With Gotham announced to be leaving Netflix and heading over to HBO Max, it felt right to rank the ten best episodes of this massively underrated show.
10. Hog Day Afternoon (Season 4, Episode 6): One of the biggest weaknesses of Gotham’s first season was that it originally attempted to be a grounded police detective show with the characters from the Batman franchise only appearing sparingly. The problem with that concept was that nobody actually wanted to watch that. We come to a Batman show to see our favorite characters brought into live action or at least have a decent amount of fight scenes and comic book references. Season 1 of Gotham was basically Law and Order with Gordon as the main character. While Law and Order is a great show, a comic book show like Gotham just wasn’t meant to be something like that. However, this episode takes the detective elements from season 1 and improves them in every single way. We see Gordon and Bullock attempt to find Professor Pyg, who has been murdering several corrupt police officers on Penguin’s payroll. After following several leads, the two are captured by Pyg who shows a demented and twisted admiration for Gordon, who becomes horrified to discover that Bullock was also on Penguin’s payroll. This is one of the most heartbreaking reveals in the entire series as the revelation puts a massive dent in their friendship and does not become fixed until late in the season. What this episode does best is that it takes what didn’t work about season 1 and puts a new spin on it. Rather than chasing a generic criminal or mob boss, our two heroes are going up against an actual Batman villain. This is what we should have gotten in the first season. Michael Cerveris was absolutely perfect as the villain. Before this episode came out, I did not care about Professor Pyg in the slightest. Now because of the amazing performance from Cerveris and fantastic writing, I am a massive fan of the character.
9. How the Riddler Got His Name (Season 3, Episode 15): Cory Michael Smith really was so perfect as Edward Nygma. I’m sure people will point to Paul Dano now as the best Riddler but in my opinion he doesn’t even compare to Smith. This is the episode that solidified that for me. After believing that he killed Penguin, his closest friend who understood him the most, Ed becomes lost with no sense of purpose. He attempts to find other intelligent people in Gotham, but no one can give him what he is looking for (which causes him to kill them as a result). After killing several innocent people, Ed decides to find an arch enemy who could be the perfect match for him. After a lengthy period of time, he settles on Lucius Fox. This culminates in Ed kidnapping Bullock as a way to test Lucius on his intelligence. However, even after Lucius beats him at his game of riddles and saves Bullock, Ed is still at a loss. After one final confrontation with Lucius, Ed discovers he is meant to be a villain to Gotham and embraces that role, finally giving himself the name Riddler and being prepared to continue his reign of terror on Gotham. It pains me that Smith doesn’t get more recognition for his portrayal. This episode proved to me that he is not just one of the best actors in this show but also one of the best actors to ever portray a comic book villain.
8. Ruin (Season 5, Episode 4): I am shocked that Gotham season 5 gets as much hate as it does. The final season wasn’t perfect but it was still an amazing ride and remains my favorite season to this day. Over time one of my favorite episodes from this final season has slowly become the fourth episode titled Ruin. After Haven is destroyed by an unknown criminal (later revealed to be a brainwashed Nygma), amounting in the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, Gordon is forced to team up with Penguin and find the person who did this. The main suspect who they find is Victor Zsasz (played by the always amazing Anthony Carrigan). While Gordon correctly deduces that Zsasz is innocent, Penguin still accuses him as the culprit and gathers the people of Gotham to capture him for execution. Gordon attempts to dissuade the people from crossing a line like murdering someone without any proof or justification but is shut down by Penguin who really only wants to kill Zsasz for betraying him in season 4. After failing to convince the people to spare him through a heartfelt speech, Gordon takes it upon himself to save Zsasz. When Zsasz ungratefully taunts him for his morals after saving his life, Gordon nearly crosses the line and attempts to kill Zsasz by challenging him to a duel, which is only thankfully cut short after Zsasz decides not to push him further. This episode really stands out to me for how much Gordon stands by his beliefs and stays hopeful even when the entire city has lost all of its morality. The fact that Gordon failed to change the people back to who they were before the city fell was a heartbreaking but unfortunately realistic outcome. The Dark Knight said it best with Joker’s quote “When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each-other.” Ben McKenzie really shines as Gordon in this episode as this is one of the few times where we see Gordon pushed to his limit to the point where he nearly crossed a line that he cannot come back from.
7. Ace Chemicals (Season 5, Episode 7): Cameron Monaghan was honestly perfect as the Joker. I don’t care if the writers say that Jeremiah Valeska was only an inspiration for the Joker since they weren’t actually allowed to use the iconic villain. He is literally the Joker in everything but name (and even then it’s obvious that he’ll take the name). While I would have preferred him to just be Jerome and not an identical twin who just so happens to have a different name and personality (and I’m sure everyone would have preferred that), I’m glad that Monaghan still got to be the Clown Prince of Crime in the end. Ace Chemicals is in particular one of the best episodes to ever feature him. In his final attempt to make Bruce go insane, Jeremiah surgically alters the appearance of two civilians to make them look like Thomas and Marty Wayne. After kidnapping and hypnotizing Alfred, Jeremiah plots to recreate the night Bruce’s parents died, with the cherry on top being that he plans to have Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins fill the role of Bruce’s parents during their deaths. This leads to an epic confrontation between Jeremiah and Bruce, with the former falling into a vat of chemicals (like how most Joker origin stories happen). This episode is a masterpiece and contains some of the best performances ever from David Mazouz and Cameron Monaghan. If Monaghan ever gets to appear in a Batman related project again, it would be foolish to not cast him as the fully realized Joker.
6. The Trial of Jim Gordon (Season 5, Episode 9): While this episode isn’t the official series finale of Gotham, it was the final episode of the show that the cast and crew filmed. Even though the story isn’t supposed to be done, you can definitely tell that there is a sense of finality and completion from the people who worked on this show. When Gordon tries to finally make peace between the warring criminal gangs in order for the military to make Gotham a part of the country, he is shot by Zsasz, who was hired (and likely hypnotized) by Ivy to prevent Gordon from achieving his goal. Meanwhile, Bruce is also hypnotized into sabotaging the water supply for the city, forcing Selina to try and save him. While bleeding out from being shot, Jim experiences a nightmare in which he is put on trial for all of his failures from destroying his relationship with Lee to letting the innocent people from Haven die. This episode is very similar to an episode in season 3 in which Jim was going through his early life while drugged. However, what puts this above the episode from season 3 is how grand it feels. While it’s not the series finale, many character arcs are wrapped up, especially with Lee who finally works things out with Gordon and marries him. The entire scene is beautiful, particularly because of Bullock being the one to marry them. It’s fitting that the people who were in charge of this episode were the cast members themselves. Erin Richards directs this episode perfectly with Ben McKenzie’s writing making it even better than it already is. What’s even more amazing about this episode is that it was only added after the season finished its original production. The network gave the crew two more additional episodes. The fact that this episode was originally going to be nothing more than a filler installment only for the crew to work it into the show’s story was outstanding.
5. Worse Than a Crime (Season 2, Episode 11): If you ask me, this episode is what turned Gotham into an amazing show. After Bruce is captured by Theo Galavan, Gordon is forced to team up with Penguin for the first time to take down their common enemy. Unfortunately, the police are also hunting him down after Galavan abuses his power as mayor to declare Jim a criminal. Meanwhile, Bruce bonds with Galavan’s niece Silver in captivity and is able to turn her against her horrible uncle. Things soon become urgent when Galavan reveals his intention to sacrifice Bruce for what his ancestors did to his own relatives hundreds of years ago. On paper, the revelation of that sounds beyond stupid and while it is a little far fetched, the show makes it work and even ties in the Order of the St. Dumas into it. The climax of the episode is amazing, with Gordon, Penguin, Bullock, Alfred and Selina saving Bruce taking down the Order of the St. Dumas before they could kill the boy. While this episode was already amazing, it is the ending that really stands out. Finally being fed up with Galavan constantly escaping the law and manipulating the city to his own advantage, Gordon sides with Penguin and executes the corrupt mayor, making it the first time he ever crosses the line of cold blooded murder. While it is immensely satisfying to see Galavan die (with Penguin brutally beating him with a bat for killing his mother, even more satisfying), it is treated more with uncertainty as Gordon can never come back from this. This was a massive turning point for Jim’s character, going from the naive rookie always trying to do the right thing to the cynical and jaded detective who knows that rules need to be broken to get far in a city like Gotham. This episode changed the series forever and in my opinion it was for the best.
4. One of My Three Soups (Season 4, Episode 16): Season 4 is often considered to be the best season of the show and while I personally love season 5 just a little bit more, I absolutely agree that the fourth season comes very close and is genuinely amazing. In this episode we see Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane and Jerome Valeska all team up to break out of Arkham and turn the city into a chaotic nightmare. Before Gordon can get on their trail, the three split up and escape. While Crane disappears to make a new fear toxin, Tetch hypnotizes hundreds of civilians into going onto every roof in Gotham to jump off at midnight. The villains in this series have done many atrocious acts throughout the show but this might just be one of the most evil. Gordon tries to find out where Tetch is hiding in order to save everyone before they are forced to kill themselves. Things soon become even more intense when Bullock is forced to let himself be hypnotized in order to tell Jim where Tetch is hiding. Meanwhile, Bruce and Selina look for Jerome as the billionaire feels responsible for allowing this to happen by not killing the psychotic criminal when he had the chance last season. He tracks Jerome down to a diner where the latter’s abusive uncle nearly kills him. Unfortunately, Jerome kills his uncle and nearly manages to kill Bruce before Selina is able to save him. The entire episode is just a rush. The whole episode takes place during one night which just shows how much is going on and what is at stake. The moment in which Jim manages to save everybody on the radio by simply telling them to save each-other was brilliant. I also appreciate how Gordon and Bullock are finally able to mend their friendship through a bottle of alcohol at the end of the episode. After being at odds throughout the entire season, it was so nice to see the two become best friends again. Lastly, I absolutely love the dynamic between Jerome, Tetch and Crane. The three actors have amazing chemistry with each-other and make for a devilishly fun trio.
3. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies (Season 3, Episode 14): The halfway point of the show’s third season really went all out. After coming back to life and causing a city-wide blackout, Jerome captures Bruce with the intention of murdering him as it was the last thing he wanted to do before Galavan killed him. After trying to buy time by convincing him that he needs to kill him on a grander scale (a fact that Jerome even points out), Bruce is taken by Jerome and his cult of maniacs to a carnival so Jerome can execute him in a circus-like event. Meanwhile, Penguin’s planned downfall by Nygma finally occurs as he reveals his knowledge of the former murdering the woman he loved. After taking him to the docks of Gotham, Nygma mortally wounds his former best friend (though he is still able to survive due to Ed unintentionally missing a vital organ). This episode is a fantastic character study for Bruce as he is able defeat Jerome in hand to hand combat and firmly establishes his no kill rule. After Jerome taunts him by claiming that Gotham has no heroes, it only makes sense for Bruce to take it upon himself to prove the villain wrong. A fantastic and exciting episode all around and the one that I have perhaps rewatched the most.
2. This Ball of Mud and Meanness (Season 2, Episode 14): One of the biggest plot points early in the show’s run was the mystery of who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. Throughout the first two seasons Bruce was on a quest to uncover the reason as to why his parents were murdered. We are finally told who pulled the trigger in this episode as we see Bruce explore the shadier parts of Gotham to find the man who killed his parents. After finally getting a lead on an assassin named Matches Malone, Bruce intends to kill him as revenge despite the protests of Alfred and Gordon. When face to face with his parents’ killer, Bruce discovers that Malone is a washed up contract killer who has become plagued with guilt for his horrific actions. Though still clearly disgusted by the man, Bruce is taken aback by Malone’s remorse and ultimately decides not to kill him despite him begging him to do so. As Bruce puts it “he wishes he were a monster, but he’s just a man.” Despite Bruce sparing him, Malone kills himself with the gun that Bruce was going to use. Afterwards, Bruce decides to temporarily live in the seedier parts of Gotham, hoping to understand it before changing it for the better. This episode solidified my love of David Mazouz as the character. In most superhero shows, especially the Arrowverse, the child actors have ranged from mediocre to horrible. Gotham has managed to get it not just right but perfectly. Michael Bowen is also fantastic in the episode as Matches Malone. While I’m still not sure why he wasn’t just given the name Joe Chill (like the killer of Bruce’s parents has always been named), Malone is a fantastic and tragic antagonist and possibly the most grounded and realistic villain we have ever seen in the show.
1. Destiny Calling (Season 3, Episode 21): The season 3 finale of Gotham is not just my favorite episode of the show. It is one of my favorite episodes in any series. We see the Tetch virus unleashed throughout the city. Now infected with the disease, Gordon scrambles with Bullock to find an antidote for the city as well as Lee, who has become ruthless and unstable thanks to the effects of the virus. Meanwhile, Bruce comes face to face with Ra’s al Ghul (played by a perfectly cast Alexander Siddig), who is the true orchestrator of the Tetch virus crisis and the overall man responsible for the death of Bruce’s parents. After Bruce is able to break out of his brainwashing after being forced to mortally wound Alfred, Ra’s decides to make Bruce his heir and announces his plans for him before vanishing. While all of this insanity is happening, the conflict between Riddler and Penguin reaches its peak when the two have their final showdown, with Penguin ultimately being the victor as he is able to outsmart Nygma and have him frozen by Mr. Freeze. This is the longest episode in the show’s history, going up to nearly two hours. It feels almost like an event. You can tell that this was originally going to be the series finale of the show before it was renewed for another season. Everything in this episode sets up what the characters and the city become in the future. Selina gets her whip, Bruce decides to become a vigilante, Fish Mooney is killed and gives Penguin her blessing for him to become the biggest criminal in Gotham, Penguin starts to set up the Iceberg Lounge club and Gordon cures himself and Lee before returning to the GCPD as a fully fledged detective once more. If anyone still calls Gotham a bad show they clearly have never seen an episode of television like this.
