Gotham 3×21 & 3×22 Review: “Destiny Calling” and “Heavydirtysoul”

The 2-episode finale of Gotham Season 3 began in “Destiny Calling” and concluded in “Heavydirtysoul.” And it was obvious the writers tried, they really did, but it could’ve been a lot better.

I have been watching Gotham for three seasons now and it seems it can never deliver a satisfying finale. “Destiny Calling” opened with an infected old woman robbing a bank. We then get to know that thousands were infected and Gotham is burning, literally.

There was just a whole lot going on and it felt weird that, even in a two-episode finale, it felt rushed. Some of the plotlines were haphazardly resolved. Fish Mooney was killed in a very anticlimactic way, and don’t even get me started on Barbara getting electrocuted by Tabitha. Gotham killed one of its most interesting characters, Barbara, in the finale. Of course, I have my fingers crossed that she’ll pop up again.

Also, the whole storyline where Jim wanted to save Lee didn’t make sense to me. If Jim was turning into a darker version of himself, shouldn’t he have pined after Barbara? She was the one who dominated his subconscious. Why was Jim not reaching out to her?

Baby Bruce finally snapped out his trance but not before stabbing Alfred with a sword. It turns out that Ra’s al Ghul knew what Baby Bruce was going to do. I would’ve preferred Alfred to have actually stayed dead. That would’ve worked wonders for Baby Bruce’s development as Batman.

We did get to see a proto-Batman at the end though. I’m not sure if Gotham is allowed to show Bruce in actual Batman gear, but I’ll take whatever teases I get.

Kitty Selina was underutilized in the finale. She probably had four or five minutes of screentime. The only reason she was in the finale was to break up with Baby Bruce (again!) and crack Tabitha’s whip because you know, Catwoman. I hope the writers find something to do with her when it comes back for season four.

The best part of “Destiny Calling” and “Heavydirtysoul” was again Nygmobblepot, more specifically Robin Lord Taylor. His Penguin is what makes Gotham and it is always fun to see the character onscreen. At this point, Nygma and Oswald aren’t going to get back together in a romantic way, but it is still fun to see them try and kill each other.

I loved how Oswald was able to one-up Ed and it all made sense. While Oswald’s downfall was loving someone who didn’t love him back, Ed’s downfall is his brain. Penguin knew that Ed was going to try and repeat the entire process of killing him. That is why Oswald was able to stay two-steps ahead. It was glorious!

Some thoughts and questions:

1. So Butch is going to come back as Solomon Grundy?
2. Is it just me or have Camren Bicondova’s outfits become revealing now that she’s of legal age? Why does more cleavage mean a female character has turned evil? It just felt wrong.
3. Barbara needs to come back. I get that she couldn’t win in a fight against Tabitha but come on now, she was one of the best things about Gotham. The writers should’ve played more with her and Jim’s dynamic instead of trying to force Lee in there.
4. Ra’s al Ghul wants Baby Bruce as his heir. Does it mean we’ll also get to see Ra’s daughter soon?
5. I have no idea why Fish Mooney came back just to be killed off again. Jada Pinkett Smith deserved better.
6. Penguin is building the Iceberg Lounge and I’m all for it.

Did you watch Gotham? What did you think of “Destiny Calling” and “Heavydirtysoul”? Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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