James Carpinello (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
During the October 3 episode of Gotham: Mad City, a new character entered the drama. No, we are not talking about The Mad Hatter. Mario Falcone, the son of mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Doman), was introduced as Dr. Leslie Thompkins’ fiance. James Carpinello, who starred on The Mob Doctor, The Good Wife and Person of Interest, plays the role.
As the episode revealed, Carmine and his wife had tried to keep Mario outside of the mob life, so he was sent out of Gotham to attend medical school and become a respectable doctor.
Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) did meet Mario in the episode, after he was wounded during his search for Jervis Tetch’s sister. Mario only told Gordon his first name, keeping his family ties to Gotham a secret until the next to last scene in the episode. Of course, Gordon wasn’t in the restaurant when Mario’s true identity was revealed. It also looks like Leslie was thrown aback by seeing Carmine arrive to reveal Mario’s backstory. She had to promise Mario and Carmine that there’s nothing between her and Jim any more.
Mario Falcone is rarely used in the comics. He made his debut in Batman: Dark Victory, which was written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The character returns to Gotham after his father’s death in that series.
Carpinelo’s credits include The Mob Doctor, Person of Interest, Wedding Band, Gangster Squad and Castle. He played Detective Anthony Burton in five episodes of The Good Wife in 2010.