Gotham Review: That Old Corpse (Season 4 Episode 20)

An interesting twist makes Gotham Season 4 Episode 20, “That Old Corpse,” a wicked downward spiral. It leads us towards the path of the season’s finale with bated breath.

Okay, the twist isn’t really that surprising. It actually seems a slight possibility the entire time. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t really stick the landing.

Lets take a few steps back first though.

Early last week, Fox highly promoted Jerome’s video recording, to keep fan’s interest peaked in the absence of a new Gotham. I avoided this in fear of spoilers, but it was a safe bet they placed, knowing we were last left with a ranting and overacting Ra’s al Ghul.

Thankfully, this episode has nothing to do with the royal debacle of Barbara Keane, and no one even mentions the calamity of the uninspiring misadventure. Although, it does seem weird that Bruce wouldn’t even suggest the events to his new coworker, Jeremiah.

Anyways, back to the point. Jeremiah is already proving himself to be more interesting than expected.

The writers could have tried to play it safe, and made Jeremiah just a little further south of sanity than his dead counterpart. Instead, Jeremiah gets a whole different demeanor. His calmness in the face of the horrific stunts he pulls comes off as quite creepy.

“Jerome is dead. Long live me.” -Jeremiah Valeska

When he admits to Bruce Wayne that he was doused with Jerome’s laughing gas, a bout of laughter seems likely. To our surprise, he explains that the gas only altered him physically. Of course, Bruce doesn’t buy it and tries to convince Jeremiah otherwise.

On the other hand, I’m not completely convinced Jeremiah isn’t telling the truth.

It would be great if they further explore Jeremiah and Jerome’s relationship in flashbacks at some point — hinting at the points of where everything started to derail.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a possibility of this happening anytime soon with the season soon coming to a close. Sure, it would probably be more of a filler episode, but I can think of worse things to waste time on. Cough — Barbara Keane — cough.

The pacing of this episode makes the plot play out like a new extension of the Saw franchise. The slow reveals give just enough excitement, that the edge of your seat always stays warm. If all episodes of Gotham keep up with this momentum, I feel the show might rise in popularity.

Even with the comedic intrusions of Oswald and Grundy popping their heads in occasionally — for no real purpose — you can’t be bothered to complain that it is out-of-place. I assume these two won’t have any major storylines as our season finishes out, aside from setting up where they will be when the next season begins. Hopefully, that doesn’t prove true.

The other sidebar of the episode is the rescue of Lee Thompkins.

A delightful smirk hits my face, as Ed Nygma unwittingly saves GCPD from Jerome’s lackeys — just to break Lee out of jail. Gotham never ceases to find ways to make their best villains into unlikely heroes. Somehow it never seems to be out of character either.

Oswald, Ed, and countless others, realize that without their town, they are nobodies. Will Jeremiah come to the same conclusion, before he tears Gotham to shreds with his explosive generators? It’s doubtful, but we will just have to wait and see.

In closing, here are some stray thoughts to monopolize your free time.

• Where has Alfred been taken? And by who?
• Will Ivy make one last appearance before next season? Will it be the same actress?
• Will Bruce suit up again?
• Who will save Bruce from being buried alive?
• How does Jim Gordon escape the explosion?
• Will the “good guys” stop Jeremiah, or will it be the “bad guys”?
• Who will stand tall if Gotham falls?

What did you think of this episode of Gotham? Was the twist all that shocking to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Gotham airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!