TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Gotham Season 5 Episode 4: Ruin

Oh Jim…how did I know you would end up with Barbara before this was all over? That gripe aside, “Ruin” was actually a rather interesting character piece that focused on what happened following the events of last episode with Haven blowing up. Because even the bad guys understood what Haven meant in the grand scheme of things. So Barbara and Penguin both knew that if Haven could be attacked, so could their domains, so the person needed to be stopped.

The quest for the bomber led to some interesting twists, including the return of Victor Zsasz, who had a hilarious showdown with everyone. It was clear that it wasn’t him who blew up the building, but it led to a fun trial sequence where Penguin used the situation to win back some of the people that he lost to Haven last episode.

The crowd demanding Zsasz to die was great as it showed that speeches about hope and faith and goodness only go so far, and now Jim is starting to crack. He almost went into a shootout with Zsasz, and now he’s with Barbara again because he’s reached a true lowpoint. How is he going to pick himself back up? Well, next episode is teasing something…but not what you might think…for Bane is coming.

Meanwhile, a big part of Nygma’s story was revealed, as it was HE who blew up Haven while under his “sleep persona” for lack of a better word. But why did he do it? That is the question. I will say though that while this was a fun twist, I enjoyed him and Lucius battling wits again. That was great.

The Selina/Bruce story was a bit subdued this week, and I’m not sure I liked that. I really enjoyed the Joker/Harley dance scene, it was pure comic book bliss. And Selina stabbing Jeremiah at the end without a bad guy monologue was great. But we all know he’s not dead.

“Ruin” wasn’t the best, but it did keep things going just enough so that they didn’t stall. With Bane coming next week, we’re going to get some “shock and awe”.