Gotham (TV Series) Legend of the Dark Knight: The Trial of Jim Gordon (2019) User Reviews

Perfect filler episode with some great villains and filled with great moments

[Holt344 · 8/10 · 8 March 2019]

It's a filler episode, everyone can see that but the huge amount of love the writing team and everyone else did to the amazing makes it a standalone experience, a damn good one at that. Not everyone will see this but it's inspired by the Batman Animated Series episode were Batman is trialed by his famous villains and its one iconic episode. Mutant gang and a lot of other gangs, made for a good but cheesy scene, I liked it though. I believe this is Erin Richards' directing debut and she did a great job

The ensemble cast did great job, even a character returning which I wanted but didn't expect and that's Poison Ivy, with her using one of the mutants made for another great action sequence with Catwoman against him. We also get to see Victor Zsasz and he's always a joy to see. Other performances and scenes I liked was the one with Alfred and Lee. The whole wedding worked perfectly as we have expected it. The episode was filled with great moments, I liked it.

I am sadly wanting the series to just end

[brad-eauclaire · 7/10 · 14 March 2019]

I started to notice the repetitive story lines and lack of evolution of any characters in season 3. I was thankful they announced they were ending it in season 5. The problem is this season, every single episode seems like a random and hastily thrown together story to try and rush to an ending that the producers originally didnt prepare for. I find myself wondering what the end game of this series is.

Mostly what bothers me is the actor playing Bruce is simply not a good actor. When he tries to be angry he just scrunches his face and sounds whiny.

Also I'm a fan of Jim Gordans character but the trial scene was hilariously stupid.

Another frustration is there is zero consistency in the fighting abilities of characters. Bruce was trained by the league and was basically an assassin who could move in the shadows. Now suddenly he throws a wild awkward punch at ivy and she ducks it and just steps behind him and holds him in a chicken wing hold? Give me a break. I am an avid comic book reader. I'm aware characters especially villains come back. But "Joker" has come back about 10 times at this point and the series is just too heavily saturated with the same things happening over and over. I mean seriously. At the table reads dont the actors go "didnt we just do this exact same thing? Are we intentionally making characters never correct their past mistakes?" It just comes off lazy.

I hope they can give some proper resolutions to this series by the finale but. I have a feeling it will all just be rushed and at the end we will be going ".......k...."

A Beautiful "Ending"

[VioletYoung · 10/10 · 8 March 2019]

Knowing that this episode was shot after the shooting of Season 5's "real ending" , which is also the ending of the entire story of GOTHAM, I have been imagining how this "extra" part of story would be presented. However, after finally watching this week's show, I was enchanted by this great story and the way it is presented! Have to say that I LOVE the story of Jim fighting against his compunction, and this makes Jim even more heroic in my eyes😂 Also, the wedding of Jim and Lee is definitely one of the most beautiful scenes among the whole series! As this episode is actually the last shot of the whole series, I think it is the beautiful "ending" of this whole journey😍Love Ben, love Jim, and love GOTHAM!!!

Wedding... Why this Episode deserves your attention

[leejross1972 · 10/10 · 6 January 2020]

You can tell how the Wedding Scene was a Cast/Crew Shot. The look in their eyes, smiles, the entire SET, was enamoured with that Scene.

Congratulations Ben and Morena !! Easily my favorite episode. Specifically because of: -that -one -scene

Just...stop.

[joelstamm-07338 · 4/10 · 17 March 2019]

I have followed Gotham since the beginning. But this episode just sucked.

Worst episode of the season and one of the series' low points

[hnt_dnl · 1/10 · 10 March 2019]

I really do love this show and think it is arguably the greatest "superhero" show of all time, really between this and The Incredible Hulk for me, but damn if Gotham is fast losing points based on this season! The first 4 seasons defied all odds and just got progressively better each year, but Season 5 has been a bit of a letdown for me and a big reason is upcoming...why is LEE THOMPKINS still on this show? Her character is the embodiment of that annoying love interest trope that just won't disappear so the show can breathe and reach it's potential. The only thing her character has done since Season 2 is tell Jim Gordon that he's a piece of trash repeatedly, yet somehow, some way, "true love" conquered all in the end (gag). Season 5, while somewhat underwhelming, had been trucking along fine until she showed up out of thin air yet again with her deus ex machina writing. Ivy (more on her in a minute) has her dead to rights, yet the writers pull that talking killer trope and somehow Lee grabs a gun last second and shoots her. POISON IVY, who managed to subdue hitman extraordinaire Victor Zsasz and a the dark knight himself Bruce Wayne, somehow gets taken out by a meek doctor.

But here's the kicker: for some unearthly reason, Lee and Gordon got married! I'm sorry, what? She has repeatedly told him that he's the scum of the earth for the last 3 years and both parties seemed to move on from each other. So what is this marriage nonsense all about? Is it just because the actors are actually married in reality? That's just an awful way to structure your narrative, based on real life coupling and not on your own show's logic. All the stuff involving Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins and their cloying love story has really dragged this series down to Flash levels (see WestAllen and the trash character that is Iris West). If it weren't for the fact that this series actually spreads the storytelling around and focuses on it's ensemble as a whole, I'd be afraid to think what it would be like if every episode were infested with this melodramatic romance hooey. This trial episode was pure filler and a waste of time. There are only 12 episodes in this final season and you are presenting filler? Really? There were 22 episodes in each of the first 4 seasons nothing ever felt like filler back then.

Also, I really dislike what the writers did with this Ivy character. I thought the kid from Seasons 1-2 was perfectly fine and imbibed the character with a grit and edge that these later 2 adult versions have both failed to capture. Also, she fit in the age range of Bruce and Selina and by aging her up, took away potential for really interesting stories involving that teen trio. I'm glad this is the last we'll see of this character. Also, can it please be the last we see of Lee Thompkins, too? Just let her be Jim Gordon's wife OFFSCREEN because that's where her character belongs in relation to this series. Today's writers cater way too much to shippers and I thought of all shows, Gotham was above such triviality. I guess I was wrong.

Worst episode yet

[lyndsiestoltman · 5/10 · 22 March 2019]

I was excited about the finale. Now I'm not worried about watching. I hate the character of Lee. Too bad. I liked this show.

The end of Ben

[jimnumber41 · 4/10 · 24 March 2019]

I love Gotham and how they reimagined the canon of Batman but I just can not stand Ben McKenzie. Jeez, talk about overacting. He tries to come off tough but it results in poor acting. The guy is probably a good guy in real life but his Jim Gordon was the worst. I will be sorry to see the show go but not sorry to see Ben go. Please, Ben, in your next acting endeavor, try not to overact. In a opposite side, Cory Michael Smith was the best Riddler ever. Wonderful actor!

Lee and Jim: a disgusting couple

[pariisaap · 4/10 · 11 December 2022]

This series become more and more boring!!

In the first or second season i expected batman appear and be the leading character instead of Jim Gordon but it is season5 and Bruce Wayne is still Bruce Wayne!

Jim wasn't the character i like from the beginning after he was infected by the virus i hoped he change the better way. But didn't And about Lee : i hate her when he that stupid Jim chose her over Barbara.

And now Jim shot and because of that the stupid couple back together ! So spoiled and childish !

And Barbara and pingouin were the only characters that i like. But the stupid homophobic authors didn't let them make their couple. I wanted to see Barbara and Tabitha together but Tabitha was killed!

And i don't know why i still watch that stupid senario

The worst was Jim and Lee marriage.

Poor direction by Erin Richards.

[asb_deutsch · 5/10 · 11 March 2019]

Earlier, Ben McKenzie was given the Captain's steering wheel. He previously directed A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups (2018) and Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions (2017) and both of them were directionless. Now it his "crazy wife" and her focus was on the female cast. WB should not burden the actors and let them focus on his acting skills, though I have no issue on this perspective!

PROS: There were a lot of emotions ranging from the heartfelt conversation between Alfred Pennyworth and Lee Thompkins to the hilarious words that come out of Victor Zsasz's mouth,

CONS: Ivy hypnotizing Bruce and Lucius was utterly cold!

During the trial, Gordon doesn't do an awful lot to ensure his survival, and on several instances he seemingly accepts his fate. What's more, he is later executed in the fantasy dream sequence, which you'd think would kill him in the real world, but for some reason he awakes, which renders the notion of him trying to survive the trial, and thus surviving in reality is pointless.

See you Gotham gracefully fans next week! My score: 5.5/10 This Season: 62.5/9 = 6.94

Ummmmm

[nored-14104 · 3/10 · 10 November 2019]

This episode has to be the most boring so far, trial is forgettable at best. Also what happened to ivy she went from oh that's poison ivy to okay that was weird to god she's an annoying character now. The best one is the ivy from season 3

Not good at all

[breathedirt · 1/10 · 2 September 2023]

What can I say? Ben McKenzie should learn how to talk and act - all his emotions are communicated using the same annoying whispering pseudo-angry voice which after 5 seasons is just unbearable. Barbara's visual change over the seasons (for the worst - literally an ugly short-haired tomboy) and her feminist monologues are likely a reflection of the change in the management. David Mazouz couldn't play the future Batman even if he wanted to - he is just a whiny posh boy. Selina has become also very annoying and seems like she's aiming for a Garfield appearance rather than a Catwoman portrayal. Lee is also just unneeded in so many ways and gets on my nerves. Pinguin was pretty good in the beginning but after they made a guy lover out of him, he lost his fearful image and just keeps pitching hissy-fits like a little child. This episode was a filler with a cliched theme - a person has been shot and now we are in his or her head.

Cory Michael Smith has been amazing as Ed Nygma (likely the best portrayal of the said character) and so has been Donal Logue as Harvey and Sean Pertwee as Alfred. Dr. Strange, Fish, Don Falcone characters (also thanks to their actors/actresses) would have made this episode way more palatable.