“Destiny Calling†kicks off the two-part season finale for Gotham’s third season, and it does so with quite the bang. It’s been a long road getting here with a plethora of plot points scattered throughout Gotham.
As was seen in the last episode, a large portion of Gotham was infected with Strange’s version of the Tetch virus and Gotham is in shambles. People are looting and shooting each other and Gotham’s train was alight as it tumbled down the tracks. Gotham’s current state is the perfect comparison to the battle that is going on in Jim Gordon’s mind.
Jim was infected with the virus last episode, and he is making strong attempts to actually keep himself steady, key word being attempting. With Lee’s insistence on just letting the transformation take place, Jim’s attempt at staying more Jim versus agro Jim seem to be in vain. The best showcase in this episode was when they are chasing after Fish and Strange. Strange is the only one that actually has an antidote for the Tetch virus and everyone wants it, literally everyone. From the freshly introduced Lead of Assassins to the GCPD to Fish Mooney, each major pawn in Gotham wants it for their own purposes. But, a pretty intense battle involving all major villains reintroduced this season led to the vials being broken, but that’s not the only thing we saw at the end of in this scene.
As quickly as she was reintroduced, Fish Mooney saw the end; that is, unless she somehow comes back which wouldn’t be that shocking in Gotham. Jim’s rage got ahold of him and in the frey he stabbed Fish to death. I enjoyed the fight scene and the comedic sequence they placed right after it, where Jim ripped off Harvey’s car door, was some nice comedic timing.
As is always the case in Gotham, all is not lost when it appears to be so. Since one Tetch is still alive, they have the ability to make the antidote assuming they can transfer Tetch to a facility to harvest his blood. Nygma and his ragtag crew involving Barbara, Tabitha and Butch are onto the fact that Tetch is the key to ruling Gotham with the virus running through the city’s veins. But there are clear fracturing points amongst the team. Tabitha and Butch are continuing to devise a plan to take out Babs; although, Tabitha keeps pushing the plan back. Barbara continues to become frustrated with Nygma because he always relies on her help but never returns the favor. As for Nygma, he has his eyes solely on one thing and that is getting Penguin. This will no doubt lead to his or Penguin’s downfall.
The main sequence in this episode, besides Tetch of course, is what they are going to do with Bruce Wayne. The interactions between Bruce and Alfred were heartbreaking considering how close the pair have been since the show started. The walls that the Sensei built up in Bruce’s mind are so strong that the only memory he has about Alfred is the one where he killed the Sensei (Shaman) earlier. I assumed that they would eventually patch things up and all would be good, but there was one big hint when Bruce finds his way into what turns out to be The League of Assassins hideout. Whenever the Lazarus Pit is shown, you just know that things are going to go down. Ra’s al Ghul shows himself and urges Bruce to kill Alfred to embrace the future by killing the past; Bruce stabs Alfred right through the chest.
