While I'm still no fully behind Jim Gordon's crusade to "find the real killer," given the fact that he himself is a cold-blooded murderer, this episode's escalation of the Gordon/Nygma mini cat and mouse saga was really effective. And watching Nygma, a character we've been following since the premiere episode, fall like this and actually get arrested for Kristen Kringle's felt like one of the most important things the show's ever done.

Because while most villains get smaller origin stories (a two-parter if they're important enough), the show's been able to take its time with Nygma. And while Penguin's also been a main character on the show, he started out broken. He was bent from the get-go. For Nygma, it was a process. Not always an enjoyable one, but still - this felt more earned than a lot of Gotham's pre-Batman musings.And it's not like the show is letting Gordon off too lightly. He has paid for his crime, in some respect. Just not the way he should. He got shamed, hauled off to prison, and he lost his gal and baby (as far as we know). Plus, Nygma made some decent points about what actually makes someone "crazy."As in, why is what Jim did as a soldier, or what he did to Theo, all that removed from what Nygma did to Kringle? Granted, Nygma does talk to himself. And we spent a few episodes watching him dance with an alpha alter-ego, but the morally grey area he addressed when Gordon finally figured out he was behind everything was a valid take.Penguin's story (because we've really only been tracking two tales for the past few weeks - with occasional Bruce scenes) played out more or less as expected. Meet the dad. Bond with the dad. Lose the dad. Lose your s***. All designed to get Penguin back into his psycho sweet spot.And psycho it was, as Oswald (who'd become the new house servant) killed Charles and Sasha and then gruesomely fed them to Grace. Before slashing her to death. Very dark, but also very expected. Strange's therapy really doesn't hold up well, does it? I suppose that doesn't bode well for Gordon now that Barbara's showed up at his door.