"The Balloonman," the third episode of FOX's Batman prequel series "Gotham," aired on Monday evening, continuing to share the story of how the Dark Knight rose amid the corrupted streets of Gotham City. Spoilers ahead!

The third installment begins with the appearance of a pig-masked vigilante, codename Balloonman, who targets high-profile criminals, cuffing them to weather balloons and sending them to an airless death miles above the city. The financier guilty of stealing retirement funds, a crooked cop and a Catholic priest, street name "The Diddler," are not mourned by the public when the balloons pop and days later the bodies fall, crashing the earth.

Detective James Gordon is actively looking for the man who's guilty of killing the mother and father of Bruce Wayne in front of his eyes, using the assistance of the ever-agile Selina Kyle. Keeping to tradition, Gordon is also the only cop on the force who's eager to identify and stop the culprit until the lieutenant is murdered.

The public is enamored with the vigilante, including a young pre-Batman Bruce, who watches the story closely, but detests the masked man's decision to kill: "He killed people. That made him a criminal, too." That declaration appears to be the origin of Batman's moral code.

Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot returns to town with mayhem on his mind. And when he's spotted by someone who wants to turn him over to Fish Mooney, he guts that person and steals his loot so he can purchase a tuna sandwich. He later acquires a job as a busboy at an Italian restaurant where Sal Maroni, newcomer and rival to Carmine Falcone, operates.

In search of the Balloonman, there's a montage where Bullock beats up snitches, sweet talks hookers and steals street cart food before the two officers finally track down the Balloonman. The action-packed showdown between the Balloonman and detectives Gordon and Bullock includes a scuffle that results in Bullock slapping the Balloonman's balloon-tethered cuffs to the perp, sending him into the sky. Gordon grabs ahold of the man, not wanting to see him die. Bullock is forced to shoot the balloon down from the sky to save his partner.

Before the Balloonman is taken away on a stretcher after the brawl, he warns Gordon with the statement: "There will be more like me, detective. You know there will be."

Despite apprehending the Balloonman and saving his life, the police are now seen in a dimmer light. The public questions, who will defend the people of Gotham now that the Balloonman has been detained? And it teases about the future presence of another masked vigilante that will be in Gotham's future.

Detective Renee Montoya tells Barbara Kean (Gordon's fiancée) that Gordon killed Cobblepot as part of a mob-ordered hit, which Kean doesn't believe. Particularly because Cobblepot pays Gordon and Kean a visit at the end of the episode.