Gotham brought Baby-Batman and the Head of the Demon back together last week for one final showdown, and it came with more than one big twist. It's a face-off that the show has been building up to for some time, since R'as (Alexander Siddig) was first revealed to be the ultimate mastermind behind the shadowy Court of Owls. The episode saw the final destruction of Ra's Al Ghul, but more than that, it saw the apparent retirement of Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) as a masked vigilante.
This reveal had fans reeling - could Gotham really be booting Batman? Of course, from the start, the show has been more about the villains of Gotham City, and the rise of Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) to become the eventual Commissioner Gordon, but Bruce Wayne has been a huge part of that. From the first episode, when his parents were shot, the show has woven the Bruce Wayne story with that of the criminals who would become comic book villains... could the show really be ending that part of the tale?
The Dark Knight Rises
Bruce Wayne has certainly had an interesting path in the show so far. In the very early episodes he was just a little boy who had lost his parents, and was struggling to cope. In an attempt to overcome his fears, he started to test himself - first with only a candle flame. As a result, Alfred (Sean Pertwee) started to teach his young ward how to fight, and began his first training.
Since then, Bruce has gone through multiple different types of training. He has learned boxing and strategy from Alfred. He learned how to disguise himself and how to survive on the streets from Selena (Camren Bicondova). He learned how to use his power and his reputation, and started to unravel some of the power structures that control Gotham City from underneath. He was even kidnapped by the League and trained by the Sensei to shut out his emotions (as well as some more fight-training, of course). Finally, he combined all this, and started to work as a vigilante on the streets, wearing all black, and even getting a black cowl and a protective suit. He considered his vigilante activities training to face Ra's Al Ghul, but also admitted that he felt responsible for Gotham, and wanted to help as the city's protector.
The Blade's Path
In "The Demon's Head," the thing that Bruce was training for finally happened, as Ra's returned to Gotham in search of a very special knife. Despite Bruce's best efforts, though, not only was Ra's able to kill an innocent child, but it seemed that he would be set free from prison without so much as a trial. Furious, Bruce decided in "The Blade's Path" that the knife was the only thing that would kill Ra's, and that he needed to sneak into the prison and use it himself.
Of course, everyone who watched Ra's smile to himself as he was led into prison knew that this was exactly what the Demon's Head wanted. In a long speech under the prison, Ra's told Bruce that he was right on one count - the knife would kill him. But he didn't want it so that he could live forever; he wanted Bruce to get it, and to kill him. Ra's is, in his heart, exhausted with living. This confession, and a previous long talk with Alfred, left Bruce torn. Should he give in to his instincts to kill a man, or should he do the 'right' thing and walk away? Baby-Bat decided that he would refuse to kill Ra's, and it seemed as though he had decided to go down the no-killing path... until Ra's made him a promise, to hunt him down and kill everyone he loved, throughout his life, unless Bruce stabbed him. Bruce obliged, but is haunted by his decision.
At the end of the episode, Bruce is planning to burn his bat-suit, saying that he can no longer be a vigilante. He was doing it to be ready for Ra's, and now Ra's is dead. More than that, he no longer has faith in himself, after he chose to kill a man. Alfred gently takes his things away, telling him that he will keep them until Young Master Bruce is 'ready' for them again.
Gotham Would Be Better Without Batman
In a lot of ways, it might be best for the show if Bruce is never 'ready' to put on the cowl again. From the start, the best part of Gotham has been the villains, with Baby-Bat's story on the sidelines - and now that Bruce wants to 'retire' from his masked vigilante work, that means that there is more time to focus on the really cool characters. Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) in particular are absolutely fascinating, and their relationship has become a fan-favorite. Giving these two heavy-hitters more screen time is certainly not a bad thing. Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) has also had a fascinating storyline that has taken her from being Jim's girlfriend to the Queen of Gotham's underworld, and she deserves more focus from the show.
The villains also have their requisite good-guy to go up against, as Jim Gordon is the figurehead of truth and justice in the GCPD, and spends plenty of time balancing out the criminals in the show. In addition, the increasing number of fascinating criminal characters mean that retiring Bruce permanently would create space to simplify the storylines and really let each of these bad guys shine. In recent seasons, the plots have become incredibly convoluted, as Bruce battles his enemies in addition to all the other stories being told - getting rid of this would make the show just a little less complex, and easier to watch.
While some might want Bruce to simply become more integrated in the villain's stories, he's simply not ready at this point. He's still basically a child, compared to the grown men and women of the underworld - he's less experienced, out-gunned, and difficult to take seriously as a threat to most of these villains. It's just not a fair fight, and that means it's not a particularly interesting one. Instead of attempting to keep Batman front and center, the show may be better off playing to its strengths; the villains, and their overblown antics.
Does Gotham Need Batman?
Although Bruce Wayne has long been recognized as one of the weak spots in Gotham, it could still be difficult to simply pull him from the narrative at this point. For one thing, Gotham is still seen by many to be a Batman series - telling the story of Bruce Wayne's journey from losing his parents to becoming the Dark Knight. This is also a story that has now been half-told, and just dumping it from the show leaves all kinds of unanswered questions, which is deeply unsatisfying.
In addition, Bruce has already said that his desire to be a vigilante goes beyond his battle with Ra's Al Ghul, and he's already begun interacting with the villains. His total disappearance simply wouldn't work, so Bruce needs to stick around in some shape or form, and seeing him becoming Batman is significantly more interesting than seeing him just be a rich teenager in Gotham City.
The Future Of Baby-Bat
Although a total retirement for Bruce Wayne's nighttime activities would come as a relief to fans who aren't too keen on the Baby-Bat, and would rather see simpler storylines centered on the villains, this isn't likely to happen. Alfred's choice to save the suit and wait until Bruce is 'ready' is very telling - Bruce is going to become ready again at some point, and the suit will be waiting. However, it's not clear exactly when he might strap on the suit again.
The first half of the season has been called 'A Dark Knight', and Bruce's story with Ra's has only taken five episodes of that to wrap up. So far, Gotham has split each season into two parts, so when we learn the title of the second half of season 4, it is sure to provide a little extra information about whether or not Bruce will return to the vigilante life before season 5. We do already know that the seventh episode of this season, 'A Day In The Narrows', will include some Bruce-time, as he meets a 'former friend' and goes out for the night with classmates. It seems, then, that Bruce may be retired, but his story will continue with a little more time for Bruce to be a teenager, rather than a tortured hero. It's probable that after several episodes (or even the rest of the season) on the sidelines, Bruce will experience something that inspires him to become a vigilante once more, but in the meantime, we'll be enjoying more time with the villains, and less with the Baby-Bat.
Gotham continues next Thursday with A Dark Knight: Hog Day Afternoon' @8pm on FOX.