Last season on Gotham, the city was left in chaos following Jeremiah’s successful plot to cut off the city from the outside world. Even though chaos had already begun to descend, Gordon, Bruce, and other key allies stayed behind to protect the abandoned citizens of Gotham City. In Gotham season 5 episode 1, we get a tease of the culmination of the “No Man’s Land” arc later this season. Aside from this, the episode focuses on catching us up on the now-isolated Gotham City.
Bridging The Gap
In a flash-forward that will surely be the culmination of the series, we get a quick montage of Gordon, Bullock, Penguin, and Nygma all teaming up against a mysterious enemy. After this, we flashback to Gordon 87 days after the city’s bridges were blown. While trying to contact someone from the outside world, Gordon reveals that Penguin has taken over city hall, as well as the ammunition manufacturing and stockpiles in the city.
Barbara is now an information broker, and she’s working with Tabitha and the Sirens to control the city’s food supply. Scarecrow also runs another part of the city with his gang, while Mr. Freeze and Firefly operate together somewhere in the north. Jeremiah is nowhere to be found. As for the GCPD, they control a small section of the city, sheltering those left behind in a stronghold.
Gordon’s Plight
Gordon struggles to keep people healthy, and there are only two weeks of rations left. Bruce and Gordon meet up at the bat signal, while Selena struggles to recuperate from her paralysis. The Penguin sends a thug to broker a munitions deal with Barbara, but Tabitha objects due to the fact that he murdered Butch out of spite. Barbara asserts that doing business with Penguin is a necessary evil.
Scarecrow and his gang raid the GCPD stronghold, and they want the food and medicine reserves. Gordon and Scarecrow face off, but the latter barely escapes after a steam pipe bursts between the two. Bruce tries to intervene in the raid with his new night vision tech, but the power turns back on, allowing the other attackers to escape.
Supply Drop
In the aftermath of Scarecrow’s attack, Wayne Enterprises steps up to supplement the already thin supplies that the GCPD has on hand. Back at GCPD headquarters, Harvey and Gordon thank Bruce for the assistance, although they later worry about the safety of the impending supply drop right in the middle of the city. At city hall, Penguin’s followers are also starving, before he feeds a steak dinner to his pet dog. Cobblepot then hears the incoming chopper, along with Tabitha and Barbara – but someone else eventually shoots it down.
Barbara Vows Revenge
Gordon orders a team to salvage the wreckage, leaving Alfred in charge while he’s gone. Penguin is the first to arrive at the wreckage in a nearby warehouse, but Gordon arrives soon after. Bruce hides in the shadows of the warehouse, and Tabitha makes a surprise entrance before holding Penguin at gunpoint. Penguin makes the case that Tabitha killed Butch, but as she pulls the trigger, one of the Penguin’s manufactured bullets fails to fire. After laughing at the irony of the situation, Penguin proceeds to fatally stab Tabitha just as Barbara arrives. For god measure, Penguin shoots Barbara in the shoulder.
After Barbara vows her revenge on Cobblepot for killing Tabitha, Gordon suggests a deal that they split the supplies so that Barbara can live. An egotistical Penguin believes that Gordon is all out of ammo, but with his final bullet, Gordon shoots Cobblepot in his already injured leg. Harvey and Jim return to GCPD with all of the supplies, and Gordon gives Bruce permission join them on missions in the future. Gordon receives a radio message from a mysterious ally that promises to help the people of Gotham, but also finds signs that Jeremiah has been meddling in his headquarters.
Operating In the Dark
Selena undergoes surgery to save her life, but the power goes out during Scarecrow’s raid. Selena’s surgery was a success, but she will never walk again. Privately, Selena wishes that Jeremiah had killed her, which upsets Bruce. As he leaves, a mysterious nurse suggests that the only way to save Selena is to contact “the witch.” He brushes off her words until he sees Selena try to kill herself. After that, Bruce approaches the nurse for more information about her witch.
Meanwhile, the Riddler wakes up on a rooftop with no idea how he got there, and “Ed” is nowhere to be found. Later, Nygma wakes up in a dumpster. Returning to his hideout, Riddler plots out a map with all of the locations where he’s been waking up. Across the city, Penguin has put a large bounty on Gordon’s head. At GCPD headquarters, Gordon discovers a mystery before ordering his men to “suit up.”
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