The Beginning...
"The Beginning..." is the series finale of the American television series Gotham, based on the DC Comics characters James Gordon and Bruce Wayne. It is the twelfth episode of the fifth season and the 100th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by showrunner John Stephens and directed by Rob Bailey.

Ben McKenzie stars as Gordon, and is joined by principal cast members Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Morena Baccarin, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Erin Richards, Cory Michael Smith and Chris Chalk. The episode follows Bruce returning to Gotham City after ten years of globetrotting to begin apprehending criminals as a vigilante, while Gordon investigates a sinister plot targeting the city after Harvey Bullock is framed for a murder.

"The Beginning..." was first aired in the United States on Fox on April 25, 2019. It was watched by 2.19 million viewers with a 0.5/2 share among adults aged 18 to 49.

Plot 
Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City after ten years of globetrotting. Police commissioner James Gordon plans on retiring. Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot is about to be released from Blackgate after a decade, on the same day as the gala celebrating the opening of the new Wayne Tower. Mayor Aubrey James tells Gordon he cannot retire until after the gala.

For the last decade, Edward Nygma has been in Arkham and Jeremiah Valeska is seemingly brain dead. Two men smuggle Nygma out, while Ecco takes Jeremiah. While searching for Nygma, Harvey Bullock encounters a guard who hands him a phone. Harvey is shocked by who is on the phone and the guard kills himself. Bullock is framed for the murder, but confesses to actually doing it. Unconvinced, Gordon investigates. Nygma finds a box full of C-4 and thinks Cobblepot set him up with this stash. While investigating, Gordon encounters a new bat-themed vigilante who tells him he is not his enemy.

Cobblepot tries to kill Gordon for arresting him a decade earlier, but Gordon escapes. At the Wayne Tower gala, Selina Kyle (now a burglar, who has stolen a diamond) and Barbara Kean thwart Nygma's plot to blow up James and the tower itself, and Gordon arrives to realize that there is another bomb in the tower. Leslie Thompkins defuses the bomb, and Gordon realizes that Jeremiah set up Nygma and framed Bullock for the guard's murder.

Nygma and Cobblepot are captured by the vigilante, whom Lucius Fox and Alfred Pennyworth know is Bruce. Jeremiah kidnaps Gordon and Barbara's daughter Barbara Lee after a scuffle that results in Ecco's death. Gordon reaches Ace Chemicals, where Jeremiah reveals he was faking brain death the whole time while awaiting Bruce's return. The disguised Bruce arrives and subdues Jeremiah, saving Gordon and Barbara Lee.

Gordon, who has decided against retiring, re-ignites the searchlight he put atop the Gotham City Police Department headquarters years earlier. Elsewhere, Bruce reconnects with Selina and apologizes for leaving her a decade earlier, then encourages her to return the stolen diamond, but she refuses. Meanwhile, Cobblepot and Nygma escape from the police van and plan revenge on the vigilante, but decide to wait until the next day, as his presence intimidates them. Bullock, Alfred and Gordon notice Bruce watching them from afar. When Bullock asks who is watching them, Gordon replies, "A friend."

Production

Development 
In April 2019, Fox announced that the twelfth episode of the season would be titled "The Beginning...". The episode, which is the series' 100th and finale, was directed by Rob Bailey, and written by showrunner John Stephens. It is set ten years after the season's previous episode.

Casting 
Main cast members Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Morena Baccarin, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Erin Richards, Cory Michael Smith and Chris Chalk return as James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Bruce Wayne, Leslie Thompkins, Alfred Pennyworth, Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin, Barbara Kean, Edward Nygma / Riddler and Lucius Fox. Camren Bicondova decided not to return as Selina Kyle because of her discomfort playing an older version of the character. The guest cast for the episode includes Cameron Monaghan as Jeremiah Valeska, Kelcy Griffin as Vanessa Harper, Richard Kind as Aubrey James, Francesca Root-Dodson as Ecco, J. W. Cortes as Alvarez, Jeté Laurence as Barbara Lee Gordon, and Lili Simmons as Selina.

Design 
Stephens compared the costume worn by Bruce in the episode to the Batsuit seen in the film The Dark Knight Rises (2012) due to being a matte, metallic short-eared battlesuit. Lord Taylor said the episode would feature Cobblepot resembling the character as he in the comics. To achieve Cobblepot's fat look, he wore a fatsuit. At Lord Taylor's request, the costume designer consciously avoided making Cobblepot resemble Violet Beauregarde's "blueberry girl" look from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and instead went for a "little more monstrous" look, which included depicting the character with a hunch. Additionally, Nygma's Riddler costume was designed to look exactly as in the comics, by having a green color scheme and being filled with question marks throughout. The final episode sees Selina established as a cat burglar; Bicondova said the costume for this episode eschewed the ears seen in most Catwoman costumes in order to look more grounded.

Filming 
The episode was filmed in November 2018. Before the season began filming, McKenzie began growing a moustache to accurately resemble Gordon as seen in the comics. However, since he had only two days to grow the moustache, it was ultimately decided that he sport a fake one. Mazouz provided the close up shots and voice for Bruce in his costume, while stunt double Mikhail Mudrik filled in for distant shots to fit with the character's grown-up appearance.

Reception

Broadcast 
"The Beginning..." was first aired in the United States on Fox on April 25, 2019. It was watched by 2.19 million viewers with a 0.5/2 share among adults aged 18 to 49.

Critical reviews 

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a rating of 8.3 out of 10, saying, "Gothams finale works way more than it doesn't, as a time jump allows both a Dark Knight and a Clown Prince to rise." Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode a "B" rating, saying, "Gotham always worked as a series you could tune in and out of; it held fast to its purpose as a broadcast drama. But for those who stuck with it, week after week, year after year, the end result is a spellbinding blend of genres, tropes, and characters." Brian Lowry of CNN said the finale "felt more obligatory than soaring, bringing the show to a landing that felt mildly satisfying, but more than anything, overdue."

Notes