Spoilers ahead: Gotham finale sets up a very different season five
Gotham is wrapping up its fourth season soon but fans can expect a few big changes if the show is renewed for next year.
Executive Producer, Danny Cannon, teased a very different version of the hit DC Comics show for season five. Based on his comments and some leaked spoilers, it looks like fans might finally get a full-fledged Batman series.
In an interview with Comic Book, Cannon spoke about how the finale sets up a “reboot” for Gotham next year.
"“Like I said, the catastrophic event, the cataclysmic event that happens in the last three episodes not only will change Gotham. It not only combines so many characters that you don’t think will cooperate with each other, but it changes the face of Gotham forever, so that season five, it’s almost a reboot and a different show.”"
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This season, in particular, feels like the show is ready to officially take the leap from a prequel series to one about Batman. Bruce Wayne has already donned a “Batman-lite” costume to fight crime in the city and the Joker has officially been revealed.
At this point, it feels like a natural progression to see the now 18-year-old Wayne step into the spotlight as the true protagonist.
This would fall in line with the leaked finale script from Reddit earlier this year. Cannon revealed in the same interview that this season ends with a cliffhanger.
"“We’re building to something much bigger. It’s the biggest cliffhanger we’ve done. I mean, there has to be Season 5. Everything points to that because it’s set up in that way.”"
For a show truly in danger of being canceled, it sounds weird the creative forces behind the series would end things on a cliffhanger. However, the leaked script reveals the ending to be the perfect combination of a setup and closure.
It has Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne looking out over the city after a newly installed floodlight has been installed on top of the GCPD. However, Lady Shiva and her daughter, the Orphan, are making their way into Gotham in the closing minutes.
Many fans have been asking for Batgirl, specifically Barbara Gordon, to be introduced already. Timeline wise, she should have been born at this point so she can grow up to be Batman’s sidekick.
However, it looks like Gotham will be going in a different direction with the introduction of the Orphan. For those who don’t know, the anti-hero is named Cassandra Cain and she grows up to eventually take up the Batgirl mantle.
Based on the script, interview, and name of the episode, it looks like Gotham will be adapting the Batman: No Man’s Land story arc. In the comics, a devastating earthquake leaves different parts of the city in control by different villains and the government.
With so many factions of evil on the show right now, it would make sense to see them all stake their claim to a different area. It could also lead to the rise of the Batman, with Bruce Wayne officially accepting the mantle to protect the civilians of Gotham.
In the meantime, fans will have to wait to see if the episode will end up being a series finale or not. FOX has stayed relatively quiet about the show as the ratings have declined but confirmed earlier this year they would like to keep the series going for more seasons.
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With the impending debut of the DC streaming service, it will be interesting to see if there’s a deal to be made between the two networks. Undoubtedly, the long wait to hear about a renewal/cancellation is due to negotiations regarding contracts and price tags.