Holy prequels, Batman! Gotham’s third season has been the most engaging, with plotlines unfolding far more smoothly than ever before. The show had a rocky start, with a first season that was hit-and-miss. Tonal issues were sorted in the second season, with the two sides of Batman’s mythology being balanced -the gritty grimness of Christopher Nolan’s films and the camp, larger-than-life zaniness of the 1960’s TV show, in order to create the comical darkness that the show does better than any other currently airing..
The third season has seen Jim Gordon struggle with Leslie Thompkins’ engagement to Mario Falcone. Of course, this being Gotham, Mario is not just a normal guy, but is infected by a virus, which makes him crazy and super-powered. Still, it hits the right notes emotionally, with the ultimate result being tragic for pretty much everyone involved.
Meanwhile, Ed Nygma finally discovers that The Penguin was the one who killed Isabella. Unsurprisingly, he’s not best pleased, and plots revenge teaming up with Barbara, Butch and Tabitha. While it does feel like this combination is really forced, the confrontation between Ed and The Penguin seems to be edging ever closer and the pay-off should be worth the wait, though I am disappointed about collapse of their (b)romance.
The latter half of season 3 is set to kick off with the re-introduction of fan-favourite Jerome, the show’s potential proto-Joker. After his death last series, it can only be assumed that he was brought back by Hugo Strange’s crazy experiments. It wouldn’t be the first time that this has happened to a character.
Dominic Corrigan.