‘Gotham’ Season Premiere Recap With Spoilers

The season begins 391 days into No Man’s Land, more than one year after the Season 4 finale. A montage shows Riddler, Penguin, Harvey, and Jim Gordon all arming themselves and preparing for a war. The four join one another in a hallway, marching side-by-side toward a wall overlooking a chaotic city. Jim says “For Gotham!” and the four men, along with a swarm of other officers, start shooting at the criminals below.

After the opening credits, a subtitle reveals that this was a flash forward scenario, and we move back to Day 87 of No Man’s Land, 10 months earlier. Jim argues with someone from the military, asking for help. He reveals that Penguin is in Town Hall manufacturing ammunition. Barbara and the Sirens control the area around her club and only women are allowed in. Scarecrow controls the western part of the city, Freeze and Firefly are at war with one another to the North. Jeremiah hasn’t been seen since No Man’s Land began. Jim is running a camp in the middle of the city, trying to protect the innocent people left in the city. The man on the other end of the radio refuses aid to Jim, saying that Gotham is no longer the government’s problem.

Selina is lying on a hospital bed inside the city and a doctor tells Bruce and Alfred that she needs to be operated on soon. They’ll have to operate without the proper tools since they are still in the city. She agrees but it’s clear that she doesn’t really care about anything any more, even as Bruce says he’ll be there for her the entire time.

The people living at GCPD are starting to riot because they believe the cops are getting more food than they are but Jim shuts it down. He then confirms to Lucius and Harvey that they’re on their own and they’ll have to stay patient until they eventually get help.

Riddler wakes up on a dirty couch on the roof of a random building in the city, not sure how he got there. Back at home, he charts the different places he’s woken up trying to crack the code of his dual identity.

Bruce and Jim talk by the “spotlight” and the captain tells his young friend that help isn’t coming. Bruce says that he’s been working with Lucius on new technology for the police, just before telling Jim about Selina’s pending operation. Despite all of the negativity, both are glad that they stayed behind.

Penguin’s lawyer offers ammunition to Barbara in exchange for food and it’s made clear that Oswald is eating well while starving his people. Barbara tries to negotiate but Tabitha won’t have it because Penguin killed Butch. Barbara insists that Penguin’s time would come and Tabitha loads a gun with one of Penguin’s bullets. She makes it clear that the bullet is meant for him.

Two police are on watch by a gate in the dark when Scarecrow appears, using his poison to get the gate to the safe zone open. The power goes out in Gotham Central before an attack begins.

Bruce watches on as the doctor operates on Selina, but the power outage interrupts. Fortunately, it’s only a moment before the lights come back on. A nurse tells Bruce that men are in the basement stealing the medicine and he goes down after them.

Down in the basement, Jim gets into an altercation with Scarecrow, who explains that he came to raid the supplies, as well as kill the Captain. Jim wards off Scarecrow but Scarecrow’s people are still making off with the food. Using new night vision goggles, Bruce takes down several of the villains, saving some of the supplies.

The people in Gotham Central are again angry, this time over the stolen food. After cutting rations, Lucius says that there is only two weeks left of food. Bruce says that he will fly in supplies, which hasn’t worked in the past because the government won’t allow anything in or out of the city. The young man insists that it will work and Jim knows it’s a one time solution. Selina isn’t doing well and that’s part of the reason Bruce is making sure the shipment comes in. The doctor told her the surgery was successful, but she probably won’t ever be able to walk again. She blames Bruce for her troubles because Jeremiah shot her trying to get to him. Being his friend is ultimately what did her in, and she says she wishes Jeremiah would’ve just killed her. On his way out, Bruce is stopped by a nurse who tells him that Selina needs “The Witch” to help her.

In town hall, Penguin shows off his new leg brace that helps him walk normally again. Penguin is told that he doesn’t have any food to spare his starving workers just before throwing a plate of steak and potatoes on the floor for his dog, Edward to eat. Meanwhile, Barbara and Tabitha continue to argue about how to handle Penguin. Suddenly, everyone in Gotham hears a helicopter flying between the buildings. It’s set to meet Bruce and Jim but gets shot down in the middle of the city. Jim readies a small army to retrieve the supplies.

Some gang members are going through the chopper’s haul when Penguin arrives, claiming it for himself. His men shoot down the entire gang and begin loading up the boxes. Jim and the GCPD arrive on the scene. As Jim and Penguin talk in the middle of the empty warehouse, Bruce is seen sneaking around above them. He says that he can’t take credit for shooting down the helicopter and has no idea who did. Arrows start flying in, taking out a few of Penguin’s men. Tabitha grabs him from behind and puts a gun to his head. Penguin claims that he only killed Butch because Tabitha killed his mother. Tabitha pulls the trigger but Penguin’s bullet misfires. He pulls out a knife, tells Tabitha to “Say hello to Butch,” and stabs her in the chest. Much to the dismay of Barbara, Tabitha is dead.

A shootout takes place in the warehouse and the GCPD is running out of ammunition. Bruce sneaks outside and takes out the men watching Penguin’s trucks. He snags some bullets for Jim and the others. Penguin shoots Barbara in the shoulder but chooses not to kill her. He asks to move past everything that’s happened but she refuses, saying she will feed him to the rats. Jim, loaded with ammo, tricks Penguin into believing he’s out of bullets. Harvey shoots down Penguin’s men while Jim shoots Penguin in the leg. the cops load up all of the supplies as Penguin escapes. Back at the station, Harvey tells Jim he should’ve killed Penguin while he had the chance. Jim tells Bruce that he’s earned his place with those in charge.

Ecco, wearing a white mask, breaks into Jim’s office and looks out over the map of the city that he has on his desk. Someone on the radio calls and she disappears. Jim responds to the woman’s voice and she tells him that he “has friends across the river.” When he looks down at the map, the words “HAHAHA” are written in red, along with a pair of Joker-looking eyes.

Riddler wakes up in a dumpster somewhere in the city, once again having no memory of how he got there. He starts to break down, arguing with Ngyma in his head.

Barbara looks at Tabitha’s body and gives her a kiss before covering her up. She promises, if it’s the last thing she does, she will kill Penguin. Meanwhile, Penguin’s leg is being fixed by his doctor. He puts a bounty on Jim Gordon’s head, hoping that some of the criminals in the city will do his work for him.

Lying in bed, Selina see’s a knife and crawls over to the table to try and take it so she can end her life. She’s subdued and given drugs to calm her down. She tells Bruce, “You should’ve just let me do it.” The nurse comes in again and says that she needs The Witch, so Bruce asks where to find her.

At the station, Jim puts out an APB on Jeremiah after finding the eyes on his map. Someone brings a young boy to Jim who says he comes from the other side of town. He tells Jim that someone is killing his brothers and sisters, and that they need help. Jim looks at his department and says that they have to continue giving the people hope, no matter how difficult things get. He calls for everyone to suit up.

THE END.