Gotham “I Am Bane”

Ok…that’s Bane?  Seriously?  That guy is Bane?

Cripes.

So, this is Gotham and all, so I am used to crazy, stupid stuff happening.  Much of this is because this show runs off adrenaline and some kid on a sugar high playing with some crayons.  So yeah, Barbara will go into labor at the worst possible moment, namely when she’s getting ready to leave on that sub, she’ll take a vital component when she’s wheeled off to Lee’s to give birth, and she will weld two pistols as she’s forced to flee Bane’s nameless minions before giving birth to a baby girl that she will name Barbara Lee Gordon after the only people she ever trusted.

Wait, she trusted Lee and Jim?  Is it because they were basically suckers who always did the right thing?  Or is it because she had to blackmail most people into doing what she wanted, hence the only reason the Penguin and the Riddler set a trap for Bane that didn’t work.

But here’s the problem with Bane:  he’s not that scary.  Actor Shane West is a very tall man, and he’s not exactly in bad shape or anything, but he isn’t a big slab of muscle.  As a result, his Bane in full gear looks more silly than anything else.  He’s set up as this unstoppable monster, someone who shrugs off firebombs, effortlessly manages to capture Gordon, Bruce, and visiting General Wade, but he’s basically a minion for Hugo Strange and the mystery woman revealed to be…Nyssa al-Ghul!

Yeah, I probably need to do a Misplaced Character Case File on that one.  Expect it in a couple weeks.  I write those well in advance.

Nyssa wants to punish Bruce for killing her father, even though she knows full well Barbara basically did it, and she figures the way to punish Bruce is to have Gordon beaten up until Bruce realizes who she is.  Oh, and there’s a military code that Wade knows to blow up the city because of course the military has such a code.  How hurting everyone in town except for Bruce is some sort of punishment for Bruce only works if Bruce really cares.  He does, but does Nyssa know that?

But seriously, how bad is Gotham City seen if this is what it looks like before Batman showed up?  The military already had a plan to blow the place up?  Do they have another for Metropolis?  I mean, imagine what that place has crawling all over before Superman shows up if Bane and the Mad Hatter are already a thing while Bruce Wayne still isn’t old enough to vote.

Now, there’s two episodes left, and that means the series needs to set up a threat.  So sure, the military is bombing a major American city.  Why not?  And Bane can beat up both Alfred and Selina without trying too hard, but those two only lose fights when the plot demands it.  Bane or Nyssa might be out final Big Bads for this series.  Bane looks silly.  Yeah, he’s tall, but the costume makes him look more awkward than anything else, and his head is exposed to what could be a good shot from a sniper or something.  Plus, there really isn’t a lot of time left to make decent villains out of Nyssa or Bane.

Oh well.  I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts for the next one since the final episode is a flash forward to finally bring out the Bat.