Trespassing is risky. It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this!

The episode begins with Jim discussing the young boy, Will Thomas, played by Hunter Jones, who was held in a factory alongside other kids chained together. They’re kept in a district near the water and apparently Will here walked nine miles through a tunnel. There’s an abandoned waterworks, so they could start there. Will asks if Jim and Harvey will save his friends, as they’ll be punished for Will’s escape.

Harvey is hesitant, given that most criminals are looking to kill Jim for Penguin’s bullet offer. Then Jim gets a call from the mainland. He’s told to avoid confrontations and that lacks perspectives. He can’t endanger thousands and is ordered to stand down, but Jim just needs supplies. Until the space is declared safe, no more manpower can be sacrificed. Okay, so Gotham City is still on its own.

Jim requests a transport when Lucius and Harvey arrive with news they’ll at least be going in with bullets. They’ll have to pass through Sirens turf to enter Will’s territory. Barbara’s charging to pass through her territory, and she’ll certainly be happy to see Jim after what happened with Tabitha.

Bruce pays a visit to a rundown building overgrown with moving vines and plants. As Bruce comes across various bodies in this makeshift greenhouse, he soon finds himself outnumbered when some folks arrive. They ask if he’s with her, referring to the witch, but Bruce just came for her help, which is apparently magic. Others who came for help had their souls taken, but she won’t kill again.

The witch is locked in the storeroom and she’s been stripped bare. This witch talks to plants and makes them do things, so the men took water and light so she can’t use her abilities. When more come, the men plan to burn the witch. Bruce tells the men that this witch took his “brother,” so he just needs a few minutes to talk to this witch. Though the “brother” might be dead, Bruce gets his five minutes.

He goes in close to take a look at the witch. Naturally, it’s Ivy, with Peyton List reprising the role.

But enough of that. Let’s go to the Sirens’ Club. Jim arrives to speak with Barbara. More like to ask for a favor, though she’s upset that he did nothing while Tabitha was killed. She orders everyone out and tells Jim that she’s plotting revenge, even though Penguin has an army. But hey, they’re all slowly dying. Some of them get to choose how, though. Jim apologizes for Tabitha’s death, but he’s trying to keep the city from falling apart.

Though Barbara tells him that it’s far too late to prevent that from happening. As for this favor, Jim needs transportation to another territory. Barbara scoffs, but she allows Jim to drive right into this nightmare, knowing that he won’t last the night. She rages at Jim, saying that no one deserves to die more than him.

So the transports head towards the Dark Zone- a grid that never regained power. Suddenly, Molotov cocktails and arrows start getting tossed all around at the vehicles, forcing them to stop. Welcome to the Badlands. And these folks are decked out in neon colors like something out of Batman Forever. Or maybe even Batman and Robin.

Elsewhere, Will’s friends pay the price for his escape as the remaining children are left to work with little time for relief. An overseer, Sykes, played by Alex Morf, offers one of the kids, Gabriel, played by Will Meyers, a mask that will help. Once the tunnel is done, they’ll have access to the mainland and people will be forced to do business with them. All will come from the tunnel. Btu they’ve only gotten 100 feet after a month of digging.

Sykes hoped that Gabriel would wear the mask, but then Sykes is ordered to come out front. He’s surprised to see James Gordon of all people meeting him. They know about Penguin’s bullet offers, but before they can open fire, they’re outnumbered by the rest of the GCPD. Jim demands the kids be turned over- why else would there be cattle prods?- and the offices will leave. Jim takes Sykes’ keys and heads inside.

He finds Gabriel and the rest of the kids and informs them that Will is alive and well. Jim gives Gabriel the keys to free himself and the rest of the keys.

Outside, Sykes makes small talk with Harvey, figuring that the cops don’t have enough ammunition. Before the thugs can open fire, Jim comes out and a firefight breaks out. The kids are loaded into the vans, though Gabriel is left behind as he rescues two girls who have accidentally been left behind. With no more remaining vehicles, Jim, Harvey, and the kids are forced to go on-foot.

At the greenhouse, Ivy begs for Bruce’s help, saying that she didn’t kill the men in the vines. Naturally, Bruce finds that hard to believe. The trees and plants are speaking to one another. When the men came to kill Ivy, the plants came to her protection. Okay, so maybe Bruce can help her. He mentions a friend who was shot in the spinal cord and that the woman at the hospital mentioned that the witch could help.

But since they were cut off from the rest of the world, the plants have been behaving differently. Meanwhile, Ivy’s time is running out. She mentions a seed growing the oaks that has magical qualities. It can heal tissues and bones. If Ivy helps Bruce find it, she wants his protection from the men seeking to kill her.

For once, Riddler doesn’t awake in a strange place, but only because he chained himself to his cot. As he heads to the bathroom, he hears a noise and soon spots someone bound and gagged in his tub. Apparently Riddler doesn’t remember this man, Tank, played by David Kallaway, who is part of the Street Demons gang. As for why he’s here, Riddler brought him here last night.

Riddler asks if he hit Tank, and it turns out that he wanted information from him. And Tank here can’t remember much either, so the two of them will have to do this all over again.

Back in the badlands, Jim, Harvey, and the kids head for what seems to be an abandoned building. With a lit candle, Harvey realizes that they aren’t alone. Candles used to lead people to safety in settlers times, but just to be sure, Jim and Harvey will go look around. As Harvey performs a radio check, he figures that other officers will come and check for them.

Harvey is sent to check the basement, even though he’s fully aware that something terrible will happen. Jim heads upstairs and hears a noise when a child emerges from the closet and rushes towards him.

Downstairs, Harvey investigates the basement and finds an array of abandoned jewelry, teeth, glasses, and fingers. As someone moves to attack him from behind, he manages to get the drop on them before yelling for Jim.

So Riddler moves Tank to the main room, and it turns out he wanted to know about the whereabouts of Emanuel Vasquez and his location. As for Riddler’s disposition at the time, he was stiff and a man of few words. In a bit of a daze. So Riddler frees Tank to take him to the Street Demons’ base and to find out why he went there.

Bruce brings Ivy out and tells the men that he takes responsibility for what she did. However, Ivy kills the men, saying that she wanted to do that. Bruce finally mentions Selina by name and that she’s both paralyzed and lost the will to live. However, Selina destroyed the last of the Lazarus Water, so as far as Ivy is concerned, Selina can suffer. Ivy wasn’t lying about the changing park- she’s feeding the earth with the bodies.

And she plans to plant Bruce’s body in the ground. Bruce realizes that the men were right about Ivy- she’s a callous, murderous witch. He’s not trying to bait her, though. There’s no good left in her. If Ivy wanted to help the park flourish, it would be full of life, but instead, it’s full of death. If Ivy does agree to help Selina, she wants Bruce to at least leave her alone. Okay, sounds like a deal.

Jim speaks to the frightened orphan, played by Benjamin Snyder, who can’t remember his name, but knows that his parents are dead. The “ghost” lady apparently found him and she can be very cruel. Then Harvey arrives to tell him that a crazy woman is killing people. As for who she is, she makes people refer to her as “Mother.”

But as Jim and Harvey head into another room, the boy seals them inside. Bright lights overtake the room as the boy tells them that the lights will make them dizzy and soon put them to sleep. He implores them to give into it.

Then Mother, played by Susannah Rogers, arrives and engages the two in a fight. After Harvey breaks a window to let in some natural light, Jim gets the drop on Mother, who talks: she’s the only mother that this boy knows, but she tells the two that when she found him, he was barely alive. She taught him how to survive and get away from the murderers on the streets. After slashing at Jim for a bit, Mother escapes.

So Riddler and Tank arrive at the Street Demons’ base and finds a bunch of dead bodies, including Vasquez. Riddler can’t remember if he did this, but then they spot a sign that reads “Penguin Was Here.” Ridder isn’t convinced that Oswald would do this, but whoever did just kicked off a war.

Ivy leads Bruce to a spot in the woods where she digs up the seed, coated with blood, and this will help cure Selina’s spine. Well, it might, depending on how strong Selina is. But it will also alter her forever, like her darker angels will be set free. Can Selina live with that? Hell, can Bruce live with that? Though Bruce doesn’t trust Ivy, he may not have much of a choice. As for where Ivy’s going, that doesn’t matter.

And the seed will die if left out in the open too long, so Bruce should hurry.

Harvey and Jim rush downstairs to take the kids away from the building, with Harvey saying that the kid and woman won’t want or need his help. Jim manages to hotwire a car just as Sykes and his gang arrive to demand the workers back.

Oh, but we’re not done yet. Another group arrives, as the leader of this new group wants Jim’s head if just for Penguin’s prize.

Bruce returns to the hospital and learns from Alfred that Selina hasn’t said a word since she’s been gone. Bruce tells him that Ivy of all people was the witch and shows him the seed. He doesn’t have a choice but trusting her, even though Ivy is a killer. Then Selina pipes up and demands the seed. She says that she was wrong to try and kill herself, but nothing’s changed. If Ivy wants to try and kill her, have at it.

She pops the seed into her mouth like a Gummy Bear and then tells Bruce and Alfred about Ivy’s tragic upbringing on the streets. So Selina took Ivy under her wing and showed her where to get food and how to have a roof over her head. After some time, Ivy got some color in her place. Selina checked in on occasion. Ivy may look older now, but she’ll always be that little girl to Ivy.

Then Selina starts to convulse as the seed takes effect…

Back with the turf war, the two leaders argue over who will get Jim’s head. This is interrupted when Jim kills one of the leaders. But then help arrives in the form of a truck with a machine gun mounted on it. And it turns out to be Barbara. As for their last chat, she admits that she was a bit rash. Jim then shoots and kills Sykes, using his last bullet. They’re not square, as Barbara wants Jim’s help in killing Penguin.

Jim instead tables this conversation until he can get the kids somewhere safe. They arrive at a location and are met by Lucius. The place will be full soon, but for now, the families and children are safe. Barbara leaves, but she reminds Jim that the two of them have unfinished business.

Back at the hospital, Selina’s condition is stable. She’s still in pain, so the doctors sedated her. He tells Alfred and Bruce that they should come back in the morning. But before Brue heads off, he finds that Selina has already fled her bed and her window is open. But she didn’t jump. She’s alive and well. And walking. As for how she feels? Different and no pain at all.

Bruce thought that he killed her, but she’s even better than before. Oh, and she’s got eyes like a cat.

Again, with so much going on in Gotham since we’ve entered No Man’s Land, it would be easy for the story to go all over the place. But like the premiere, “Trespassers” manages to keep things mostly contained. The bits of Riddler are spread out and just enough to tease what will no doubt be a more prominent showing later. We’re either with Jim and Harvey or Bruce and Ivy. That’s it.

Much of this episode tied into the title “Trespassers,” as we have characters entering territory where they either don’t belong or aren’t wanted. Jim and Harvey head into this Dark Zone to locate the other children, even though Penguin put a target on Jim’s back. Riddler is still ending up in various locations, but against his own volition, so still a form of trespassing. And anyone entering Ivy’s domain is just begging for trouble.

Two times in this episode Jim is told to pretty much slow down and stop trying to be the hero. The folks on the radio say that he lacks perspective, and when dealing with the Mother, Harvey says that not everyone needs or wants Jim’s help. Fair enough. Jim could just sit back and let the gangs fight amongst each other, but then there wouldn’t be much of a show if that happened.

Plus, it’s not in Jim’s nature to just sit by and let things happen. He’s been in Gotham long enough to know that risk is part of the job. It’s why he goes to Barbara for help. It’s a risky situation, but he knows that, in the end, she’ll help him even though she blames him for Tabitha’s death.

I’m happy that the rescue of the kids went as smoothly as it did. There was no prolonged hostage situation and none of the kids were dumb enough to get left behind. The GCPD were in and out in no time, and I like that because you could’ve easily dragged this conflict out for the entire episode and avoided Mother altogether, but the episode manages to effectively do both with little time wasted.

Though perhaps that’s a byproduct of this being the final season and a limited number of episodes, but I digress.

Like the last episode, it’s nice to see how other parts of Gotham City are impacted by the end of last season. It’s literally every man, woman, and child for himself. As bad as it already is just being in Gotham City, the children have it worse under the rule of folks like Sykes. And Mother seems like a trusting figure when she talks about training the orphan boy how to fight…until you see her collection.

Bruce going to Ivy and begrudgingly trusting her shows not just his willingness to head into dangerous territory, but how far he’ll go in order to help Selina. Smart on him to not blindly trust Ivy, though. He may be desperate, but he’s not stupid. Even though Ivy killed the villagers, Bruce wasn’t leaving until he got what he needed. And I like how he managed to get under Ivy’s skin, saying her park is just full of death.

I’m quite curious just how much of Ivy we’ll get in this final season. I can’t imagine there’s much left for her character to do. She seems pretty satisfied where she is and she’s not an active part of Selina or Oswald’s lives anymore. So it will be interesting to see if there’s more of Ivy in the show’s last hurrah.

By the way, if just for shits and giggle, I would’ve loved it if when we first saw Ivy this season, she’d been recast yet again. I’m fine with Peyton List, mind you, but given how much of a revolving door Ivy’s casting has been, it would’ve been funny to me if her first appearance this season was as another actress once more.

Anyway, Ivy did come through in the end by helping get Selina back on her feet. But now she’s got eyes like a cat and chances are that seed did more than just fix Selina’s spine. Oh, by the way, I could’ve done without hearing Ivy’s sad upbringing, if just because we as an audience have already watched Ivy’s growth since the first season.

Sure, it’s a reminder if you forgot, but we’ve already watched many of these events play out in prior seasons. So I don’t really understand why Selina had to tell Bruce and Alfred something that they no doubt already know or at least figured out about Ivy. But it’s minor, so it doesn’t make much of an impact.

As for Riddler, he’s still got to deal with his other self causing some sort of trouble, but at least now he’s got someone to help him fill in the blanks. Again, I want to see how this will factor in later, but I’m also interested in seeing how this has to have impacted Leslie. After all, Hugo Strange operated on both her and Ed. While Leslie has been a no-show as of recent, she must be going through something similar to Ed, right?

All in all, “Trespassers” was a pretty good episode. Jim and Harvey traveled deeper into No Man’s Land for a rescue and got a hell of a scare in the process. Selina’s back on her feet, but it looks like she’s a step closing to becoming the Catwoman we’ll come to know later. And when will Barbara meet Jim to complete their unfinished business? We’ll see. Until then, see you next week for more Gotham!