Gotham 5x4 : Ruin review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it

This week's episode of Gotham is almost the definition itself of a mixed bag. It features some really cool, hilarious and just epic stuff but on the other hand it features more silly and just stuff that I didn't think was interesting helped move things along. Picking up right away from the ending of last week's episode we see the building of GCPD's safe haven engulfed by flames. Penguin and Barbara are still on the outside but Barbara seemingly disappears during all the chaos. Gordon tries his best round up cops that are outside and along with Harvey agree to use the drinking water in reserve to out the fire around the building. Back at the main GCPD building Gordon is communicating once again with those outside of Gotham and says the death toll stands at 311 with more injured and even more missing amidst all the rubble and destruction. Sick of hearing the government's excuses Gordon hangs up as he hears ramblings and shouting from below. Turns out those that managed to escape the building have all come to the GCPD looking for answers and help. Gordon & Bullock then agree that Jim go seek out Barbara for answers but she is much like him. She only wants the person responsible to perish, she ends up giving Jim some sort of lead though which he accepts. While talking with Barbara Jim gets a call to come back to the GCPD and on arrival we see Penguin. He's agreed to help the GCPD's cause and is aiding them with both ammunition and men. Gordon seems unconvinced at first but eventually ends up shaking Oswald's hand. The two round up more cops and go to the location given to by Barbara only to meet greeted by Victor Zsasz who sends of some warning shots. Penguin and him have a verbal battle which was genuinely hilarious but it's Gordon who eventually takes him down thanks to Penguin's help. More on this later.

Bruce having been betrayed (a bit) by Selina in last week's episode is still where we last saw him and within seconds is greeted by masked men. He manages to take 2 out but as more come Alfred shows up and helps him. He says that sometimes he needs to realize that Selina is beyond saving and that something he just needs to stop and think about what is going on. But for now they are going to go save Selina who just so happens to have infiltrated the area where Jeremiah himself is. It's the same location as when Gordon helped save those kids a couple of episodes back. The leader is the same guy and everything which surprised me as I really thought that he died but within seconds of even being on screen he does die as Jeremiah slits his throat for not working hard enough. He tells his workers to work even harder and this is when Echo shows up. Jeremiah grabs her by the throat at first but then the two dance which was easily my favorite part of the episode. As all of this is going on Selina watches from a distance as she gets closer and closer to the demented Jeremiah. Back at the GCPD we see Ed get inside in a disguise only to be greeted by Lucius. Ed is looking for a file but Lucius offers him a deal. Help him examine the safe haven building from the inside and he'll give him the file. Ed agrees and inside of the safe haven building both men come to the conclusion that it was infact an RPG that caused the building to explode. Fired from a top a rooftop across from the building the two go to the building and find the RPG's case. A woman mysteriously watches from another window and after getting his file which turns out to be no help Ed goes to investigate the woman. Turns out that she knew who fired the RPG and of course it was in fact Ed himself. Not remembering any of it the woman hits him on the head a couple of times and it all comes flooding back to him. We see him fire the RPG and destroy the building. With a new sense of identity and reflection Ed actually wheels the woman out of her window sending her plummeting to her death which was funny to me I don't know why but it was. So Ed destroyed Safe Haven. Not something I expected but it is a definite better direction for him than the same old re hashed story that Gotham has been doing with him lately. More on Selina now and seemingly out of nowhere she gets closer to Jeremiah and even somehow gets Echo's disguise and looks like she actually kills Jeremiah. She stabs him a number of times and the last we see of him is him on the ground not even breathing. Obviously he'll be back but this whole scene just felt so forced and out of place in my opinion. J wouldn't let something like that happen to him and Selina just randomly wearing Echo's outfit was so dumb.

The episode ends with the trail of Victor Zsasz who after being found guilty by the people of Gotham and Penguin is sent to death. Gordon tells the people of the RPG incident but they still condemn Mr Zsasz who upon appearing to get his head cut clean off Gordon saves and lets go. The people turn on Jim and back at the GCPD we see him drinking away his sorrows. Barbara walks in and says she has got another lead on a guy who sells RPG's in the city. Jim seems unconvinced by a number of issues right now and both him and Barbara end up kissing to end the episode. Overall like I said at the beginning this was a completely mixed bag of an episode. I thought after last week that things would kick on and improve but it just slides back on down again. Truth be told I expected more from Gotham so far this season. 

★★★