This season of GOTHAM was titled, "Rise of the Villains" and it really delivered, because for 22 episodes it was one long, entertaining freak show, as the bad guys in Gotham City got ever weirder and distinctly nastier. It all came together in the season finale, as the plot line with Hugo Strange and Indian Hills came to potentially catastrophic climax. As an episode, it was one of those decidedly mixed bags, with some clunky plotting, but that criticism could be leveled against any comic book. The part where fake Jim Gordon just sits around the police station after getting the assault on Indian Hills called off was supposed to be funny, but it was not, mainly because it depended upon Harvey Bullock being so dumb he didn't really notice his best friend was being impersonated by a chameleon. As some reviewers have pointed out, why didn't the flux Gordon just beat feet out of there as soon his job was done and make good his escape instead of just sitting around and acting like an idiot. It took the arrival of Barbara Kean to finally point out the obvious; the scene did end with a great visual of the chameleon's face showing the results of Barbara's fist. At the same time, Hugo Strange's plan to evacuate and destroy Indian Hills sure took its time, and they sure went to a lot of trouble to find out that Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox and Jim Gordon knew nothing about the Court of Owls.
What did work about the finale were the bad guys, they managed to work almost every surviving villain into the episode: Oswald Copplepot, Edward Nygma, Mr. Freeze, Firefly, Butch, the resurrected Fish Mooney and the good Dr. Strange himself. All showed up ready to play and in the last quarter of the show, it all came together as the heroes had to race the clock or everyone would die from the explosion of Strange's bomb. It's an old trope from the comics, but they pulled it off with style. The writers managed to put enough balls in the air that the suspense was genuine.
The acting was terrific as usual, but I really want to single out BD Wong's Hugo Strange, who hit just the right note of superior disdain for his character, but never slipped into camp. A special shout out to Tonya Pinkins as Ethel Peabody, Strange's right hand woman, she redefined the term deadpan, and if she's not back next season, then maybe one of the CW's DC superhero shows should give her a call.
I'm not feeling the return of Fish Mooney, Jada Pinkett Smith is great in the part, but frankly, so much has gone one since she left, and there have so many other great villains that I honestly haven't missed her.
Then there was the final scene, where Hugo Strange's creations were released upon Gotham, setting the stage for season 3 and letting us know we haven't seen anything yet. There was a wicked laugh that might signal the welcome return of Jerome; and there was the long haired doppelganger of teenage Bruce Wayne (please don't let it be a clone), it would be a real twist if he went on to become the Joker.
What did work about the finale were the bad guys, they managed to work almost every surviving villain into the episode: Oswald Copplepot, Edward Nygma, Mr. Freeze, Firefly, Butch, the resurrected Fish Mooney and the good Dr. Strange himself. All showed up ready to play and in the last quarter of the show, it all came together as the heroes had to race the clock or everyone would die from the explosion of Strange's bomb. It's an old trope from the comics, but they pulled it off with style. The writers managed to put enough balls in the air that the suspense was genuine.
The acting was terrific as usual, but I really want to single out BD Wong's Hugo Strange, who hit just the right note of superior disdain for his character, but never slipped into camp. A special shout out to Tonya Pinkins as Ethel Peabody, Strange's right hand woman, she redefined the term deadpan, and if she's not back next season, then maybe one of the CW's DC superhero shows should give her a call.
I'm not feeling the return of Fish Mooney, Jada Pinkett Smith is great in the part, but frankly, so much has gone one since she left, and there have so many other great villains that I honestly haven't missed her.
Then there was the final scene, where Hugo Strange's creations were released upon Gotham, setting the stage for season 3 and letting us know we haven't seen anything yet. There was a wicked laugh that might signal the welcome return of Jerome; and there was the long haired doppelganger of teenage Bruce Wayne (please don't let it be a clone), it would be a real twist if he went on to become the Joker.