‘Gotham’ Season 4 Finale Recap With Spoilers

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for the final episode of Gotham Season 4! Continue reading at your own risk…

Alright, so here’s how the finale went down:

• The episode starts in the hospital with Selina being wheeled in after being shot and Bruce promises not to leave her. Of course. Meanwhile the police taunt Jeremiah, who is sitting in a cell in Gotham Central. Harvey has cops gathering the bombs around the city.
• Jeremiah, who’s covering in bruises and scars, tells Jim that he wants to do a couple of things: Press charges against Alfred and talk to Bruce. He says that if Jim brings him Bruce, he’ll tell him about the other bombs. “My eyes have been opened, Jim.”
• Hugo Strange is working on “fixing” Butch and getting him out of his Grundy state. Tabitha is by his side, as is Penguin. Tabitha leaves him to go after Jeremiah once she hears about Selina.
• The first bomb goes off in Gotham and it’s inside the mayor’s office. So the government is the first part of the city to crumble. The government arrives and declares Marshall Law on Gotham City, with a military officer arriving to take charge of the GCPD. The major arrests Jim Gordon for sticking up for Bruce Wayne, but he’s freed by Ed Nygma, who puts him to sleep with a tranquilizer dart and takes him away, leading to our first commercial break.
• Gordon is laying on a table with Nygma interrogating him, lowering a heavy compress down onto his chest. He’s in PLENTY of pain. Meanwhile, Ra’s finds Barbara and says he’s leaving Gotham and wants her to go with him. His “vision” when he took back the Demon’s Head didn’t come to fruition. They go through a few lies and twisted games, with Ra’s wanting her to get back with him, and Barbara thinking he’s nothing more than a snake. Ra’s leaves to say that he’s going to make sure the city burns so it can give rise to his “heir.” He’s talking about Bruce Wayne, if you didn’t know.
• Bruce gets to Gotham Central and he’s not at all happy about having to leave Selina. Jeremiah keeps on about his “best friend” thing with Bruce, saying that he’s trying to help him become free. Bruce isn’t remotely buying it. He says that the bomb that blew up the mayor was the only one, but Bruce stopped caring about that once Jeremiah brought up Ra’s. The GCPD goes dark and Jeremiah mysteriously escapes.
• The Nygma and Lee story looks to be coming to a head as she finds him torturing Jim. Lee insists to Jim that the woman he loved is gone, and she tells Nygma that she’s leaving and wants him to join her. But if he kills Jim, the deal is off. Nygma is proud of himself for winning the fight for her. When Jim leaves he’s approached by Lee outside and they go back and forth about who they are and who loves who. She kisses him before leaving. Didn’t see that one coming.
• Alfred finds some unlikely allies in Tabitha and Barbara, as they’re all looking for Ra’s al Ghul. He took Bruce and Alfred wants him back, because Alfred is perfect. Penguin arrives and joins the hunt. This is a dangerous team worth watching out for.
• The big moment halfway through the episode comes as Harvey tells Jim that Jeremiah took all of the bombs with him when he escaped. So, it sounds like No Man’s Land is back on the schedule.
• Jeremiah and Ra’s have Bruce hostage in some giant building overlooking the city, and their men are moving the bombs to an undisclosed location. Ra’s says that they’re doing this to give rise to who Bruce will be, the “Dark Knight that the city needs.” Jeremiah gets all crazy and says that he and Bruce will rise together after the fall of Gotham, no doubt an ode to the connection between Batman and Joker.
• This military major is not a fan of Jim’s and won’t listen to anything he says. Harvey gets all hero and pulls a gun on the Major, followed by every cop in Gotham Central. Jim figures out that the bombs are heading to the bridges into the city. Ra’s wants to turn Gotham into an island, cut off from the rest of the world, “A more savage place,” as he calls it. Unfortunately for Ra’s, Barbara shows up with the knife that can kill him. Penguin and the others jump in to join the fight. Jeremiah is about to kill Tabitha when he gets shot by Penguin. He’s okay though. The bigger moment is Barbara helping Bruce stab Ra’s, though it seems like that was his plan all along.
• Jim and Harvey are at one of the bridges and they know that the bomb is going to go off at any minute. They do, just as Jim gets to safety. Every bridge into the city goes down. As Ra’s dies, he tells Bruce to stay in the city, fulfill his destiny, and “become Gotham’s Dark Knight.” This may be the most important line in Gotham history.
• Lee hears the sirens and honks in the city, and she tells Nygma that she needs to stay in Gotham, that she’s needed here. Nygma (or Riddler, not sure which one is control) approaches her with a knife, knowing she’s been lying to him. Lee turns and stabs Nygma, saying that she would never be who he wanted. He pulls the knife and stabs her in return. They kiss as they both fall to the ground. They should be alright?
• Good news: Butch Gilzean is back! Strange fixed him and Tabitha tells him that she loves him. Penguin watches as they embrace, and it feels like something bad may happen. Butch tells Penguin he’ll do anything Penguin asks. Penguin says he’s “truly sorry,” and shoots Butch in the chest. This was repayment for Tabitha killing Penguin’s mother. An eye for an eye. This was his plan all along, and he promises to kill Tabitha as well, once she’s suffered enough.
• Selina is being rolled out of the hospital while it shuts down. Selina’s spinal cord was severed and the damage might be permanent, but the doctors aren’t sure yet. Bruce has the chance to go with her, but he makes the ever-important decision to stay behind. Bruce says he needs to know that Selina is going to be okay, so he orders Alfred to go with her. The moments between these two are always the most gut-wrenching of the series.
• The Major tells Jim that the military is leaving, that the city is about to become a battleground. He says that he’s going to stay regardless. A montage ensues, seeing villains come out of the woodwork and take over various buildings. Penguin, Scarecrow, Firefly, Mr. Freeze all take their places. Hugo Strange is brought the (still living) bodies of Lee and Nygma. Barbara says that men are the problem in Gotham and kills a bunch of dudes, making her own Man-free zone in Gotham. “Sirens Turf” she calls it.
• Only Jim, Lucius, and Harvey remain in Gotham Central. Jim says there is something he needs them to do. Outside, Bruce beats down on some criminals and asks them where Jeremiah is. Up in the sky, he sees a spotlight. A SIGNAL! Bruce gets to the roof of Gotham Central to find Jim Gordon. He says this event will bring out “whatever’s lurking in. the shadows.” We see glimpses of Man-Bat, Mother and Orphan.
• Jim tells Bruce that the signal is a beacon for the good left in Gotham City. They stare at the spotlight as the season ends.