While it's always a bummer to see the end of summer, avid TV fans will know that shorter days and cooler weather means one thing: fall television. After the sometimes excruciating summer hiatus, the fall brings new seasons of small screen adventures for us to consume, to the joy of the various fandoms. And one of these recently returning shows is FOX's Batman prequel series Gotham. Gotham has made a name for itself by taking an original spin on the classic comic mythos, changing and killing off characters without worrying about being faithful to the source material. The series also has a habit of reviving dead characters, although now it looks like one character is gone for good: Jada Pinkett Smith's Fish Mooney.
This news comes to us from one of Gotham's producers, John Stephens. When he was asked if Fish might have another revival, he definitively retorted,
I'm afraid that's it. Now, that one was it. At a certain point, you gotta say 'Definitely.' People die at a certain point, and that's the second or third time they die [on Gotham].
Say goodbye to the Penguin's top frenemy, because Fish Mooney is staying dead this time. And while this may be disappointing to her many fans, it seems like her permanent death will likely benefit Gotham as a whole.
John Stephens' comments to Comic Book, while a bummer, do seem to confirm that the folks over a Gotham are aware of some of its more controversial choices. Because there have been quite a few characters on the series who have seemingly died, only to return in a few episodes' time. Fish, Barbara Kean, Jerome, and Butch have all had this happen, so it makes sense that the producers want to bring some finality to Fish's death.
Killing Fish off for good allows Gotham to retain some high stakes. Because to this point, it seemed like any onscreen death for the series was merely temporary, given how many revivals we've seen in the show's first three years. But Fish is now dead for good, meaning that the other protagonist may suffer the same fate if they're killed by an enemy. And now the emotional weight of character deaths will pack more of a punch, as there's no guarantee that they'll ever return to the world of the living.
Fish Mooney's final death was a pretty epic one, so it makes sense that she'd stay that way. After gaining powers and putting the city into chaos, Fish was killed by an infected Jim Gordon at the end of Season 3. As she died in The Penguin's arms, she told him that she'd already died too many times, and to burn the city to the ground if he can't rule it.
Gotham will return for Season 4 on September 21, 2017. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
