If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Jeremiah warns a skeptical Gordon of more destruction coming Gotham’s way, and Gordon is forced to make a potentially devastating decision. Then, Bruce is forced to come to terms with the future. (IMDB)
Writers: John Stevens and Seth Boston
Director: Nathan Hope
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 42mins
Airs: Thursdays at 8pm on CTV (Canada)/Fox (United States)
This season of Gotham ends on a good note.
The episode started off where the last ended with Selina in the hospital after being shot by Jeremiah. Jeremiah was now behind bars. Almost all the bombs were taken care of but there were more bombs then they originally thought. Jeremiah wanted to see Bruce again in exchange for the locations of the other bombs. He claimed that he failed because he didn’t understand the vision he was servicing but now his eyes were open. Strange, coming out of nowhere, appeared to know how to cure Butch and tended to him. Tabitha wanted revenge for Selina. Another bomb blew up at City Hall while Ra’s al Ghul watched.
Despite Gordon laying a beating on Jeremiah, he remained adamant that he wanted to speak to Bruce. Martial law was declared in Gotham, leaving Major Rodney Harlan (Malik Yoba) in charge. When Gordon opposed to Bruce being brought in, Harlan had him arrested but The Riddler saved him. He did so only so he can torture him some more to eliminate him from their love triangle.
Bruce was brought in against his will to try and help. He visited Jeremiah who continued to convince him that they were alike while hinting that he was working with Ra’s al Ghul. Then the lights conveniently went out long enough for Bruce, Jeremiah, and all the bombs to disappear. Lee confronted The Riddler and was insulted by the fact that he thought she was being held back by him. She was leaving and wanted The Riddler to go with her as long as he didn’t kill Gordon.
As Barbra prepared her army to gear up, Ra’s al Ghul showed up to tell her that he was leaving Gotham and wanted her to go with him because he did not have all his powers back. He wanted to ensure the destruction of Gotham from one of his visions to bring forth his heir which was Bruce. Alfred and Penguin joined Barbara and Tabitha to go after Ra’s al Ghul and Jeremiah. Before Gordon left the Narrows, he made a plea to Lee before she left Gotham. She was a different person but they still cared for one another.
Bruce was brought to Ra’s al Ghul who, just like Jeremiah, was doing all of this for Bruce’s benefit. Their motivations were aligned. Based on where the bombs were going, Gordon figured out that the bridges out of Gotham were the targets. Gordon wanted to cancel the evacuation, going against Harlan’s orders. When he wanted Gordon and Bullock arrested, the rest of the GCPD rallied around them. Barbara showed up with her little army to take on Ra’s al Ghul and Jeremiah. She had reforged the ceremonial dagger for which she and Bruce used to kill Ra’s al Ghul. As he perished, he urged Bruce to fulfill his destiny. Meanwhile, bombs were in position on all the bridges out of Gotham and a first bridge blew up.
The crisis meant that Lee wasn’t leaving and that her relationship with The Riddler was over. He didn’t exactly take it the right way but it didn’t matter since she stabbed him and he stabbed her back. When Tabitha returned to see Butch, he was cured. However, it didn’t last long after Penguin shot him as revenge against Tabitha for killing his mother. When Bruce returned to the hospital, he learned that Selina may be paralyzed. Instead of leaving Gotham with Selina, Bruce wanted to stay to look for Jeremiah so Alfred stayed with Selina.
Everybody was leaving the city but Gordon didn’t want to give up and neither was Bullock, Lucius, and a dozen other cops. Meanwhile, all the criminals were claiming their territory. Strange was given Lee and The Riddler to work on. Ra’s al Ghul’s men were looking for someone to lead them so they pledged their allegiance to Barbara. However, feeling that men were the root of their problems, she had them killed.
Gordon shone a spotlight into the night sky that Bruce saw and then he found Gordon. The light was a call to the remaining people of Gotham that there were still good people willing to fight. The last shot was of them staring at the light.
Overall, this was a good finale episode that actually wrapped up storylines nicely for the most part with the exception of The Riddler and Lee. Sure, The Riddler’s history meant that he would probably return though it would be nice to see dead characters stay dead for once. The twist with Butch was definitely a surprise since it was easy to forget what Tabitha did to Penguin a long time ago. With next season being the last, it is clear how it’s going to end and this finale helped to set the stage for it. Ra’s al Gul is gone but Jeremiah isn’t which was a relief. He’s a great villain who hasn’t yet outstayed his welcome. Now that almost everyone is gone, at least for now, it will be interesting to see where next season will go. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until 2019 to find out.
Score: 8.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.