Even though Season 3 of Gotham has received mixed reviews at times, it has done well enough to earn a Season 4. The last handful of episodes have been strong leading into the two hour season finale! What will happen now that Fish has returned? Will the freaks have to team up in order to stop Ra’s and the League? Will Bruce thwart his plans while propelling into the role we know he is destined for? Read on to find out:
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
Fish’s Plan — As the episode begins, the city is in chaos as a result of the Tetch virus being released. Viewers also find out that it is an accelerated version of the virus, which is why the citizens of Gotham are farther along in the process than Gordon and Lee. As Hugo Strange is trying to flee the city, he bumps into Fish who clearly wants to take over her rightful place ruling Gotham again. She wants Strange to create her the army he had originally promised her. As Gordon and Bullock find Fish, she lets them know that Strange is the only one who can stop the madness, and create a cure, which is why she wants him under her control. As the two officers try to confront Fish, Mr. Freeze comes to rescue her. Of course she would have such back-up. When Strange awakes, he is tied down with Freeze and Firefly watching over him. Penguin enters as well, letting Strange know that the freaks are now running the show, and he will create a cure for the virus for them, so that they can be in control of the city and hold it hostage for the cure. This is ironic because Strange finds himself at the mercy of the “freaks” he created. As Strange leads them to the cure, Fish tells Penguin that they will rule the city once again. Has Fish truly has a change of heart, or could she merely be using Penguin like before? As they try to leave they are approached by…
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
The Arrival of the League — They want to cure, of course. I know Gordon has the Tetch virus in him, but taking down the members of the League seemed a bit much. What I definitely didn’t see coming was afterwards when by reaction he…stabbed Fish! She not only dropped the cure, but made Penguin promise her that he would take over the city, and burn it to the ground. This was a truly touching moment, because this truly will be the last time we see Fish, which makes sense due to her not being a part of the original Gotham mythos prior to the show, but it was still a touching moment nonetheless. Penguin has always respected Fish, whether it was genuine or out of fear, he respected her nonetheless. Viewers could tell the pain this caused Penguin, which we can assume will be his inspiration for dominating control of Gotham.
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
Riddler’s Ego — The Riddler needed help when going against Penguin, Fish, and Co., so he continued to work with Barbara, Tabitha, and Butch in order to find Mad Hatter. They knew that Strange, and the GCPD, would need him, so they stole him in order to have leverage. Nygma’s narcissism gets the best of him as he abandons his “team” in order to trade Gordon Tetch for Penguin. As they all meet, Barabara, Tabitha, and Butch show up. The group is once again working together out of necessity rather than choice. Through Riddler and Penguin’s back-and-forth, Penguin seems to hold the upper hand by the end of the episode. Cobblepot knew Nygma’s every move, which brought them back to the pier Nygma shot him prior to the show’s long hiatus. As Penguin divulged his plan, Freeze shot Nygma with his cold gun. Cobblepot is truly rising to the ranks of his comic counterpart, and I’m excited to see him do so. Next season he also looks set to introduce The Iceberg Lounge with Nygma’s frozen body as the center piece!
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
Lee’s Role — Is she after Gordon, or is Gordon after her? Lee continues to embrace the Tetch virus, and urges Gordon to let it take over him so they can be together. Lee’s got some sass to her, and I like it! I’m not the biggest fan of the Tetch virus angle, but Lee’s character has become pretty interesting. She manhandles Butch, calls out Tabitha, and tells them both to relay to Barbara that her head is hers. The confidence the virus has given her matches her physical strength. Baccarin once again does an amazing job in the role. I understand the Tetch blood makes the individuals go after their deepest desires, but she was so bitter towards him that this seems odd. I am sure they are suppressed feelings for Gordon, but the Tetch virus made her take a complete 180, and still came across as being forced. Out of this, we do get Gordon’s confession of love for Lee has he inoculates both she, and himself. She then leaves him a letter…leaving, yet again…but this time with showing confidence in Gordon that she hasn’t displayed in quite a long time.
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
Butch is…– Butch has never liked working for Barbara. That has been apparent over the past couple episodes, which became worse when she asked Nygma to help them. Their plan to capture Tetch for ransom was thwarted when Gordon stole some of his blood, which will then send the rest of Gotham after Barbara, Tabitha, and Butch. With this, Butch decides it is time to do away with Barbara at the safe house, and Tabitha agrees. As Butch goes to confront Barbara…she shoots him in the head! This leads to the much anticipated confrontation between Barbara and Tabitha, which ends in Barbara being electrocuted! I really enjoyed the dynamics of this relationship all season. I enjoyed their rise in the Gotham Underworld, but this was a fitting end to the torn relationship. What was awesome was to see Tabitha take Selina under her wing at the end of the episode! Tabitha’s training would easily make sense as to how Selina gained her skills. Also at the end of the episode we have a big reveal…Butch’s real name is Cyrus Gold aka Solomon Grundy!
Photo Courtesy of Fox.
Bruce’s Destiny — Even though he had been brainwashed, Alfred works to bring Bruce back to reality. He shares some sentimental stories that really worked well here, and clearly made Bruce consider what he was saying. As Bruce escapes the GCPD, he goes to find the Demon’s Head as he was told. As he searches, he ends up finding the secret, underground lair of Ra’s al Ghul. I thought this version of the character looked great. Alexander Sidding looked much more accurate to the source material; much more than Arrow‘s take on the character. The plan is much like we have seen before, which was fine because of its accuracy to the source material, which was to use The Court of Owls in order to destroy Gotham and start anew. In their quest to start anew, they want Bruce Wayne to spearhead the cause by being his heir. Now while I did see this coming, I didn’t think it would come at the expense of Alfred! Ra’s said that Alfred represented Bruce’s past and that he needed to be dealt with. After a heartwarming final speech from Alfred, Bruce drives a sword into him. This event breaks Bruce of his trance, and luckily, it occurred next to a Lazarus Pit so that Bruce could use some of it, which immediately made Alfred stable enough to be taken to the hospital.. This is only the beginning of Bruce’s encounters with The League. I enjoyed the early interactions between Bruce and Ra’s. I thought the writers did a good job of capturing the dynamics the two have in the comics. The story line with Bruce definitely picked up over the last couple episodes. I wish it had been this entertaining throughout the entire season. I still think he needs to go away for a while, but the writers did a good job saving this story line. The end of the episode was not only reflective of his own parents’ murder, but was a bit of a nod to Batman 89, as Bruce beat up the mugger in the alley ending with him standing on the top of a building overlooking Gotham.
That does it for this season of Gotham! Where does this leave us? What is in store for next season? What did they do well that you think they should keep? What should they definitely get rid of? Leave your thoughts in the usual spot, and thanks for reading!
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