Gotham 3×13 Review: Smile Like You Mean It

Gotham’s “Smile Like You Mean It” continued the Jerome arc. The episode was enjoyable but felt a bit like filler.

The good thing about “Smile Like You Mean It” was that I didn’t have to suffer from trying to care about Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie). The episode was about Jerome and his cult, and I’m all for watching hours of Cameron Monaghan acting crazy. At the end, he more or less initiated a purge in Gotham and the craziness is just going to escalate from here.

Even though Lee’s character needs to develop as more than just a love interest, I enjoyed her interacting with Jerome. She wasn’t afraid of him and kept her cool. That’s the fearless Lee I want to see more of, and not some flimsy female character whose purpose on the show is linked to whether she’ll get back with Jim or not.

I mentioned the episode feeling like filler because it didn’t do much to move the plot forward. The scenes featuring Dwight felt longer than necessary. Also, the subplot involving Kitty Selina and her mother was resolved too soon. I knew her mother couldn’t be trusted and the show proved me right this week. She only tracked Selina down to get Baby Bruce’s money.

However, we did get a scene where Kitty Selina got angry at Baby Bruce for lying to her. So, I can’t complain. Batman and Catwoman’s relationship has always been rocky. It took them years to admit that they loved each other. And even after that, they know they can’t be together. Gotham following a similar relationship path makes sense.

Coming to Nygmobblepot, Ed’s plan seems to be reaching some sort of a conclusion. He knew that Oswald would see through Barbara’s initial plan and that’s why he had another plan in place to make Penguin believe her. As a Nymobblepot shipper, I still hope that those two come to some sort of understanding. Gotham can’t kill them, and with Tabitha and Barbara planning to kill Ed in the end, I can see Nygma teaming up with Oswald to take the women down.

What did you think of “Smile Like You Mean It”? How long will Jerome remain on Gotham? 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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