Gotham fourth season features a determined Bruce Wayne and new hierarchy among criminals
On Thursday, Sept. 21, the fourth season of DC’s “Gotham” premiered one week earlier than it was originally planned on FOX. A short recap of the season three finale was shown before the actual episode, reminding viewers of Barbara’s death and an ice cold Riddler.
The episode began with a glimpse at Gotham’s skyline encased in a dark atmosphere and Bruce Wayne, dressed in black and his self-made mask, standing on a roof and observing the city. He notes a couple of criminals trying to rob two ladies in a dark alley and intervenes immediately, striking the burglars to the ground. After being beaten to the ground, one of them shows Bruce a license and Bruce starts to wonder what this license is supposed to mean.
The answer to that cames a couple of scenes later, when Penguin is seen in a discussion with Gotham’s commissioner about unionizing crimes in Gotham. His idea is to give approved criminals a license which allows them to commit crimes without the police arresting them. The commissioner agrees on the condition that he receives a certain percentage from the money Penguin earns with these deals.
Since we know Jim Gordon as the officer with a high sense for justice and order, it is no surprise that he does not agree with Penguin ruling the criminal world and having a say in what the GCPD is supposed to do. Harvey tries to convince Gordon that for now, it would be clever to play along with Penguin’s plan because otherwise, the city could end up in chaos again.
While Penguin is talking to a bunch of reporters about how he saved Gotham by becoming the head of the underworld, a gang of four men are trying to operate their own criminal activities without Penguin’s permission. They visit Arkham Asylum and kidnap Jonathan Crane, who made his first appearance in season one alongside his father, who scared people to death with a special serum he created. The gang forces Jonathan to replicate his late father’s serum and use it to achieve their criminal deeds.
The showdown of the premiere happens during the launch of Penguin’s new “iceberg lounge,” a club that features a giant block of ice in the middle of the room with none other than Edward Nigma encased in it. Everyone is coming together at the party, including Selina Kyle, whose relationship to Bruce seems to have gotten a little complicated after the happenings in season three.
The gang approaches Penguin and his fellows at the party. When suddenly the lights are turned off, the two parties get into a fight and Penguin gets a taste of Crane’s serum, seeing the Riddler alive as his worst fear. During the uproar, Bruce sneaks into one of Penguin’s offices and steals the list with all the criminals that own a license, determined to bring them all down.
In the last scene of the episode, we see one gang member going back to their headquarters and calling after Jonathan Crane, who is still captured by them. When he opens the door to the chamber, Crane is wearing a scarecrow costume and in his craze, attacks the man.
The premiere leaves viewers with a lot of questions, like what is going to happen with Penguin now that he got his share of the serum and is Jonathan Crane going to be the next super villain of Gotham? We also have not seen Barbara, so is she really gone for good? Although the Riddler was still captured in ice in this premiere, actor Cory Michael Smith said in an interview with TVLine that this season could be summed up as “out of the ice and into the fire.” “Gotham” keeps up the tension with more riddles and according to what we saw last night, fans of the show can expect to see a thrilling season for the next couple of weeks.
Aysel Kelleci is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at aysel.kelleci@uconn.edu