Gotham -- Season 4 Mid-Season Review

After last season's whirlwind of plot twists which saw Alfred being murdered by Bruce, and brought back to life; the return of Fish Mooney, and her ultimate exit; the Penguin’s capture of Nygma, and being put on ice – literally; the death of Barbara, Butch being shot in the head, the return of proto-Joker, and myriad issues going on between Jim and Lee, I was more than interested in seeing what the “powers that be” had in store for the this season. Truth be told, despite the dizzying storyline of the last season, Gotham had, in my opinion, lost its original gritty charm which focused on the stories of young Bruce Wayne and James Gordon, their interactions, and how the people and issues that eventually lead them to who they will become.

Fortunately, the fourth season, or at least, the first half has returned to the original model with a twist. In addition to the main Wayne-Gordon story, the show has added, or more specifically, added emphasis, to the story of the development of the Gotham underworld. This is a nice tweak because let’s face it, Batman’s evil opponents are just as interesting as the Batman himself. Moreover, by deciding to focus on these three storylines, the program has been much more easy to follow.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

The seasons opens with Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin in full control of Gotham’s underworld and, interestingly, with more control over Gotham City Police Department than when he was mayor. Indeed, through bribes and corruption, the Penguin has turned everyone in the GCPD, except for Gordon, into one of his employees. With complete control of both sides of the law, the Penguin “manages” Gotham through licenses of misconduct which crooks can apply for and details what crimes they are allowed to commit and how much they have to give to Penguin. The system works pretty well except for Gordon, Bruce, and a few criminals.

Gordon’s way to deal with Penguin is to enlist the help of ex-Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone. While Falcone, who has retired to Florida, refuses to lend his assistance, his beautiful daughter Sofia, played by Crystal Reed, agrees to help Gordon without her father’s knowledge. Naturally she has an ulterior motive, namely regain control of the underworld for herself, with Gordon at her side. She makes a nice addition both as a villain with a long-term plan that rivals the Penguin’s and as Gordon's new sometimes love interest. On the other side, Gordon is confronted with the corruption that is now endemic to the GCPD, including his ex-partner Harvey Bullock.

Bruce’s way of dealing with the “Pax Penguina” is … you guessed it … to turn vigilante. While he’s no “Caped Crusader” yet, with the training he received from Ra’s al Ghul and his knowledge he knows he can kill, he’s quite an effective, young masked crime-fighter, at least against common Gotham thugs. In addition, he’s also convinced Alfred to help. But all is not well with Bruce, the experiences he went through last season have changed the formerly friendly kid into a brooding, bitter and, at times, cruel teenager. I like this turn for Bruce because we are starting to see some of the issues that will eventually lead to some of the personality issues that plague Batman.

As for the criminals, who are unhappy with Penguin’s return to dominance, there are plenty. First, there’s Nygma who is freed from his icebound prison by a fan only to find he has lost his alter-ego and his intelligence. Seeking a cure, he escapes to the “Narrows” where he runs into Butch, who, thanks to being dumped in a toxic waste polluted lake, has been transformed into Solomon Grundy. While in the Narrows, they met Lee who works as a doctor in a roadhouse fight club type of establishment. Lee agrees to help Nygma regain his intelligence if he helps her procure medicine for the underground clinic she is running. It is not long, however, before Nygma, Lee, and Grundy form an uneasy partnership that bodes ill for Penguin’s continued dominance and Gordon’s sanity.

Additionally, there is Selina, Tabitha, and Barbara. Barbara, to my delightful surprise, was found by Ra’s and restored to life with the same elixir that returned Alfred. Barbara, played by Erin Richards, is in my humble opinion, one of the show’s more interesting villains based on her previous relationship with Gordon. For a number of reasons, namely they each have defined the Penguin in the past, the three women have found themselves on the outside of Penguin’s rule. Accordingly, they decide to form an anti-Penguin partnership, focused on self-protection and carving out a piece of the Gotham crime pie for themselves. Their efforts are increased significantly when Sofia Falcone persuades them to join forces with her. This is also a nice touch because it introduces the idea that Selina, the future Catwoman, did her “crime internship” with three of the city’s finest female criminals.

While these events happen separately, they lead up to an interesting mid-season finale that introduces … or reintroduces a character from the past that, based on the flow of the first 11 episodes was totally unexpected.

My guess is that by the end of the season, three points will be clear. First, the Gotham underworld settles into a fairly stable force for evil where the Penguin, rather than being its kingpin will be a first among a group of equals that includes Falcone, Nygma, Barbara, Tabitha, and Selina, as well as assorted other baddies. Second, Gordon will question his purpose in life and wonder if his position as captain is worth anything. Third, things will get worse for Bruce before they get better.

Of Interest

In addition to these main stories, there were a number of secondary stories which are worthy of mentioning as they might or probably will play a role after the show returns from hiatus. They include the introduction of the Scarecrow, the continuing maturity of Poison Ivy Pepper, the deteriorating relationship between Gordon, who now runs Gotham Central Precinct, and Bullock, and of course the mysterious Professor Pyg/Lazlo Valentin.