Gotham‘s mid-season finale did not disappoint, with major moments for Theo Galavan, Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, and as many questions asked as answered. Tabitha got to strike out on her own a bit, Selina Kyle was actually the one who saved the day in a major way, and Alfred got to kick a bit more butt, which is just fun to see.
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But beyond all that, there were also a bunch of easter eggs and DC Comics (and other) references, which we’ve gathered for you here.
See what you may have missed from “Worse than a Crime,” and let us know what else you caught in the comments.
Butterfly Dreams
A butterfly in your dream, as Jim saw flying out of Barbara’s mouth, is usually a sign of one of two things: love/romance or transformation. Either one of these things, in context of Barbara and Jim, is not a good omen for our hero.
Alfred’s One Hand of Hope
Alfred reaches his hand up out of the trash in a desperate gasp kind of moment. This is a common trope in film and TV – our readership probably best knows it from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, when Shredder reaches his hand up in a sign that he’s not quite so dead after all (a scene repeated in the second!).
Nygma’s Apartment Street/Building
Nygma’s Apartment is on or at “Grundy” – it’s unclear whether it’s the complex name or the street name. It’s been mentioned before, but it’s one of those things that we’d get yelled at in the comments for not bringing up every time. Grundy of course refers to Solomon Grundy, a monstrous, Hulk-like zombie character with Gotham City roots.
Bruce’s Favorite Animal
When questioned by Silver, Bruce says his favorite animal is not a “bat” as people were probably expecting, but instead, an owl.
That’s especially significant because the Court of Owls, who have secretly run Gotham City for generations, will eventually make its way onto the series, as showrunner Bruno Heller told us a few months ago.
Nygma’s Riddle of the Week
“A diamond plate, a glowing grate, a place you never leave. Where am I?” “Home.”
A diamond plate refers to “home plate” in baseball – baseball’s field is also referred to as a diamond.
A glowing grate refers to a fireplace, or a hearth, so it’s both a literal clue and a pun on “home is where the heart is.”
That common phrase also gives you your reference for the final clue, in that you can never leave it because it travels with you.
Down By the Docks
The final scene of Theo’s story (before the tag scene, anyway), mirror’s the pivotal scene from the very first episode of the show, when Gordon took Penguin down to the docks and pretended to shoot him, instead allowing him to escape. Here, he most definitely actually shoots Theo, and if there was any doubt about his death, he gets an umbrella shoved down his throat.
Actor Ben McKenzie teased that scene to us a few weeks back, at NYCC, telling us “There’s a scene we’re about to shoot that echoes the scene in the pilot [where he let Penguin live at the docks], and it shows how far Jim has come,” he said. “I think the Gordon now would look at that Gordon with respect, but also as naive. Also with a bit of yearning to be that guy again.”
Indian Hill
Ah, the Indian Hill facility. This is our third view (second solid one) of the mysterious section of Wayne Enterprises that Bruce doesn’t yet know is the nefarious part of the company he’s searching for. Here, human experiments are being run in an attempt to create superhumans. The real Easter Egg here, though, is heard, not seen, is the mention of Professor Hugo Strange, who will come into the second half of the season played by BD Wong.
And wait – in that suspension tube… was that FISH MOONEY?
Chilling Finale
The end of the episode featured a tag scene with the reveal of a new character (to the show). With his freeze gun and menacing appearance, yes, this is our first look at Mr. Freeze. Victor Fries is a cryogenics scientist trying to find a way to save his wife, Nora’s life, or at least to extend it through cryogenics until a cure for her mysterious terminal illness can be found. We’ll see much more of him in the second half of the season.
