Gotham’s fifth and final season is in full swing on Fox, and the show isn’t holding back on twists fans have been waiting for all along. That said, given that this is Gotham we’re talking about, those twists come with a distinct flair that hasn’t been done in any other superhero story. Now, as the show hurtles toward its grand finale, Bruce Wayne/Batman actor David Mazouz sat down with CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable at the TCA press tour to reveal Gotham’s greatest accomplishment, saying this:
I feel like, you know, as the seasons went on, we really embraced more and more the ridiculousness of the situation. And the fact that we didn't hold back, the fact that we went for every single kind of crazy moment. And still, the magnificent part was that we still found ways to put human elements in there and for these larger-than-life characters to be relatable and to go through struggles, and to think about things and to be vulnerable in ways that we all are and we all do. I think that's the show's biggest accomplishment. That right there is the show's biggest accomplishment. And like you said, you know, you watch a show and things get crazy and you think, ‘That's a Gotham moment.' Just you saying that has validated so much for me as somebody who's a part of this company.
Way back when Gotham first kicked off, it took itself surprisingly serious for a series destined to include fundamentally bonkers characters like The Riddler and Penguin. It almost felt like a crime procedural that happened to feature characters sharing names with iconic DC Comics characters, and that worked back when Jim Gordon was just beginning to figure out what makes Gotham City tick.
Now, years later, Gotham embraces the ridiculous on a regular basis in the very best way. As David Mazouz (who is totally down to play Batman again) said, Gotham embraced the ridiculousness that makes it stand out.
Would the ridiculousness work if not for how human the characters are, even despite all the bizarre shenanigans that go down around them? Would we be invested in Ed Nygma as a character after he blew up Haven if we didn’t see how he was personally devastated by the act? Would we care about Bruce’s efforts to reach out to Selina if we hadn’t seen them develop separately and as a duo over the years? Would we believe there’s hope for Barbara if all we saw was her crazy moments?
Superhero series are all the rage nowadays, but Gotham is truly unique, and not just for the absence of superpowers. When something wild goes down in the Arrow-verse or on DC Universe or even in non-comics TV shows, it can be a Gotham-esque moment. Gotham gets to be funny as well as intense and violent and insane. Honestly, just the way that the characters accept and expect ridiculousness in Season 5 is entertaining, especially when contrasted with the reactions of outsiders like Eduardo.
Of course, the ridiculous might take a distinctly dark turn coming up, what with Eduardo going full Bane, and we already know that Bane is going to do something awful to one of the good guys, although perhaps not the good guy that comics fans expect. Eduardo already revealed his true loyalties are not with Jim in the latest episode, and he used the tech implanted in Ed’s brain (courtesy of Dr. Strange) to send Ed to hunt down Jim.
While the most immediate threat seems to be Bane, there’s another problem that will probably lead to a lot of death and destruction. Despite Selina stabbing Jeremiah repeatedly earlier in Season 5, he only faked his death, and he’s up to some new and sinister tricks with Ecco at his side as Gotham’s take on Harley Quinn. Will he go full Joker before the series ends?
We’ll have to wait and see. New episodes of Gotham air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox this midseason.
