This week on Gotham season 5, someone shot Jim Gordon. As he recovered, he had hallucinations. Considering that hallucinations allow anything to happen, episode wasn’t as weird or as artistic as it could’ve been.
Jim hallucinated his own wake. He imagined seeing all the villains of Gotham gathered around. It was cool seeing people like Kathryn Monroe and Professor Pyg one last time. But, the hallucination didn’t tell us much about Jim’s inner life or offer any truly interesting visuals. It was disappointing after all of the strong hallucination sequences Gotham has done in the past.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Ivy Pepper hypnotized Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox. I thought Ivy’s last episode was a decent send off and bringing her back seemed unnecessary. This episode also introduced the idea that she’s in a relationship with Victor Zsasz. It turned out that Zsasz shot Jim on Ivy’s order.
the Ivy/Zsasz relationship is pretty gross. I know she’s probably eighteen by now, but c’mon. It didn’t fit with Zsasz’s usual characterization as someone who’s pleasant nature juxtaposes with what a cold killer he is. It was also unclear whether she’s hypnotizing him or if the relationship is genuine. Overall, it felt like an unnecessary detail to throw in.
The episode ended with Jim and Lee Thompkins getting married. Their relationship development has had its ups and downs, but this was a pretty good ending. Harvey Bullock joked that Lee was always there for Jim… except for the time she tried to kill him. Since this is Gotham, everyone laughed and nodded with understanding. It was a nice scene that said all there is to say about the Jim/Lee relationship: it’s a solid loving relationship, Gotham-style.
After witnessing this romantic moment, Bruce and Selina Kyle kissed. Just like the Jim/Lee wedding, it was a nice moment for a relationship that was a long time coming. Giving these two romances their happy ending allowed this episode to end on a high note, after mostly being one of the more bland entries.