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Well, this was definitely better than the last episode. In fact, this was a solid half-season finale with a great twist.
LOWS
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1. Nygma and Penguin
First of all...I don't think Ed understands that Ed is the only thing Penguin really loves right now, so to destroy Penguin, all Ed has to do is leave Oswald. But I suppose Ed could do worse to Oswald than that, and Ed wants to do his worst to Oswald.
And it's not like I think Penguin doesn't deserve it. Technically, Penguin is so terrible a human being that he deserves all the bad things that have ever happened to him. But still, I'm Team Penguin here.
If this is the end of Nygmobblepot, I think I'll be ok with that at this point.
Nygmobblepot has been downright exhausting. I never expected it to get this bad.
Well, ok, fine. I knew this was one way a Penguin/Nygma romance could go. I knew it could just explode, and that's one reason I didn't want it. But then I got my hopes all up that the Gotham writers would find more creative ways to add tension and drama to Penguin and Nygma's story.
So, really, this brewing "war" is doing nothing but ruining Nygma for me...and Barbara. It's ruining her for me, too....And Penguin! It's even ruining Penguin for me, ok? Geez.
If this whole Nygmobblepot thing is and has always been another way to torment Penguin and Nygma, can it just be over already?
Can. It. Just. Be over already?
It's making it hard for me to look forward to the next half-season. Is it just going to be Penguin and Nygma going through the same pain we've seen them go through before? Are they going to transform in significant ways because of it? Who knows? I don't.
All I see on the horizon is a rehash of everything we've already been through with these characters and I'm tired of it already.
On a side note, this is what you get when you don't kill your enemies Penguin! they team up against you.
2. Ladder-climbing Barbara
I don't like this version of Barbara. I guess she has to go somewhere as a character, but it just feels random and out of character for her to want to lead the crime families.
First of all...I don't think Ed understands that Ed is the only thing Penguin really loves right now, so to destroy Penguin, all Ed has to do is leave Oswald. But I suppose Ed could do worse to Oswald than that, and Ed wants to do his worst to Oswald.
And it's not like I think Penguin doesn't deserve it. Technically, Penguin is so terrible a human being that he deserves all the bad things that have ever happened to him. But still, I'm Team Penguin here.
If this is the end of Nygmobblepot, I think I'll be ok with that at this point.
Nygmobblepot has been downright exhausting. I never expected it to get this bad.
Well, ok, fine. I knew this was one way a Penguin/Nygma romance could go. I knew it could just explode, and that's one reason I didn't want it. But then I got my hopes all up that the Gotham writers would find more creative ways to add tension and drama to Penguin and Nygma's story.
So, really, this brewing "war" is doing nothing but ruining Nygma for me...and Barbara. It's ruining her for me, too....And Penguin! It's even ruining Penguin for me, ok? Geez.
If this whole Nygmobblepot thing is and has always been another way to torment Penguin and Nygma, can it just be over already?
Can. It. Just. Be over already?
It's making it hard for me to look forward to the next half-season. Is it just going to be Penguin and Nygma going through the same pain we've seen them go through before? Are they going to transform in significant ways because of it? Who knows? I don't.
All I see on the horizon is a rehash of everything we've already been through with these characters and I'm tired of it already.
On a side note, this is what you get when you don't kill your enemies Penguin! they team up against you.
2. Ladder-climbing Barbara
I don't like this version of Barbara. I guess she has to go somewhere as a character, but it just feels random and out of character for her to want to lead the crime families.
MEDIUMS
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1. Jam-packed Finale
Gotham is great at setting everything up so that we can have a jam-packed and fast-paced finale every half season. Even so, this was one of their weaker finales.
For one thing, I don't really care about the Court of Owls storyline, and that's mostly because I don't really care about Bruce and his gang. They're fun side characters, but I don't like spending this much time with them.
Also, I could have said that this episode ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger if I didn't already know that Lee will come around when she finds out that Mario was infected. They have pretty solid proof now.
Nevertheless, it was an intense cliffhanger because of Falcone's impending wrath and the possibility of Lee becoming infected.
But since it's the half-season finale, I can now complain about the fact that we never got an update on Firefly or Mr. Freeze. I mean, what the heck? All season, Selina just acted like Firefly was still "dead." And how is the police department holding Mr. Freeze. Doesn't he need like subzero temperatures to live?
These are questions we needed answers to!
2. Selina's Mom
Selina's mom showed up kind of out of nowhere, and I thought her outfit was...well, honestly a little corny. But still, I'm glad we're getting to this. It was inevitable, and it'll provide new lens through which to explore Selina's character.
Gotham is great at setting everything up so that we can have a jam-packed and fast-paced finale every half season. Even so, this was one of their weaker finales.
For one thing, I don't really care about the Court of Owls storyline, and that's mostly because I don't really care about Bruce and his gang. They're fun side characters, but I don't like spending this much time with them.
Also, I could have said that this episode ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger if I didn't already know that Lee will come around when she finds out that Mario was infected. They have pretty solid proof now.
Nevertheless, it was an intense cliffhanger because of Falcone's impending wrath and the possibility of Lee becoming infected.
But since it's the half-season finale, I can now complain about the fact that we never got an update on Firefly or Mr. Freeze. I mean, what the heck? All season, Selina just acted like Firefly was still "dead." And how is the police department holding Mr. Freeze. Doesn't he need like subzero temperatures to live?
These are questions we needed answers to!
2. Selina's Mom
Selina's mom showed up kind of out of nowhere, and I thought her outfit was...well, honestly a little corny. But still, I'm glad we're getting to this. It was inevitable, and it'll provide new lens through which to explore Selina's character.
HIGHS
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1. Jim
Jim's game with Tetch was fun. I do love how Jim outsmarts villains in a believable sort of way, the sort of way that a normal person might be able to. You don't have to be a tactical mastermind to think up a rhyme, right? Also that line, "More uncomfortable than having Barnes in the cell next to you screaming 'Guilty!' at all hours of the night?" had me in stitches. I like meta humor in very, very small doses.
2. Mario and the whole Tetch twist
At first, it seemed a little out of left field, like Gotham had pulled the cheap sort of trick so many crappy shows pull these days where it's like, "Boo! Plot twist! No one cares if the seeds for it weren't properly sewn 'cause it's just so surprising, right?"
But a quick second look shows how much sense this twist makes and how properly the seeds for it were sewn.
For example, this twist clearly explains why Mario jealously punched Jim. But ALSO, it explains why Tetch didn't shoot both Lee and Vale. (I previously thought Tetch was just keeping his supervillainous word.) It explains why Tetch didn't try again to kill Vale while she was in the hospital, and perhaps why he didn't try very hard to kill her in the first place.
Anyway, in the end, this was an extremely well-done twist.
Jim's game with Tetch was fun. I do love how Jim outsmarts villains in a believable sort of way, the sort of way that a normal person might be able to. You don't have to be a tactical mastermind to think up a rhyme, right? Also that line, "More uncomfortable than having Barnes in the cell next to you screaming 'Guilty!' at all hours of the night?" had me in stitches. I like meta humor in very, very small doses.
2. Mario and the whole Tetch twist
At first, it seemed a little out of left field, like Gotham had pulled the cheap sort of trick so many crappy shows pull these days where it's like, "Boo! Plot twist! No one cares if the seeds for it weren't properly sewn 'cause it's just so surprising, right?"
But a quick second look shows how much sense this twist makes and how properly the seeds for it were sewn.
For example, this twist clearly explains why Mario jealously punched Jim. But ALSO, it explains why Tetch didn't shoot both Lee and Vale. (I previously thought Tetch was just keeping his supervillainous word.) It explains why Tetch didn't try again to kill Vale while she was in the hospital, and perhaps why he didn't try very hard to kill her in the first place.
Anyway, in the end, this was an extremely well-done twist.
RATINGS
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Compared-To-All-The-Content-I've-Ever-Loved: 7/10
