My Review of Gotham's 5x12: "The Beginning ..."

Written by John Stephens
Directed by Rob Bailey

Harvey (re Batman): "Who is he?"
James: "A friend."

It's been five seasons and 100 episodes and expectations were certainly riding high on this episode. Could the show with it's budget pull off the Dark Knight? Would it feel like enough? Would we even get a clear shot of him in costume. Well, the answer to the last question was a resounding yes. For me, it also felt like more than enough as well.

It made sense to begin with one last scene with David Mazouz physically onscreen before pushing the narrative to ten years where the city has rebuilt itself from reunification and Gordon was on the verge of handing in his badge. Thanks to Jeremiah though, it seems like James won't be retiring the Commissioner role any time soon.

This episode felt like a series of vignettes, which is something that I've wanted the show to do for a while, so it's rather appropriate that this would be the episode to do it. Needless to say, all the vignettes are connected by our Batman and Joker of the pieces as the former saved the day behind the scenes while the latter played the long game and used certain players for his own goals.

First of all, there was Oswald. It seems that helping during the No Man's Land saga didn't exactly earn him a pardon and instead, he was sent to Blackgate for a decade and upon his release, Oswald had revenge in mind. I liked the call back to the pier and I laughed when Oswald's attempts to kill Gordon proved to be unsuccessful. Hasn't Oswald learned anything about James by now? It would seem not.

With Oswald gaining weight while in Blackgate, Edward was growing his hair out again in Arkham when he wasn't encouraging other inmates to be brutal to a seemingly catatonic Jeremiah. Edward certainly lost his own vicious streak in the last ten years and upon his escape decided to have a call back by kidnapping the thoroughly incompetent Mayor Aubrey James and trying to blow up the gala in Bruce Wayne's honour. Luckily for us, both Selina and Barbara were at hand to scupper Edward's latest attempts to remind everyone he was the Riddler.

Of course while both Oswald and Edward were a little too easily (even for them) outsmarted by our civilian allies this week, I absolutely enjoyed their reunion scene together. This show might not have wanted to take the plunge and make Nygmobblepot canon but the writers knew how much the pairing meant to audiences and it's why they got some great scenes together, especially the one that involved their encounter with a certain Caped Crusader and showing some appropriate trepidation with his presence in the city.

Then there was Selina herself. I've been critical of the Catwoman outfit they chose for Lili Simmons as the lack of ears have been a little off putting but it kind of worked on screen. We did get to see Catwoman steal a diamond while Batman watched but did nothing to apprehend her and that rooftop scene was certainly written for BatCat shippers in mind as Selina managed to articulate her own issues with Bruce nearly face to face. A part of me wished that scene had lasted a little longer but what we got was pretty spot on nonetheless.

Last but not least on the Rogues Gallery front - there was the Joker and Not Harley Quinn aka, Jeremiah (in desperate need of a name change) and Ecco as the latter broke her man out of Arkham but still managed to get herself killed when Jeremiah attacked Barbara and kidnapped Barbara Lee in order to attract James's attention. I guess the finale had to have one major death and sadly for Ecco, it had to be her while also hearing that she would soon be replaced.

The Ace Chemicals plant scene was pretty interesting as I did think for a moment we were going to get a full on Batman/Joker fight while Gordon rescued his daughter. We didn't but oddly enough what we did get felt satisfying enough as I got the impression Jeremiah realised who Batman was or didn't care enough about Bruce now that the Caped Crusader was on the scene.

Then for the last scene - I got the impression that Gordon had worked out that Batman was Bruce and Alfred had certainly informed Lucius about it as well. As for the Bat suit in general - for a TV budget it looked a little better than Joker and Catwoman's looks (which while not terrible, could've been a tiny bit better, more hair for the former and cat ears for the latter for example) but you can tell there was some CGI manipulation around the facial area. Either way, there was a certain chill in the air with the very last shot as a new era has befallen the city.

- Let's be honest, the only ones who looked noticeably older were Oswald, Barbara Lee, Selina and oddly enough, Alvarez. I liked that the latter and Harper were a part of this episode.
- In 10 years Barbara has grown her hair to a similar style to Poison Ivy and has become a business tycoon. We didn't find out who took over the Sirens though. Leslie also helped to defuse a bomb here.
- Alfred was rocking the cane during his various scenes in this episode. It seemed that Bruce had returned to the city weeks before his no show at the gala though, given the Bat sightings reported throughout the episode.
- How many call back to the pilot did this episode have? It seemed like there were a few, some more noticeable than others.
- The final title card had the Bat symbol and Jeremiah got a batarang to the hand.
- Chronology: 10 years since the events of They Did What?

The Beginning ... might have marked the ending for this show and the launch of a sequel series that we'll never see but at least it went out in style. Yes, it could've done with being a two parter and yes, I wish we had seen a few more characters in it but for a show that managed to do it's own thing while also alluding to some of the best and varied Bat related media out there, this was a fantastic way to end the show. I'll miss it but with Batwoman, Titans, Pennyworth and The Batman all looming in the corner, we're never too long away from this madcap part of the DC universe. Gotham, you were one of the most bonkers series I've watched and I'm glad I didn't miss a single moment of it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x11: "They Did What?"

Written by Tze Chun
Directed by Carol Banker

Alfred (to Bruce): "But I want you to know Master Bruce, you are the only son that I will ever have and I could not be more proud."

I think if you didn't have the tiniest little bit of a tear during that scene, then you're obviously made of stone. For a penultimate episode to the series finale, this set the bar rather high with the No Man's Land/Nyssa/Bane plot coming to an end and Bruce departing his city for a decade and it did so with style.

First of all, it was cold of Bruce to leave Gotham without saying goodbye to Selina, especially as she opened up to him big time this episode and played a vital role in helping him take down Bane and Nyssa. At the same time, while Bruce must become Batman, it's also down to Selina to become Catwoman and seeing that reunion next week should be very interesting indeed.

However I should add that this episode marked the departure of Camren Bicondova in the role as Selina Kyle and that Catwoman in next week's series finale will be played by Lili Simmons instead. Camren already articulated on social media her reasons for departing the role and while I wish she was in the last episode, I do want to thank her for the brilliant work she did for five seasons as Selina Kyle.

I did like the use of bats as a means of initially setting Bane back and it's clear that Bruce picked up on an idea there as well during that particular fight scene. Then there was all of the regulars (including Oswald and Edward) standing up to Bane and his army before the latter was surprisingly not killed off and sent to prison instead. The show has often pushed it's luck with killing vital characters, so it was a relief that both Bane and Nyssa actually managed to survive their humiliating defeat this week.

I did think when Nyssa got stabbed by Barbara with the same knife that her father was stabbed with last season that she was going to die, but instead she managed to get into the submarine and leave the city, complete with an adorable pet to look after and probably rename. Goodbye Edward the dog, I think I'll miss you the most, you adorable scamp.

Villain wise though, I do think the show could've handled both Nyssa and Bane a little better. It does feel like the show got too enamoured with Jeremiah and Ecco at times (and the former was mentioned a lot here) that the focus on the two main antagonists for the season wasn't as strong as it could've been. On the other hand, at least we know they're still out there to cause future headache for everyone when the time comes.

As for Gordon - this episode did reward him for his heroics while also reaffirming that in spite of their own contributions towards saving the day, both Oswald and Edward are still villains and the city has only barely seen what a partnership between the Penguin and Riddler will be truly like. We definitely know they're both up for a costume upgrade in the next decade along with three other characters next week.

- The baby was named Barbara Lee Gordon after her three parents and she wore purple like her future self will do. Jim also became Commissioner and the city rejoined the main land.
- Oswald lost an eye this episode and for a moment, I thought we were going to get him and Edward stabbing each other. Wayne Enterprises also went boom in this one too.
- Even though we're unlikely to see Dick Grayson in next week's series finale, I did like the fact that the episode found a way to reference Nightwing.
- Chronology: The final day of No Man's Land.

They Did What provided a slightly less bombastic resolution to the overall season plot than expected but it was one that largely worked in the episode's favour. There were so many character moments here that I adored but if I had to pick five, I'd go with: Barbara/Leslie, Bruce/Selina. Bruce/Alfred, Oswald/Edward and Jim/Barbara/Lee. I'm going to seriously miss this show when it ends next week.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x10: "I Am Bane"

Written by James Stoteraux & Chad Fiveash
Directed by Kenneth Fink

Bane (to Gordon): "If the world is full of monsters, the only way to defeat them is to become one yourself."

With two extra episodes we were delayed the inevitable but after months of trailers, cast shot and generally getting my head around the idea, Shane West is our Bane and it's something of a mixed bag if we're being perfectly honest here.

The positives first though - the voice is thankfully clear and intimidating enough and the backstory is similar to both the comics and what The Dark Knight Rises also did with the character and unlike Batman & Robin, this is also an iteration of the character that understands his intelligence and calculating persona. Also acting wise, credit where it's due, Shane West does do a decent job here.

As for the negatives, they're not many but they're still noticeable - the costume is not great and looks a bit cheap, West doesn't look physically intimidating enough as Bane and that's in spite of the fact that his mission to kill Barbara resulted in Alfred getting the back breaking treatment usually reserved for Bruce, not to mention that once again, he's not the actual baddie of the season but more the henchmen of the real villain of the piece.

Had I not gone onto Reddit weeks ago, then the reveal of Theresa Walker actually being Nyssa Al Ghul might have had more impact but eh, I did, so the reveal while decently done didn't quite deliver as well as it could. On the other hand, it was nice to see Jaime Murray go at it as she upped her revenge for both Bruce and Barbara given their role in her father's death last season.

The last scene in particular following Barbara having given birth to a little girl (gee, I wonder what she's going to be called) saw Nyssa make her own introduction at the Sirens and I do wonder with two episodes left and a lot of heavy handed scenes between Barbara and Leslie during the episode if we're going to end up losing the character as part of Nyssa's final revenge along with this episode ending on the city getting fire bombed.

Of course when the city wasn't getting a fiery vengeance at the behest of Nyssa, we did have both Selina and Alfred working well together as a team while Oswald and Edward were preoccupied with trying to leave, coming up with a temporary way of distracting Bane to save Barbara and generally adding a lot of humour to what should've been a very serious situation.

Even with Edward getting back the vital component for the submarine, I don't see either of them getting the chance to leave as things have royally gone to hell. Not to mention that in spite of being villains, both Oswald and Edward have been somewhat forced into anti-villain roles this season and there's still the issue of the opening flash forward to be realised in the next episode.

- Nice to have some continuity on both Leslie and Edward stabbing one another along with Alfred's plans to get Wayne Manor rebuilt.
- If last episode was the last appearances for Poison Ivy and Victor Zsasz, then I guess this one was the last for Hugo Strange who nearly came close to putting a chip in Gordon's head on Nyssa's orders.
- There will be a four week break before the show returns for it's last two episodes. The amount of breaks in this season has been a bit much at this rate.
- Chronology: It's Day 369 of this whole event so at least five months has passed since the events of The Trial Of Jim Gordon.

I Am Bane marks a decent outing for the titular baddie of the bunch while also revealing Nyssa's true motives all along. I do think had we seen more of Walker in action before the reveal, it would've made the thing more impacting but given that this No Man's Land storyline will be wrapped up next episode, here's hoping both Nyssa and Bane aren't randomly killed off though I suspect one of them will be.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x09: "The Trial Of Jim Gordon"

Written by Benjamin McKenzie
Directed by Erin Richards

Gordon (re himself): "The issue here is not how many people have died because of Jim Gordon but how many more must die in order to satisfy his need to be a hero."

Last week's "extra" episode gave us a brief medley of Ventriloquist/Scarface, Jane Doe and the closest we'll get to a Killer Croc on this show while this week's episode sees a rather delightful team up of Poison Ivy and Victor Zsasz, both of whom (mostly Ivy) want to kill James Gordon and turn the city into a botanical paradise.

Yeah, it's not a shocker that Ivy is leading the machinations here with Zsasz carrying out a hit on Gordon, just when the latter was making an unsuccessful appeal to all the gangs to back down so the city would get it's reunification. Of course being shot didn't help matters as Jim hovered between life and death and mused over a lot of his failings, mostly recent ones.

His guilt over the Haven incident, the way his need to be a hero has cost people along with his own reluctance towards fatherhood were the beats played out her as Lee worked to bring him back to the land of the living. Of course while most of these issues were explored rather predictably in Jim's subconscious, the reality of waking up did prompt him into making one big decision by the end of this episode.

I'm not shocked that Jim and Lee got married but I did think it would've been something that might have been saved for the series finale, which we're not far off from now. Still though, it's a beautiful moment (if somewhat rushed) and let's be honest, Bullock should be allowed to officiate every wedding that the city will have from now on.

Of course, Jim and Lee weren't the only couple this week. Who would've thought of Ivy and Zsasz being an "item". Of course it was mostly down to Zsasz being Ivy's right hand man but their one scene together was pretty fun as she tried to finish off the job with Gordon. Still though, much as I enjoyed the character's return, even for Ivy she seemed unnecessarily spiteful towards both Selina and Leslie, with the latter even getting to shoot her. On the other hand, if this is her last appearance on the show, it might not be her best one but at least it's something to the end.

As for Bruce and Selina - this episode felt like a right Bat/Cat fest. We had their date with canned foods interrupted by Ivy before a fight scene was the very thing needed to snap Bruce out of Ivy's spell before they shared a kiss at the wedding. Anyone who is a fan of this particular pairing certainly got enough to go on this week.

- Congrats to Benjamin McKenzie for writing this episode and for Erin Richards for directing it. Both did a fantastic job here.
- Penguin needled Barbara about her feelings towards Gordon while at the same time, she gave him an underlying reminder that her vendetta with him isn't done with yet.
- We got some clear body doubles of Scarecrow, Pyg and Kathryn from Court of Owls. Nygma was also kept to a brief cameo this week as well.
- Not long from where Nothing's Shocking left off, until the last two scenes brought things forward by a month.

The Trial Of Jim Gordon reminded me a little of a certain Batman: The Animated Series episode and while I definitely wouldn't have minded a few more cameos (even as body doubles), this was a perfectly strong episode that while not hugely plotting advancing, didn't feel like a waste of time either. That said, it's time to wrap this No Man's Land plot up and introduce Bane already.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x08: "Nothing's Shocking"

Written by Seth Boston
Directed by Kenneth Fink

Scarface (to Oswald): "Applesauce, you're a liar and a thief. All you do is take. Take."
Ventriloquist: "Take and you never give anything. You worked me to the bone. Forced me to be your puppet. Well, no more."

Originally we were only to get 10 episodes for the show's final season but thanks to FOX clearly wanting to end the series with 100 episodes, we were given an extra two episodes and because of that, a previously abandoned storyline was thankfully brought to the surface with a returning actor nonetheless.

It's been no secret that actor Andrew Sellon was keen on playing Arnold Wesker aka, Ventriloquist/Scarface and with Penn's personality so befitting of Wesker himself, it actually made perfect sense for Gotham to go and do their own variation of the underrated but enjoyable Rogue Gallery member and this was certainly a great live action depiction of the character(s), except with one obvious caveat.

The caveat of course being that we had to see Penn getting shot yet again as the show went to town on both Oswald and Edward solidifying their friendship while also being forced to entertain Penn's desire to get Oswald's gold and out of town on the yet to be built submarine. On one hand - yay for Edward finally embracing Oswald for who he is but at the same time, I could've done without seeing Penn die a second time this season.

Other than that though, Sellon did a great job selling both Ventriloquist and Scarface and given that the latter himself was discovered in a magic shop, could there be some hope that maybe we'll see him in about a decade or so time? One can only hope.

Of course this episode didn't just boast two Rogue Gallery members, but rather four of them. Going with the more recent to comics but generally obscure Jane Doe (Sarah Pidgeon) first - well, she made quite an impression, certainly a better one than Magpie did a fortnight ago. Her story seemed to fuse elements of Clayface (who was mentioned) and Calendar Girl from The New Batman Adventures while also reintroducing Dix from the first season and dealing with a shameful part of Bullock's past.

I did like that Bullock got a decent amount of focus in this episode and while I hated that Gordon was a bit too self righteous at the end of the episode by not giving Harvey some absolution, at least we do know they'll be on good terms seeing as we still have another flashforward to look forward to. Plus if Gordon is willing to be nicer to Barbara these days, then that should extend to Harvey as well.

As for the last Rogue member this week - Killer Croc, anyone? Or someone with a very similar skin condition and razor sharp teeth living in the sewers. He was the contributing to Bruce and Alfred's scenes this week as the latter was also looking for absolution and Bruce giving it to him as well. Their plot did feel a bit more filler compared to the other big stories in this episode but still fairly engaging nonetheless.

- Where is Edward the dog? Oswald's latest minion Dale didn't even last an episode when Scarface shot him.
- Killer Croc here is also down to Jeremiah poisoning the waters and Jane Doe's shape shifting abilities are another consequence of Hugo Strange's experiments at Indian Hill.
- No Leslie, Selina or Lucius in this episode but at least the show is remembering that Walker is an ongoing threat.
- Chronology: It does seem like a fair chunk of time has passed since Ace Chemicals. Barbara was even showing in this episode.

Nothing's Shocking doesn't do much to advance the ongoing plot but given that it was a late entry, I can forgive that. Especially given it's great uses of Ventriloquist/Scarface, Jane Doe and Killer Croc as well as the various scenes with most of our main players this week. I also see the show is determined to put Barbara on the path back to being good, which I'm fine with even if she is more entertaining as a baddie. Next week though, more Poison Ivy and Zsasz.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x07: "Ace Chemicals"

Written by Tze Chun
Directed by John Stephens

Jeremiah (to Bruce): "Why don't you understand? You need me. I'm the answer to your life's questions. Without me, you're just a joke without a punchline."

All season long, this is an event that has been hyped to the rafters and for some fans, there was always the possibility that it might not have lived up to the hype while for others, it would be one of the show's greatest victories. Now spoilers pictures of Jeremiah, post chemical bath have been doing the rounds and let's just say, his final look certainly rings true with Cameron Monaghan's warning of it being "nightmare fuel" but what about the episode itself?

Well, things began with Bruce desperately looking for Alfred, who has been missing for nearly a week since getting nabbed by Jeremiah. Bruce during his search for his best friend, finds two unfortunate people who have been surgically made to look like his parents while being lured back to Wayne Manor so Jeremiah can force him to relive the worst day of his life in order to connect the pair together.

As gestures of friendship go, it's a pretty twisted one from Jeremiah but that doesn't stop him from making Bruce eat a snack and go to see The Mark Of Zorro again before we cut to the big event and find that it's actually Jim and Leslie assuming the roles of Thomas and Martha instead (the extras got their scenes cut off screen) before Selina managed to appear in order to save the pair while Bruce and Jeremiah take a trip a certain chemical plant.

Now we've seen this scene between in the likes of The Killing Joke, Batman 89 etc to name a few examples but this is the first time we've had the civilian version of it with Bruce and Jeremiah going fully at it before the latter took a dip in a chemical vat. While the scenes played off well, I do think the episode slightly spoiled things by having a later scene with Bruce and Selina at the hospital observing a "brain dead" Jeremiah and unwisely assessing that he no longer posed a threat to them. If I were Bruce, I'd keep an eye on him for the next decade to be sure of that one.

Onto the non related Jeremiah stuff (kind of) with this episode - we also had the uncomfortable Jim, Leslie and Barbara dynamic to deal with this week. Barbara could've went for another OBGYN but clearly chose Leslie in order to piss Jim off and I think Leslie might have accepted for different reasons. However, it still didn't stop Barbara from getting herself an invite into Oswald and Edward (after the former's alliance with Selina went south) trying to get a submarine out of Gotham. Ending this dark episode on a rather comedic note with those three was an interesting story choice here.

Then there's Jim and Leslie. She's clearly not pleased with Jim getting Barbara pregnant and in spite slapping him (which in this case, he actually didn't deserve), it didn't stop Leslie from rekindling her relationship with Gordon. They also did make for a good team when investigating Narrows deaths and winding up as hostages for Ecco and Jervis Tetch's roles in Jeremiah's overall scheme this week, which also resulted in the city's hopes for reunification being shattered by the water also getting poisoned this week.

- I did have to laugh about how quickly Edward realised that Barbara was actually pregnant and though it's cliched, her pregnancy also is serving as a means for her not to try and murder Oswald for now.
- Ecco added another aspect of her Harley-esque mantra with the roller blades this week. I take it she'll also be keeping an eye on Jeremiah from a distance then.
- Was this episode the last time we'll see Wayne Manor? It did blow up here but given the series finale will be a 10 year jump, it can't be, right?
- Chronology: Five days since the events of 13 Stitches.

Ace Chemicals certainly had a lot riding on it and while I do think one scene from this episode should've been cut, the rest of it was absolutely fantastic. In the space of five seasons and with Cameron Monaghan pulling double duty as both Jerome and Jeremiah. we have gotten a rather unique but still recognisable take on the Joker's origins for the show. This episode was a wonderful culmination of that event and with it complete, we've still got a few more treats to look forward to before the series ends for good.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x06: "13 Stitches"

Written by Seth Boston
Directed by Benjamin McKenzie

Jeremiah (to Alfred): "Today's the big day."

Well, we're at the halfway point of this season and finally after weeks of voice cameos and whispers, Jaime Murray actually appeared on screen as Secretary Walker to try and put the rest of her plan into motion by collecting a fatally wounded Eduardo, who when we see him next will have something of an "upgrade" done to him, whether he likes it or not.

I'm still trying to wrack my brains as to whom Walker is actually an alias for. I've heard rumours that she might be Nyssa Al Ghul and given the Arrow universe's brilliant depiction of her, if that turns out to be true, then we're going to have a far more ruthless version of the character for Gordon and company to contend with for the remainder of the season.

With Eduardo being shipped off screen to become Bane, the other weapons in Walker's arsenal were of course her sleeper agents. We already saw Nygma this week trying to kill Gordon once again before the latter managed to get Lucius to remove his chip but everyone should've seen Leslie (who finally reappeared this week) as the second sleeper agent.

Because we've got so little episodes to go now, at least the show didn't waste time in having Leslie struggling to remember what happened to her after both her and Nygma stabbed each other before her own attempt to kill Gordon while under the influence failed. I'm going to assume that Lucius also removed Leslie's chip off screen as well.

Then there was the other bombshells of the episode - Barbara being pregnant, anyone? Yeah, I think everyone saw that coming but the way in which she dropped that little number was delightfully petty. I think Barbara was more stung by the potential of a Jim/Leslie reunion than Nygma, who seemed bitter but resigned to the idea. The scene was made all the better with Bullock's deadpan delivery of congratulations. I guess we'll be seeing future Batgirl in nine months time.

As for the last bit of the episode - Jeremiah really does have a habit of appearing when nobody wants him to. This week he popped up just to kidnap Alfred, bring him back to the Manor and complain about cleanliness before telling the tied up butler that a big day was coming. Going by the trailer for next week's episode, it's really hard not to be excited for the latest showdown with Bruce and Jeremiah.

Last but not least we got a nice team up with Selina and Oswald (both kept away from the main storylines this week) as the pair of them worked together to take out a feathery thief named Magpie. I'll admit the actress who played Magpie might have overplayed the quirkiness a bit too much but I did like the snarky banter with Selina and Oswald nonetheless.

- Third episode to be directed by Benjamin McKenzie in the series. He'll be writing another episode later in the season.
- I had to laugh at Nygma's attempts of distracting Angel while Bruce and company were trying to take back the GCPD and Bullock remembered some high school knowledge as well.
- This episode was the first live action depiction of Magpie, even if she didn't make it out of the episode alive.
- Chronology: Over three months since the events of No Man's Land of course.

13 Stitches marked a strong halfway point episode and with both Jeremiah and Bane's arcs coming to fruition along with Walker finally making her onscreen appearance, along with Leslie's return and that announcement from Barbara, the show is definitely not messing about for the next few episodes.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x05: "Pena Dura"

Written by Iturri Sosa
Directed by Mark Tonderai

Gordon: "We need shock and awe."
Eduardo: "Shock and awe is my default."

After the hype of Bane coming to this show in it's final season, it was time to at least meet him pre-transformation and here he is as Eduardo Dorrance (Shane West) surfaced in the city in order to help Gordon and the GCPD deal with the anarchy of the city, along with the Haven bomber.

Now we all know who Eduardo is going to become but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed with the quick reveal of him playing a role in Haven's destruction. Yes, it should've been obvious that Nygma was being mind controlled thanks to Hugo Strange and the still not seen on screen Secretary Walker (Jaime Murray) but the reveal itself felt so anticlimactic as Gordon realised his former comrade is one of the bad guys.

On the other hand though, the Nygma scenes were truly the highlight of the episode. We saw Edward try to reason with James over his innocence before taking his chances being a wanted man to even tricking a trashy family of sorts to endanger themselves when they were trying to avenge the death of a dog. As for the bit where dogs don't smile, boo to you, Ed.

Of course the best scenes were the ones he had with Oswald. Edward genuinely seemed hurt by the idea that the closest person he's had to a friend would set him up to be a puppet and even seemed relieved when he realised Oswald didn't do this. Then there was the brief interaction he had with Barbara before falling into Hugo Strange's clutches yet again.

Strange does seem to repeatedly prove that he has no standards with whom he's willing to work and to be honest, I really could've done without seeing him cut into Edward's brain before the disappointing Eduardo reveal came about. Still though, I'm hoping by the next episode this sleeper agent plotline with Nygma will be concluded before Walker moves into her next phase.

As for Bruce and Selina - well, they're at odds again with the former unable to reach out to the latter and worrying about the impact of killing someone. Did Bruce forget that she bumped off Reggie back in the first season and similarly showed no remorse for it?  Anyways they had some rather strong interactions this week, even if Selina once again pushed Bruce away from her.

However, the end scene revealed that Jeremiah is actually alive and that both him and Ecco were just letting Bruce and Selina believe that Jeremiah was dead as he worked on getting two random people set up for what will be his thrilling climax in his overall fixation of Bruce no doubt. Given what we know is due to come, this should be a rather interesting way to bring Cameron Monaghan further into Clown Prince territory.

- Pena Duro is the prison where Bane was created and spent most of his life in. Why the show slightly altered the title for this episode (where they didn't even mention the place) is a bit confusing.
- I take it Jeremiah has somehow managed to take over Wayne Manor or somewhere very similar looking. Where have Bruce and Alfred been living this season?
- Edward's reaction to learning that Oswald named his dog after him was hilarious. Eduardo's right hand man, Angel is meant to become this show version of the baddie, Bird as well.
- Chronology: From where Ruin essentially left off, though no interactions with Barbara and Gordon this week.

Pena Dura finally revealed that the government are the bigger threat to the city while Jeremiah's own little machinations made for a good end scene. I'll admit that I'm a little uncertain about the show's upcoming version of Bane but we'll see how that pans out when it comes back in two weeks time though.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x04: "Ruin"

Written by James Stoteraux & Chad Fiveash
Directed by Nathan Hope

Zsasz: "Will I be appointed a lawyer? I feel like my rights are being violated."
Oswald: "Not your right to remain silent. Bailiff!"

Well, given the context of this season and going a little bit on The Dark Knight Rises side of things, this episode made for the returns of both Victor Zsasz and Jeremiah and the use of a kangaroo court to which Oswald tried (and failed of course) to get his former killer for hire bumped with a guillotine and some mob justice.

Before he even protested his innocence, I didn't peg Zsasz down for the Haven bomber. It's just not his overall style but the deadpan snarking he had with Gordon, the GCPD and Oswald certainly earned him a gagging order as Oswald tried to convince everyone that he was guilty of blowing Haven up.

It really didn't take long for Gordon and Oswald's little truce from the last episode to come to an end with this one. Oswald couldn't help letting power go to his head and trying to get a little payback (which is funny as Barbara sidelined her own opportunity to do exactly the same thing) and Jim yet again, wouldn't let Oswald do what he wanted, which means the pair of them are at loggerheads once again.

As for Zsasz, he got to live another day, there was a near shoot out with him and Gordon but overall, neither of them got hurt. I personally wouldn't be letting someone like Zsasz loose on the street and given that we've got another 'trial' coming up in a later episode, don't be surprised to see Victor popping up at least once more this season.

As for the Haven bomber though - it's Nygma and he seemed rather shocked by his actions. Not shocked enough to throw an old woman out of a window so she couldn't blab though but still shocked enough. Personally, I'm less shocked given his mental state this season but I did rather enjoy the team up with him and Lucius this week.

Kangaroo courts and bomber identities to one side, this episode also heralded the return of Jeremiah and I have to admit, in some respects his scenes were the weakest of the episode. Not to mention the fact that there's no way in hell despite her best efforts did Selina actually succeed in killing Jeremiah. Nope, don't buy it for a moment and neither should she, Bruce or Alfred either. As for Ecco, she seemed to be a bit on autopilot but at least the episode did show some appropriate shades of Joker/Harley with Jeremiah and Ecco's fleeting interactions here.

Last but not least there's Barbara. This week she seemed a lot calmer than she's been in a while. She chose to prioritize finding the Haven bomber over getting revenge on Oswald (though I don't doubt she'll be back on that soon enough) and even seemed to understand Gordon initially thinking she might have been the bomber too. Then there was that last scene with her and Jim that would've been a shock had the trailers not spoiled it weeks ago. Still a good way to end this particular one though.

- Another voice cameo from Jaime Murray this week. When are we actually going to see her character properly? Nice to see the show hasn't forgotten Sofia Falcone, even if we're not likely to see her this season.
- It seems that horrible gang from two weeks ago are actually working for Jeremiah and Ecco. Jeremiah killed the leader.
- Aside from Leslie not being accounted for (c'mon show, time for her to come back now), we didn't see Edward the dog either.
- Chronology: Exactly from where Penguin, Our Hero left off.

Ruin was an entertainingly daft episode, boasting the clear OTT manner of the Kangaroo Court and having Zsasz throw out a few fun zingers but the Selina and Jeremiah plot just lacked the intensity it could've had and that was after last week's exciting confrontation she had with Ecco. As for the Jim/Barbara hook up, it was okay enough I guess.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x03: "Penguin, Our Hero"

Written by Tze Chun
Directed by Rob Bailey

Ecco: "Oh, Puddin' aren't you delicious?"
Selina: "Don't call me Puddin'."
Ecco: "There you go, Selina. I knew you had it in you. All it took was a little kick in the pants."

Okay, the episode might have been named after Penguin and maybe it took up the A plot of this one but the trailers and promotional pictures have been more centred on Selina and Ecco (maybe but probably not Harley) and their meeting here was without a doubt the highlight of this whole episode to boot.

Ivy warned Bruce last week that Selina would be changed forever by the root if she ingested it and this episode didn't waste time in showing us just how changed Selina has become. She's got her mobility back and she didn't waste time in getting Bruce to help her seek out Jeremiah by taking a trip to the Dark Zone this week in order to smoke him out.

For those hoping for an appearance of Jeremiah, you won't get it here but he is back next week though. However, while Selina didn't get her newly acquired claws on Jeremiah, she did however manage to infiltrate his church with Bruce for an entertaining and deadly one on one with Ecco, which also featured a brief spell of Russian Roulette to boot.

Speaking of Ecco - so far, she's had a little in the way of dialogue so it's been a little hard to completely judge Francesca Root-Dodson's acting but odd choice with a Southern drawl for the character to one side, she seemed pretty decent going head to head with Camren Bicondova during their scenes together. I still don't really know what makes Ecco tick beyond her slavish devotion to Jeremiah but there's some semblance of a "backstory" when she revealed to Selina that she's got a bullet dangling in her head though.

The fight scenes with Selina and Ecco and the latter using a choice word were fantastic, some of the best choreographed we've had on the show but due to Bruce's intervention, Ecco was allowed to slip away and Selina vowed to do things her way, which probably means Jeremiah is going to wind up with some scratches on his face, even if/when Selina fails to actually kill him.

Speaking of failed kills, Barbara's second attempt this season to bump off Oswald was yet again intercepted by Jim, as the latter went from a feud with Oswald at Haven to banding together and working with him in order to take out a gang that Oswald himself brought to the sanctuary. All because most of Oswald's staff, including Mr Penn and even Edward the dog abandoned him for Haven, which Oswald didn't like one bit.

By now, Oswald should've learned the lesson that not treating people like crap might get them to be more loyal but as Penn told him before dying "everyone hated you." Somehow even with the Haven residents singing his praises will Oswald actually take this lesson on board. Then again, this episode also ended up with Haven being blown up and that poor kid Jim bonded with also being killed. At this rate, it's got to be either Jeremiah or the government pulling this kind of stunt.

- This episode was certainly gorier than usual (even for this show) with that man's body slashed to ribbons with the words "kill" on it.
- Nice to see that while Selina got her claws in this episode, Bruce also had his grappling hook. Almost surprised we didn't see Ecco with a mallet but that's coming soon. Her gown also had some Harley-esque colours to it.
- We were missing Alfred, Lucius, Nygma and Leslie this week. No one seemed to be that concerned about the latter. I also liked Barbara and Bullock mulling over the old days during one scene here.
- Chronology: Not long from where Trespassers left off.

Penguin, Our Hero certainly wins points for goriness and the electrifying scenes with Selina and Ecco along with Gordon and Oswald's billionth alliance, but I'm surprised that they didn't try to get a little more out of the Haven plot before blowing the place to smithereens though. Other than that, strongest episode so far this season.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x02: "Trespassers"

Written by Danny Cannon
Directed by Louis Shaw Milito

Ivy: "What's the matter, Bruce? Don't know if you can trust me."
Bruce: "I don't."
Ivy: "Good. Then you're finally becoming a man."

If there's one thing Gotham can never have enough of, it's Poison Ivy. I know the continuous casting changes have been a bug bear for fans and rightly so but after the three episodes arc we had in the latter half of the fourth season where Peyton List really went to town as everyone's favourite plant lady, it would've been a crime not to have factored Ivy into the final season.

With No Man's Land, Ivy had a specific arc that involved her looking after children in Robinson's Park, while also being imprisoned by Clayface with the lack of sunlight and salt. At least some of this arc surfaced in this episode as Ivy was unsurprisingly revealed to be "the witch" and Bruce found that a group of frightened men were keeping Ivy captive with the intention of burning her later on. Though why they didn't do it to begin beggars belief if they felt she was such a danger to them.

Of course, Ivy was a danger to them as she had been growing out the park by feeding and killing men to it and when Bruce released her from her cell, Ivy's first response was to murder her captors and threaten Bruce's life while also expressing a lack of sympathy for Selina's current predicament. Of course, Bruce didn't take this lying down and eventually won Ivy around into helping her.

This is the one thing I've liked about Ivy's depiction on this show. While she's capable of committing bad acts and killing mostly men with little concern, she does have a pet cause with her plants and Bruce's comments about her "work in progress" certainly struck a chord with her. Despite her anger towards Selina, she still cares enough for her friend to try and help her with a magical plant covered in human blood while also warning Bruce that ingesting it will do more than heal Selina as well.

Needless to say, despite the one moment where it looked like Selina was going to die after ingesting the plant, it only went and cured her of her paralysis. Not only that but the last scene saw Selina's eyes going a little cat like and if the promotional material wasn't enough of an indicator, it seem that next week's episode will be pushing her into Catwoman territory as she goes after Jeremiah for revenge. I also liked the way Selina told Bruce and Alfred about her friendship with Ivy. With the latter confirmed for at least one more episode this season, I do hope we get to see at least one more interaction between Selina and Ivy before the show concludes for good.

As for the rest of the episode, it's not quite as good as the Bruce/Selina/Ivy scenes but there was enough to keep things ticking over. Gordon and Bullock and a begrudging Barbara worked to rescue children from an annoying gang of Soothsayers while another gang also tried (and failed) to collect on the bounty for Gordon. Plot wise, it's not very engaging but it does score some points for Barbara's inclusion and the introduction of the Haven area of Gotham, which I imagine won't be a safe place for much longer if we're being honest here.

Last but not least, there's also the Edward plot of the episode. This week he had a biker bound and gagged in his bathtub and they both discovered that the Penguin took out the biker's gang, so it looks like we've got something of an odd (and probably brief) friendship as Nygma continues to try and figure out what's been happening to him. Plot wise, I do hope they solve this one pretty sharpish and that Ed sorts out his hair too.

- Ivy's costume looked pretty comic book accurate to me and even Peyton List's hair looked a little redder than last time.
- We got some continuity on the Mother/Orphan plot from last season but seeing as they both got away, it looks like it's not done just yet.
- No Oswald or Leslie this week in terms of our regular cast. Then again, next week's episode is named after the former so he'll be back soon.
- Chronology: Not too long since the events of Year Zero.

Trespassers is elevated by the Bruce/Ivy/Selina scenes as the middle made a much welcomed return and the latter has finally stepped into her infamous persona but the Gordon and Nygma subplots, though not bad certainly felt like filler at times and with twelve episodes this season, we don't really have time for that. Other than that, still a pretty enjoyable episode.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 5x01: "Year Zero"

Written by John Stephens
Directed by Danny Cannon

Gordon: "Fire on my command .... for Gotham!"

It's been eight months since the ending of the show's fourth season and back for a shortened fifth and final season, things really kicked off in style as the No Man's Land storyline took hold over the show. The city is in dire straits, various baddies have marked their territories and the government have no desire to help out the struggling Gotham either.

We open with a nifty look into the future as Gordon, Bullock, Oswald and Edward band together to defend the city, then we go back quite a bit to when things weren't so uniting with these four characters in particular. For Edward though, he was mostly waking up in strange places, trying to figure out what was happening to him but with the rest of them, there was a case of business as usual.

It's not so shocking that Oswald would become something of a tyrant when assuming the power he did, but even here, we saw him literally overindulging in food, feeding his adorable pet dog, Edward some overcooked meat while his workers looked like they were going to drop dead from hunger and exhaustion alone. After all these years, Oswald really hasn't learned a single thing about loyalty or giving people incentives other than intimidation and fear.

The funny thing is that while he's been living the high life of the current disaster that the city has become, he also has spent a great deal indoors, seemingly to avoid being killed by Tabitha as payback for Butch. Now had the show gotten 22 episodes again for it's final year, I imagine this storyline would've gone on for a bit longer, but here it's rather abruptly ended as Oswald managed to best Tabitha and kill her off for good.

I've not been the greatest fan of Tabitha as a character but as deaths go, this one was rather anticlimactic and rushed. As for Barbara, I really do hope the writers have more to offer than an inevitable to fail revenge plan because if Tabitha couldn't kill Oswald, then Barbara certainly doesn't stand a chance in doing so either. Saying that though, Oswald could do with another lose on his hands, other than Gordon getting to shoot him in the kneecaps, which he totally deserved here.

Speaking of Gordon, he's been doing the best he can in a dire situation. He's done his best to keep the peace at bay, to try and stop divisions among residents currently starving and even working with Bullock and Bruce for some temporary solutions. We even got a rather neat if brief fight scene with Jim and the Scarecrow as the latter was stealing medical supplies.

As for Bruce - well, the training is coming in handy and he did help Gordon and Bullock gain an advantage over Oswald, but mostly his scenes were with Selina as the latter struggled to cope with her paralysis this week. Of course with the scene of Selina trying to kill herself being the most harrowing thing from the episode, Bruce soon became persuaded by that weird nurse to seek out the witch. Given the synopsis and guest cast for next week's episode, let's just say our "witch" is likely to be a little green fingered.

- With the exception of Leslie, all the regulars for this season were somewhat accounted for.
- Ecco briefly appeared in this episode in her Mummer costume, longer hair and left a message for Gordon, in case he forgot that Jeremiah wasn't an ongoing problem for everyone. Jaime Murray was also in the credits but was only heard in a brief moment with Gordon rather than seen. The producers haven't revealed much about her character so far.
- If the title wasn't a clue, this season seems to be incorporating parts of the Zero Year arc as well.
- Chronology: Flash forwards was 391 days into this arc, but the majority of the episode took place on Day 87.

Year Zero certainly didn't waste time in showing us the absolute shit show the city has become in the wake of Jeremiah's actions and the consequences are definitely interesting so far. While Tabitha's death lacked a certain oomph and I greatly don't care about Barbara's thirst for revenge (you're gonna fail, Babs), this is a great start to the final season and with the trailer giving us a very distinctive image of Bruce's Dark Knight future, I am going to miss this show when it ends.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Gotham - Season 5: A Wishlist (Also some Batverse related spoilers)

Last week, FOX announced that Gotham had been renewed for a fifth and final season, comprising of thirteen episodes, due to air in 2019. On another forum and Twitter, I made a list of things I'd like to see in the show's final year. Here is the list in question with a few additions as well for good measure.

1: Final episodes to be a two parter that shows Bruce and Selina as Batman and Catwoman respectively, with glimpses to as many Rogue Gallery members as possible.

2: Oswald to get a male love interest this season. Seeing as we haven't seen Oswald in a relationship of any kind, now is the perfect time to do this and let it last more than two or three episodes. It can a new character or a comic character whose sexuality isn't too set, but either way, let's do this one already.

3: Origin stories for the likes of Two Face, ManBat, Bane, Talia, Ventriloquist, Killer Croc and/or Clayface and another Poison Ivy arc would be nice. It seems that No Man's Land has introduced both ManBat and Mother and Orphan while the fifth season will add Lady Shiva and Scarface/Ventriloquist to the roster.

4: Wake Sofia out of her coma, do the Hangman story and kill her off.  A whole Hangman versus Two Face arc could actually be a lot of fun to be honest for an episode or two.

5: Updates on the likes of Montoya, Allen, the Graysons and Barnes/Executioner. Some kind of backstory on Harper would be nice too. I like her but we know nothing about the character. You could also allude to the Maroni crime family, even though Titans are rumoured to be using them in their first season.

6: Have a media presence on the show. Shouldn't we be meeting the likes of Vicki Vale and/or Jack Ryder by now? You could make them a few years (2 or 3 at minimum) older than Bruce and Selina.

7: Don't overwhelm the last season with Jeremiah/Joker. Use him sparingly. Ideally the first episode, a mid season episode and the last two. Let other baddies shine too. I feel with the last few episodes of the fourth season, we've had quite a bit of this proto Joker, so I don't want the last season to go overboard with him. Of course, also bring back Ecco too.

8: Some characters deaths that properly stick, no more reviving them, though I suspect both Ra's and Butch/Grundy will resurface in some capacity in the last season. Characters such as Barbara and Tabitha shouldn't be too bulletproof though.

9: Allude to the likes of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon even if they don't actually appear on the show. The latter on this show could be Gordon's niece, seeing as that's something even the comics have done as well.

10: More of the batshit craziness we've been having since the show's beginning. This show thrives on being nuts, so keep with it. Show us the true madness of the city's criminal underworld as Bruce heads towards getting his cape and cowl.

11: Given his clear writing and directing talents, if the show wants to get Benjamin McKenzie to do either once again, then fine by me. He's clearly skilled at both.

12: Personal indulgence and because we haven't had any as of yet - but I'd love either a Halloween or a Christmas episode. Heck, even another musical sequence would be nice.

13: I do think we need a bit of a time jump when we get to the last batch of episodes for the show.

However with Gotham on the verge of ending, it seems that EPIX will be stepping in to do a 10 episode prequel titled, Pennyworth. Yup, Alfred will be getting his own spin-off that while having the producers from Gotham will not be connected to the show or starring Sean Pertwee at all. It is however being framed as a 1960's spy thriller, focusing on a younger Alfred and the beginnings of his friendship with Thomas Wayne. Much as I love the character to bits, I genuinely am clueless as to why this was seen as a viable (then again, it didn't stop SyFy from commissioning a series about Superman's granddad) option when they could've pitched for a Batman Beyond show instead. I will be interested to see who they cast as both Alfred and Thomas alone.

Keeping with the Batman related stuff, it seems that both Batwoman and Gotham City will be playing a big role in this year's Arrowverse crossover. Announced last week by Stephen Amell, the Kate Kane version of the popular character (around since 2006) will be appearing. Although casting has yet to be confirmed for the character or more details for this year's crossover event, following the successes of both Invasion! and Crisis On Earth X, it was mentioned that it will air in December. I'm wary about the Arrow universe using both Kate and Gotham City as much as I enjoy the shows, I still have flashbacks of their poor handling of Ra's Al Ghul but given the CW's DC shows impressive track record with LGBT characters, I do think they're going to do Kate Kane justice. The character has previously appeared in animated form in the 2016 movie, Batman: Bad Blood voiced by Yvonne Strahovski.

Pennyworth News: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/gotham-boss-sets-new-batman-prequel-series-at-epix-1112339
Batwoman News: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/batwoman-make-arrow-verse-debut-next-crossover-1112799

So, what would you like to see happen in Gotham's final season? Are you excited for Batwoman to make her live action debut and is an Alfred spin-off really needed? Let me know your thoughts.

My Review of Gotham's 4x22: "No Man's Land"

Written by John Stephens & Seth Boston
Directed by Nathan Hope

Bruce: "I remember the night we met, you told me the world may seem dark."
Gordon: "There is light."

Now, wasn't that a hell of a call back to the opening episode of the series or what? We came so close to this being the last ever episode of the show and fortunately for us, FOX managed to do one solid by renewing the show for a fifth and final season. As brilliant as this episode is, it would've been wrong for this to have been the last ever episode for the series.

The last scene beautifully set up both James and Bruce's respectively role. Gotham has officially become a No Man's Land and while we've had this particular storyline done on the big screen with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Arrow doing their own variation in two of their own finales, Gotham really only showed us the tip of this particular event.

By the end of this episode, the city had been cut, some had evacuated (Alfred and an injured Selina) but mostly everyone else was still here, marking their territory while both Bruce and Gordon banded together against the ensuing chaos.

The groups for now seem to be Barbara/Tabitha with the Sirens taking their misandry to a new level, Oswald, who has instructed Strange to revive both Leslie and Nygma (more on that in a bit), Firefly who wants to burn everything, Mr Freeze who wants to cool the city, the Scarecrow determined to create hell as well as the briefest glimpses of ManBat and Mother and Orphan, who genuinely look terrifying for the small bit of screen time we've seen.

As for Jeremiah, he played his part well enough but he really wasn't as big an attraction as the previous episode. I mean he succeeded in needling Bruce about Selina's injuries, kidnapped him and brought him to Ra's but even the latter himself was outsmarted by Barbara and killed off once again. Right now, Jeremiah is on the loose and ready to pop up but I am hoping with the episode reduction next season that too much time isn't dedicated to the show's version of the Joker at the expense of other villains.

Speaking of villains, Oswald played a blinder with this episode. The moment Butch and Tabitha looked like they were going to have a happy with the former being cured was the same one Oswald wrecked by killing Butch and vowing to finish Tabitha off when he felt she's suffered enough. Oswald's waited a long time to avenge his mother but that was stunningly cold, even for him. Tabitha will definitely be a dead woman by next season.

As for Nygma, Gordon and Leslie, that triangle came to a violent-ish end as well. Nygma might have failed in crushing Jim but he succeeded in stabbing Leslie after she did it to him first. I have to admit, I love that Leslie got the move in first and let's be honest, Ed completely deserved it as well. That said, what the hell is Strange going to do with them both next season aside from reviving them?

- Why didn't see Ivy carve out some territory in this episode given that she has a prominent role in the comics? And Sofia is still stuck in her coma? I really do think she could've been paired with Jeremiah and Ra's these last few episodes.
- It's been confirmed this show will get a fifth and final season of 13 episodes to air in 2019. I'll be doing a blog on that soon.
- So who do we think Mother and Orphan will be? I know the latter is meant to be Cassandra Cain but Orphan looked like a boy in that brief scene and ManBat was still partially humanoid.
- Chronology: From where One Bad Day left off.

No Man's Land came close to being a series finale and fortunately it wasn't. It's undeniably a brilliant episode, easily one of the show's best and possibly, it's best finale yet but a series finale wouldn't have been right. The hints for Bruce's journey have been hammered home all season long but we really needed another season to see the actual results and fortunately that's what we're getting.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x21: "One Bad Day"

Written by Tze Chun
Directed by Rob Bailey

Jeremiah (to Bruce): "To be fair, the day is not over yet."

This season on Gotham we've had plenty of glimpses of the show riffing off the comics. The notable ones have been the likes of Year One and The Long Halloween and with this episode, we can now add The Killing Joke into the mix as there are some blatant motifs from that particular comic on display with this episode alone.

Jeremiah seemed to have two big plans in mind. The first was to blow up Gotham in order to rebuild the city to his liking and the second was to drive Bruce Wayne insane. He failed with the first one, thanks to both Gordon and Bullock but he came very close with succeeding with the latter one. It was also the one where his energy seemed a little more focused on too.

With Alfred kidnapped, Bruce was forced to act on his own/actually with Selina in order to rescue his butler but Jeremiah certainly didn't make it easy for Bruce, convincing the billionaire that Alfred had been driven insane with the fear gas at one point and even dead during a violent confrontation between the two.

It was thanks to Selina that Bruce soon realised that Alfred was actually alive and that Jeremiah had gotten the Scarecrow to mess with his head. I did like the confrontation between Scarecrow and Selina, though I couldn't help wonder where Tetch had been as well. Anyways it was nice to see Crane again even yet again he was relegated to helping out the bigger bad in the equation.

Of course while Jeremiah might have to drive Bruce mad with Alfred, he came close to succeeding at the end when he showed up at Wayne Manor and shot Selina. Now, I don't believe for a second that Selina is a dead woman and I wouldn't be surprised if she's still joining the fight with a bullet wound in next week's finale. That said, it was certainly a way to end the episode on.

Keeping with Jeremiah for a bit. The guy prides himself on being seen as sane and also resented the comparisons various characters made to him and Jerome. He threatened Bullock with more people's lives and had no problem in blowing up the Jongleur in order to take away Oswald's upper hand on him as well. However, he really did prove himself unhinged when he burned his brother's former followers to a crisp after Gordon publicly humiliated him.

Then there's Ra's. He's mostly stayed out of things this season but it seems that his obsession with Bruce has made him throw his lot in with Jeremiah. The team up with these two has the potential to be very interesting but you know that they're both going to turn on the other very soon. Also given the title of next week's finale, I am hoping for a few more faces to pop up, especially with the growing possibility that it could be the series finale next week as well.

As for the rest of the episode, that little grenade Gordon threw into Leslie and Nygma's relationship was nicely done. We know that Lee and Ed's connection was going to be severed and it seems that Jim's speeding things along while Oswald couldn't make it more obvious that he doesn't care about Butch being cured. Still though, we know that Hugo Strange is back next week but I'm not holding my breath on things going right for Butch to be honest.

- Where was Ecco this week? I thought she'd be around helping Jeremiah but at least she wasn't killed by him or someone else.
- I liked that Harvey was the one who stopped the bomb and in general, the back half off this season has been better with him. Also points to Harper for having his back as well.
- Another plot with Leslie leaving the city. If the show comes back for another season, it's not like she'll remain gone from the show.
- Chronology: From where That Old Corpse effectively left off.

One Bad Day certainly upped the game into Jeremiah's descent into madness. I have to give Cameron Monaghan props for making him so different and even more terrifying as Jerome, even if the character should've been introduced earlier in the season. As for the next episode, I cannot wait to see it but I am also hoping there's still another season to come.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x20: "That Old Corpse"

Written by Charlie Huston
Directed by Louis Shaw Milito

Jeremiah (to Gordon): "Jerome is dead. Long live me."

Well, that didn't take long, did it? With two episodes left in the season and maybe the series until we find out whether or not it's coming back for a fifth season, this episode refocused on Cameron Monaghan once again as Jeremiah's new facade came out to play.

Having Jeremiah most of the episode fearful that Jerome was alive and out to kill him while bonding with Bruce was an interesting move. You could tell that if things were very different that Jeremiah and Bruce could've been the best of friends and given that the show never explored similar dynamic Bruce could've had with both Harvey Dent or Tommy Elliot, it's kind of frustrating that Jeremiah and Bruce didn't meet each other earlier in the season.

It certainly would've helped to sell the moment where Jeremiah revealed himself to both Gordon and Bruce as the mastermind of Jerome's acolytes disrupting the GCPD and would've added more punch to Jeremiah's scheming to create his Wayne Enterprise funded projects into a bomb for good measure.

Saying that though, this reveal did work well enough as Monaghan did manage to differentiate between Jerome and Jeremiah more succinctly as the latter was a far calmer shade of menace. The Joker motifs here felt very Batman 89 with Jeremiah's final look and for good measure, it seems that Ecco herself got into the spirit of things.

It's easy to assume with her Jester like outfit (which looks suitably Burton-esque) that she's a precursor for Harley Quinn, though she never speaks a word during her scenes with the Jongleur (one of Jerome's knife throwing fanatics), Gordon or even Jeremiah in the few scenes she's afforded in the episode. Whether or not she makes it out of the last two episodes, I'm unsure but I am hoping we learn a bit more about the character before she's inevitably taken out of the playing field.

Keeping with the distractions though, I did like how both Oswald and Edward used the GCPD being raided by Jerome's idiotic followers to their own ends. Oswald and Butch nabbed the Jongleur guy and the latter put some chicken bones to gruesome use while Nygma went in there with a few minions in disguise to rescue Leslie, though she did a decent enough job of getting herself out of her current jam.

Again, I'm not sure about Edward and Leslie as a pairing but I cannot bring myself to detest it either. In a weird way, it actually works because the show isn't trying to sell it as some epic love story, which does help. It also helps that while Nygma clearly loves Leslie, he's still aware of the fact that she doesn't and even warned her not to play him here. Plus their scenes were a highlight along with Leslie berating Jim for his own hypocrisy at times.

- The title credit at the end generated a brighter blue, signalling Jeremiah's own little plot for the next two episodes.
- I assume it was some of Jeremiah's minions who attacked and took Alfred during the episode. I also got a laugh out of seeing Oswald and Butch squatting in Falcone's home, eating chicken and watching cartoons.
- No Selina, Barbara, Tabitha or Ras in this episode.
- Chronology: Not long from where To Our Deaths And Beyond left off.

That Old Corpse regardless of the show's downplaying or not certainly has set up a different take for the Joker/Mr J with Jeremiah than we've seen in recent times. It's an interesting one for now with Jeremiah's quiet menace being a needed contrast to Jerome's own manic intensity. I do hope these last two episodes, in spite of the show's fate do end things on a strong note though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x19: "To Our Deaths And Beyond"

Written by Peter Blake & Iturri Sosa
Directed by Scott White

Ra's (to Bruce): "Today is not the day I die."

To be fair, having Bruce be the one to kill you in the first place always seemed like a flawed idea, Ra's. What I will somewhat commend the show was the restraint they took in resurrecting him, even if the character has popped up in flashbacks and dream sequences and we've had the likes of Sofia, Jerome/Jeremiah and Poison Ivy to keep us entertained over the last few months.

Having Bruce's blood be the thing to bring Ra's back did make some sense but it also felt a rather quick way to have him re-enter the fray and give us a doom laden portent of future events as well. So we know in the next month that a fire is going to cleanse/destroy the city and Bruce will emerge a Dark Knight, which has been the subtitle for this entire season. We still however don't know if these remaining three episodes will be our last for this show or if there's more to come.

What we do know is that Ra's seems to like Bruce enough to want him to remain alive and throughout this episode he also rigorously tested Barbara's resolve, forcing the latter to step out (temporarily) from her narcissism and prove herself worthy enough not to killed. Barbara might have lost the Demon's Head but she certainly reaffirmed her relationship with Tabitha and managed to retain her loyal Sisters of the League, which was an achievement in itself.

The focus on Barbara and Bruce this week meant also testing Selina's own loyalty issues. Here she showed that she was more focused on the bigger picture and actually was more sensible than both Bruce and Barbara at times. I like that Selina was the voice of reason here while the team up between Alfred and Tabitha while acquiring Ra's's knife was one of the funniest moments from the episode. I can't be the only one hoping those two work together again, right?

As for the rest of the episode, nice little subplot with Ed and Leslie this week. I like that Ed has realised that Leslie is using him but at the same time made her aware that something else has awoken in her, given her recent shooting of Sofia Falcone. While I don't ship the pairing, I don't hate it either and I do like that Ed initially looked like he was about to betray Leslie before turning the tables on both Oswald and Grundy.

For Nygmobblepot fans, I imagine this episode might have stung a little but in terms of betrayals, even Oswald should be able to get over this one, considering his own plans to betray Nygma beforehand. Even Ed himself told Oswald he held no grudge with him at all, so maybe next season they'll work together on something without a betrayal in the mix.

- Speaking of Sofia, is she going to play any kind of role in the next three episodes or do they plan to wake up her next season, assuming we get one?
- Leslie might want to come up with better solutions because some of the people in the Narrows clearly need to do something more productive than betting on cockroach eating contents.
- Do we know if Gordon and company have made any effort to try and apprehend the likes of Scarecrow, Tetch and Firefly?
- Chronology: Not long from where That's Entertainment left off.

To Our Deaths And Beyond certainly felt a bit of a filler episode compared to the previous batch of episodes we've had in the second half of this season. Still though the main plots were entertaining enough and the finale seems to be set up rather nicely as well, even if we have a two week break before the ball starts rolling there.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x18: "That's Entertainment"

Written by Danny Cannon
Directed by Nick Copus

Gordon: "It's a long way down. You sure you'll outlive me?"
Jerome: "Oh, I'm sure because I'm more than a man. I'm an idea, a philosophy and I will live on in the shadows of Gotham's discontent. You'll be seeing me soon, Au Revoir."

Last time he was taken out properly, it was in The Last Laugh and back then, Jerome waxed on lyrically about how he'd live on because he was an idea that couldn't be suppressed. This time around, he made sure that his insane legacy would remain in the family as Jeremiah's fate took an exceptionally expected turn in the last scene of this episode.

Unlike some of the more avid fans, I have no issue with Jeremiah actually assuming the role of the Joker but I am surprised that Jerome's potential final act of malice wasn't saved for the finale. Then again, I guess with Gotham's fate lingering in the air, perhaps the showrunners want a Joker hook to help secure them a fifth season but whether or not it works out for them, we won't know until next month.

There is a chance that for now, Jerome might have some life left in him but truth be told, I'm actually hoping his death this time actually sticks. Jerome has been fun to watch as a character but if Jeremiah really is going to step in as the Joker, then Jerome needs to remain dead in order for Cameron Monaghan to help sell the performance as the 'good' twin becoming the city's most iconic and dangerous of criminals.

As for Jerome, I think we all guessed that his hijacking of the festival and demands for both Jeremiah and Bruce was a way to distract Gordon from the main plot of the episode. The laughing gas storyline served a few purposes but mainly it was Jeremiah who really has suffered the worst of it and Oswald got the chance to save the day by actually working with Gordon, even if Jeremiah had spotted his betrayal coming a mile off.

I quite liked the grudging team up with Oswald and Gordon in this episode. The former stopped the city from descending into the brink of madness, if not entirely for selfless reasons while the latter actually got some decent shots into Jerome and even took the latter out. On top of that we also got to see Bruce fighting Firefly for the briefest of moments in this episode as well as Selina stopping by for some birthday cake.

Meanwhile away from the madness of Jerome's latest actions, Barbara found herself getting more and more into being the new Demon's Head while Tabitha's attempts to take some sense into her ended badly for the latter. I'm not surprised that Barbara would believe her own hype but I also don't think Tabitha should be too trusting of those blokes who are claiming to be working for Ras either. Either way, it seems like this storyline will be coming to a head in the next episode.

- Alfred pretty much gave Bruce a proto-Batmobile at the start of this episode.
- We've got a new mayor who managed to survive this episode. Whether he survives the rest of the season will be interesting to see.
- No Leslie, Nygma or Butch/Grundy in this episode.
- Chronology: February 19th, considering that's meant to be Bruce Wayne's actual birthday. The episode didn't seem to specify how old Bruce is meant to be in this episode.

That's Entertainment was certainly entertaining enough, if not as much as the previous two episodes. I get that some fans might not like the Jerome/Jeremiah/Joker twist but after years of skirting around the issue, I'm just glad some proper progress has been made on the matter. Whether it's enough to secure the show a future beyond the four remaining episodes of this season, it's hard to tell though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x17: "Mandatory Brunch Meeting"

Written by Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt
Directed by Maja Vrvilo

Jerome (to Jeremiah): "I guess it's like what they say, we could all just go insane with just one bad day."

Had it not been a few weeks ago, I think the reveal of Jerome having a twin brother would've been a genuine shocker but in these days of the internet, it of course had to leak and somewhat dilute the surprise a bit for those who stumbled upon it. Saying that though, I can see where this one is going.

Also played by Cameron Monaghan, Jeremiah Valeska seems to be the more stable of the twins, having been sent to St Ignatius when he was a kid in order to get away from his homicidal twin and adopting the name Xander Wilde while also living as a reclusive architect in a place that looks as wild as anything a reclusive in Gotham would live in.

I liked that Jeremiah had anticipated that Jerome was coming for him and quickly positioned his right hand woman, Ecco into getting Jerome before the latter could get him. Of course, it was also obvious that Jerome would make sure to have both the Scarecrow and Tetch on hand while Gordon and Bullock also stumbled upon Jeremiah's hiding place.

Performance wise, I think Cameron did a good job in separating the two brothers reasonably well but the interactions between Jerome and Jeremiah made it pretty clear how this show will be handling the Joker storyline in it's last slew of episodes as well. After all, Jerome did talk about everyone having one bad day and I think that day is going to be pretty imminent for Jeremiah rather soon.

Of course when we weren't getting a brother reunion in this episode, we were seeing Jerome setting up his Legion of Horribles by recruiting the likes of Mr Freeze, Firefly, Oswald and Grundy to his cause as a rather unfortunate businessman then came to a grim end with the effects of a new laughing gas that leaves one hell of a smile on your face. Actually, the Grundy bit was Oswald's effort and that took some persuading but those two had some brilliant scenes in this one.

Outside of the Jerome storyline though, we had an interesting plotline with Leslie and the Riddler. First of all, I am not in the slightest bit surprised that Lee and Ed are hooking up and while I don't ship, I actually don't hate either. I do imagine however the Nygmobblepot are probably seething with this development though.

I'm not entirely sure what Leslie's angle here is though. I don't believe she has real feelings for Ed but at the same time, why is she encouraging him to up his bank robbing quota? I did like the Riddle off between the pair of them and despite her motives, I think Leslie might have at least spared poor Lars an awful fate but I do think if she's trying to micromanage the Riddler, it's going to inevitably backfire on her.

- With this show recasting both the Scarecrow and Ivy this season, the original actress to play Firefly reprised her role for this one.
- I know she's not meant to be Harley Quinn but Ecco certainly looked the part. It also seems that Hugo Strange will be resurfacing fairly soon as well.
- No Selina, Barbara, Tabitha, Lucius, Sofia or Ras this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where One Of My Three Soups left off.

Mandatory Brunch Meeting certainly gave a little game change to the Jerome/Joker plotline with the addition of Jeremiah into the mix. The storyline though is pretty compelling and the subplot with Leslie/Riddler also worked well with the episode, though I assume those two will also be tangled into the main storyline pretty soon now.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x16: "One Of My Three Soups"

Written by Charlie Huston
Directed by Benjamin McKenzie

Jerome (to Jervis/Scarecrow): "That's the spirit boys, think big and kinky."

A selection of soups or a selection of baddies. With the former, you're guaranteed at least one enjoyable offering while with the latter, you're possibly guaranteed maybe death. Since we last saw him, Jerome clearly had another ace in the hole as he threw his twisted smile in with both Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tetch in order to break nearly everyone and themselves out of Arkham within the first five minutes of the episode.

Out of the three, it was the Scarecrow who had the least amount to do, considering that he was largely off screen until the end but he did manage to get his fear gas and both Jervis and Jerome provided their own distractions so that Gordon, the GCPD and Bruce/Selina wouldn't get in his way and they were rather great distractions too I might add.

While last season I thought Tetch started off initially well before becoming something of an annoyance, this episode he was a bit of both. His obsession with blaming Jim for his sister's death has been played out and I really found myself bored with Tetch going on about it yet again. On the other hand, he did provide a rather strong dilemma for James when the fate of several innocent citizens and Bullock were firmly in his hands. Needless to say Jim managed to rescue them at the last minute but this did serve as a reminder that Jervis can be a credible threat in spite of his irritating wordplay at times.

With Tetch causing the biggest distraction for Gordon, it was fun to see both Bruce and Selina band together in order to take out Jerome. The latter decided to take a trip down memory lane and terrorise his uncle Zack for information, only for the latter to burn him with some soup before Bruce inadvertently came to Jerome's rescue. While Bruce was reluctant to actually kill Jerome, Selina seemed a little too quick to try and do it instead. For Batcat fans, this episode certainly delivered with the teaming up moments between Bruce and Selina, even if they didn't stop Jerome at all.

Outside of the chaos that the new Trinity were causing, Barbara also had her own mission as Tabitha managed to get her to remember her first encounter with Ras Al Ghul. Having Barbara as the leader of a new, less sexist League of Shadows is an interesting move for the show. I'm guessing though when this current plot with Arkham's mostly deadly dies down a bit is when the League and Ras might re-emerge.

- This is the second episode to be directed by Benjamin McKenzie. I'm guessing if we get a fifth season, he'll be writing another episode too.
- I'm glad that Bullock gave Gordon a hard time over the Sofia/Professor Pyg situation but was also willing to help Jim when he needed to as well.
- No Oswald, Edward, Leslie, Sofia, Butch, Lucius or Alfred this week but at least Harper got more lines. I did like her scenes with Bruce this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause left off.

One Of My Three Soups might have had a few noticeable absences following the events of the previous episode, but the start of this latest Jerome arc that this time might actually put the Joker thing to bed once and for all is certainly brilliant. Great direction from McKenzie, witty one liners and brilliant character moments, this is a cracker of an episode.

Rating: 8 out of 10