'Gotham' S02E09: "A Bitter Pill To Swallow" Recap: Robin Lord Taylor, Cory Michael Smith!

Fox continues Season 2 of the Batman prequel series, Gotham. In Episode 9, will Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), and Edward Nygma/Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) discover that Theo Galavan (James Frain)'s A Bitter Pill To Swallow?

Tigress (Jessica Lucas) ends up at  bar, orders a drink, and goes backstage to meet the madam (Michelle Gomez). She orders the hit of a cop and gives the photo of Jim Gordon. Barbara (Erin Richards) is still in the hospital and hasn't woken up from the fall. 

As Nygma injects Penguin and makes him fall back asleep, Leslie Tompkins (Morena Baccarin) argues with Jim at the precinct. Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) meets with Silver St. Cloud  (Natalie Alyn Lind) but Alfred isn't too happy to see her. After Alfred (Sean Pertwee) kicks her out, Bruce wants to believe Silver can give her the information he needs. 

In the elevator, Jim finds himself trapped with the hired assassin. After knocking out the assassin, Jim drags the killer towards Nathaniel Barnes (Michael Chiklis). Knowing her hit-man died, the madam orders the rest of her killers to go after Jim. 

Nygma reveals to Penguin that he killed three people, one of them was Kringle. He needs advice from Penguin to guide him on his new path. With his mother dead, Penguin sees his empire falling apart. 

Barnes stops Jim before he can throw the assassin out the window. With an army of killers on the way, Jim and Barnes get their guns aimed. The two fight and shoot their way through the first wave. Barnes is stabbed in the leg while trying to protect Jim.

Penguin wakes up and finds a hostage in Nygma's room. Nygma offers Penguin a chance at retribution and hands him a switchblade. Penguin gives up the blade and goes back to sleep, singing his mother's lullaby. 

Eduardo Flamingo (Raul Castillo) is called in to go after Gordon. With time running out, Barnes and Jim talk about "crossing the line." Barnes remembers when he blew the head of an insurgent. Any man is capable of doing anything, but there is the law; no line to cross.

Penguin recounts a childhood memory to Nygma. After being told love is a weakness, Penguin holds a knife to Nygma's throat. Unafraid of his throat being slashed, Nygma believes that without love, a man is free to do anything he wants.  

Flamingo makes a call to Jim after killing the calvary. Out in the streets, Jim Jim is tossed around after being whipped by Flamingo's chains. Flamingo won't stop laughing as Jim pulverizes his face. Jim refuses to kill him; instead he arrests Flamingo. 

While Penguin and Nygma decide to go after Galavan's lackey, Bruce tries to sneak out of the mansion when Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) stops him. Flamingo bites down on the neck of a police office as Jim tries to reconcile with Leslie.  

At Blackgate prison, Theo is mad at Tigress for hiring hit-men. The Brother's arrival is imminent and the city will be theirs for the taking. The Order of St. Dumas stab a police officer to death before heading towards Gotham City. 

Readers, what'd did you think of A Bitter Pill to Swallow?