Shortly after Jason "The Ogre" Lennon reveals his true intentions to Barbara and holds her captive, he tells her, at knifepoint, to choose his next victim.
During the investigation at the Foxglove Club, Gordon and Bullock locate the "Ogre's" apartment at Gotham Royal Hotel, but he and Barbara had already left for her parents' mansion, and both are killed.
Several crimes and killings committed by Maroni and his crew alert Captain Essen, who calls all officers of the GCPD to remain on duty during the upcoming gang war.
The episode received a rating of 60% with an average score of 6.7 out of 10 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating: "Though the plot twist was surprising, 'The Anvil or the Hammer' disregarded Gotham's own history, muddying up the narrative with a nonsensical story.
Club's Kyle Fowle gave the episode a "B−" grade and wrote, "In fact, much of 'The Anvil Or The Hammer' signals a way forward for Gotham, giving us moments that prove this show can be more than a lackluster procedural.
It proves that Gotham is better off without it's [sic] case-of-the-week structure, instead choosing to focus on a long-term narrative, rolling out storylines that have consequences in the future and allow the characters to experience something resembling growth.