While the masses around the world gathered to see the ultimate fates of Marvel’s finest Thursday evening, we at the Crowther household sat in the living room to witness the culmination of our five year journey with James Gordon and a young Bruce Wayne. After a fairly short run on FOX, Gotham was coming to an end, and my mind was overflowing with questions as the final episode approached…
How much time has passed?
Is five years enough to tell this particular story?
And most importantly, will our beloved “Baby Bruce” dawn the infamous cape & cowl?
(Full Spoilers Ahead)
The answer to the last question was indeed, YES. The final second, of the final scene, of the final shot of the series finally gave us David Mazouz in full bat gear. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it wasn’t horrible. The fact that it actually happened means a lot to me, after shows like Smallville took other approaches.
They did everything they could to make it work, and I’m okay with it. Don’t forget that the wardrobe on this show has actually been one of its strongest factors. They absolutely worked some magic here due to Mazouz’s age and size. Aside from the Bat Suit, (with a revamped version of the classic batman logo) I was incredibly pleased with Mazouz’s voice as Batman … Unlike other Batmans. Filling out the suit of the iconic character may have been challenging, but the young actor fully embodied the aura of the hero throughout, not to mention his chemistry with the NEW Selina Kyle was amazing.
For those who don’t already know, Camren Bicondova was heavily involved in the decision to bow out and be recast for the final episode. (You Can see her full letter to the fans here). Let me just say I am MORE than okay with the decision. Long story short, Bicondova knew it would make sense for the character and spent a lot of time with her replacement, Lili Simmons to make the transition. Simmons absolutely knocked the role out of the park. As I mentioned her chemistry with Bruce (well, Batman … since, Bruce Wayne technically did not appear in the entire episode) was fantastic and may have been my favorite part of the whole series. The icing on the cake may have been her striking resemblance to Bicondova.
Now mind you, this episode is set 10 YEARS after last week’s episode, As I’ve said numerous times, this is a device I feel is way overused in television these days, (especially during series finales) but again, it’s kind of a no-brainer with a show like Gotham.
My biggest issue with this episode was within the first five minutes, some variation of the phrase, “It’s been 10 years since…” was uttered about a dozen times by the full cast. I am not exaggerating. It was uncomfortably blatant, and reminded me of a bad play. Fortunately things picked up right about after Jim shaved his mustache. Nice nod to the character, but great decision for Ben McKenzie.
The main plot of this episode saw Jeremiah Velazquez return to reaking havoc on Gotham after…..well, 10 years, if you forgot. Although never using the name Joker directly, Cameron Monaghan continued to impress with his (third?) incarnation of the character. I even noticed him channeling a little Mark Hamill in his voice and cackles. As for appearance, he wore the infamous purple suit , but took a fresh approach with a somewhat melted paled face and scattered strands of hair on his mostly bald head. It was more of a zombified appearance for the Joker, but it worked.
The character itself was truly dastardly as he not only planted explosives to blow up Wayne Tower but even killed his right hand woman, Harley Quinn! (Echo) His performance was on point, as he noted that he and Bruce’s fates were intertwined. This reminded me of the moment Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) returned to Smallville for the series finale. Classic storyline here, but it needed to be done. As always this cast delivers.
Speaking of the cast, I wish they had done a little more justice for characters like Riddler and Penguin, who have been a major part of this series from day one. They were presented as more comedic relief this time around, as they ran in fear from Batman. I do have to admit I did laugh when Batman strung them up on a street pole. Yet there just wasn’t enough time to tell everyone’s story. Other than longer hair, Riddler (Ed) was pretty much the same, but Penguin looked great with a new eye, monocle, top hat, and a little more pudge.
I noticed a few nods to the Batman legacy other than the obvious bat signal and Gordon’s mustache. My wife called this one last week, but they played out a bit of The Killing Joke story on Barbara Kean when Joker shot her in the back near the end. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if they followed up on it, but my guess is she’s okay or paralyzed like Batgirl in the comics. I honestly guess we’ll never know. Also, the scene where batman runs through the smoke through the glass is very reminiscent of the some of the earlier movie scenes.
As for the final act of the series, I will admit I enjoyed it. I like how Alfred reminded everyone that they had important roles in Bruce’s plan to protect the city. And I absolutely loved the final lines of the show: Harvey asks, “Who is he?” in reference to the shadowy figure on top of a tall building in Gotham. Jim smirks and says, “A friend.” Great line that speaks volumes. It almost lets us know that Jim knows exactly who the Batman is and exactly what the future holds.
Overall, this wasn’t a phenomenal episode by any means, but a solid ending to an incredible show. I think the episode felt a bit rushed and definitely needed another hour to serve some of our favorite characters justice. (No pun intended) Not to mention a few more seasons. However, I will say that something about this episode didn’t feel like a goodbye at all. If anything, I can say that it truly felt like a new beginning.
Rating: 8 out of 10
