Gotham Review: One of My Three Soups (Season 4 Episode 16)

Gotham Season 4 Episode 16, “One of My Three Soups,” is a mixed bag with multiple conclusions that falls a bit flat.

After the extreme excitement of the last few episodes still buzzing through our veins, our hopes are sky high, and the action doesn’t necessarily let up here. But when the dust clears and the pieces fall into place, somehow things seem less than satisfying.

The main villains of the episode are Jervis Tetch, Jerome Valeska, and Barbara Keane. All three have their own story arcs, and all three have multiple letdowns throughout.

First off, we have Jervis Tetch — aka the Mad Hatter. It seems to me that Jervis isn’t needed on Gotham. He really just comes off as an alternate version of the Riddler. The character’s lack of charisma really just makes Ed’s absence more glaring.

Replacing Ed’s riddles for nursery rhymes isn’t really all that clever. In fact, it lacks originality. Sure, Mad Hatter isn’t an original character created for the show, but they did choose to use him.

His plan — setting up a large portion of Gotham’s population on the ledge of a building to jump off at midnight — is at least slightly interesting. The problem is how quickly it is thwarted.

Yes, it takes a majority of the episode for Jim and Harvey to apprehend Jervis. However, if you think about the way it unfolds between the other events, the whole shebang only lasts about 15 minutes.

This may seem a bit contradictory on my part, though. Complaining about a character — and then criticizing the amount of his screentime — is kind of counterproductive.

Next, we move on to Jerome. His antics against his uncle at the diner aren’t really all that revealing.

Jerome roasts his uncle for the name of a school? Seriously? At least if we had a hint as to why Jerome wants this information, maybe we could be a little more invested.

It is good to see the tables turn on Jerome for just a second, when his uncle pulls out a former “friend” to even the odds.

Then, when Bruce swings in to save the day, our heart rate soars under the assumption that a classic bout between the two nemeses will erupt — and then nothing.

“Boy billionaire Bruce Wayne. Boy, I didn’t see that coming.” – Jerome

Not a single punch is thrown within ten inches of each other. Instead, Selina has to unravel the mess that Bruce buries himself in.

Now, don’t get me wrong — this isn’t a totally terrible idea. This adds an additional layer to the ever-complicated relationship between Bruce and Selina. The idea of Selina keeping score is something that will hopefully continue throughout further episodes.

Then, just like with Jervis, the story comes to an abrupt ending with Selina on top of Bruce and Jerome vanishing out the back door.

No showdown with Jerome. No kissing between Selina and Bruce.

At least Jerome states before the credits roll that his plan is coming along swimmingly. This gives hope that it may end like the Pax Penguina — just a connective piece in a much bigger puzzle.

The most intriguing part of the episode is Barbara’s reveal as the Demon’s Head.

Her realization (that she was chosen by Ra’s al Ghul to be his successor) is a great way to breathe new life into the character.

It has never been clear what direction the writers want to take with Barbara. My thoughts are that maybe this will stick and build Barb into a more major player in the shaping of the city.

But when the League of Shadows is quickly assassinated — in the shadows, of all places — my hopes are shattered. The Sisters of the League? Is that a thing? Reading years of comics, this really doesn’t ring a bell.

I feel like this may be a pandering to the female audience.

There is nothing wrong with Barbara leading an army of assassins. But why does it have to be all females?

This actually feels as though it weakens the character, saying that although she could serve as a great leader, she isn’t powerful enough to control men. Is this reverse feminism?

So those are my top frustrations with where these story arcs are headed. They aren’t horrible, per se; they just need to be tidied up a bit. A few tweaks here and there could have given the episode more impact.

The episode itself is fairly entertaining and makes for a decent 40 minutes of escapism. Knowing that Gotham still has multiple episodes to go before the season’s finale implies that not everything that happens on “One of My Three Soups” is endgame.

What did you think of this episode of Gotham? Is there anything you are frustrated with on this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Gotham airs Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX.

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