BWW: Recap: GOTHAM explodes, Mob Bosses Fall, and Secrets Are Revealed in GOTHAM Season One Finale
By: Jeffrey Walker May. 04, 2015
Gangland wars, Gordon's women come together, and Bruce learns secrets hiding in Wayne Manor - all coming together for tonight's freshman season finale for GOTHAM.
We know that Fish Mooney returns to Gotham to restake her claim in the criminal underworld, going head to head against rival Don Maroni and Penguin. We have seen Oswald/Penguin go from as sniveling errand boy to a two-faced, ruthless sniveler. (Who says there is no evolution?) Detective James Gordon has also evolved throughout the season, especially as he has stayed true to himself but adapting to the unique nature of Gotham. And we have seen young Bruce Wayne, with the help of trusty Alfred, become an enigmatic young man - inquisitive, resolute, strong, hard-headed and sharp - displaying qualities that should be recognizable to longtime fans of the Caped Crusader.
We also have had hints as to the origins of Riddler (creepy Ed Nygma), Catwoman (wily Selina Kyle) and even the Joker. We will see how loose ends are tied up, what possibilities will be left open and where things will stand as the first season comes to a close.
We're updating and recapping LIVE starting at 8 pm EDT.
OPENING: Gotham at night, Selina and some of her homeless waifs see a boat arriving with a hooded Fish Mooney disembarking. "A brand new day," Fish tells Selina. At Wayne Manor, Bruce paces and ponders a photo of his late father, still seeking secrets he is sure are hidden somewhere in the mansion. Alfred is getting nervous that Bruce is getting closer to the truth.
Down by the waterfront, Don Falcone inspects some chickens when two motorcycled assailants shoot an assault weapon at the mob boss's car. Back at GCPD, Gordon finds Barbara and Dr. Thompkins together as Ms. Kean is finishing a check-up. She says she is doing fine, but Leslie insists she gets counseling. Barbara elects for the doctor to come to her place for the sessions. Both of Jim's women are now connected. Bullock reports to Jim that Falcone was injured in the big explosion. The don is secure in a hospital bed when Penguin and Butch show up toting guns, and admitting it was Oswald who hit Falcone and started the war. Penguin picks up a scalpel and tells Falcone "business must come first" and that he will take over Gotham. Just as Oswald is about to murder Falcone, Gordon arrives and stops the assassination.
8:14 pm EDT: Gordon handcuffs Penguin and Butch and releases Falcone. Gordon says he knows Gotham will be a bloodbath if Falcone is gone so he gives the mob boss some time. Gordon calls Bullock and asks for help in protecting Falcone from the inevitable attack from Maroni's men. Penguin pleads for mercy, but Gordon insists he is helping Falcone for the good of Gotham. Penguin reminds Jim he owes him one and his old boy scout nature crops up. The goons arrive with Commissioner Loeb who orders Jim to move aside. No dice so the Maroni boys starts hotting up the hospitial. The good news is Jim is a good shot and takes care of business, Quentin Tarentino-style, complete with slo-mo camera effects. Bullock arrives to help and the cops and robbers get in an ambulance and barely make it past Maroni and his gunmen.
8:23 pm EDT: Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce and Alfred have tore the place apart but have not yet found any secrets. At Falcone's safe house, a newly punked out Selina walks out to greet Gordon and company. Their jaws really drop when Fish -with a new mohawk hairdo - and her posse walk in too. "Sometimes I astonish myself," Mooney purrs. Fish is reunited with Butch and she also calls Don Maroni. Gordon and the others are tied up and he pleads with Selina to help them. She is excited about her new friends, she says. Fish has cut a deal with Maroni to get her territory back if she gives the rivals Falcone's head. At this point, we're not sure if Selina is playing along to help the good guys or if she really is part of their gang now. (My bet is she is playing along, out of loyalty to Bruce.)
Briefly, we see Dr. Thompkins talking with Barbara, in what appears to be the beginning of their counseling sessions. Barbara talks about how Jason/The Ogre got inside he head and that she was more scared of Jim at first, but he was so sweet. Barbara alludes to Jim hitting her and asks if he has hit Leslie, surprising the doctor.
8:31 pm EDT: Maroni arrives to claim his prize and greets Fish. Penguin continues to snivel and grovel, even as he has no idea his fate. Fish and Maroni begin to exhibit tension - meanwhile Selina sneaks behind the prisoners. Maroni insists he is number one and Fish is the new number two, as he plans their victory against Falcone. Maroni keeps calling Fish "Babes" much to her loathing, so she puts a bullet through his head. The gang members immediately go into a frenzy while Selina helps cut down Jim, Bullock, and Falcone. Penguin gets himself loose as chaos reigns. This means Don Maroni is the first major underworld figure to bite the dust in the battles between the factions.
8:40 pm EDT: At Barbara's apartment, Dr. Thompkins asks about what really happened to her when she was with the Ogre. Barbara presses Leslie on her relationship with Jim, but the doctor insists she share what happened. Barbara tells the story, including when Jason took her to her parents house and tied them up. She confesses she killed her parents, at Jason's urging, stabbing them several times. Sensing danger, Leslie bolts up to get away but Barbara grabs a butcher knife, which she flashes along with a crazed look on her face.
Back on Gotham's mean streets, Bullock and Gordon are trying to help Falcone escape. The mob boss now says he is ready to hang up his mafioso ways and leave Gotham. Selina find their hiding place and brings Gordon, Bullock and Falcone back to Fish. Penguin has grabbed a gun and comes out shooting and is ruthless in his attack, but his true target is Fish. Gordon, Bullock and Falcone get in a car a speed away.
8:49 pm EDT: Leslie escapes to the bathroom while Barbara reenacts "Here's Johnny!" from THE SHINING. The two attractive women have a knock down brall and Leslie knocks Barbara in the head repeatedly as Gordon and Bullock break in with Falcone. "I told you that woman was trouble," Bullock wisecracks about Barbara.
On the warehouse rooftop, Fish and Penguin go at each other's throats and Butch trains a gun on both of them, He shoots them both, unsure of what to do. Penguin knocks Butch down with a two-by-four and pushes Fish off of the roof. Penguin hops up on the ledge and cries out, "I'm the king of Gotham!"
Back at the crime lab, Nygma talks with Miss Kringle who confronts the icky lab man about the note she received which clearly has a riddle showing Nygma's name. Ed's splitting personality is also talking with him, urging him to keep his crush silent. Nygma clearly snaps as the scene fades to black.
Back at Barbara's rooftop apartment, Falcone says Gotham needs a strong lawman now, not a criminal overlord. The mob boss gives Jim his knife, saying it was Gordon's father's knife, a present from long ago. Falcone tells Jim, "Your father was the most honest man I ever met, but he carried a knife."
At Wayne Manor, Bruce tells Alfred his intutiion is almost almost correct and realizes Marcus Aurelius was a stoic like his father, a clue he gto from Lucius Fox. Sure enough, Bruce finds a secret remote control in the book, presses it and majestic classical music begins as a secret passageway opens behind the fireplace. Alfred and Bruce peer down the damp and dark passage, as the camera pans down in the depths to the sound of flapping wings - and the credits roll!
Season one of GOTHAM has ended with one mob boss dead, Fish Mooney presumed dead from the fall off the building, Don Falcone heading for a quiet crime-free life, and Penguin feeling on top of the world. Ed Nygma's transformation into a psychopath is nigh, and Barbara Kean may be dead or at the very least has a nasty headache. Gordon, Bullock and Thompkins have all made it through alive while Bruce and Alfred may have discovered his very own bat-cave.
We know Fox has ordered season two and you can stay tuned to BWW-TV for updates as they are available. We will return next fall to recap GOTHAM and give you the inside scoop.
We would love to know what you think of GOTHAM and what you think we can look forward to in season two. so leave your comments below, or head to Twitter and follow @BWWTVWorld or me @jeffwalker66, use #Gotham.
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