Gotham 1×22 – All Happy Families are Alike

I don’t know what the hell that was, but it was not a good season finale.

I initially had extremely high hopes for Gotham, and after a very solid pilot I became even more excited. But the show sadly produced one of the worst and most embarrassing first seasons I have ever seen, and while I was never sure the finale was going to rectify any of its prior mistakes, I certainly thought it would be better than this. In short, this was a messy, convoluted and utterly boring hour.

But first, the good stuff. If you have been following these reviews over the past few months, it will probably come as a shock to you that I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara’s scenes tonight (even if I’m a little embarrassed to admit it). I really loved the little twist they packed in here, revealing that she was the one who murdered her parents last week and not the Ogre. While I still hate her and what the writers have done to this character, I found myself enjoying Barbara’s creepy therapy session with Leslie more than anything else that happened in the finale. Her sudden villainous transformation was absolutely thrilling to watch, and I’m even saddened to see it all end so abruptly and without a real conclusion. I might not even want her to be dead, which is both strange and unsettling for me.

Fish, on the other hand, I sincerely wished would have stayed dead. The cold open was one of the worst scenes I’ve seen on this show (yet). There was no explanation as to how this dreadful character survived the bullet and no explanation as to why Selina formed an alliance with her, suddenly turning into a horrible person. There was also no explanation for these atrociously embarrassing hairdos and costumes. My goodness, this was a hot mess.

I thought I was going to enjoy Falcone, Maroni, Penguin, Fish and Jim all going at war with each other because gangs and mobs are the reason I started watching this show (and let’s face it, to see Bruce Wayne turn into the Caped Crusader). But sadly, something felt extremely anticlimactic about all of these powerful people (Jim carries a knife now!) going crazy at each other’s throats. Falcone’s sudden retirement was a cop-out and extremely random considering he was vowing he’d never leave Gotham just a few episodes ago. Ugh, sometimes I’m shocked by how one-dimensional and predictable the characters on this show are.

The biggest problem with this show, I realize now as I gladly smile at the thought of Gotham-less Mondays until next fall, is its inability to stray away from the comics to deliver an honest and original story. Granted, Arrow and The Flash didn’t have the strongest first episodes in television but those shows knew how to balance servicing long-time comic-book fans with a bit of creativity and adding to the material a compelling serialized story. Gotham, on the other hand, is merely a collection of random Batman characters and bits (and Fish Mooney). That’s all that it is. Twenty-two episodes later and unfortunately, it still hasn’t found its footing.

But hey, at least Fish might be dead, right?

Bat Bits

– Jada Pinkett Smith actually never revealed that her character is dead. She said she won’t be returning as a series regular and would love to play Fish Mooney again in the future. Oh my God, if she survives that fall…

– Penguin is king of Gotham! That scene was very Titanic-ish, but still kinda cool I guess.

– Badass moment: Fish shooting Maroni in the head.

– Unfortunately, Bruce’s storyline wasn’t the greatest either. That final scene with him and Alfred discovering what-will-soon-become the Batcave was sadly ruined for me. I can’t believe that entire scene was shown in the promos last week! Even more shocking is why I watch Gotham promos at all.

– But even if it wasn’t spoiled for me, I think I still would have cringed. It is way too soon. The writers just wanted to cram a cliffhanger and thought the Batcave would delight fans. Such a cheap shot.

– I loved Jim and Falcone’s moment on the balcony in the end as it paralleled their first conversation from the pilot.

– Seriously, what the hell happened to Selina Kyle? Can she be redeemed?

– I’ve come to notice how insignificant Bullock is right now. Give him something to do next year, writers.

– Fish and Maroni’s “babes” conversation was kind of hilarious.

– Some of the painfully cheesy dialogue this week included Selina and Fish’s conversation in the teaser, everything that happened when Falcone was in the hospital and Selina and Jim’s banter when Jim was held captive. There’s much more, I know, but let’s pretend there isn’t.

– While I think Ms. Kringle finding out about Ed’s riddle was ridiculous, I really enjoyed Nygma’s psychotic breakdown at the end. Is he going to be the Big Bad next season?

– So, what did you think of the season-finale and the entire first season?

Cracks From Gotham

Selina: Cat got your tongue?

Fish: I’m relaxed.
Maroni: I don’t think you are, babes.
Fish: Please don’t call me babes.
Maroni: You see? Not relaxed. Guys, no, seriously. Don’t call her babes. Or toots or what have you. It’s a woman’s lib thing.
Fish: I am relaxed. (shoots him)

Barbara: To be fair to them, they simply never understood me. They have no clue who I am. Even when I was killing them, they just gaped at me. Like fools. No understanding.

Conclusion
The season-finale was just as messy as most of Gotham’s early installments. But perhaps the death of a horrendous character, Penguin taking charge, and transformations of Ed Nygma and Barbara can make for an interesting sophomore season next year.

Chris Rating
C+