasts a guy named Sugar away. He turns the gun on his detective. Shit’s getting real now. Barnes knew Jim was looking into him, plus he so deeply believes himself as the law, the sole entity needed for judging the guilt of others, that his mission is near unstoppable. Will Dt. Gordon wind up framed for another crime this time around? Things soon go haywire, so he escapes the building.
So, the GCPD are looking for Jim, all over again. Everything’s fucked up, everyone is up in arms. Bullock rushes to talk with Dr. Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin), who knows about Alice’s infected blood; the two of them are the only way Gordon might make it out of this manhunt alive. Bullock and other officers get there, armed with guns and the truth. They know he’s infected with the Tetch virus.
Jim rushes Barnes, then the two of them fight. Before long, he gets the jump on his boss. He has to fire on him to stop from being killed, but just disarms the captain. I wonder if they’ll be able to develop a cure soon, or if they’ll have to drop the guy into Arkham a while until then.
Oh, yes. They’re locking The Executioner up in one of those dark cells. He’ll rot away for now screaming to himself of the guilt, the cesspool that is Gotham. One of these days, we’ll see him again. You bet your ass.
An intense chapter of Mad City. Can’t wait for “Time Bomb” next.
Barnes struggles with the virus infecting him. Jim Gordon returns to the GCPD.
Chiller’s Slasher
Season 1, Episode 7: “In the Pride of His Face”
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Written by Aaron Martin
* For a review of the previous episode, “He Who Sows His Own Flesh” – click here
* For a review of the Season 1 finale, “Soon Your Own Eyes Will See” – click here
Sarah’s escaped the grip of The Executioner. Her life keeps getting stranger and stranger, more complex, and not in any sort of good way. Then a mannequin of The Executioner pops up int the middle of town, including a note for Sarah specifically. The plot only thickens.
At home, Father Henry is a little too chipper. Another red herring? Or perhaps his talk of the town being “cleansed” is more than just talk?
There are certainly secrets in the Henry household. In a closet, Cam has a box of mementos. He adds a new one – a piece of bloody shirt, one an awful lot like that which Tom wore. Is this really it? Is Cam truly The Executioner? WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! I had my suspicions, but still. This changes the game.Stay with me, fellow fans. I love this series. I don’t care what anyone else says, despite the flaws and all. Lots of fun. Next episode, the finale, is titled “Soon Your Own Eyes Will See” and we will get our answers.
Chiller’s Slasher
Season 1, Episode 6: “The One Who Sows His Own Flesh”
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Written by Aaron Martin
* For a review of the previous episode, “Ill-Gotten Gains” – click here
* For a review of the next episode, “In the Pride of His Face” – click here
After the twisting turning episode previous with the revelation of Captain Ian Vaughn (Dean McDermott) having Ariel Peterson (Hannah Endicott-Douglas) in locked room in his basement, this next episode opens five years previous.
He picks her up from the side of the road. She gets in thankfully. Obviously the biggest mistake she could’ve made. Vaughn used his power and position of authority in Waterbury, the trust of that, to get her inside the car. And things start to get really scary after that. I mean really scary. Vaughn morphs into this completely different person right there in the car with her. I knew there was something off about him, but never expected this at all.
In the present day, he lays in bed with her. She’s obviously got not life, stuck in that room. The whole thing is beyond disturbing. But she may be working out a way to escape, somehow, some way.While Vaughn’s got his own thing going on, Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath) borderline accuses her husband Dylan (Brandon Jay McLaren). We can’t really count him out yet, though. Can we? Well Sarah is busy talking with Cam Henry (Steve Byers). They’re sussing out all the mysteries of the Peterson case, or as much as they can, anyways.
For now, we’re privy to more of Vaughn and Ariel. Their entire situation is insanity, of his making. She wants out, as well as out for her little boy. He’ll have no part of it. Soon enough she pulls her blade on Vaughn and stages a hopeful escape. Putting him down with a can to the back of his head she and her boy run. Only the doors are locked, naturally. A setup such as that means Vaughn has got all his bases covered, especially considering he’s a police Captain. His wife witnesses the escape, and does nothing. One shocking, heavy moment.
Sarah goes to see Tom Winston (Patrick Garrow), mostly to tell him he’s not her father. Although, he is adamant – “You‘re my daughter.” Meanwhile, Dylan’s out meeting with Lisa Ann Follows (Enuka Okuma). She wants to reel him in. He’s got his own bigger ideas.An interesting part of this show now heading into its last few episodes is the unraveling persona of Captain Vaughn. He sends Cam home off duty, which will only likely prompt more of Sarah’s little investigation. But Vaughn goes to see the prostitute Marjorie who Cam and Sarah were talking to earlier. Seems Margie’s eager to keep secrets for the ole Captain. For his part, Iain gives his lady friend a present. A nice ride on some electric veins. A real hot shot. Continually now, we witness more of the becoming of Vaughn. His hand is now being forced further and further. Despite his terrifying nature, he’s not even The Executioner, is he? So does that mean The Executioner will be coming for him some day soon?
In jail, Winston finds himself fighting a tall, brick shithouse of a man. He does all right. Until possibly getting his head stomped on.
One creepy scene sees Vaughn pull up to Sarah on the street, much the same as he did with Ariel five years before. Such an eerie moment; he even makes her get in the backseat. He’s got his back against the wall a little, too. There’s an edge to their conversation. Would he even dare to try abducting Sarah? Is he that mentally unstable at this point? She definitely pushes her luck in that respect, having a free flowing conversation with Iain. And then, like those years ago when he picked up Ariel, things get creepy.
Chiller’s Slasher
Season 1, Episode 4: “As Water is Corrupted Unless It Moves”
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Written by Aaron Martin
* For a review of the previous episode, “Life as Fire Eateth and Burneth Wood” – click here
* For a review of the next episode, “Ill-Gotten Gains” – click here
After the revelations of the last episode, Slasher moves forward with all our new knowledge of the past: what Brenda did as a young woman, how that has begun to affect her granddaughter Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath).
Dylan (Brandon Jay McLaren) tries to comfort his wife in the aftermath. But there’s nothing much to do other than grieve. Then Cam Henry (Steve Byers) shows up with information about Trent McBride (Jefferson Brown).
We cut quick to Trent in the woods. And now he’s in the cross-hairs, as he tries to do a bit of hunting. Someone, likely The Executioner, fires off rounds and has Trent running through the woods. Until he topples into a covered trap. Then the Executioner has a bigger surprise – in go a load of snakes and it becomes a nasty pit where Trent finds death.
The discussion of possible suspects goes on, in typical slasher fashion. Robin Turner (Christopher Jacot) casts doubt on everyone, from Captain Iain Vaughn (Dean McDermott) to Cam, even Dylan. But the possibilities keep on running. Robin also suggests Tom could be the “brains” of a copycat murderer on the outside. The whole thing goes further to suggest that it’s possible Alan Henry (Rob Stewart), Tom’s religious council, could be a part of it all. Certainly he was spared on the night of the original murders, as well as the fact he’s “religious council” for Mr. Winston. Hmm.
Vaughn is checking into the background of Trent McBride. June Henry (Jessica Sipos) is questioned, apparently she has/had a connection with the deceased at one point or another. They were paramedics together. It’s obvious his death hits her hard, both in the way she acts while being questioned, and how she seems after, while alone.
We see her later the bar, hammered drunk. She runs into Sarah and Robin, who try to keep her from driving home. June ends up in the water, skinny dipping, so Sarah tries calling Cam. Meanwhile, Dylan is at dinner with her boss Alison Sutherland (Mayko Nguyen) as they meet with former criminal justice lawyer and current journalist Lisa-Ann Follows (Enuka Okuma). For Follows, it’s all fame and glamour, not so much a throbbing need to help some people in a small town. Sarah’s got her own troubles, though, as drunk June rails against her “slut of a mom” and makes it clear there are still lingering prejudices about Sarah and her family. Might be some trouble with Dylan, too. He seems starstruck, and willing to go a little too deep for his job in conjunction with his personal life.
The next day June apologises to Sarah, as well as reveals she and Trent did have an intimate relationship. Moreover, June tells us a story about Trent encountering a now missing girl – Ariel Peterson. They go to the police with all this, honourable. It causes a lot of mess, though.
At the same time, Dylan goes to see Winston looking for “valuable insight” – a.k.a pieces of fame. Then Dylan gives over the hair he stole out of Sarah’s brush. Nasty. Turns out that Tom received a ton of mail from Dylan before. “How much does Sarah know about you?” asks Winston. The slasher plots are ever intricate, as many characters become prime suspect territory.
Father Henry meets with Tom once again. “Sometimes I forget you‘re a Christian,” says Alan. They talk of God, as Tom reads from the good book. More and more their conversations are captured in a sinister light. Then Tom hands over the hair he received; ah, so there is some kind of plan for it. He’s asking Alan to do something. What that is, we’ll see soon enough.Out in the street, Heather Peterson (Erin Karpluk) rants and raves for everyone to see. Truly going mental. It certainly doesn’t help her case that she babbles about the Bible. Surprisingly enough, June Henry embraces Heather, as she weeps in the road.
Sarah further discovers more truths later. She finds out June was in fact with Trent the night they saw Ariel. Which firmly puts her in the way of The Executioner’s new murders. This does nothing to help Cam and his state of mind. Are they too late? Has June already been taken for the sin of Sloth?
Everyone goes looking for her. When Vaughn June down, she’s stabbed, hung from a wall. Or at least a mannequin is, anyways. June is actually at church, on her knees. Praying. The perfect place to be found. By The Executioner, that is.
June soon finds herself in an impressively devious situation. She’s placed out in a field, naked, full of honey, and nearby are rats, other little creatures. An I.V. runs into her, likely keeping her stationary. Will she get chewed to pieces? I’d bet on it.
Chiller’s Slasher
Season 1, Episode 2: “Digging Your Grave With Your Teeth”
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Written by Aaron Martin
* For a review of the Pilot episode – click here
* For a review of the following episode, “Like as fire eateth up and burneth wood” – click here
After a decent yet promising Pilot, Chiller’s first series Slasher moves into the next chapter.
This episode starts in prime slasher territory: the forest. A young couple makes out alone, as the young woman feels worried about being out there while a killer runs loose. Her man makes a bad joke, but then they reconcile quickly after an “I love you” from him. Only they’re interrupted by the ginger-haired guy who had a run in with the new Executioner during the Pilot. He’s under a pile of leaves, buried, his face busted in brutally. Nice classic sub-genre moment here. Reminiscent of everything from the end of Friday the 13th to many other horrors which use the gag for jump scares.
Reeling from the death of Verna McBride next door, Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath) tries to get past what happened, along with the support of her husband Dylan (Brandon Jay McLaren). Then, up shows grandma – Brenda Merrit (Wendy Crewson). She’s there to stay with Sarah and Dylan, to help, to comfort, until all this nasty business is behind them. Ought to be interesting with her inclusion, as she’s spent “half her life” in Waterbury, so she knows the secrets, the people, and so on.
In town, Trent McBride (Jefferson Brown) talks with real estate agent Robin Turner (Christopher Jacot). Seems like Trent may turn out to be a dubious slasher-figure, though, obviously not the killer of Verna. Just one of those characters on the edge, around the fringe, whose role we’ll not be able to decipher right away. He gives Sarah a nice grim stare while driving away.
Sarah’s looking into the price of the house where Verna died. Likely it won’t sell, for a long, long time. Is this part of the killer’s plan? Robin advises Sarah to sit on her house awhile. So does this play into the new Executioner’s macabre game? Either way, Sarah begins to get settled, opening Waterbury Arts – a Sarah Bennett Gallery. This gives her something to focus on, a purpose, a place in the town now. And while she sets things in place, up shows the woman who Sgt. Cam Henry (Steve Byers) had to deal with in the first episode, Heather Peterson (Erin Karpluk). There’s some history with her and the shop, and Heather rails against Sarah and “the homos“, as if they’re parasites infecting everything in Waterbury. Love how the writing sets up a ton of eerie little backstories, which will certainly play into more of the plot concerning the Executioner, and Sarah’s overall return to her hometown. After Heather leaves, Sarah finds a cryptic biblical message in an envelope, along with a severed thumb; belonging to Verna, of course.
Chiller’s Slasher
Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Written by Aaron Martin
* For a review of the following episode, “Digging Your Grave With Your Teeth” – click here
The pilot for Chiller’s first series Slasher starts on Halloween in 1988, giving us a setup for the events to come. A husband and pregnant wife discuss Halloween plans, whether he’ll stay home with her instead of going to a party with his friend Alan. She tells him to take the scarf off his cowboy outfit, it’s too “Liberace“-looking. Then at the door arrives an ominously masked man who’s let in without question, assumed to be a friend obviously. But afterwards his friend Alan shows up. This immediately causes worry: “Who‘s that?” asks Alan. The murder begins, which gets pretty vicious before the killer slams the front door to the world. Police find a man with makeup around his eyes sitting there, holding a crying baby. Wow.
I’ve got to say, despite anything that might come later, this opening is appropriately savage for a series calling itself Slasher. We’re given a pretty neat little scene to start things off.Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath) and her husband Dylan Bennett (Brandon Jay McLaren) move back to where she was born, in the town of Waterbury. They actually move right into her parents old house. So we know where this is headed. It’s got a great premise for the slasher sub-genre of horror. The cinematography is fairly solid, too.
Sarah and Dylan do their best to settle in. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to Sergeant Cam Henry (Steve Byers). He’s an old friend of Sarah, so we have one of those almost staples of the slasher sub-genre – both the old friend and the young lawman in the hometown. Then she expresses to Cam wanting to meet with Tom Winston – the man that murdered her family. Yikes. Also, there’s the married couple Robin and Justin (Christopher Jacot/Mark Ghanimé), they’re her landlords. Fun characters. Although, I worry for them; maybe everyone around her is about to find themselves in danger.
Verna McBride (Mary Walsh) calls Sarah’s mother a “dirty slut“, right to her face. There’s obviously some kind of bad, bad blood between Verna and Sarah’s family. What could it be?
All these hometown secrets, the small town mindset, will surely come into play as the plot move on in this series. Sarah wants to start digging into the murder of her parents, and being a good husband Dylan goes along to get along. Helps a bit that Dylan is editor-in-chief for the newspaper in Waterbury. But when they watch a clip of Winston, his rage coming out on camera, it affects her deeply.
When Sarah sees someone following her, they wear a mask like the one worn during the murder of her parents. This begins a typical slasher chase scene, out in the dark, the shadowy streets at night almost swallowing her whole. Luckily, Dylan arrives and they end up coming across a group of young guys, which puts him at odds with them. Not a great start for them in the neighbourhood.
But one of the guys doesn’t leave. He ends up coming across the killer. Who does some serious damage to the kid. Already we see this slasher’s brutality. Must be someone else copycatting right? Or are we so sure?
Well Sarah goes to see Winston after all. He’s almost excited to see her, but she tells him: “You need to stop smiling.” She gives him a good earful about her life, what he did to her through killing his parents. But before she ends up walking out on him, as he can’t keep taunting, Winston says: “You have to immerse yourself in the past, Sarah; all of it. Find out what was going on in your parents lives 30 years ago, find what was buried in that house. No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar so that those that enter may see the light.” This spurs her on slightly, as it would. Even if this man’s a killer, his demeanour is too calm and too rational to completely ignore everything he’s saying.