There's an old saying that goes "Don't judge a book by its cover.". Good advice. It also applies to titles. The title "Spirit of the Goat" didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence when I read it, but by episode's end it turned out to be the best yet. Setting aside the mafia machinations, the focus here is on a serial killer with a link to Harvey Bullock's past. We get a nice focus on Bullock in this ep., with a glimpse at his younger self, before he became cynical and jaded. In the present day, a potential copy cat of an old case sees Harvey get his mojo back. Donal Logue continues to shine as the rumpled Bullock, and this episode peels back the layers just enough to glimpse the man beneath the cheap suit.
The other storyline sees the noose tighten around Gordon's neck as an earlier incident comes back to haunt him. The two endings, with the serial killer twist and the ta-da! surrounding Gordon's story left me with mixed feelings, but overall this was a tight, atmospheric episode with some really nice performances (special kudos to the great Dan Hedaya as Bullock's old partner).
The other storyline sees the noose tighten around Gordon's neck as an earlier incident comes back to haunt him. The two endings, with the serial killer twist and the ta-da! surrounding Gordon's story left me with mixed feelings, but overall this was a tight, atmospheric episode with some really nice performances (special kudos to the great Dan Hedaya as Bullock's old partner).