The Review at the End of the Universe
“Legend of the Dark Knight” – Gotham’s final season Gotham season 5 ended the show in what seemed to be a very respectful manner. The two strongest vibes I got were a remembrance of a lost friend and of a child tidying up under the watchful eye of a stern parent. Being honest I didn’t…
A Dark Knight arc – second half There is a turning point in Gotham season 4 that is heralded with the second half’s opening but that slaps you right awake in episode 14 when Sofia’s plan is revealed. Here her power to manipulate people returns – no plot needing to happen off camera or in…
A Dark Knight arc I still very much struggle with the Gotham’s choice of style. The MCU TV connections are mostly going for the gritty angle, the Arrowverse has its various levels of fun to play with, and then Gotham takes… soap opera? I mean action-soap as a theme is unclaimed by any other superhero…
Heroes Rise finale: “Destiny Calling” and “HeavyDirtySoul” Gotham ends season 3 with many characters questioning their identity: those having been infected with the virus supposedly seeing their real selves; those caught up in the chaos seeing what they’re made of in the face of it. Some of these questions definitely had a greater effect on…
“Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine” I’m hoping that this week’s Gotham is the setup for the double-episode season finale plot in the same way that ‘Light the Wick’ felt like the painful setup for ‘All Will Be Judged’. Not that I disliked this week’s fare as much as ‘Light the Wick’ but a large majority…
“Heroes Rise: Light the Wick” Gotham returns this week to the too-many-characters problem of season 1 but worse, manages to undermine most of the episode’s plot by removing all purpose and meaning from character interactions. As we sometimes still see with this show the needs of the plot can seem to outweigh the needs of…
“Heroes Rise: The Primal Riddle” I do like to understand the episode and arc titles Gotham uses, if only because it helps overcome my concern I might be missing something important in an episode. I confess to being slightly unsure what ‘The Primal Riddle’ is though. Is the prime question one of who we are…
“Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions” The rise of heroes in Gotham season 3’s final arc still seems more of a future promise than a present event. Certainly Bruce is moving into his training in earnest but it’s difficult to see how Jim’s upcoming dance with the Court of Owls will make him a…
“Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” Gotham’s second mid-season finale this winter presents a villain-off between Jerome and Nygma. In a competition of scheming, both have emotional issues to resolve, Adam-West-era kill devices and an image to sell. All in all I thought this delivered a very good episode but almost entirely through Jerome, who…
“Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It“ So Jerome Valeska officially returns in Gotham season 3’s January mini-arc. He’s not officially the Joker yet, so Jerome being an inspiration for a future Joker is still possible, technically, but is there enough evidence now to suggest that it’s just a matter of time before Jerome wants a proper…
